Reports to / Regional Community Support Manager – South
Location / Working from home with attendance at the DEBRA Head Office as required. Ability to travel to clients on home visits throughout the South of England is essential
Hours / 35 Hours / 5 days per week – occasional out of hours work necessary
Purpose / To provide a community support and advocacy service to people whose lives are affected by Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) through effective communication and liaison with all sections of the community and other stakeholders.
To be a resource to the EB community and DEBRA team on the subject of the Welfare system, Advocacy and offer hospital in patient support in London.
Principle Objectives
1. Related to knowledge of Welfare system
a) To have a working knowledge of the current changes in the Welfare system;
b) To work in partnership with individuals and families, enabling them to become involved in DEBRA as an organisation;
c) To work with the team and EB community to develop and manage specific projects and services when appropriate;
d) To produce written materials/guidelines on specific issues related to the EB community for use with EB community and relevant professionals.
2. Related to Community Support / Case load management/ Hospital Link
a) To provide a person centred community support service, within the constraints of DEBRA, to the EB community, to include: welfare, education, employment, housing, benefits;
b) To be a support to the EB community, providing: advocacy, liaison, befriending and sign posting as appropriate;
c) To engage with the EB community to develop and promote the DEBRA community support service;
d) To refer, where necessary to other professionals or agencies;
e) To contribute to the development of DEBRA strategic planning of services and implementation of policies and procedures with the aim of improving the lives of the EB community;
f) To assess the needs of a member of the EB community referred to the service, and to prioritise the service provision;
g) To assess the need, access and manage, DEBRA support grants and allocated area budget;
h) To offer support to hospital inpatients including visiting and providing practical advice.
3. Related to communication and partnership working
a) To establish good working relationships with the EB community and other stakeholders, through liaison with statutory agencies involved with individuals and families living with EB, e.g. schools, social services departments, children’s services, adult social care and benefits agencies;
b) To work effectively in partnership with the individual, family/carers in assessing, planning and implementing support as required;
c) To work as part of the enhanced multidisciplinary team to support the clients.
4. Related to advocacy
a) To support independent living: to act as an advocate as required and as appropriate, for example, representation at tribunals, housing need assessments and to enable self-advocacy;
b) To support or enable individuals living with EB to develop and access education, employment or participate in leisure activities;
c) To facilitate individuals and the EB community to network through membership activities, events and informal contacts;
d) The post holder will have experience of advocacy and be /become an expert in advocacy acting as a resource to the rest of the team.
5. Related to development
a) To engage with the EB community and to encourage their involvement in the development of the service provision which is most appropriate in meeting their needs;
b) To enable the EB community to have a national voice in expressing their needs for service provision across the UK;
c) To develop and promote a variety of knowledge based resources including publications, events and online information.
6. Related to professional conduct
a) To maintain appropriate records at all times, ensuring confidentiality in line with the Data Protection Act, other statutory legislation and guidelines, and in line with DEBRA policies and procedures;
b) To maintain a record of activity as required;
c) To maintain professional self-development to ensure practice is in keeping with regulations and best practice guidelines, including health and safety, lone working, child protection and the protection of vulnerable adults (POVA), and welfare reforms.;
d) To participate in continued professional development including: conferences, training events, networking and publications in both the speciality of EB and community care;
e) To act as an ambassador for the community support team with the EB community and members in national and International arenas;
f) To work as an effective team player both within the team and wider organisations;
g) To maintain up to date knowledge regarding social policy and specialist practice and to be fully informed of DEBRA policies and procedures, together with relevant legislation;
h) To work as a team member, supporting initiatives including the national DEBRA Members day, client weekend away and other events as required;
i) To undertake any other duties as requested by the Director of Health and Community Support.
Please Note:
As the tasks and responsibilities of this post can be varied and at times unpredictable, the post holder is expected to be flexible when tasks and responsibilities not covered by this document have to be undertaken.
DEBRA Ltd reserves the right to vary these duties from time to time in line with the changing operational needs of DEBRA Ltd.
Person Specification
Essential· Car owner with a clean, valid driving licence;
· Ability to travel throughout the South of UK, particularly London. / Desirable
Functional expertise / · Relevant experience working face to face with the public within an advisory or health and social care setting;
· A willingness to gain expertise in EB, welfare reform, community support;
· A commitment to continued professional development in order to maintain knowledge require for the post;
· IT literate, including ability to use Microsoft Office Package;
· Ability to champion client focus throughout day to day activities;
· Strong administrative skills. / · Knowledge of current welfare provision and understanding of statutory organisations and their responsibilities;
· Ability to use Excel, PowerPoint, Progress;
· CAB or legal training
· A year’s relevant experience of delivering welfare benefits;
· Ability to contribute to comprehensive support plans to meet identified needs
· Relevant qualification in health, social care, legal or advisory subjects.
· Experience of advocacy work.
Interpersonal effectiveness / · A positive disposition;
· Ability to put people at ease and build trust;
· A genuine desire to help people;
· The ability to engage and relate to people of all backgrounds;
· Good written and oral communication skills. / · Experience of working with more than one client group.
Planning and organising / · Ability to prioritise workload;
· Good organisational and time management skills;
· Strong negotiation skills;
· Flexible and adaptable approach to working;
· Ability to use efficient and appropriate planning techniques to achieve team and organisational goals in a cost efficient and timely manner.
Team working / · Ability to work cooperatively and effectively with others in a team to achieve shared objectives. / · Experience of remote / home working;
· Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team.
JD – Area Community Support Manager –South of England June 2014 3