Project Worker – Children with Disabilities (12122)

Barnardo’s are seeking a Project Workers to deliver our Short Breaks Service for children with disabilities and additional needs, including autism, in the London Borough of Sutton (LBS).

This service is part of London’s ‘Stronger Families’ theme; the overarching outcomes being empowered families and familial resilience, so children thrive and are protected.

The Short Breaks Service

Barnardo’s are ambitious for children with disabilities and additional needs in LBS and want to support all children to experience positive outcomes.  Our basis and values are to work with hope, recognise the unique worth of every individual and encourage to children fulfil their potential.

The Short Breaks service provides group-based activities for children with disabilities and additional needs.  Children are supported within nurturing relationships that promote children’s independence, wellbeing, strengths, and capabilities.  Within safe and stimulating social environments, groups provide opportunities for children with disabilities and additional needs to interact with their peers and develop friendships.  Activities are designed to support children to learn and develop skills that support their development towards adult life and independence.

The service is also plays a vital role in providing families and carers respite from their caring responsibilities.

Groups are delivered every Saturday and Thursday evening, term time only, with an additional group delivered monthly, on a weekday evening.

Children are referred to the service by the authority via a panel.

The Role

This role is part-time.  The postholder must be available on core group delivery days, those being every Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm (with 1 hour unpaid lunch) and every Thursday 5:00pm-8:00pm, and an additional evening monthly. Groups for children are delivered term time only.  Additional hours are contracted and paid for training, supervision and meetings.

This is an exciting opportunity for a Project Worker to deliver and contribute to developing this service, its outcomes and impact.

This role is subject to a children and adult DBS check.

Specific training will be provided for meeting particular care needs of children, as required.

Although this contract has a permanent status, please be aware that this post is subject to funding.  Therefore, should this funding not be extended further, you may be subject to a redundancy consultation or a TUPE arrangement.

For an informal discussion about this role, please call Stephanie Hall on 07519 294409, or email [email protected]

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Barnardo’s are committed to our role in equality, diversity and inclusion, and to recruiting a diverse workforce that reflects the range of identities our service users hold.  We are most interested in your values, qualities, and character, and your skills and knowledge.

If you hold a passion to transform the lives of children and families, and hold the Barnardo’s values, and if you have the skills and qualities for the role, we want to hear from you, whatever identity you hold.

This role requires the post holder to be physically able to safely carry out work and caring duties with children with disabilities and additional needs, which is likely to include moving and handling.

About You

Proven experience working with children with disabilities and additional needs is essential for this role.

We are looking for someone who works with ambition, dignity, respect and compassion for children with disabilities and additional needs, and someone who shows reliability, tenacity, creativity and resilience.

You will be able to demonstrate your ability to delivery and contribute to a high-quality service for children, including the ability to foster positive, professional and meaningful relationships with children with disabilities and additional needs.  These skills along with your child-led, person-centred and wellbeing focussed approach should be evidenced in your application.

You should be able to respond to changing needs and adapt planned activities to support the individual and particular needs of children, following safety and safeguarding procedures at all times, including risk assessments.

It is helpful, but not essential (as training can be provided) if you have skills or experience in communication tools (such as Picture Exchange Communication or Makaton) and/or moving and handling.

When completing your application please evidence and example your skills, knowledge and experience in relation to the information provided to you in this advert, the person specification and job description, and with an understanding of the context of the service described.

Please also refer to your safeguarding knowledge, experience and training, with scenarios or examples of how this has been applied, in particular safeguarding children with SEND.

Barnardo’s considers that being male or female is a Genuine Occupational Requirement for this post under Schedule 9 of the Equality Act 2010.

Employee Benefits

• A work environment and workforce which supports and celebrates their staff;
• A work environment and workforce dedicated to Equality Diversity and Inclusion;
• Annual leave entitlement of 26 days, plus bank holidays;
• Annual leave purchase options;
• Pension scheme (4% or 6% matched contribution) with death in service cover;
• Employee Assistance Programme (24 hours a day, 365 days a year);
• Choice discount stores and staff benefits platform deals and discounts;
• Discounted hotel stays and holidays;
• Cycle to work scheme;
• Voluntary health care cash plans;
• Access to extensive professional training and support via the Barnardo’s University;
• Barnardo’s has a trade union recognition agreement with Unison.

When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification, Job Description and Additional Information document (if applicable). This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described.

Barnardo’s offers a hybrid working model covered under our `Work from Anywhere’ Framework, therefore vacancies advertised with this as an opportunity are open for applicants to either work from home or any location within the UK, including Barnardo’s Hub/Office that is a reasonable distance from your home address.

Barnardo’s believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.

At Barnardo’s we believe in children – no matter who they are, what they have done or what they have been through. Please read about our basis and values following the link below. You will be asked questions relating to them as part of the recruitment process for this role.

Barnardo’s is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce for staff and volunteers. We actively encourage applications from disabled, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic and male candidates as they are under-represented within Barnardo’s.