Ealing Mencap - Job Description
Job Title: Travel Training Development Worker
Salary: £22,392 – £23,976(dependent on experience)
Hours: 40 h/w term time and 35 h/w during school holidays
Contract:Fixed term ending 31/03/2018, but with options to extend dependent on funding.
Location:
1 post based at the Civic Centre, Lampton Road, Hounslow, London, TW3 4DN
1 post based at the Lido Centre, 63 Mattock Lane, West Ealing, London,W13 9LA
Both roles based in respective boroughs with expectation to frequently work in Ealing, Hounslow and Hillingdon.
Responsible to: Travel Training Project Manager
Ealing Mencap represents the interests of people with learning disabilities and their carers within Ealing and our neighbouring boroughs. We are a voluntary organisation which successfully combines committed volunteers and paid staff. We run a range of projects to help people with learning disabilities and their carers.
The Travel Training Project supports people with learning disabilities to be independent, be safe and be able to achieve more in life.
Overall Purpose ofthe job:
- To teach young people with disabilities aged 11-25 years to travel safely and independently to school or college using public transport.
- To ensure that systems and resources are in place on the TravelTraining Project to promote safety, best practice and efficient use of resources at all times.
- To develop current strategies and create new ones to ensure the project continues to move forward.
- Working with families, schools and other agencies to promote and develop a positive culture of safe independent travel.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
Travel Training
1. To enable young people to develop effective road safety and independent travel skills, while following a specific route.
2. To use Ealing Mencap’s travel training programme to assess each student’s travelling skills and evaluate their learning.
3. To undertake risk assessments for each student to identify risks both during travel training and when they are travelling independently.
4. To create a person centred, week by week, training programme for each student.
5. To develop accessible resources for working with each student to facilitate learning or improve behaviour/cooperation.
6. To keep parents and carers informed about all aspects of the training programme and support them throughout the placement.
7. To meet with families and school/college staff to resolve issues and/or review the progress of each individual, as required.
8. To undertake initial assessments of potential students’ for travel training and contribute to the decision making of suitability, as required.
9. To attend training sessions as developed by Ealing Mencap.
10. To keep up to date records and reports on progress of young people using a PC and Ealing Mencap’s database.
11. To adhere to Ealing Mencap’s code of conduct and follow working policies at all times.
Organisational
12. To devise and present workshops and training sessions for groups of young disabled people on various aspects of travel training.
13. To work closely with schools to promote and set up travel training / school partnerships.
14. To attend and contribute to regular Travel Training Project team meetings and Ealing Mencap team meetings.
15. To be involved in the writing of policy and publicity materials for the project as required.
16. To develop training resources to be used by all staff with students, with particular focus on accessible resources.
17. To create referral systems and lists of students ready for travel training for all members of the staff team, liaise with travel trainers, schools and SEN transport to achieve this.
28. To regularly review and update assessment and risk assessment systems for the project.
22. To promote the project with parents, professionals and young people.
23. To liaise with other travel training projects or travel initiatives across the London area, in consultation with the project manager.
24. Liaise with TFL and other transport providers to resolve travel related issues, as appropriate.
25. To attend regular supervision with the line manager.
26. To complete reasonable additional responsibilities as directed by your line manager.
Ealing Mencap - Person Specification
Job Title: Travel Training Development Worker
To apply for this job you must be able to demonstrate and state on your application form how you meet the criteria set out below. Please address each point in turn.
ESSENTIAL:
Qualifications / experience
1. Experience of working with children / young people, or people withdisabilities / additional needs.
Knowledge / skills
1. Knowledge and understanding of the needs of young disabled people withregard to life choices and independent travel.
2. Can demonstrate an understanding of the issues and dilemmas facingparents / carers when supporting the independence of young disabledpeople.
3. Good inter-personal and communication skills with disabled young people, including those whose use of spoken language may be limited, and with their parents / carers.
4. Excellent writing skills: Able to tailor style and tone depending onaudiences and purpose.
5. Basic knowledge of issues around safeguarding children and theprotection of vulnerable adults
6. Confident computer user in Microsoft Office Suite and google docs.
7. Confident communicator: Able to communicate effectively andappropriatelydepending on the audience and message.
Competencies / behaviours required
1.Ability to organise your workload independently and effectively,according to agreed priorities and targets.
2. Ability to use own initiative and a “can do” approach to overcome challenges and come up with constructive and creative solutions.
3. Ability to work sensitively and patiently with young people with disabilities, treating them with respect, dignity and compassion.
4. Ability to set your own goals and targets and to work effectively to meetthese.
5. Ability to listen toeach individual’s choices, interests and preferences, and use this information to develop person centred activities and training.
6. Able to manage and resolve conflict situations and to deal withchallenging situations and behaviours.
7. Ability to contribute to meetings with a variety of agencies to ensurethat travel training issues are fully represented.
8. Ability to take the initiative to improve services and activities and measure improvements via customer feedback and achievement of outcomes.
9. Ability to work in partnership with other agencies and understand thechallenges and benefits this brings.
Circumstances
1. The role involves early starts from different locations around Ealing, Hillingdon or Hounslow.Successful applicants must be able to get to different areas of theboroughs in the mornings, and be able to cope with early starts.
2. Able to access and successfully negotiate the bus, tube and railservices around London, and be able to support a young disabledperson whilst on these.
3. This post is initially based in either Hounslow or Ealing; however, you will be required to work in neighbouring boroughs when needed.
DESIRABLE:
Qualifications / experience
1. Degree level qualification or a relevant social care qualification
2. Experience of working with children/young people with disabilities in ateaching setting.
3. Experience in working in or setting up a new service or project
4. Experience of travel training, buddy schemes or other transportinitiatives supporting disabled people to travel.
5. Experience of creating teaching materials or designing trainingprogrammes.
6. Experience of presenting workshops, or speaking to large groups ofpeople.
7. Direct experience of person-centred planning
Knowledge / skills
- Able to write risk assessments