Community Family Link Worker: Kinship Foster Carers

Employer Location: Antrim
Phone Number: Show phone number
Email: View email address on jobapplyni.com
N/A

Job description

This role will support kinship carers in the Greater Shankill, neighbourhood renewal areas. The post holder will engage with all kinship families in this geography, ensuring children and carers connect to any relevant local resources and support networks. This service aims to support family units who take on kinship caring roles and help improve outcomes for the children under their care.

Responsibilities

• Target Families: Work directly with the kinship group of families in the Greater Shankill area.
• Home Visits: Conduct regular home visits to all households in the geography that offer kinship care and build relationships with these families.
• Needs Assessment: In conjunction with the family, work to identify any local resources or supports that they feel would provide support to any/all member of each kinship care family and/or improve the experience of children in these households.
• Resource Connection: Based on the suggestions or needs identified by families work to provide families with information about available support resources, both locally and across the city.
• Collaborate with various organisations (Belfast Trust, local voluntary support groups, schools, youth club, community cohort groups et al) as needed to ensure project outcomes.
• Programme Development: The post holder will connect families to activities and initiatives that benefit them, whether individually or as a group.
• Manage administrative duties associated with this position including the completion of monthly monitoring reports and returns to BHSCT.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and adhere to GDPR regulations.
• Provide regular updates to the Greater Shankill Partnership and BHSCT on the progress of the initiative and any delivery issues that may emerge.
• Attend meetings as appropriate with relevant support groups: as directed by the postholder’s line manager.
• Be the point of contact for referrals and to offer referral support to any queries.
• Undertake training on a range of family and children’s related matters as required.
• Excellent, clear, and confident communication skills required ensuring that information (both written and verbal) is shared appropriately, in a timely manner and accurately with the relevant stakeholders.

Skills and Qualifications

Essential Skills

• Educated to a degree level or NVQ health and social care (level five) with at least two years’ experience or NVQ health and social care (level three) with at least three years’ experience.
• Experience and knowledge of supporting and working with families in a community setting.
• Understanding of the socio-economic issues impacting families within our area of reach.
• Knowledge and understanding of the support organisations that exist in the Greater Shankill area.
• Knowledge of child protection issues and reporting mechanisms.
• The worker will apply a trauma informed approach to their practice.
• Work with case management systems and ensure management information is maintained.
• Experience of conducting group working.
• Experience of conducting home visits in a lone worker capacity.
• Excellent communications skills and management report writing.
• Excellent ICT skills including proficient use of Microsoft Office applications.

Desirable Skills

• Experience with working with families with additional needs.
• Demonstrate an ability to travel to different locations to access families in own homes.