Background information on the Connect Project

The Connect project

The Connectis a partnership project with H&F council. The project was started in 2015 as a one-year pilot project. The project was successfully extended to three years. The project provides a range of weekly activities across the borough in sheltered housing - encouraging residents to join in social activities,make friends and connect with each other. Over the 3 years, residents have made new friends, tried new experiences, explored the digital world and enjoyed monthly trips. The project works in partnership with Homeline to provide older people with telephone befriending calls.

Bishop Creighton House

The Connectproject is part of Bishop Creighton House (BCH). BCH is a multi-purpose charity founded in 1908. We run a community resource centre and develop and provide programmes that offer practical solutions and emotional support for the people of West London.We specialise in meeting the needs of people who are older, disabled, vulnerable or socially excluded, and aim to support their independence, health and well-being, and to help them maximise their potential.

BCH has 21 staff, over 200 volunteers, and a Board of 8 Trustees.

We provide:

  • A community centre
  • Care & Repair – a Home Improvement Agency for older and disabled people
  • Safer Homes - a handyman service carrying out home safety and security jobs for older, disabled people and families with young children
  • Homeline – a volunteer-run befriending service for isolated older people including daily telephone-befriending, home-visiting, social events and casework support
  • Mentoring Project – mentoring for learning disabled people
  • Keep Active – working across three boroughs – Hammersmith & Fulham, Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea. Keep Active is a short term specialistbefriending project in partnership with NHS Rehabilitation services.
  • Office space for voluntary & community groups
  • Connect – a project providing social events and activities for older people living in sheltered housing

Further details about our work can be found on our website:

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Connect Project Worker

Responsible to: Connect Coordinator

Based at: Bishop Creighton House

Hours: 35 per week (may be worked flexibly by negotiation; to include very

occasional evening or weekend work)

Salary:Scp 26 £26,871 pa for 35 hours

Contract:7 months from 1 April 2018.

Because of the nature of our client group, a satisfactory enhanced level Criminal Records Bureau disclosure is required for this post.

JOB PURPOSE

To organise and host community events and activities with the Connect Coordinator for clients of the project and residents of sheltered housing. To arrange monthly client trips with supported community transport. To promote a range of special events aimed at reducing isolation and increasing awareness of digital inclusion, exercise and healthy eating. To provide to funders monitoring and evaluation of the project on a quarterly basis. To support the wider Older People’s Services (OPS) team in provision of daily telephone befriending to clients across projects

MAIN DUTIES

  1. CLIENT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
  • Work with the Connect Coordinator to host a range of bi-weekly Community events for clients of the project and residents of sheltered housing schemes in the borough
  • Produce newsletter, leaflets and calendars of events for clients
  • Work with existing groups and clubs to facilitate service users to attend.
  • Support the Connect Coordinator in working with volunteers, clients and partner organisations to empower older people to participate in local decision-making and raise awareness of issues facing isolated older people.
  • Provide support to enable clients to access community events
  • Log all attendance at events using the project database and cloud databases

2.TELEPHONE BEFRIENDING - SERVICE DELIVERY

  • Work with the wider OPS team to ensure provision of the telephone befriending service including supporting volunteers to make the calls whether at home or in the office.
  • Follow-up concerns or queries flagged up by volunteers and service users during telephone befriending calls.
  • Work with OPS to identify required caseworkresulting from calls and log casework on cloud database
  • Support the OPS team in transitioning it’s client database to a new cloud database
  1. MONITORING & EVALUATION
  • Work with the Connect Coordinator to conduct ongoing monitoring of the service in a way which records accurately the outputs of the project
  • Log and analyse monitoring data and work with the Coordinator to produce reports which demonstrate the outcomes and outputs for clients involved in the project
  1. PARTNERSHIP WORKING
  • Develop and maintain good collaborative links with professionals from sheltered housing, H&F Council, 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.

5.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 clients are in an accessible and appropriate format and GDPR compliant.
  • Work with borough residents, clients, volunteers, and BCH staff and partner organisations, to ensure the service is equally promoted and accessible to all.

6. GENERAL

  • Work in a paperless way as far as possible to ensure client data protection
  • Ensure clientdetails are protected in light of GDPR
  • Ensure client and volunteer consent is obtained for mailing lists and phone calls.
  • 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 the Coordinator and other OPS staff.
  • Work collaboratively with colleagues across OPS and wider across BCH, cross-referring clients and attending BCH team meetings, organisational development, and being involved in BCH-wide events.
  • Work within BCH’s policies and procedures, and support the OPS manager to review and develop service-specific policies and procedures as needed.
  • Attend regular supervision with the Connect Coordinator, and be willing to undertake training and professional development as needed.
  • Work within agreed budgets.
  • Maintain an awareness of legal issues, 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 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

DExperience of community working and hosting social events for older people 1.1

DKnowledge of the issues affecting older people living alone in the community 1.2

EExcellent verbal, written and digital communication skills, including good record-keeping, use of excel, social media and cloud databases 1.3

E The ability to communicate effectively with people from a range of different backgrounds 1.4

ESound IT skills, knowledge of cloud databases and the ability to be administratively self-supporting 1.5

E The ability to work well as part of a team, whilst also being able to work alone and on your own initiative 1.6

EThe ability to demonstrate patience, tact and empathy 1.7

EThe ability to manage a complex workload, sometimes under pressure, and to prioritise effectively 1.8

EAn understanding of diversity and equality issues and a commitment to working in a person-centred way 1.9

E The physical capacity and willingness to travel extensively and to carry lightweight equipment to venues around the borough of Hammersmith & Fulham 1.10

DAn understanding of risk assessment procedures and health & safety issues as they affect clients, volunteers and staff 1.11

Bishop Creighton House

Application Form - Confidential when completed

  1. Personal information

First Name:
Last Name:
Known as:
Address:
Post Code:
Phone number:
Email:
National Insurance or Work Permit Number (or please attach similar proof or permission to work in the UK):
  1. Position applying for:

3. Education

Educational / Professional Qualifications

Date / School/College/University / Qualification

4. Training Courses

You may be asked to provide copies of certificates for training you have completed.

Date/Length of Course / Course Title / Course Provider

5. Employment

Please list any previous employment, starting with your current or most recent employer, giving the name of employer, dates of employment and job title.

Employer / Dates of Employment / Job Title / Duties & Reason for Leaving

6. Statement in support of your application

Please attach a statement or use the space below (and additional sheets as necessary) to tell us about the skills, knowledge and experience that you would bring to this post. Please include details of paid and unpaid work. Use the person specification and job description in answering this question. Please note CVs are not acceptable.

In the selection of suitable applicants for this job, information in this section is the most important. Please ensure that you answer fully.

7. Referees

Please give the names and addresses of two referees who should not be related to you. One should be your present or most recent employer.

Referee 1
Name:
Position Held:
Organisation:
Telephone Number:
Email Address:
Address:
Referee 2
Name:
Position Held:
Organisation:
Telephone Number:
Email Address:
Address:

8. Disclosure Form

The post for which you are applying is exempt from the provision of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. It is a condition of appointment that all convictions are disclosed (spent and unspent). Failure to disclose such information could result in subsequent dismissal or disciplinary action if you were appointed. Bishop Creighton House will not discriminate against people with a conviction unless it is particularly relevant to the job applied for. Any job offer will be subject to satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service check at the appropriate level.

Have you any convictions? (spent and/or unspent) Yes No

Have you any prosecutions pending? Yes No

If ‘Yes’, please supply us with dates and details:

Date / Offence
As
Phone nu
r
Date of birth

9. Period of notice required

(When would you be able to start?)

10. Declaration

I declare that the information given in this application is a true and complete statement. I understand that any offer of appointment and subsequent employment is conditional on this declaration and if my application is incomplete, untrue or inaccurate, then Bishop Creighton House shall be entitled to withdraw any offer of appointment or terminate any contract of employment.

I understand that any offer of appointment and subsequent employment is subject to satisfactory references, evidence of my right to work in the UK and satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service check at the appropriate level.

I understand that the information provided on this application form will be used on the computerised personnel information system should an offer of appointment be made. Further details about data protection will follow with any contract of employment.

Signature:______

Date:______

Please return your application, marked ‘Confidential’, to:

Recruitment, Bishop Creighton House Settlement, 378 Lillie Road, London SW6 7PH, or email Closing date: r

Bishop Creighton House

Monitoring Form

BCH is committed to developing equality in the workplace and in the services, which we provide. Please take the time to complete this form by deleting the answers that are not appropriate to you and return it to us, but please do not put your name on. All information is treated as confidential is managed in accordance with Data Protection regulations.

Thank you for your help.

Date:

Gender (Please tick or specify)
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Female
Other
Prefer not to say
Age (Please tick or specify)
16-19
20-25
26-50
51-60
61-74
75+
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Disability (Please tick or specify)
Learning Disability
Physical Disability
Sensory Disability
Mental Health Need
Long Term Sick
No Disability
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Ethnicity (Please tick or specify)
White British
White Irish
White European
White Other
Black British
Black African
Black Caribbean
Black Other
Near or Middle Eastern
Asian British
Asian Indian
Asian Pakistani
Asian Bangladeshi
Asian Chinese
Asian Japanese
Asian Korean
Asian Other
Traveller
Mixed
Other (Please Specify)
Prefer not to say

Where did you hear about Bishop Creighton House?