Programme Assistant – Dún Laoghaire, South Dublin

Tivoli Terrace South, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

General Information

What does the Tivoli Early Years centre do?

The project seeks to improve child developmental outcomes for children aged birth to 5 years and to maximise the capacity of their families/carers to meet children’s needs by offering an Early Intervention Service with targeted support for individual children and a bundle of integrated family support services for their families. Specific attention is given to those families where child protection or welfare concerns exist, working with the most vulnerable and disadvantaged families specifically focussing on parenting skills and child/parent relationships in order to reduce subsequent difficulties for children.

Our overall aim is:

To increase children’s emotional wellbeing
To improve children’s learning and development

We do this by providing a range of Hardiker level and 2 and 3 interventions in response to the individual assessed needs of children and their families referred to Barnardos.

Services include Infant and Toddler and Preschool programmes for children based on the High Scope and Tús Maith curriculum, Individual work with children, Individual home based parenting work (Partnership with Parents), Parent/Child work, Practical Family Support, advice information and advocacy, and group work with parents including a Parents’ Breakfast.

Tivoli is a busy centre with children and their parents/carers attending our Early Years’ and Preschool services on a daily basis and additional families attending the family support services.

We work to provide a response which involves interagency collaboration to maximise outcomes for families.

Who do we work with?

Referrals are accepted from the Tusla, HSE, schools, and other agencies and individuals as appropriate, including other Barnardos services and parents/carers themselves.

All referrals will be responded to and following Barnardos assessment, services will be offered in line with presenting needs, criteria and service capacity.

Job Description

Post:	Programme Assistant
Location:	Barnardos Family Centre, Tivoli, Dún Laoghaire
Responsible to:	Project Leader
Works with:	Team and service users

Job Purpose

To provide a safe, child centred environment/experience to children in the context of the service in which you work and appropriate to the role.

Core Job Requirements

To provide a safe and appropriate environment for children to participate in the service.
To ensure all children attending the service receive an appropriate level of supervision.
To support children attending to play and interact positively with other children.
To be vigilant for signs of physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect and any concerns regarding the welfare of children.
To immediately bring any concerns to the attention of the child’s Key Worker and the Designated Person and in keeping with Barnardos Child Protection Policy.
To record concerns promptly and accurately.
To gather information statistics and prepare reports as required, including administration of databases as appropriate to the role
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 this Post

To provide a flexible service on a day-to-day basis within the Early Years’ team.
An experience or understanding of working with vulnerable children and families.

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.

Person Specification

Personal attributes

Commitment to provide a quality service to children
Good communication and interpersonal skills
Awareness of confidentiality and the ability to deal with sensitive issues, including child protection concerns
Ability to work as part of a team
Flexibility and adaptability are essential attributes in this role.

Experience

Experience of working with children for a minimum of 6 months is essential
Relevant voluntary work may be considered.

Qualifications

Recognised qualification (min level 5 on the QQI) that is approved under the Early Years’ (Preschool) Regulations.

The postholder is initially assigned to work in the Early Years’ service, Tivoli, Dún Laoghaire but may be required in the future to work in other project(s) in the Dublin area in line with organisational needs.

Application Procedure

Applicants must complete this application form and submit it through our website before the closing date.

Applicants may also attach a CV or other supplementary information in respect of our application.

Attaching a CV alone will result in the applicant not being considered for shortlisting.

Shortlisting will apply

Candidates who are moved to the 2nd stage of our Recruitment process are required to complete a medical questionnaire and the E-Vetting process. References will be taken up at this stage.

Barnardos Application Form updated March 2021.doc (166 kB)

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