Chatty, Engaging Listeners

Do you enjoy, are experienced in, and are comfortable talking to people either individually or in groups?  Are you happy presenting in public to raise awareness of the work of Healthwatch? Are you interested in people’s experiences of health and social care?  Do you have bags of enthusiasm and enjoy meeting new people?

Healthwatch Thurrock is looking for 2 x part time engagement workers who can travel around the borough talking to the local community about things that matter most to them plus recruit volunteer Healthwatch Ambassadors

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced practitioner to join our valued team, to provide quality information, advice and practical/emotional support to families/young people including disability related benefits, education and reforms, health and social care.

The ideal candidate will be committed to helping families at the most challenging of times, supporting families with warmth and empathy, whilst maintaining a calm and professional approach.  They should have previous family support experience in either a health, education, social care or third sector setting, together with a good understanding of the statutory entitlements for health related benefits and educational support.

This position requires travel around the Chelmsford area with some travel to other parts of the county. Own transport is essential.  Head office is based in Chelmsford.

Main Purpose of the Job:
To use well developed experience, expertise, together with knowledge of reforms and legislation (e.g. Welfare, Special Educational Needs and Disability reforms and Children and Families Act 2014), to help any Essex family who has a child/young person with any disability or special need, requiring quality advice, information, practical and emotional support across a wide range of issues to achieve positive outcomes that will benefit the whole family.

The post-holder will be responsible for own case work (targets) and will need to work collaboratively with other key professionals (across health, education, social care and housing) to enhance multi-agency, integrated working practices and demonstrating families’ confidence and ability to effectively take part in person-centred assessment and planning processes.

Specific Job responsibilities:
To provide consistent and current information, sound advice, practical and emotional support to families (parent carers) with children/young people (CYP) with SEND and young people (YP) directly (as appropriate) across a wide range of issues including:

-  Disability related benefits for the CYP & family support e.g. Disability Living Allowance (CYP) including preparing for and attending appeals and tribunals; Personal Independence Payment (YP 16+); Family Fund, Carers Allowance, Employment Support Allowance and other financial support including tax credits and debt advice. Housing and social care issues. 

-  All SEND educational issues including information, advice and support with Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment and EHC plan, including preparing for and attending appeals and tribunals, One Planning, SEN support, together with information on options for Personal Budgets and the ‘Local Offer’. 

This support could be provided via: 
- 1:1 face to face, telephone helpline, outreach through home visits to families assessed as needing additional support, accompanying to multi-agency/planning meetings and group advice surgeries.

- Contributions to local events/briefings, group information sessions, parent/carer drop-ins, information stand at Activities Club.

- On-line services via e-mail, e-bulletins, social media (e.g. Face book/Face Time/Skype), report and letter writing and signposting to other websites/sources of information. 

To empower and support parent carers and young people, quickly building a supportive and trusted relationship with the family, helping to identify the strengths and needs of individual family members ensuring they understand and are confident about options for their child/young person’s educational attainment, social learning, development, achievement levels, contributing to aspirational as well as realistic short/medium/long-term outcomes crossing different aspects of their life, including building their resilience.

To identify and engage with relevant agencies (statutory, voluntary organisations and other groups) as appropriate to assist families in accessing appropriate services and to support cross-referrals/signposting. 

To facilitate mutual support amongst families and individuals attending drop-ins and other facilities, and to enable them to make best use of the services available. 

To organise, attend and facilitate specific group activities and events (e.g. drop-ins, workshops/talks for parents/carers and professionals, activity club, outings) including undertaking risk assessments, health and safety, record keeping systems, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation at all times. 

To work collaboratively with other key professionals (health, education, social care and housing) to enhance multi-agency and integrated working practices, contributing to plans to achieve better and co-ordinated outcomes for families.

To carry out the necessary administration and diligently keep appropriate user records, presenting issues (case management system), and statistics up to date, providing data/case studies in a timely manner for monitoring reports. 

To keep up to date with new policies, reforms and commitment to continuous personal and organisational development.

To undertake relevant training in Safeguarding, SEND reform and EHC planning. 

To assist with the training and support of volunteers engaged in a variety of tasks and to ensure that confidentiality is observed at all times by volunteers who assist with activities. 

To raise the profile of the organisation through building trusting relationships with families and professionals and networking.  

To work flexibly as required by the nature of the post which will entail working in the school holidays and attendance at some evening and weekend activities. 

To carry out other duties that may be allocated from time to time and to contribute to the smooth running of the office and ‘team working’. 

To take part in social, cultural and fundraising activities of the organization.
 
Underpinning job responsibilities
• At all times to promote safeguarding of CYP and vulnerable adults
• To contribute to good practice and development of projects/services including evaluations as required, feeding up strategic issues or trends as these are identified
• To be an effective member of the team, attending regular team meetings and supervisions
• To maintain confidentiality of information at all times
• To adhere to policies and procedures of Families InFocus (Essex)

Applications must be received no later than 3pm on Tuesday 31 March 2020, applications received after this will not be considered.

Interviews will take place on 6 April 2020 and 7 April 2020.

This is an exciting and challenging opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of those who are among the poorest in our community.

Your initial remit will be to ensure that rough sleepers are offered prompt and effective support to move away from life on the streets. You will be committed, compassionate, caring and be empathetic to the needs of those among the most deprived. You will work with people who may be chaotic, may have mental health and addiction issues but need your help and support.

The post is based in Central Bedfordshire and you will be required to travel throughout the Borough, therefore having your own transport is essential.

Throughout your work you will have considerable autonomy and significant periods of time lone working enabling you to make a personal difference to people’s lives. You will have excellent time-management, prioritisation, organisational, inter-personal, and administrative skills. You will be competent in IT and communication, have the ability to build relationships with people from many backgrounds and a commitment to help those in need. You will be persistent and undaunted in the face of seeming adversity.

Driver

Location: No.1 Lavender Fields - Hitchin
Job Type: Occasional hours
Salary: £8.25 per hour / (£16,131 per annum FTE 37.5)

Closing Date: 6 April 2020

Want to be part of a leading organisation which positively impacts on the lives of disabled people across the world?

Occasional hours (bank) driver required to support young people activities and appointments. Hours to be booked on a weekly basis with a regular trip on Wednesday mornings.

As a Driver with Leonard Cheshire you will be responsible for the driving and escort needs of the service, ensuring the safety of passengers, providing assistance and consideration to mobility needs. You will also ensure vehicles are maintained in a clean and roadworthy condition, with regular safety checks for oil, water, tyre pressure etc.

You will:

- Have a driving licence with no endorsements and previous driving experience.
- Be MiDAS accredited for appropriate vehicles (suitable training will be required for other vehicles).
- Have experience of driving a minibus and / or adapted vehicles (desirable for some roles).
- Be willing to work flexibly in accordance with the needs of the service.

In return we offer a great range of employee schemes and benefits, including generous annual leave, discounts for high street retailers, contributory pension scheme and so much more!

Leonard Cheshire welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We actively encourage applications from people with a disability, supporting where possible, your requirements for reasonable adjustments.

A satisfactory disclosure check (PVG membership in Scotland) is required for this post.

Shortlisting for this role will take place as applications are received. We therefore reserve the right to close this vacancy once suitable candidates have been appointed.

You may have experience of the following: Transport, Driver, Carer, Bus Driver, Minibus Driver, etc.

Ref: 92583

The OLLIE Foundation is a St Albans based Suicide Prevention Charity operating across the Home Counties. The Foundation provides a range of early intervention and prevention, as well as crisis intervention and post-vention training to young people, parents and professionals. As experts in our field, we routinely train GPs, teachers and A&E staff and give talks and wellbeing assemblies in schools and to community groups. Although driven by our commitment to prevent youth suicide, our training and talks are relevant to EVERYONE. 

The successful candidate will be a highly motivated and passionate individual able to manage their own diary, working mainly from home but with weekly office days and flexibility to work across Herts and work some weekends and evenings when needed. Would suit ambitious graduate or experienced administrator. As the Executive Assistant to the CEO you will also provide administrative support to the wider team, including diary management, maintaining and improving existing systems, procedures and records along with setting up new systems as required.

This job requires great communications skills and there is an expectation to be able to network and work closely with a range of partners, including the Police, NHS staff, teachers, parents and carers, as well as young people.

As Executive Assistant to the CEO you will:

1. Line manage staff and volunteers

2. Help manage the office and all associated admin tasks

3. Oversee orders for resources and merchandise and ensure they are delivered as needed

4. Support bid and report writing

5. Closely monitor and evaluate the impact of the work we do and outcomes achieved.

6. Work effectively from home but able to travel to a range of meetings and talks across the Home Counties

7. Work in a fast-paced environment, able to manage competing deadlines

8. Maintain attention to detail with a high level of accuracy

9. Have a proactive approach to working from home and able to interface with the public as needed

The ideal candidate will have the following experience, skills and qualifications:

• A confident public speaker.
• Success in building relationships and working collaboratively with a range of partners.
• Ability to work on their own, plan and organise effectively, prioritise workloads and meet deadlines.
• Ability to contribute towards internal and external evaluation processes. 
• Proficient IT skills.  
• A passion to make a difference through mentoring and training. 
• A full and valid UK driving licence with access to a vehicle for business use.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Emotionally mature, able to manage their wellbeing in an environment where suicide and bereavement is a constant.

Applicants will need to have a flexible approach to work, available to attend or manage weekend and evening events as needed.  In return for their dedication and commitment, we will support and develop the successful candidate with options to train to deliver curriculum and talks.  This role has the potential to develop and for working hours to extend.

There is an opportunity to develop the role to include community advocacy, training and workshop delivery. As demand for our services grow, the post holder will become a crucial and highly valued member of our team, supporting the CEO, providing admin support, and often acting as the first point of contact for our charity. This is a unique position for the right person to be part of a dynamic and growing organisation making a difference to the communities it works with. 

Owing to the nature of this position, any offer of employment will be subject to a satisfactory disclosure report from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

12 month Fixed Term Contract

This is a unique role, Outreach Advisor , and a dual focussed opportunity working across partnerships to work with residents in one of Harlow Town’s Permitted developments at Templefields.  In line with this you will develop a Residents Association in partnership with the Local Authority whilst in this role.

Location: You will be based at Templefields and the main Citizens Advice in Harlow

Advice and Casework 

• To provide advice and casework on the full range of enquiry areas particularly Welfare Benefits, Debt and Housing 

• To be able to support clients with a clear plan of action to enable them to take action for themselves and to advocate for those who need practical assistance to progress their case

• To produce detailed case records for the purpose of continuity of casework, statistical monitoring and report preparation. 

• Provide representation of cases to the appropriate statutory bodies, tribunals and courts as appropriate and negotiate with third parties as appropriate. 

• Assist clients where necessary by calculating, negotiating, drafting or writing letter and telephoning. 

• Assist clients with other related problems where they are an integral part of their case and refer to other advisers or specialist agencies as appropriate. 

Research & Campaigns 

• Assist with research and campaigns work by providing information about clients’ circumstances. 

• Provide statistical information and provide regular reports to the organisations management. 

Professional Development 

• Keep up to date with legislation, case law, policies and procedures relating to specified area and undertaking appropriate training. 

• Attend relevant internal and external meetings as agreed with the line manager. 

Developing a Residents Association 

• In conjunction with the local authority, design and deliver promotional literature to explain the benefits of a Residents Association at Templefields permitted development in Harlow. 

• Through casework establish a group of residents who wish to participate in the development of a Residents Association and organise workshops on site and arrange for local authority participation.

• Continue to promote the benefits and raising awareness by helping residents and individuals understand the purpose and increase sense of belonging in the community. 

Administration  

• Use IT for statistical recording, record keeping and document production. 

• Maintain a library of reference material and case law. 

In line with national policy a successful candidate will be screened by the DBS.  Once trained you will be committed to the aims, principles and policies of the Citizens Advice service in every aspect of service delivery.

Community Co-ordinator (Contract)
Field Based (with travel throughout East Anglia) 

Are you a confident communicator with exceptional relationship-building skills? Could you use your enthusiasm and passion to unite charities and retailers in the fight against food poverty? If so, we want to hear from you!

About Us 

We are FareShare, the UK’s largest charity fighting hunger and food waste. We are a charitable distribution network that takes excess, in-date and good to eat food and redistributes it to other charities that turn it into meals.

Together with Irish social enterprise FoodCloud, we have created FareShare Go, an app that connects charities with retailers who have free surplus food that would otherwise go to waste. Since launching this scheme, we’ve connected over 7,500 charities with over 2,700 stores, which has resulted in countless meals for communities across the country. 

Our ambition is to roll out this valuable service to all retailers across the UK and Ireland. As such, we’re looking for a Community Co-ordinator to join us and support the success of FareShare Go in East Anglia. This is a fixed-term contract until the 1st March 2021. 

The Rewards 

- Salary of £21,000 - £23,000 per annum
- Expenses paid
- Pension
- Travelcard loans
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee assistance programme

This is a great opportunity to join a talented team who are passionate about relieving food poverty, reducing waste and helping vulnerable people across the UK and Ireland. 

We’ll provide you with great training and support; all you need to bring are your incredible relationship-building skills and your drive to help create real change. 

We are helping charities working on the frontline to tackle the cause, not just the symptoms, of food poverty. If you think you could help us in our mission, apply now.  

The Role

As a Community Co-ordinator, you will support the growth and sustainability of the FareShare Go programme.

Covering the East Anglia territory, you will increase awareness of FareShare Go and the ways in which we can benefit charities and retailers who participate in the programme. 

You’ll make sure that new and existing programme participants understand the amazing work they’re doing by taking part and ensure that the needs of retailers and charities alike are met. 

Additionally, you will: 

- Visit new charities who are joining the programme, as well as existing members 
- Forge positive relationships with retailers to maximise the amount of charities they reach 
- Advise charities on how they can increase their capacity, so they can take on more food and help even more people 
- Handle any issues in a sensitive and diplomatic manner 
- Build relationships with colleagues in your region and outside of your immediate network
- Support activities at our Regional Centre when required

About You 

To join us as a Community Co-ordinator, you will need:

- Exceptional relationship-building skills with a range of stakeholders
- The proven ability to create links across teams to share best practice
- Great communication skills and the confidence to engage with a range of audiences 
- Strong IT skills and knowledge of Microsoft Office
- Flexibility regarding your working arrangements as the role may involve UK travel
- A valid driving licence and access to your own vehicle

Level 2 or 3 Food Safety training would be beneficial, as would experience of data analysis and project planning. Experience with a CRM system, such as Salesforce, would be an advantage, as would a degree level qualification or previous experience in a similar role. 

Other organisations may call this role Community Engagement Co-ordinator, Partnerships Officer, Food Poverty Prevention Co-ordinator, Community Partnerships Officer, Charity Partnerships Co-ordinator, or Community Services Officer. 

The closing date for applications is the 14th April 2020. 

Webrecruit and FareShare are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.

So, if you are ready to help us continue our amazing work as a Community Co-ordinator, please apply via the button shown. This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.