Job Description for: Open Door Children & Families Support Worker

 

Open Door Exmouth has been supporting the children and families of our community for over 25 years, through the ICE project, based in Exmouth Community College, our Child Contact Centre, and more recently Haven and the Parent Hub.

 

The Haven Project was established in 2017 providing a safe and supportive environment for children and young people to learn about mental and emotional wellbeing and become equipped with strategies and resources to aid good mental health. Haven* runs four separate fortnightly support groups for primary aged children, secondary aged children, young carers and Haven+ for 15-18 year olds.

*Note: Haven is not an alternative for seeking medical professional help

and does not offer therapy or medication.

 

Through both the Child Contact Centre and the Community Cafe, and our work with young people through Haven and ICE, we have been increasingly aware of families struggling with a variety of issues, from children battling poor mental health and the impact of that at home, to parental separation, to families trying to access special educational needs support within education, to the effects of low income, unemployment and food poverty. Following a survey conducted in the community, we found that 82% of respondents felt that a parent support service would be helpful, and so Parent Hub was born at the end of 2020. Offering parents a free, safe space to offload, to discuss any parenting challenge, with access to information and advice and peer support groups, and the opportunity to create a personalised support plan, journeying with the parent or family as they access further support.

 

Responsible to:      Open Door Trustees acting through the Projects Director

Job Purpose:          To work alongside and support the Haven Project Leader and Parent Hub Project Leader in meeting the aims and objectives of Haven and Parent Hub respectively.

Working hours:      15 hours/week: 7.5 hours to include preparation and delivery of Monday Haven sessions (afternoon and evenings) and 7.5 hours to be worked across 1 or 2 days with the Parent Hub.

Salary:                       £9.25 per hour

Closing date:           Friday 9^th July 2021

How to apply:          Please send your completed application form to [email protected] or post to The Open Door Centre, Church Street, Exmouth EX8 1PE by the closing date. Successful applicants will be invited to interview on Tuesday 13^th July.

 

Organisational Context:   See attached sheet

 

Key Responsibilities:

 

• To help plan, facilitate and support the weekly Haven sessions for children and young people at Open Door Exmouth

 

• To provide 1:1 support to parents accessing the Parent Hub, helping to identify appropriate sources of support, signposting, and journeying with the parent as they access that support

 

• To facilitate Parent Hub peer support groups, including creche and children’s facilities

 

• In the occasional absence of the Project Leaders to take a leadership role to ensure continuity of service provision

 

• To be a key point of contact and support for children, young people and their parents/carers

 

• To support and encourage Haven and Parent Hub volunteers

 

Duties and responsibilities:       

 

• Work with the Haven Project Leader to plan, organise and deliver a range of activities which support the mental and emotional wellbeing of young people

 

• Work with the Parent Hub Project Leader to deliver 1:1 and group based parent support, including the administration of the Baby Bank and other such tasks as may be required as the project expands

 

• Build positive relationships with children, young people and parents/carers who access Haven and Parent Hub support services

 

• Undertake relevant administrative tasks associated with the running of Haven and Parent Hub

 

• Support the Project Leaders in the regular monitoring and evaluation of children, young people and parents/carers in order to review progress

 

• Support and role model good practise to volunteers

 

• Support the Project Leaders in weekly session briefings for the staff/volunteer team including a time of prayer and in providing monthly project reports to the Projects Director

 

• In the occasional absence of the Project Leaders to take on the leadership of Haven and Parent Hub sessions

 

• Report any safeguarding issues which may arise to the Project Leader or in their absence to the dedicated Safeguarding Lead

 

• Attend monthly supervisions and annual appraisal with the Project Leader; attend Open Door Team Days and relevant training to meet professional development

 

• To promote and uphold the Christian ethos of Open Door ensuring all communication accurately reflects and supports the charity’s aims and activities

 

Person Specification/Key Competencies

 

Essential	Desirable
Experience of working with and building positive relationships with children and young people	Experience of working with vulnerable children and young people
Experience of supporting parents/carers	Experience or knowledge of EHC process, SEND, benefits system, local family support
Knowledge and understanding of mental health issues experienced by young people	Experience of planning and developing activities for young people
Knowledge and experience of safeguarding children	Experience of using Office 365
Computer literate	Experience of working with volunteers
Calm, friendly and a positive communicator	Experience of working/volunteering within a church setting
Able to promote and uphold the Christian values of Open Door

 

Open Door Exmouth – Organisational Context

 

Open Door Exmouth has been at the heart of our community for nearly 25 years.

Very simply, we aim to make a positive difference in our area and help those most in need. But more than that, as a Christian organisation, we aim to work together to extend Jesus’ model of the kingdom of God on earth by living out a lifestyle of love, acceptance, truth, justice, mercy and forgiveness, according to his teaching.

We are inspired by the message, life and example of Jesus through which God’s unconditional love for all people is expressed. We are founded on Jesus’ commandment to ‘love one another as I have loved you,’ and His call to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the sick and afflicted, and to comfort the victims of injustice (Matthew 25:35-40).

We do this by identifying the needs in our community, creating support programmes (projects) to meet those needs, and mobilising around 100 volunteers to make a difference in their community, and to help those most in need, through these projects.

Our services are offered to any person who can benefit from them, without regard to gender, marital status, race, ethnic origin, religion, age, sexual orientation or physical and mental capability. Christian faith will not be imposed on anyone accessing these services.

Contacts with Open Door Exmouth will be assured of respect for their privacy and sensitivity to their needs. Staff will be trained in skills appropriate to their role and be aware of support services on offer whether directly through Open Door Exmouth, or indirectly through other partner agencies.

Open Door Exmouth has a policy of continuing improvement. This is reflected in staff and volunteer training, and in networking with other agencies to review services offered, together with research to establish areas of need the Charity may consider addressing.