Relief Outreach Worker

Information

“A smile that says it all.”

• Fun and nurturing environment
• Positive and supportive team

 

Here at The Daisy Chain Early Years Project in Glasgow, we provide a caring, welcoming and safe environment for children and families in the Govanhill area.  Using a range of activities to promote attachment between parent and child through play, literacy-based activities and creative arts, we can ensure children have the best start in life.

Now’s your opportunity to join us working with newly arrived families and individuals from Eastern Europe to help them successfully integrate into the local community.  The post involves visiting residents in their homes or in the community, specifically those from the Romanian Roma community, so strong communication skills are really important, along with an understanding of some of the issues they may be facing.  Our team is close-knit and supportive.  Ideally you will have experience of working with children in a community setting.

When required, you will utilise the services of interpreters to ensure equal access to service provision.

Main Function

The Outreach Worker will provide outreach support to newly arrived families and individuals to enable them to successfully integrate into the local community.  Key target communities are Eastern European nationals, with specific emphasis on Romanian Roma communities.

The post involves visiting residents in their homes or in the community.  You will provide support in a number of ways to families/individual children with identified needs, for example, one to one support, sign-posting, referring to other agencies etc.  You will assist service users in accessing mainstream support services such as schools, GP and Health Visiting, housing services, benefits/employment advice etc and work in partnership with appropriate services, particularly the ROMA children and Families Team from whom you will receive referrals.

When required, you will utilise the services of interpreters to ensure equal access to service provision.

Main Duties

Administrative Duties

• To implement and maintain an effective and efficient record keeping reporting and monitoring system.
• Attend meetings – internal and external.
• Record referrals to the Project.
• Work to an outcomes monitoring framework based on the SHANNARI wellbeing indicators and within the context of Getting it Right for Every Child.

 

Direct support for Children, Families and Individuals

• To provide a responsive, high quality and service user-focused service to newly arrived families, based on an assessment of need that is regularly reviewed and is outcomes driven.
• To contribute to assessments.
• To work in partnership with families to empower and enable them to identify and achieve better outcomes.
• To visit families within their homes or in the community.
• To facilitate play sessions for Romanian Roma families with children under 8 years old, focussing on promoting attachment and reducing isolation.
• To accompany families/individuals (when appropriate) to initial meetings.
• To undergo supported introductions such as registering with a GP, Advice Service, Job Centre Plus, business support or training providers etc.
• To provide information, support and advice to families on a variety of issues such as education, health, benefits, employment and housing.
• To develop effective working relationships, using various channels of communication with colleagues, partner agencies and other external organisations, within the voluntary, statutory and private sector, ensuring families receive coordinated support.
• To participate in the process of referring families on to other appropriate services when families require the involvement of a specialist service.
• Advocacy work as required.

 

Other Tasks

• To attend training courses and conferences (internal and external).
• To undergo regular supervision with Line Manager to identify own training and development needs.  Monthly case reviews will take place to monitor work with service users.  These will take place with the Outreach Worker, Coordinator and Team Leader for the ROMA Children and Families Team, Glasgow Social Services.
• To participate in events and actively maximize the involvement of children and families.
• Working collaboratively with colleagues, partner agencies and other external agencies to refer parents for volunteering, employment, education or training opportunities.
• To liaise with various groups, both operational and strategic to inform service delivery.

 

Work Related Circumstances

• To work in accordance with all policies and procedures of CrossReach, Glasgow City Council Social Work Service, as well as relevant legislation, i.e. Health and Safety, Data Protection etc.
• To undertake external travel as required by the post.
• The post may include attending some weekend and evening meetings for which time off in lieu will be given.
• Through Christian leadership, ensure that the service reflects CrossReach's Christian ethos and mission statement.

 

General

• Have respect for all aspects of Christian worship
• Facilitate Service Users to attend Christian worship (or worship of choice as required by the role).

Personal

As we do our work in Christ’s name you must be respectful of our Christian Ethos and be able to work within it.

This post requires you to be a member of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme and undertake the necessary vetting checks.

Skills and Abilities

Essential:

• At least one year’s experience of working with children and families
• Experience of working in partnership with community, voluntary and statutory sector organisations
• Experience of working with newly arrived families/Roma
• Basic experience of word processing, spreadsheet and other IT software
• Ability to speak Slovak or Romanian and/or Romani
• Ability to provide practical and emotional support to young people, families and individuals
• Ability to involve and engage young people and adults in decision making processes
• Advocate on behalf of service users
• Work-in partnership and collaboratively with other organisations/agencies
• Ability to produce and maintain appropriate documentation
• Ability to prioritise workload and work on own initiative
• To communicate effectively with individuals and within group settings
• Assist service users to identify their own needs and take appropriate steps to address those needs