Group Worker

Home-Start Medway have recently been successful with securing a new contract with Medway Council to deliver a parenting service for families living in Medway. We are seeking to recruit Group Workers to support the delivery of this new exciting service. So if you are passionate about helping others?  Want to make a difference to the lives of vulnerable families? Have you considered working in the Charity Sector and are you passionate about supporting Volunteers? If so, we want to hear from you! Home-Start Medway is a well-established Charity which has been supporting parents with children aged 0-5 years since 1987. Our ethos is simple and clear, ‘To be there for parents when they need us the most because childhood cannot wait’. It's an exciting time to join our growing team. Having been identified as a leading light amongst Home-Starts and recently received the Kent Charity Award for best use of volunteers and the Queens Award for Voluntary service, we are now looking for a new Group Worker. Job Title: Group Worker Employer: Home-Start Medway (Charity no: 1108057) Location: Medway Hours of Work: Part time and Full time hours considered Salary: £23,331 – £24,675 per annum dependant on experience (pro rata for part time) Responsible to: CEO Job Description Purpose of the Job The main purpose of the role of Group Worker is to: Provide and facilitate group work for children and their parents/carers that supports children to reach age expected levels of development. Organise, plan and implement interactive groups for children to support them to reach their age-appropriate milestones and ensure their readiness for School. Provide support for parents/carers with children aged 0-5 years, including walk and talk groups and coffee mornings. Deliver Incredible Years Parenting Programmes across Medway. Deliver topic specific sessions to support parents understanding of their child/ren’s development, and how parents/carers can enrich the home learning environment for their child/ren. To identify emerging SEND and refer or signpost to additional support services where necessary. Ensure key public health messages are integral to the activities offered and work with partner agencies to promote these as necessary. To provide support to the core service of Home-Start Medway. Record all work undertaken with children and measure its impact. Support with feedback for impact reports as necessary. To ensure inclusion and diversity in all aspects of Home-Start’s work within the groups. Liaise with partnership agencies including Nurseries, Schools and the local Council to monitor the progress of children supported. Main Responsibilities To plan, prepare and implement groups to support children aged 0-7 to reach their developmental milestones. To support the facilitation of groups across Medway. To ensure effective communication with our venues, ensuring access to spaces is agreed. Ensure all groups comply with Health and Safety regulations, in line with the policies and procedures of the associated venue and policies of Home-Start Medway. Assess the children that attend the group to establish developmental need and then plan activities to meet these needs during subsequent groups. Model age-appropriate play activities to parents/carers and offer a range of strategies and activities to manage behaviour and assist child development. Signpost parents / carers to relevant services to ensure they have the necessary provisions to meet their child/ren’s needs.  This may include referring to internal services within Home-Start, such as our Home-Visiting programme. To refer to and / or work in partnership with partner agencies to further develop parents/carers understanding of their child/ren’s development. Ensure children are safeguarded during all groups and work in collaboration with statutory services such as Social Care as and when required. To ensure all activities are risk assessed and comply with Home-Start Medway Policy and Procedures. Work co-operatively with Management to support the preparation of the monthly, quarterly and annual reporting requirements. To maintain accurate records of the support that you have provided for families in the groups on our database system.  This would include the use of evaluation tools to enable us to evidence the impact of our work. To work within all Home-Start’s policies and procedures including Confidentiality, Safeguarding Children Policies and Procedures and Health and Safety Policies. Be flexible and carry out other associated duties as may arise, develop, or be assigned in line with the broad remit of the position. To work within the ethos of Home-Start and have high standards of practice. The need to respect confidentiality is paramount, as is a mature and flexible approach to the work. Maintain and improve competencies through continuous professional development. To attend regular supervision meetings and annual appraisal. What we can offer you This role is a permanent post.  You will be