Project Worker- Young Parents Support Programme (Ennis, Co. Clare)  

Barnardos, in partnership with Tusla, is setting up a new service that aims to support young parents and their families, across County Clare. The service is a response to the vulnerability of families headed by Young Parents and provides preventative support services for both the young parents and their children.

The Young Parents Support Programme is part of a National strategy, formerly known as The Teenage Parents Support Programme, (TPSP) now YPSP for short. It is a support service for vulnerable young mothers and fathers who are under 24 years of age, from pregnancy until their baby is 2 years of age. The service objectives of the Clare YPSP:

• Provide a needs-led, outcomes-focused service to young parents and their children;
• Support young parents, especially mothers, to return to or remain in education or training;
• Support the physical health, emotional well-being and the learning and development of the child and parent;
• Work preventatively with at risk teens;
• Work collaboratively with existing services in response to the needs of the young parents and their children and to identify gaps in services for teen parents in the area.

What will my day to day look like? 

• Assess the needs of the children and the families engaging with the project. Providing family support services (group and individual supports) to young parents, up to 24 years old, and their families.
• Plan, implement and review programmes for children/young people/carers/families based on an assessment of their individual and group needs.
• To be vigilant for signs of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect and any concerns regarding the welfare of children. To record concerns promptly and accurately as a mandated person. To consult with the Designated Person and take appropriate action in accordance with Barnardos Child Protection policy.
• Work with children/young people/carers/families in a variety of ways, including group work, individual work and family work, centre based and outreach work.
• Key work individual children/young people/carers/families in order to meet their needs and to advocate on their behalf.
• Liaise effectively with families and other statutory, community and voluntary bodies and to attend and contribute to reviews and case conferences as required.
• Work in partnership with other Barnardos services to best meet the needs of children and families by collaborating resources with planned interventions targeting groups/families of shared need.
• Keep records up to date in relation to all aspects of work and prepare reports as required.
• Gather information statistics and prepare reports as required, including administration of databases as appropriate to the role, using Barnardos’ electronic record system
• Identify and document to the line manager any unmet needs of children/young people/carers/families within the service, and to participate in the advocacy work of the agency.

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