Child Support Worker, Childer's Road Family Initiative, Mid West

Child Support Worker, Childer's Road Family Initiative, Mid West

Location: Limerick

Contract: Full Time, Specific Purpose

The Child Support Worker plays a vital role in reducing the impact of homelessness on children and families living within the service. Through direct support, therapeutic interventions, parenting programmes, group activities, and child participation initiatives, the role promotes children's wellbeing, development, resilience, and voice.

What you will do:

- Provide support to families experiencing homelessness, working as part of a multidisciplinary team to achieve positive outcomes for children and parents.
- Engage with children, young people and their families to assess needs, promote child welfare and development, and enhance parenting skills and capacity.
- Complete comprehensive assessments of children's developmental needs and work collaboratively with parents to develop, implement and review appropriate support plans.
- Manage an allocated caseload, ensuring timely interventions, accurate assessments and effective support planning.
- Plan, deliver and evaluate programmes and activities that promote children's and young people's education, development, self-expression and wellbeing.
- Conduct risk assessments and implement appropriate safeguarding and support measures to ensure the safety and welfare of children and families.
- Facilitate and participate in regular care plan reviews, family meetings and support planning meetings with parents, key workers and relevant professionals.
- Attend and contribute to case conferences, family reviews, school meetingsand other meetings concerning the care and development of children within the service.
- Maintain accurate, up-to-date and confidential case notes, records and reportsin line with organisational policies and procedures.
- Develop and maintain effective working relationships with schools, social workers, clinical services, An Garda Síochána and other statutory and community agencies, ensuring a coordinated multi-agency approach.
- Work in partnership with parents to strengthen parenting capacity, supporting the development of appropriate routines, boundaries, discipline strategies, care practices and child development outcomes.
- Establish and maintain links with local services, community groups and relevant support organisations to enhance resources and opportunities available to families.
- Work under the guidance of line management, comply with all Focus Ireland policies and procedures, contribute to service evaluation and development, and actively participate in supervision, reflective practice and ongoing professional development.

What you will need:

- A Third Level qualification at degree level in the area of social care i.e. youth work, Early Childhood Care, Education , social studies, addiction, psychology, etc and/or be a CORU registered Social Care Worker.
- Proven extensive experience working with children and families.
- Very good understanding of Child Protection and Safeguarding responsibilities, and appropriate responses to any concerns.
- Ability to deal with challenging behaviour.
- Willingness to develop professional skills as identified through supervision.
- Own car and have a full clean driving licence.
- A working knowledge of the services in the homeless sector . (Desirbale)

Focus Ireland is an equal opportunities employer

#FI2