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youngballymunOral Language Development Officer

Job DescriptionApril 2014

Contract: Fixed term contract until June 2016. Secondment from a current position may be arranged if appropriate.

Conditions: Salary will be aligned with public sector pay scales.

Reports to: Programme Manager, youngballymun

Works collaboratively with the youngballymun Write-Minded team and the youngballymun programme staff and structures including school principals and school staff, parents and families, HSE speech and language therapy service, Voluntary and Community Partner Organisations, evaluators and other ABC funded communities to achieve the goals and objectives of the Write-Minded service and the vision of youngballymun ‘to measurably improve learning and wellbeing outcomes for children in Ballymun and to inform practice and policy nationally’. youngballymun is co-funded by Government and the Atlantic Philanthropies through the Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme to tackle poverty.The Write Minded strategy is funded as a core element of the youngballymun strategy.

The Overall Purpose of the Oral Language Development Officer Post is:

  • to work collaboratively as a member of the Write-Minded team to implement the service in partnership with schools, parents and families, literacy support services, the HSE speech and language therapy service and community organisations
  • to build the capacity of the schools staff teams to raise the language abilities and literacy levels of children in primary schools in Ballymun through the implementation of a universal service for all pupils in Ballymun
  • to support the capacity of families and communities to enhance the language development of children
  • to build on the existing programme of work that positions language development as a key cornerstone of a Balanced Literacy Framework (note on the framework accompanies this job description)
  • to liaise closely with other services and resources active in the school context, including the home school community liaison service and youngballymun’s Incredible Years service
  • to maintain a strengths-based ‘life cycle’ understanding of children’s language and literacy development and support transitions into primary school from home and early years contexts and transitions from primary to secondary schools
  • to actively contribute to the strategic development, delivery, embedding and sustainability of the youngballymun evidenced-based services in statutory, voluntary and community sectors

Key responsibilities:

  1. Teacher training and capacity building

A core responsibility is to design and implement an ongoing programme of training and capacity building for teachers and school staffto support language development within an educational context in consultation with school principals and teachers.This programmeinvests in the competency and professional development of school teams in order to impact measurably on the language and literacy attainment of children in Ballymun primary schools. The oral language programme is based on the Balanced Literacy Framework and First Steps resources.

The Oral Language Development Officer will:

  • Plan, co-ordinate and deliver a training and professional development strategy to support the teaching of language and literacy across all subject areas, building on the established programme of work
  • Support the ongoing implementation of whole school plans for literacy that are grounded in a Balanced Literacy Framework and include oral language targets and objectives
  • Provide training and coaching in language enrichment practices and build opportunities for learning and peer support
  • Provide ongoing support for existing evidence-informed oral language and literacy initiatives in schools
  • Support and enable teachers to engage proactively with pupil language and literacy data and to use data to inform school and class literacy plans
  • Provide mentoring and support to teachers to engage families in their child’s language development and to work closely with colleagues in the Write-Minded team to build a school –family-community partnership in improving child language and literacy outcomes in Ballymun
  • Model reflective and inclusive practice across the programme of work
  • Share practice and learning with relevant partners and organisations, including other Area Based Childhood (ABC) programmes, the Department of Education and Skills (DES), Health Services Executive (HSE) and/orother children’s services or stakeholders
  1. Transition from primary to second level education:

Research indicates that many children do not successfully navigate the transition from primary to secondary school, leading to poor learning outcomes from secondary education and frequently, early school leaving.

The role of the Oral LanguageDevelopment Officer is to:

  • Work closely with the Write-Minded Family and Community Literacy Development Officer and the Write-Minded School Literacy Development Officer to help ensure that schools, parents and community services are actively engaged in supporting effective transitions through the Ballymun School Transitions Programme
  • Strengthen existing language andliteracy strategies targeting vulnerable children and young people who will be most challenged in the transition to secondary school in collaboration with Write-Minded colleagues
  1. Family and CommunityEngagement:

The positive engagement of families and communities in their child’s education promotes educational attainment and improved learning outcomes. The role of the Oral LanguageDevelopment Officer is to support the engagement of families and community organisations in their child’s learning and in school through:

  • Supporting and engaging with the programme of family and community literacy initiatives led by theWrite-Minded Family and Community Literacy Development Officer
  • Supporting a whole school approach to the engagement of families in their child’slanguage and literacy development
  • Liaising with other initiatives to support parents in their role, including the Incredible Years serviceand the Ready, Steady, Grow service
  1. Data Analysis and Evaluation:

Data analysis, reflective practice and evaluation are key features of the youngballymun strategy. The Oral Language Development Officer will:

  • Continue the management of existing data on language abilities of pupils across different ages and stages of education
  • Co-ordinate the ongoing collection and analysis of language outcomes of pupils in Ballymun schools in collaboration with youngballymun’s Research and Evaluation Manager, school principals, parents and others
  • Support the understanding, analysis and application of language, literacy and other data relating to child learning and wellbeing in order to inform the service and the wider programme of work of youngballymun.
  1. Administration and Accountability

The Oral LanguageDevelopment Officer works as a member of the Write-Minded service and as an integral part of the youngballymun organisation. Key responsibilities will include:

  • To record and share information in a timely way to support decision making within the Write-Minded Service in consultation with the youngballymun Programme Manager
  • To play an active role in the development of the Write-Minded/ Incredible Years Implementation Team, a multi-agency partnership which oversees and guides the ongoing implementation of both the Write-Minded and Incredible Years services
  • To document accurately and transparently processes and decisions and provide reports as required to relevant stakeholders including the Board of youngballymun and funders
  • To work collaboratively with youngballymun’s Finance and Administration Manager in all budgetary and administrative processes and decisions
  1. Reflective Practice

youngballymun is a complex community change initiative, working to embed evidence-informed practice across children’s services, to integrate services across sectors and across the life cycle of the child and family and to influence and inform policy and practice locally and nationally. The Oral LanguageDevelopment Officer will be required to:

  • Work closely with partner agencies to embed effective and sustainable language and literacy practicesin schools and in community services
  • To maintain and develop clear and frequent communication channels with stakeholders across disciplines
  • Support and facilitate structures and groups to build relationships and consensus when faced with issues where there is lack of clarity and little agreement on how to proceed

Oral Language Development Officer Person Specification

Essential

  • Candidates must possess:(i) the B. Sc degree (Clinical Speech and Language Studies) from the University of Dublin OR (ii) the BA (Moderatorship)(Remedial Linguistics) from the University of Dublin OR (iii) the B.Sc Speech & Language Therapy from the National University of Ireland, Galway OR (iv) the B.Sc Speech & Language Therapy from University College Cork OR (v) the M.Sc in Speech & Language Therapy (Professional Qualification) from the University of LimerickOR (vi) Licentiateship from the College of Speech Therapists OR (vii) A validated Speech & Language qualification at least equivalent to (i), (ii), (iii) (iv) or (v) above
  • Have aminimum of three years clinical experience working as a speech and language therapist
  • Demonstrable knowledge of the links between language development and literacy development for school-aged children
  • Experience in implementing and supporting evidence-based language enrichment practices that are embedded in an educational contexts
  • Experience working collaboratively with families and communities to enhance the language development of children
  • Demonstrable capacity to design and deliver participative professional development and training programmes, including coaching experience
  • Experience in working collaboratively with teachers, principals and other school staff
  • Effective negotiation, communication, report writing and presentation skills
  • High level of organisational and administrative / IT skills
  • Demonstrable commitment to effecting change on behalf of children and young people, their families and community
  • Understanding of the role of evaluation in service delivery and development
  • Appreciation of the requirements of funders – statutory and philanthropic – and ability to integrate such requirements into inclusive and effective service delivery processes that deliver outcomes for children

Desirable

  • Knowledge of the Primary School Curriculum
  • Knowledge of the First Steps resources
  • Understanding of the current policy, structural and funding context for children’s services and strategies
  • Understanding of Implementation Science Framework, Integrated Services Models
  • Experience in complex projects with multiple stakeholders
  • Experience in projects with large-scale funding

Personal Attributes

  • Works collaboratively in a fair, respectful, considerate and inclusive way with a broad spectrum of interests and stakeholders
  • Works effectively with difference and conflict and building consensus without compromising on outcomes
  • Takes a leadership role in collaborative work, builds momentum and drives processes forward
  • Leadership style that delivers effective work results whilst maintaining a positive, co-operative and effective team
  • Creative, flexible and solutions focused with proven ability to work to deadlines
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
  • Ability to mentor and support others
  • Openness to new learning and development

youngballymunOral Language Development Officer Job Specification April 2014