JOB DESCRIPTION

Title:Befriending Project Co-ordinator (Beating Isolation)

Responsible toManager Beating Isolation (Operational) Fulham Good Neighbours or Bishop Creighton House (HR)

Hours35hrs per week, including occasional evening or weekend work

Or

Hours17.5 hours per week, including occasional evening or weekend work (may be worked flexibly to allow for this)

Salary Grade(pay band care worker + 2 points) £24,000 (pro rata if part time)

Based:Bishop Creighton House (BCH) Fulham Good Neighbours (FGN) Hammersmith & Fulham Mind

Contract:Fixed term – 3 years from start date

Because of the nature of our client group, a satisfactory enhanced level Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is required for this post.

JOB PURPOSE

Working with the Beating Isolation manager (MIND), and Homeline manager (for HR purposes) or Fulham Good Neighbours (FGN) you will be responsible for providing effective befriending support for people who join the Beating Isolation project. The role is funded for 3 years.

The role will involve recruiting, training and managing volunteers to

  • Provide support to isolated people (older people, people with mental health problems, or a learning disability) through befriending and regular telephone contact
  • Provide follow up support to volunteers and clients.

MAIN DUTIES

VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT, TRAINING AND SUPPORT

  • To recruit, train and place volunteers with clients and provide telephone befriending support to isolated people (older, learning disabled and mental health service users) in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.
  • Co-ordinate volunteers to provide effective phone support to Beating Isolation service users.
  • Conduct volunteer interviews and selection, including following up references and arranging for Criminal Records Bureau checks to be carried out
  • Develop and deliver volunteer induction sessions with support from other project staff.
  • Develop a training programme for telephone befriending volunteers.
  • Ensure good support and supervision is available to all volunteers, individually and in groups, both face-to-face and through regular phone / email contact
  • Process and manage volunteers expenses within budget
  • Provide references for volunteers
  • Risk-assess volunteer tasks, and ensure that action is taken to reduce risks where necessary
  • Ensure supportive and safe befriending relationships are established
  • Ensure that contact is made with client & volunteer on weekly basis
  • Raise any concerns relating to befriending relationships with Project Manager
  • Maintain client and volunteer databases
  • Arrange social events in recognition of volunteers’ contributions
  • Arrange exit interviews with outgoing volunteers

CLIENT ASSESSMENT

  • Process referrals for new clients discussing them with project manager as appropriate.
  • Visiting clients referred to the service to assess their needs
  • Agreeing level of support with clients
  • Recommending course of actions in respect of clients
  • Signpost clients to other services as and when necessary
  • Ensure that clients are matched appropriately with the right volunteer
  • Log all actions / casework and make appropriate notes using the project database

TELEPHONE BEFRIENDING - SERVICE DELIVERY

  • Work with the Beating Isolation and Homeline Team to ensure provision of the telephone befriending service
  • Follow-up concerns or queries flagged up by volunteers and service users during telephone befriending calls.
  • Work with the Beating Isolation team to identify required casework

Facilitate good relations between Beating Isolation & Homeline staff and volunteers, to ensure a good flow of information between them regarding service user’s health, welfare and safety

SERVICE-USER EMPOWERMENT & INVOLVEMENT

  • Attend regular project and Forum meetings as and when required
  • Work in an empowering way, to capacity-build both scheme members and volunteers and increase their self-esteem
  • Promote and facilitate volunteer and scheme member involvement in the day-to-day running of services and decisions about service development and delivery
  • Support the Beating Isolation manager and Homeline Manager in working with volunteers, scheme members and partner organisations to empower older people to participate in local decision-making and raise awareness of issues facing isolated older people.

MONITORING & EVALUATION

  • Carry out quarterly recovery star reviews with clients
  • Work with the Beating Isolation manager to conduct on-going evaluation of the service in a way which is accessible to all Service users and volunteers
  • Log and analyse monitoring data and produce reports which demonstrate the outcomes and outputs for Beating Isolation volunteers and service users involved in the project

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

  • Promote the project within the borough of Hammersmith & Fulham
  • Develop promotional material to advertise project
  • Liaise with external organisations to develop networks for referral and move-on

PARTNERSHIP WORKING

  • Develop and maintain good collaborative links with professionals from other organisations and volunteers
  • Work with volunteers, clients, local residents and partner organisations in an empowering way to raise awareness of the issues and solutions around isolation.

DIVERSITY & EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

  • Actively promote equal opportunities and diversity within your role
  • Ensure that a representative proportion of clients are from BME communities
  • Ensure that regular communications –both verbal and written – with volunteers and scheme members are in an accessible and appropriate format
  • Work with borough residents, service users, volunteers, other MIND, FGN, and BCH staff and partner organisations, to ensure the service is equally promoted and accessible to all.

GENERAL

  • Ensure client and volunteer details are filed away appropriately
  • Maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries at all times
  • Maintain accurate and appropriate records of all work undertaken with volunteers and clients, and produce reports as needed.
  • Provide cover during annual leave or staff sickness for other Beating Isolation staff.
  • Work collaboratively with colleagues across BCH, MIND and FGNS: cross-referring service users, taking part in Beating Isolation and BCH team meetings, organisational development, and being involved in BCH-wide events.
  • Work within BCH’s policies and procedures, and support the Beating Isolation manager to review and develop service-specific policies and procedures as needed.
  • Attend regular supervision with the Beating Isolation manager, and be willing to undertake training and professional development as needed.
  • Work within agreed budgets.
  • Maintain an awareness of legal and policy changes and good practice, as they affect isolated people and volunteers.

These are the normal duties which the employer will require from you at the date of your employment. However, it is necessary for all staff to be flexible in this respect and all employees may be required from time to time to perform other duties which are required for the efficient running of the organisation.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

This lists the skills, experience, knowledge, and abilities needed for this post. Please make sure that you refer to these in your supporting statement.

E = essential

D = Desirable

DA minimum of 2 years’ experience of working with volunteers (recruiting, training and managing)

DA minimum of 2 years’ experience of working with older people, or people with learning disability

EKnowledge of the issues affecting the isolated

EExcellent verbal and written communication skills, including good record-keeping

E The ability to communicate effectively with people from a range of different backgrounds

ESound IT skills and the ability to be administratively self-supporting

E The ability to work well as part of a team, whilst also being able to work alone and on your own initiative

EThe ability to demonstrate patience, tact and empathy

EThe ability to manage a complex workload, sometimes under pressure, and to prioritise effectively

EAn understanding of diversity and equality issues and a commitment to working in a person-centred way

EExperience of project evaluation, monitoring and reporting

E The physical capacity to carry out home visits and assessments with scheme members

EAn understanding of risk assessment procedures and health & safety issues as they affect scheme members, volunteers and staff

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Befriending Project Co-ordinator (Beating Isolation)/ August 2013