EVOLVE CASE WORKER

JOB DESCRIPTION

HOURS: 22.5 hours per week – over 3 days to include Mondays and Thursdays, and either Tuesday or Wednesday, SALARY: £12.37 per hour

It is a genuine occupational qualification that a female takes on this role, and the post is exempt under section 7 (2) (e) of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975.

The post is funded at the current level untilMarch 2013, although the contract for this work is for another two years, possibly four.

A suitably experienced Women’s Caseworker with a range of specialist skills, you will be required to identify and assess need, provide support to vulnerable women offenders in line with Probation national standards, and effectively enable, support and signpost women to additional support both internally and with external partners.

Primary Objectives

  • To provide effective and supportive individual and group interventions to address the assessed needs of an allocated caseload of women who have offended and are subject to a court order, or who are at risk of further offending/involvement with the criminal justice system.
  • To work closely in partnership with:
  • Staff from the West Yorkshire Probation Service
  • Evolve and wider WWC staff and volunteers
  • To develop and maintain relationships with other women’s centre providers and other local partners including housing services, social services, health services and other statutory and voluntary agencies to help encourage integrated support services for women on your caseload

Assessment, casework and group work:

  • Assess the needs and risks of women referred to Evolve, in partnership with Probation for statutory clients. Review needs and risks throughout working relationship with the client, and at set review points
  • Develop support plans for women, facilitating their participation in setting and reviewing their own goals and where relevant working with the PSO to clearly link to the sentence plan and joint needs assessment
  • Identify suitable exit strategies, signposting or referral on for women
  • Develop and ensure delivery of WWC/Evolve element of joint induction
  • Develop and facilitate group interventions in response to need, including peer support groups

Partnership working:

  • To work effectively with other members of Evolve, WWC and West Yorkshire Probation, and other women’s community projects in the region
  • To work flexibly to meet the needs of the contract delivery including working across other West Yorkshire delivery sites as required
  • To liaise and develop links with partner organisations to meet needs and provide opportunities for women including the provision of group work sessions at the WWC
  • To promote and publicise the work of Evolve and WWC
  • To attend and participate in multi agency meetings
  • Support, assist and develop volunteers allocated to Evolve and report back progress/concerns to Volunteer Co-ordinator as required

Admin and recording:

  • To keep strict and accurate records in relation to your case load as required by WWC and the Evolve Project, namely:
  • Gather and update accurate information about the client
  • Record assessment scores and review within set timescales
  • Monitorattendance, recording interventions and outcomes in paper files, includinginterventions not directly delivered by yourself
  • Record interventions and next appointments on NDelius
  • Complete diary sheets with clients planned interventions
  • Provide written progress reports and case studies as required
  • To be self monitoring of contract targets and KPI`s for your role and bring information to line management supervision meetings

General:

  • To attend regular team meetings, line management and clinical supervision and training
  • Adhere to the policies and procedures of WWC
  • To undertake other duties as required to meet the needs of Evolve and WWC

Roles and responsibly specific to this case worker role:

  • Develop and deliver the Evolve project in our satellite service in Pontefract
  • Undertake assessments of non stat clients currently resident at HMP New Hall
  • Be responsible for the post assessment allocation of non stat cases resident at or referred by partners at HMP New Hall

Targets (to be referred to in line management supervision):

  • Assessments and support plans for all new cases
  • Timely review, closure and handing back of statutory cases where needs met
  • A minimum of 2 clients offered sessions in Pontefract per week
  • A minimum of one appointment at New Hall and one follow up appointment for all Non Stat cases referred by partners at HMP New Hall
  • Minimum of 3 peer support group sessions per quarter
  • Development of partnership with one new partner every quarter

Line Management supervision will be provided by the Evolve Manager. Clinical supervision will be provided by a suitably qualified external provider.

Responsibility of Assets

Premises, Equipment

The post holder will have access to confidential and sensitive information

Internal Contacts

Staff, Volunteers, management group members, service users, children

External Contacts

Representatives from Probation Service, Police, Courts, Prisons and other voluntary and statutory organisations, members of the public, children

Person Specification

Evolve Caseworker

Essential or Desirable

/ How Identified
Application/Interview

Qualifications

A suitable/relevant qualification or considerable experience of working with vulnerable women
Work Related Experience
Minimum of 3 years experience of direct work with women
Experience of working with women offenders
Experience of working with a wide range of partner agencies
Experience of working with vulnerable women e.g. domestic violence, mental health issues.
Experience of recording work to strict guidelines and maintaining case files
Experience of recording and monitoring
Experience of Case Work
Experience of working with criminal justice operational colleagues/agencies
Specialist Knowledge and Skills
Operational knowledge of Child Protection/ Safeguarding Issues.
Knowledge of the importance of working with women in providing information, support and opportunities to enhance parenting skills.
Knowledge of the court process e.g. bail, court proceedings, sentencing.
Operational Knowledge of the MAPPA and MARAC Processes
Personal and Job Related Skills and Attitudes
The ability and commitment to work in an anti discriminatory and anti oppressive way.
The ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people.
The ability to plan, monitor and review your own workload.
The ability to work on your own initiative and make day to day decisions.
The ability to motivate, manage and develop others.
The ability to work as part of a team
Experience of working with volunteers/of volunteering
Ability and willingness to identify and participate in personal development opportunities.
Understanding of and commitment to working in a women-centred way
Awareness of Health and Safety
The ability to understand the ethos and values of the Well Women Centre
The ability to follow policies and procedures
Experience of working in a Women only environment
Special Working Conditions
The willingness and ability to work very occasional evenings and weekends.
Ability to work across Wakefield district
Full, clean driving licence / Essential
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