Changing Faces Job Description:

Senior Practitioner – Children in Need

The Children in Need project in Yorkshire & the Humber is to enable children, young people and families affected by disfigurement to improve their quality of life and wellbeing, using our evidence-based package of support called FACES.

The FACES Package: FACES enables people to adjust successfully to a disfigurement – our experience and research confirms that this adjustment is facilitated if people can:

Find out so that they have realistic information about their condition and its treatment

Gain a positive ‘Attitude’ about their future built on resilience and determination

Cope with their feelings by discussing them with family, close friends or a Practitioner/professional

Exchange and share experiences with others in similar situations

Strengthen their Social skills to manage other people’s reactions and make new friends.

Job Specification

The dual aims of this new role are to:

• provide support to children and young people with disfigurements and their families inYorkshire and the Humber (Y&H)

• lead and manage the charity’s Children in Need project in Y&H by promoting theservice to potential clients and referrers, managing the budget, and reporting on KPIsinternally and externally

The Senior Practitioner has the following responsibilities:

  1. Work with individual children, young people and families
  • To respond empathetically and confidentially to requests for support from children, young people, family members and professionals
  • To assess each client’s needs in collaboration with the client
  • To deliver, via a range of mechanisms including email, telephone and face-to face, the FACES package of intervention including the application of CBT or related techniques to address negative attitudes, training in social skills development and the application of counselling skills to develop resilience and ability to cope with challenging emotions.
  • To refer clients to Skin Camouflage, other organisations or individual specialists as appropriate
  • To attend individual clinical supervision, and group or peer supervision as required, which will be provided or paid for by Changing Faces
  • To conduct client work and professional support in Changing Faces offices, hospitals, schools and other outreach settings
  • To visit, train and support schools and other professionals in relation to specific clients

2. Group work

  • To develop and run age-appropriate, psycho-educational group sessions for children, young people and families

3. Development and training

  • To support the development of new resources, ideas and services
  • To keep abreast of developments in similar or parallel fields of work and to adapt any relevant ideas in the interests of our clients
  • To support the development and implementation of training for schools, health and associated professionals
  • To induct new staff or volunteers

4. Record keeping. evaluation and research

  • To keep accurate and up-to-date records of all work with clients, client details, permissions, etc
  • To perform and record evaluations of all the work with clients
  • To participate fully in any independent research to be undertaken to assess Changing Faces’ approach
  • To adhere to the charity’s Quality Assurance Framework.

5. Leadership and management

  • To manage the Children in Need Co-ordinator and any project volunteers
  • To represent Changing Faces and the Children in Need service in internal and external contexts
  • Working with the Trusts Manager, agree the project plan for the delivery of the Children in Need grant, reporting criteria and timescales
  • Manage the agreed budget for the project, notifying line manager of any differences
  • Maintaining a risk log and updating monthly for 121 management meetings

6. Other tasks as required

  • To contribute to the work of Changing Faces in other ways, as may be reasonablyrequired.

Person Specification

Professional qualifications, experience and knowledge

  • Essential
  • A recognised post-graduate qualification in psychology, psychotherapy or counselling or to be an experienced care professional, eg social care work, healthcare, CAMHS
  • Experience of working with children, young people and parents in a health or social care setting
  • Experience of autonomous management of a client case load
  • Knowledge of statutory health and social care services
  • Very proficient computer skills - Microsoft Office suite, database, email and internet
  • Accurate and concise electronic record keeping skills, with an eye for detail
  • Professional presentation skills.
  • Experience of line management or supervision of staff or volunteers
  • Project management experience, including impact reporting, report writing and budget management

Desirable

  • Knowledge and understanding of school settings or education systems
  • Experience of providing telephone support
  • Experience of providing support by email, online and other social media
  • Experience of working with clients with complex body image or health concerns
  • Knowledge and experience of the NHS
  • Knowledge and use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or similar
  • Experience of working in the voluntary sector
  • Knowledge and experience of social care / mental health
  • Qualification in or proven track record of managing and running groups
  • Experience of delivering training

Personal skills and abilities

  • Essential
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, written and oral
  • The ability to liaise and work with staff and volunteers at all levels
  • Proven ability to work independently
  • Empathy with and willingness to work within the philosophy and practices of Changing
  • Faces
  • Ability to manage competing demands
  • High level of attention to detail
  • Initiative to identify improvements to procedures
  • Good decision-making skills, combining sound judgement and confidence to take responsibility, with the ability to consult and involve others appropriately
  • Willingness to travel for work, to work one evening a week and to do occasional weekend work (for which Time off in Lieu can be taken).

Desirable

  • Personal, family or professional experience of disfigurement.

Accountability

The Senior Practitioner – Children in Need will be accountable to the Head of Client Services.

Core Competencies

Changing Faces has a Competency Framework with seven core competencies and two levels:

1 - Standard Expected of All Staff

2 - Specialist Standard

Core Competencies - levels required for this post

1. Team and cross team work

Working cooperatively and constructively, building good working relationships within own team and across teams towards shared organisational objectives

Level 2

2. Commitment to quality

Focusing on delivering the highest standards ensuring all activities and services fulfil or exceed the needs of Changing Faces clients and stakeholders

Level 2

3. Communicating and Influencing

Giving information and/or expressing ideas in a written form and verbally in a manner which is appropriate to the audience and context, and able to gain agreement and commitment by persuasion and influence

Level 2

4. Flexibility and change

Recognises and responds positively to the need for change in responsibility, culture or environment, and generates new ideas which contribute to the success of Changing Faces

Level 1

5. Decision making

Makes well-informed, effective and timely decisions which meet the requirements of the situation

Level 2

6. Equality and diversity

Valuing, respecting and treating people with dignity and respect, regardless of their age, gender, disability, ethnic origin, nationality or colour, sexual identity, gender identity, carer responsibilities, HIV/AIDS status, lawful trade union activity, political or religious belief.

Level 2

7. Management and leadership

Providing leadership to develop, promote and drive Changing Faces’ vision and strategic objectives. Managing projects, staff, volunteers and/or resources supporting people to deliver and develop.

Level 2

Salary and Terms of Employment

Contract: Fixed Term to 31st March 2020

Location: The Circle, 33 Rockingham Lane, Sheffield, S1 4FW

Probationary period: 6 months

Salary Grade: C (out of London) £36,200

Changing Faces, The Squire Centre, 33-37 University Street, London WC1E 6JN changingfaces.org.uk

Registered Charity No. 1011222 Charity Registered in Scotland SC039725