Supporting individuals living with EB and their families with any emotional, social or practical difficulties that may arise for them.
Reporting to: Head of Family Support
Type of Contract: Full Time, permanent, 37.5 hours per week. There will be a requirement for occasional “out of hours” work.
Salary Scale: €55k DOE
Location: Debra’s office is based at Butterfly Cottage, 8 Clanwilliam Terrace, Dublin 2
Office-based 3 days per week. Flexible working is facilitated and embraced after passing probation and in a limited capacity and as per business needs.
Travel: There will be a requirement to undertake home or hospital visits north and south of the country at least 2 days per week. Must have own car, clean drivers licence, fully insured. Civil service rates apply for mileage.
Candidates must be resident in Ireland.
About Debra: We are a national charity dedicated to transforming the lives of people living with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), caring for someone with EB, or bereaved by EB, through care, research and advocacy.
EB is a painful and incurable skin condition that makes people's skin as fragile as the wings of a butterfly. Even gentle contact can cause devastating wounds.
We are a person-led charity, with an ambitious and passionate team, who care deeply about the people living with EB and families we work on behalf of. We actively live our core values of Togetherness, Person-Centredness, Passion, Boldness, Integrity, with people at the heart of everything we do.
About the role: The Senior Family Support worker will be responsible for supporting individuals living with EB and their families with any emotional, social or practical difficulties that may arise for them. There will be an emphasis on designing workshops and facilitating group work for families living with EB. All your work will help grow our support delivered to families providing vital support and information to people living with EB in Ireland. Applicant will need to be a team player, a self-starter, have strong communication skills (verbal & written) and relevant experience in social care/health/education.
Main duties and responsibilities:
* Have a working knowledge of HIQA Standards or Accredited therapist as they apply to the role for example, Standards for Child Protection and Welfare.
* Empower service users to advocate for their own needs, or where appropriate advocate on behalf of service users.
* Have experience to be able to design, facilitate and run group work for families living with EB.
* Deliver practical and emotional support, shaped by the needs of the family and in line with Debra ethos.
* Deliver bereavement support where appropriate.
* Identify service users’ individual and collective needs in partnership with them and co-create early interventions and/or social action strategies to meet those needs.
* Manage and prioritise a caseload in collaboration with head of family support service and appropriate to the post in line with department needs.
* Provide supportive counselling referrals to families. (We do not provide one to one ongoing counselling.)
* Provide information relating to EB.
* Promote independence, self-reliance, self-determination and empowerment with persons in their environment, with families and local groups.
* Visit service users in hospital or their home.
* Assess where social conditions are a major factor in health and social wellbeing, consult and plan with the service user/ relevant team/ service and arrange appropriate social services for those who need.
* To support the organisation and attend peer review events such as the Family Day and the Christmas Party (this may require overnight stay).
* Liaise with other medical professionals in the community to enhance support locally.
* Provide channels for peer support for families living with EB including Public and Patient Involvement panel.
* Support and liaise with other functions, including advocacy, fundraising, research, and communications, to deliver on Debra’s organisational priorities.
This is not an exhaustive list; other duties may be added in line with needs of department.
Qualifications and Competencies:
We are looking for a senior family support worker that has a background in either social work or counselling and psychotherapy.
Registered in the Social Work Register maintained by the Social Work Registration Board maintained at CORU.
AND
Maintain live annual registration on the Social Workers Register maintained by the Social Workers Registration Board at CORU.
AND
Must have the requisite knowledge and ability (including a high standard of suitability and professional ability) for the proper discharge of the duties of the office.
AND
Willing to ensure all CPD are complete to ensure annual registration remains intact.
Or
Be registered as a fully accredited counsellor with one of the main accrediting bodies (IACP, IHHIP) or equivalent.
AND
Maintain live annual registration on the counsellor register maintained by the accredited body.
AND
Willing to ensure all CPD are complete to ensure annual registration remains intact.
Must be competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.
Minimum five years’ experience in a social worker or five years fully accredited therapist with one of the main bodies IACP IHHIP or equivalent.
Clear and established programme management experience, with proven ability to manage multiple projects, prioritise time and resources and thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic working environment.
Fluency in written and spoken English.
20 days annual leave.
Additional 5 leave days: Good Friday, Christmas Eve, working days between Christmas-New Year.
Paid sick leave entitlement.
Employer matched pension scheme up to 6%, following 6-month probationary period.
Employee Assistance Programme.
Bike to Work Scheme.
Opportunity for flexible/hybrid working.
Please email your CV and accompanying cover letter outlining your suitability for the role to deirdre.callis@debra.ie by 5pm on March 28th (Friday). 1st round interviews will be in April.
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