Support Practitioner

Salary: From £24,055.00 to £25,582.00

Plus Sleepover @ £52.48 per night

Hours per week: 40.00

Job Status: Permanent

Closing Date:

Job Type: Full Time

Responsible To: Team Leader

Location: The Old Lodge
Boquhan Estate Kippen Stirlingshire FK8 3HY

More info

Information

“Changing lives takes a little time and space.”

Part of CrossReach Children’s Services, our Community Team in partnership with local agencies, supports young people to be a part of community life.  By adopting a child-centred approach our team works with the ‘whole-child’, focusing on improving relationships and enhancing personal development.

You will support our Lead Practitioner in every aspect of their role from implementing care and education plans to contributing to the assessment of each child’s needs.  An HNC Social Care and SVQ Level 3 qualification is preferable with experience in a care/education role.  You will also need a full driving licence or a commitment to achieving this within an agreed time scale.

In return we’ll make sure you have all the training and development you need, not only so you can do a great job, but to help you build your career with us too.  There’s also an excellent benefits package that includes an employer contributory pension and generous holiday allowance for the part time post.

This post will include sleepovers.

Main Function

All those employed within the CrossReach Children & Family Services will, with a commitment to our Christian values, work as part of a holistic team to deliver a service that ensures that the needs of the children, young people and their families that we support, are fully met. You will be expected to work to the highest professional standards of those working within the Children’s workforce and adhere to professional codes of practice of SSSC; ensuring that the aims and objectives of CrossReach and those specific to Children & Family Services and the section within which you are based are met.

All adults within our services, regardless of specific job remit & role, have a responsibility to promote a Therapeutic Environment and contribute to the Relational Health of children and young people in our services and have an understanding of how their role contributes. The following values and attributes are applicable to all those employed within Children & Family services and not solely to those whose primary role is to support the direct care and education of children and young people.

In undertaking your role you will be expected to demonstrate, from an asset/strengths based approach the following core principles.

  1. Inclusion: Understanding that our role is to ‘include’ those who, for whatever reason, have been ‘excluded’ from the mainstream of our society through:

    1. Including Children, young people and families in decisions that affect their lives.
    2. Listening to Children and Young People and to giving them opportunities to be accepted and understood.
    3. Promoting positive experiences and strengths
    4. Taking an active role to ensure that everyone is included within their immediate and wider community.
  1. Relational Health: understanding the impact of our relationships and interactions with those around us, including: 

    1. The impact that past experiences have on how individuals understand themselves and the world around them.
    2. Understanding that our role is to provide positive experiences which can build trust through positive and genuine relationships with children, young people and their families.
    3. Being mindful in all our interactions of language used – both words and tone; body language of stance & facial expression and how this may be perceived by others, based on their past experiences.
    4. Being aware that your own past experiences has had an impact on who you are.
  1. Advocating: Understanding that our role is to ensure that all needs are met:

    1. Explaining all decisions that affect individuals as well as the implications of these decisions in a way that they are able to understand.
    2. Being aware of who else and what other agencies can support individuals to have their needs met.
    3. Supporting children, young people and their families to be able to communicate and express their emotions, feelings and needs.

Main Duties

To meet the care needs of children and young people, as their Children & Young Person Care Mentor: GIRFEC Support Practitioner  you will:

  1. Ensure that children & young people’s primary care needs are fully met
  2. Support Key-working to meet needs of individual children and young people.  This will include working in partnership with the child, young person, their family and other support agencies.      
  3. Contribute to Assessment of needs and development of Individual care & education plans, risk assessments.
  4. Promote equality and strengthen Relational health through actively developing and role modelling positive and genuine relationships, using the principles of Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy [P.A.C.E.].
  5. Undertake core training which will enhance your skills in meeting children & young people needs, strengthen relationships and promote a strengths based approach.
  6. Promote communication with children and young people
  7. Support children and young people when they are emotionally, psychologically and socially isolated and distressed.
  8. Support and empower children and young people to be actively included in their family and community and to make use of services available to them.
  9. Contribute to the health, well being, safety and security of children and young people and their environment. This includes following policy and protocols.
  10. Actively promote, participate and support children & young people to develop skills for life.
  11. Contribute information for Assessment, LAAC Reviews, Children’s Hearings reports and any other relevant meetings.
  12. Work a flexible pattern of shifts over the period of a rota including any sleepover allocated to you.
  13. Undertake any other duties or responsibilities that may be required.

PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT

As part of the staff team to play an active part in the formulation of a yearly plan.  Thereafter to be committed to working towards meeting the objectives identified.

QUALITY ASSURANCE

Through the direction of the Team Leader to be committed to ensuring that Quality Assurance systems are adhered to.  To maintain an awareness of commitment to the Scottish Social Services Council Codes of Practice.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

To register with the Scottish Social Services Council and be committed to ongoing professional development in line with the requirements of the SSSC Codes of Practice.

To participate in staff development programme and attend meetings, training courses and seminars as required.

To maintain professional standards & responsibility for ensuring that you meet minimum standards required for SSSC registration.

FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT

To ensure that children and young people’s records are maintained in line with the CrossReach policies.

To contribute to the maintenance of systems to gather, record and store information/data.

To be responsible for accurate reporting and recording of information and ensure that all information is accurate and timely.

Manage any financial requirements of the young people cared for within the agreed systems.

To ensure that all information relating to children and young people are kept strictly confidential in line with CrossReach Policy and the Data Protection Act 1998.

LIAISON

To support management team in the promotion of services and to maintain close working relationships, as required, with all relevant professionals involved in the care of children, young people and their families, maintaining effective communication and co-operation with relatives and friend of children & young peoples.

Qualifications

Essential

You will be required to be registered with Scottish Social Services Council [SSSC] and attain within the registration period the minimum qualification of HNC Social Care and SVQ Level 3.

Desirable

Knowledge and understanding of Attachment Theory Informed Practice.

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

This post requires you to be registered with SSSC and it is your professional responsibility to ensure that you meet the standards and criteria for registration.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

  • Experience in the field of care and/or education is desirable.
  • A reflective and person centred approach with the ability to restore & strengthen relationships through relationships.
  • Good self-awareness and emotionally competent.  
  • Good communication skills combined with good planning, reporting and recording skills whilst effectively using current IT systems.
  • Commitment to providing learning opportunities for children and young people and a dedication to the best possible outcomes for children and young people.
  • Experience of group work.
  • A full driving licence.

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