Administration Worker - Cork

General Information

Name of the Service:              Barnardos Guardian ad Litem Service

Locations:                                Blackmore House, Meade Street, Cork

The Barnardos Guardian ad Litem Service (GAL Service) was established in 1997 to provide children involved in family law proceedings with an independent voice in court. Barnardos GAL Service comprises of 7 staff located in Dublin and Cork, and has contracted a panel of 27 independent Guardians ad Litem (GALs). A Guardian Ad Litem is an experienced and qualified person, with expertise in working with children, who is appointed by the court and advises on the best interests of the child concerned.

The Government has committed to reforming the Guardian ad Litem arrangements currently in operation and to the setting up a National Guardian ad Litem Service.

Until such time as the National Guardian ad Litem service is commenced, the Barnardos GAL Service is committed to continuing to provide a quality service to children that supports them to have their voices heard and their best interests represented in Court.

What does the Barnardos Guardian Ad Litem Service do?

Barnardos GAL service supports children to have their voices heard in court proceedings relating to their care by providing the following services to a panel of independent Guardians ad Litem contracted to Barnardos:

• Maintaining  a record of the cases to which a GAL is appointed on a Barnardos Case Management System, gathering information required
• Providing practice support through development of best practice procedures
• Processing GAL Garda Vetting applications
• Providing professional support by facilitating training and regular team meetings
• Providing an invoicing service to the GALs
• Providing an archiving service

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Job Description

Post:	Administration Worker  -  Cork
Location:	Blackmore House, Meade Street, Cork.
Responsible to:	Administration Manager of Guardian ad Litem Service
Works with:	Guardian ad Litem Service National team

        

Job Purpose

GAL Administration support providing an efficient and flexible administrative support to the service in an integrated way with the wider organisation.

Core Job Requirements

• To respond in an efficient friendly and appropriate manner to all communications with the office i.e. post, e-mail, telephone and fax and in person.
• To provide administrative support to the service utilising relevant IT packages, ensuring documents are presented and formatted to a high standard.
• To maintain an up to date and effective filing system.
• To maintain an efficient, accurate and up to date financial, Human Resource and stock/
• inventory recording system as appropriate.
• To gather information statistics and prepare reports as required, including administration of databases as appropriate to the role.
• To maintain awareness of Data Management and Data Protection issues at all times
• To supervise students and volunteers where necessary and to ensure they are aware of all Barnardos policies and compile placement reports as appropriate.

Requirements specific to the post

• To respond to enquiries regarding the service, giving information as appropriate, including information on other services that may be of assistance to the caller.
• Ability to deal with sensitive callers while obtaining relevant information and maintaining attention to detail.
• To manage the administration of new referrals, including communicating with Tusla and solicitors to gather relevant information
• To process data accurately and efficiently examining for detail and consistency throughout
• To promote the Guardian ad Litem Service and liaise professionally and efficiently between the Guardian Ad Litem team and stakeholders for the service.
• To keep the courts and others aware of Guardian ad Litem availability.
• To assist in the monthly review of invoice submissions from the GALs
• To liaise with Guardians regularly as required.
• To assist with arranging team meetings and to minute such meetings.
• To ensure information is kept up to date on GALSYS.
• To maintain efficient, accurate and up to date records as required of Guardians (e.g. Contracts, Professional Registration etc.).
• To maintain records of Guardian ad Litem CPD training undertaken and to assist in arranging appropriate training events.
• To manage the recruitment process of Guardian ad Litem panel.
• To organise the induction, initiation and support of new Guardians ad Litem to the team.
• To provide IT assistance to Guardian ad Litem team.
• To provide prompt and efficient administration support to Head of Guardian ad Litem Service and GAL Service management team.
• To maintain excellent communication and handover between the other administration workers in the service

Requirements of all Barnardos staff

• Commitment to the purpose of Barnardos and to work within the values, policies and procedures of the organisation and in the context of current legislation and regulations.
• To participate in regular supervision with your line manager.
• To actively participate in team and staff meetings and service reviews/ evaluations and to contribute to the development of policy and practice with your area of work and within Barnardos as a whole.
• To report any area of concern to your line manager in a timely manner.
• To show reasonable flexibility in relation to hours of attendance to meet the needs of the work. Work during unsocial hours may be required.
• Have a flexible approach to the work in response to organisational change, development and review of best practice.
• Participate in and engage with a performance management programme.
• Identify training needs with your line manager and participate in training opportunities appropriate to the role.
• To be vigilant to any Health, Safety and Welfare risks in the workplace and bring any concerns to the attention of your line manager or local Health and Safety Officer.
• To be vigilant to any concerns regarding the protection and welfare of children and to bring them to the attention of the Barnardos Designated Person in a timely manner, in keeping with the Barnardos Child Protection policies.
• To participate in the efficient flow of information within the organisation by sharing and seeking information as appropriate.
• To undertake other duties as may be requested by the line manager from time to time.
• To undertake your work in a manner that is friendly, flexible and informal.

   

  Note: this Job Description will be reviewed and updated in line with the needs of the work

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Person Specification

Personal attributes

• Good communications and interpersonal skills.
• Awareness of confidentiality and the ability to deal with sensitive queries.
• Ability to work within a team the ability to work in collaboration with others.
• Ability to work on own initiative and to consult where appropriate.
• Ability to prioritise competing demands.
• Flexibility and adaptability in terms of tasks and time is essential for this post.
• Attention to detail and exceptional organisational skills.
• Fluent written and spoken English

Experience

• A minimum of two years’ direct relevant experience essential.
• Financial administration skills are essential.
• Working knowledge of Data Protection Legislation and GDPR is highly desirable.
• Previous experience of working with databases and financial invoicing systems an advantage.
• Knowledge of Family Law, Courts and /or the care system an advantage.

Qualifications

• Junior Cert or equivalent minimum level of education.
• A working ability in IT systems and databases, including Office 365 including MS Teams, Word and Excel.

The post-holder is initially assigned to work in the Barnardos GAL service Meade St. Cork but may be required to work in other projects in the Cork area, subject to reasonable notice.

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