CROSSROADS DERBYSHIRE

CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’SOUTREACH SUPPORT WORKER

JOB DESCRIPTION

Team:Children’s Team

Accountable to: Services Manager

Crossroads Derbyshire Board of Trustees

Hours of Work:21 hours per week

Salary:Point 20 - £18,638 PRO RATA

Overall Purpose: to work as part of a team to provide a safe, caring and supportive service within the HighPeak for adult’s children and young people who are suffering the effects of domestic abuse.

1Service Specific Duties and Responsibilities

  • To work closely with the Services Manager and other Crossroads Derbyshire support workers, to meet the practical and emotional needs of children and families coming from a background of physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
  • To raise awareness of issues surrounding domestic abuse and its effect on children.
  • To plan and implement a programme of support to meet the individual needs of children and young people on a day to day basis, both individually and in groups.
  • Develop links with agencies working specifically with children and young people, to ensure a clear referral pathway to the service.
  • To carry out satisfactory monitoring and evaluation of the service.

2Generic Duties and Responsibilities

  • To effectively assess referrals to the service (in conjunction with other professionals) in a timely manner.
  • To liaise with the Services Manager, to make appropriate Safeguarding referrals as and when necessary.
  • To ensure that all those engaging with the service have their needs and risks fully assessed and that individual support/ safety plans are completed as soon as possible for all service users.
  • To ensure that all practical, financial and emotional support is provided to service users as defined in the individual support/ safety plan via one to one meetings or group work in accordance with Crosssroads Derbyshire Adult Protection and / or Safeguarding Children policies and procedures.
  • To liaise with children and young people and other workers to ensure that appropriate support is provided to address the identified needs whilst adhering to Crossroads Derbyshire’s Safeguarding Children and Confidentiality policies and procedures.
  • To provide appropriate emotional and practical support to service users over the telephone or face to face.
  • To work with service users to help them develop their own solutions to their issues.
  • To promote service user involvement in the development of service provision and policy.
  • To intervene and manage crisis situations and to deal with issues of conflict

resolution as appropriate e.g. conflict between service users and other agencies and within families (not directly with the perpetrator).

CHILDRENS OUTREACH SUPPORT WORKER (Continued)

  • To liaise with the manager, the police and other agencies in order to act in responseto abusive behaviour or threats from service user’s partners or others who may put at risk the safety and security of the organisation, service users or staff.
  • To liaise with, signpost on to or refer to all relevant external agencies both statutory and voluntary as necessary, in order to provide the best possible support for each service user.
  • To ensure that information sharing without consent is carried out in accordance with Crossroads Derbyshire and Derbyshire County Council policies and procedures and recorded appropriately.
  • To liaise with other Crossroads Derbyshire’s services to ensure that appropriate follow on support is provided to service users, as necessary.
  • To assist the LCOSW to carry out service specific risk assessments and maintain health and safety standards for the organisation.
  • To maintain an up to date knowledge of changes in domestic violence law, policy and procedures (including local and national procedures in relation to children affected by domestic abuse), undertaking training as necessary.
  • To contribute to service development activities.
  • To liaise with voluntary, statutory agencies, and the local community to raise awareness of domestic abuse issues, available support.
  • To take part in supervision, appraisal and development opportunities as required.
  • To contribute to the training and day to day supervision of volunteers, students and new workers as required.
  • To work as part of a team within Crossroads Derbyshireand to feedback relevant information.
  • To maintain full and accurate case records and monitoring systems as required.
  • To participate in the introduction, maintenance, development and evaluation of systems, practices and procedures aimed at securing improvements in service delivery.
  • To comply with Crossroads Derbyshire’s financial regulations and other organisational policies and procedures.

3Confidentiality

The post holder will be expected at all times to respect the confidentiality of individual service users, whilst adhering to Child and Adult Protection policies and procedures including the MARAC information sharing protocol. They will also be expected to keep the whereabouts of refuge services confidential

4Equal Opportunities

  • The post holder will be expected at all times to show a commitment to anti-racist and anti-sexist work and to anti-discriminatory practice in relation to class, sexuality, disability, HIV/Aids status, age and faith.
  • Crossroads Derbyshire has a comprehensive Equality Policy which is reviewed regularly. It is the responsibility of each worker to keep up to date with this policy.

5Health and Safety

  • To maintain health and safety standards for the organisation.

6Professional Conduct:

  • The post holder will be expected at all times to maintain a professional approach to work as defined in the Code of Conduct/Protection from Abuse policies.

1

Job Description COSW Reviewed June 2014