(Draft Based on Job Specs Received

Social Care Leader- Job Specification

CLOSING DATE AND TIMEHAS BEEN EXTENDED-Please see amended documentation.

Job Title and Grade / Social Care Leader(Grade Code 3030)
Competition Reference / NRS0334
Closing Date / Extended: 12 Noon, Tuesday 26th July 2011
Proposed Interview Date(s) / Week commencing 22ndAugust 2011
Taking up Appointment / The successful candidate is required to take up duty no later than 3 months from date of offer for external candidates and no later than 6 weeks from date of offer for internal candidates.
Organisational Area /

HSE South
HSE West
HSEDublin North East
HSEDublin Mid Leinster

Location of Post / To be completed at job offer stage.
Details of Service / Information about specific sites will be provided at job offer stage including information on the care setting, services provided, team structures, possible future developments etc.
Reporting Relationship / To the Social Care Manager / Service Manager, Social Care Deputy Manager or a manager nominated by these at an appropriate level.
Purpose of the Post / The policy of the HSE is to enable children / young people to live with their own families wherever possible and to support parents where necessary in fulfilling that role. The Social Care Leader will provide care, protection, and support to vulnerable or dependent clients, individually or in groups, in conjunction with the wider multidisciplinary team and other relevant agencies. The primary aim is to provide intervention necessary to address the child / young person’s issues or the issues that are preventing them from living at home or in relative / foster care. S/he will ensure the welfare of those under his/her care and will act as an advocate as appropriate.
Typically, Social Care Leaders work across the following service areas:

Community: Social Care Leaders in the community work in a therapeutic / preventative / direct role with children / young people and their families. They typically work as part of a multidisciplinary team and can be based in different service areas, for example, Child Protection Services, Child Welfare Service, Children in Care Service, CAMHs and Aftercare services. The children / young people involved may be at risk of or have experienced abuse, thus may be emotionally affected or display behaviour difficulties. These risks and / or difficulties may prevent them from being able to live with their families and as a result may need to be in the care of the HSE.

Residential: Social Care Leaders in this setting work as part of a multidisciplinary team to provide care to service users. Children / young people may be referred to a residential setting for a number of reasons by the Social Work department e.g. family breakdown / separation, history of neglect, sexual / physical abuse, addiction or mental health issues. Residential care aims to provide a therapeutic care placement to service users who most often present with emotional or behavioural difficulties and cannot live with their own families.

High Support / Special Care: High Support services are typically ‘open’ while Special Care facilitates are ‘secure’residential services with children / young people being placed there by order of the court. Both settings provide care to children / young people who have / are experiencing significant behavioural and emotional difficulties that cannot be safely managed in a home / mainstream unit. Service users may require intensive therapeutic input. Educational and clinical support is usually available on site as are recreational facilities. Social Care Leaders typically work as part of a wider multidisciplinary team in providing a high quality service to users.

S/he will do so up to a point to be determined by the age of the young person, their need or development, whereby circumstances are such that it becomes more feasible to help prepare them to live independently with the support of aftercare services.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities / Working with Children / Young People
The Social Care Leader will:

Depending on the service setting assist the Social Care Manager / Service Manager with pre-admission procedures, including meetings with referral workers, parents / other carers, members of An Garda Siochana and the child / young person (client) to be admitted
Promote a culture where children/ young people and their families are treated with dignity and respect, promoting a culture of unconditional positive regard at all times
Contribute and demonstrate the promotion, creation and maintenance of a welcoming, safe, caring stable and therapeutic environment
Provide leadership and motivation which is conducive to good staff relations and effective work performance
Provide leadership to ensure that the highest possible quality of care is maintained at all times
Plan, implement and evaluate care plans, placement plans and treatment programmes as part of a multi-disciplinary team, ensuring the written and verbal reporting of general and individual treatment programmes, care staff reports, progress notes, daily and weekly records etc.
Specific to the Residential / High Support / Special Care services; partake in the development and implementation of an individual crisis management plan for each young person which is tailored to their particular needs and reviewed in accordance with the standards and local behaviour management systems. This may include physical intervention as appropriate.
Depending on the service setting devise and implement aftercare plans for young people leaving the care system
Depending on the service setting liaise with accommodation, welfare, education and training resources to source appropriate services for young people leaving the care setting
Make on-going assessments of the clients needs, in particular with emergency care placements (as appropriate), and bring these to the care planning process
Depending on the service provide and participate in shift planning and co ordination as required
Participate and provide leadership with respect to crisis management in line with local / national policy and procedure
Make and assist staff in making risk assessments, judgements and decisions based on the needs of the client, relevant facts, observable information, the quality of that information and the likely consequences of any actions taken / decisions made
Have awareness and appreciation of the client as expert through experience including promoting the involvement of the client in care planning, decision making and service development as appropriate
Participatein case conferences, handovers, reviews and where appropriate chair relevant meetings regarding the care of the children/young people as required
Depending on the setting actively support staff in working with challenging behaviour through role modelling, direction, guidance and where appropriate through professional supervision of staff
Liaise with the parent, family / foster family, general services and other agencies on behalf of the client as appropriate
Depending on the service setting act as a co-ordinator of a Key Working Team as required, ensuring that placement plans are in place and adhered to, that all relevant information is held on the client’s file and in conjunction with the Social Work team ensure that an in-date statutory care plan is on file and acted upon as appropriate
Advocate on behalf of the client / client group
Promote the rights and responsibilities of each person within the service setting e.g. following complaints procedure guidelines
Promote physical, emotional, social, cultural, ethnic, spiritual and religious welfare of each service user
Provide leadership in engaging in age-appropriate play and other activities with children/young people
Supervise and accompany clients on a group and individual basis as required
Promote a culture of attendance at school, training centres, medical and clinical appointments
Be responsible for the organisation of personal documents, information and finance on behalf of the client

Co-operate with external monitoring and statutory inspections and implement their recommendations
Attend court as required
Depending on the service setting ensure that shift leadership systems are effective in order for the smooth running of the shift to include administrative duties, people management and ensuring that client needs are met in line with individual care plans
Depending on the service setting, and in conjunction with the children/young people ensure that well balanced meals of high quality are available and that children/young people have a degree of choice in this
Depending on the service setting, assist young people leave the care system with budgeting, household management and development of independent living skills
Depending on the service setting, undertake various aspects of home management including the household budget, upkeep, cleaning, hygiene etc.
Depending on the service setting deputise for the management as appropriate

Risk, Health & Safety
The Social Care Leader will:

adhere to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (1989) policies and procedures and other relevant legislation
report any immediate concerns / incidents of questionable practice to the Manager or his / her designate
be familiar with Health Service Executive policies and procedures and ensure that such policies and procedures are strictly adhered to
be familiar with emergency procedures and know who to contact in an emergency
work in compliance with HIQA National Standards

Education, Training & Professional Development
The Social Care Leader will:

contribute to the development of the team in light of the purpose and function of the service
depending on the service setting act as a shadow Leader to new staff; guiding them on best practice and contributing to their induction in conjunction with the Social Care Manager / Service Manager
depending on service setting participate in regular professional supervision and the supervision of staff and students on placement
participate in further training and development as required
provide guidance and education for work experience students
undertake ongoing professional training and development
engage in reflective and evidence based practice
keep abreast of current legislation and current professional child care knowledge
be responsible for own health and wellbeing in order to carry out the duties of the role / is committed to managing own work / life balance

Administration and Accountability
The Social Care Leader will, depending on the setting:

ensure that adequate staffing levels are present at all times; ensuring that staff are deployed in the most effective manner, delegating responsibilities as appropriate
ensure that the handover is completed efficiently and effectively
monitor the interactions between staff and clients and ensure that any concerns are discussed with the Social Care Manager / Service Manager and addressed accordingly
assist in the administration and day-to-day operation of the service; assume responsibility for various operational functions as designated from time to time by the Manager or his/her designate
attend team meetings and report to the Social Care Manager / Service Manager on matters affecting the delivery of service
be accountable for any money spent on behalf of the HSE during the course of duty
make written and verbal reports to the Social Care Manager / Service Manager on a regular basis on the progress of development of clients
prepare reports for and participate in strategy meetings ensuring that all records relating to those meetings are maintained to a high standard as appropriate / required
assist in the preparation of policies and procedures required to ensure high standards of care and the implementation of same
ensure that all information relating to clients, their families, staff colleagues etc is treated in a thoroughly professional manner, in accordance with the principles of confidentiality, data protection legislation and Freedom of Information.
be responsible for decision making when on shift and in the absence of the Social Care Manager / Service Manager/ Manager-on-call system as appropriate; which will include accepting overall responsibility for the service setting
provide cover for the Social Care Manager / Service Manager or his / her designate in their absence
work duty rosters as required, including weekends, public holidays and night duty etc
be punctual and precise in maintaining time sheets
participate in on call duties where it applies
carry out any other duties that may be assigned from time to time

The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.
Eligibility Criteria
Qualifications and/ or experience / Candidates must have:
a)
i) the National Diploma in Childcare awarded by HETAC / DIT
or
ii) the National Diploma in Applied Social Care Studies awarded by HETAC / DIT
or
iii) the Diploma in Social Care awarded by HETAC / DIT
or
iv) the Diploma in Applied Social Studies / Social Care from DIT
or
v) a BA (Ord) in Social Care Practice (Level 7)
or
vi) a National Diploma in Applied Social Studies (Disabilities), The OpenTrainingCollege (HETAC Accredited)
or
vi) an equivalent qualification
and
b) 3 years experience of working with children and young people in crisis
and
c) a suitable standard of professional attainments
and
d) the requisite knowledge and ability (including a high standard of suitability and ability) for the proper discharge of the duties of office
Health
A candidate for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.
Character
Each candidate for and any person holding the office must be of good character
Age
Age restrictions shall only apply to a candidate where he/she is not classified as a new entrant (within the meaning of the Public Service Superannuation Act, 2004). A candidate who is not classified as a new entrant must be under 65 years of age.
Post specific requirements / ‘Residential’ & ‘High Support / Special Care’:

Provide leadership and team management skills

Skills, competencies and/or knowledge / Candidates must demonstrate:

sufficient professional knowledge to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the role
an understanding of theory and practice in the delivery of care to the client group
an understanding of therapeutic approaches relevant to the client group based on established best practice and in-depth knowledge of life-span development
a good understanding of the root causes of challenging behaviour and how best to respond to same
sufficient awareness of policy, legislative and professional requirements to ensure an appropriate standard of service delivery (e.g. a working knowledge of the Children First Guidelines and HIQA standards and requirements as related to the function of the role)
ability to deliver parenting and other programmes as appropriate to the role e.g. sexual awareness, stay safe programmes
ability to provide therapeutic support to children / young people in traumatic situations e.g. placement breakdowns, return home, addiction issues
ability to facilitate play and enhance child development socialisation skills
awareness and appreciation of the service user as expert through experience including promoting the involvement of the service user in care planning, decision-making and service development as appropriate
evidence of effective planning and organising skills including awareness of resource management and importance of value for money
a commitment to assuring high standards and strive for a user centred service
initiative and innovation in identifying areas for service improvement
the ability to evaluate information and make effective decisions / solve problems especially with regard to service user care
the ability to effectively build and maintain relationships including the ability to work with multi disciplinary team members
effective communication skills (verbal & written) including the ability to effectively influence others / negotiate with others
a willingness to develop IT skills relevant to the role
commitment to continuing professional development

Protection of Persons Reporting Child Abuse Act 1998 / This post is one of those designated in accordance with Section 2 of the Protection of Persons Reporting Child Abuse Act, 1998. You will remain a designated officer for the duration of your appointment in this post or for the duration of your appointment to such other post as is included in the categories specified in the Ministerial Direction. Such officers will, on receiving a report of child abuse, formally notify the Senior Social Worker in the community care area in which the child is living.
Other requirements specific to the post / Access to transport as the post may require frequent travel
Campaign Specific Selection Process
Shortlisting / Interview / Short listing may be carried out on the basis of information supplied in your application form. The criteria for short listing are based on the requirements of the post as outlined. Therefore it is very important that you think about your experience in light of those requirements.
Failure to include information regarding these requirements may result in you not being called forward to the next stage of the selection process.
Those successful at the shortlisting stage of this process (where applied) will be called forward to interview.
Code of Practice / The Health Service Executive will run this campaign in compliance with the Code of Practice prepared by the Commissioners for Public Service Appointments (CPSA). The Code of Practice sets out how the core principles of probity, merit, equity and fairness might be applied on a principle basis. The Codes also specifies the responsibilities placed on candidates, feedback facilitates for applicants on matters relating to their application when requested, and outlines procedures in relation to requests for a review of the recruitment and selection process and review in relation to allegations of a breach of the Code of Practice. Additional information on the HSE’s review process is available in the document posted with each vacancy entitled “Code of Practice, information for candidates.
Codes of practice are published by the CPSA and are available on in the document posted with each vacancy entitled “Code of Practice, information for candidates or on
The reform programme outlined for the Health Services may impact on this role and as structures change the job description may be reviewed.
This job description is a guide to the general range of duties assigned to the post holder. It is intended to be neither definitive nor restrictive and is subject to periodic review with the employee concerned.