Reporting to: CEO
Location: Co. Meath

Child and Youth Service’s Team Leader (Fixed Term Contract – Maternity)

In summary

This role requires an exceptional individual who wants to make a difference. You will have proven experience of motivating staff as well as strong interpersonal and demonstrable management skills. You must also have an excellent knowledge of domestic violence issues and experience of working in gender equality, a domestic violence service or another relevant setting for children. You will have proven experience in networking and establishing relationships with agencies and key professionals, as well as developing services. A recognised third level applied social studies degree e.g., social care, social studies, and demonstrable management experience relevant to the community/voluntary sector is essential.

Role

The Child & Youth Service’s Team Leader is a member of the Management Team reporting directly to the CEO. This team leader will provide strategic leadership and oversight to safeguard quality service delivery and supports to children we work with and their families.

The purpose of the role is to manage the Child & Youth service and its staff team for Meath Women’s Refuge and Support Services across any sites we work from in line with the organisation’s vision, mission and core values. The Child & Youth service is a core element of the work of the organisation and it includes the provision of one to one, group supports, play therapy, awareness raising/training to children, young people and adults and the management of direct calls for support from parents and professionals. As a service it can be a busy and challenging environment. The role of the Team Leader is to manage both staff and the services provided by the Child & Youth team and through working with external agencies to ensure children and parents needs are met effectively and appropriately in a timely fashion.

In addition, as Team Leader you will have responsibility to be a member of the On Call Team for refuge services. This means you will be on a roster to be on call out of hours (after 6pm and weekends) one week in eight as a member of the on-call team. Payment for this is separate to the core salary.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Child & Youth Service’s Team Leader Duties include:

1. To co-ordinate and manage all aspects of the Child & Youth Service including staff, programmes and budgets and to oversee the growth and development of the team and its activities
2. To manage the Child and Youth Service within the annual budget allocation and promote an effective service within the available budget provision.
3. To represent the work and ethos of MWRSS in a professional and ethical manner at all times in line with the organisation’s strategic goals, vision, mission and values.
4. To be responsible for the supervision and support of the Child & Youth Team members to carry out their role
5. To lead in the recruitment, induction, and retention of staff as required.
6. To promote good communication and teamwork amongst staff including the facilitation of team meetings and other communication tools
7. To represent the Child & Youth Service’s Team as and when required externally e.g., policy fora, other relevant agencies we work with.
8. To ensure that the highest standard of professional support is always maintained with women and children.
9. To work in collaboration with other areas of the organisation including the CEO, other Team Leaders (Refuge and Outreach) and other teams in the organisation.
10. To ensure appropriate service evaluation procedures are in place with a view to introducing continuous improvements and developments in services offered, especially the quality of support for service users.
11. To create community awareness and raise consciousness regarding the issue of Domestic Violence and best practices in combating it.
12. To network and develop formal links with local service providers relevant to clients’ situations including, gardai, schools, housing authorities, social welfare, women’s groups, social work, hospitals, etc.
13. To ensure that staff receive appropriate on-going training, while providing adequate cover for your team when and where required.
14. To assess the performance of staff at regular intervals and perform annual staff appraisal for each staff member in Child & Youth Service’s team, with a view to developing all staff to reach their full potential and perform as valued and key contributors in the operation of the Child & Youth Service’s programme.
15. To set clear guidelines on the standards and management of written and electronic records for all Child & Youth Service’s staff and to audit these regularly.
16. To ensure the timely submission of written and verbal reports to the CEO as required, including statistical and financial analysis.
17. To ensure that the work of the Team adheres to the requirements of relevant legislation and internal policy procedures and to manage and oversee this at team level e.g., GDPR, Complaints Policy and Health and Safety
18. To ensure that the Children First Guidelines and MWRSS Child Protection and Welfare Policy are adhered to and understood by all staff and that the Service is friendly, safe and child centred as the Designated Liaison Person working with the Deputy DLP in this regard
19. To ensure that adequate external supervision is provided to support Child & Youth Team
20. To perform such other duties, appropriate to the office as may be assigned from time to time by the CEO or a designated officer of the CEO as a member of the MMT

Essential Knowledge, Skills & Experience Required:

• Relevant professional 3rd level qualification (minimum of Level 7 on the NFQ) essential, for example: Social Care, Education, Early Childhood Education and Care, Youth and Community Work, Psychology or equivalent and must be working as a qualified practitioner for more than 5 years
• To have at least 3 years’ experience of working with child victims of domestic abuse.
• Be aware and have knowledge of current legislation and key policy documents relevant to domestic abuse and possess a deep understanding of the dynamics and impact of domestic violence and abuse
• Thorough knowledge of procedures and practices relating to the Safeguarding of Children and Young People.
• Understanding of and capacity to work in a non-judgemental manner and a commitment to gender equality and human rights of women, children, and young people
• Demonstrable experience of supervising and supporting staff, students, trainees in your role working with adults/ children and young people.
• Experience of working in a support service for people with complex needs/Experience of working in other supported residential services.
• Experience of crisis management.
• Ability to manage, support and motivate staff, and to delegate responsibility appropriately, including the prioritisation of case load safely and sensitively and supporting staff to do this
• Experience working in team settings and on own initiative, have strong self- motivation, be reliable and flexible in work practices as well as being a strong team leader
• Ability to assess the needs and risks to children experiencing domestic abuse in their families and to act appropriately and professionally, using problem solving processes that meet the needs of children experiencing domestic violence and supporting staff to do this
• Demonstrable Experience of interagency working and joint service provision, working with relevant agencies to advocate on behalf of children
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including recording of data and report writing for funders, development of work plans plus ability to communicate effectively with staff in relation to the work of the organisation
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage a varied workload with structured supervision
• Excellent computer skills and experience of using central relationship systems (CRM) for data collection
• Willingness to participate in appropriate training as required and continuous professional development in line with the expectations of the Team Leader Role

This job description is intended as a summary of the primary responsibilities of and qualifications for this position. The job description is not intended as inclusive of all duties an individual in this position might be asked to perform that may be required either now or in the future.

Salary: €52,178.88

This position is Fixed Term (Maternity) for an initial 6 month period with potential to extend. The start date is 18th August 2025. This post is funded by Cuan Agency.
Number of Hours 37 hours per week Monday to Friday (flexible working may be required outside of normal working hours)
On Call: One Week in eight (a separate additional payment is paid for this role) - this work will form part of your core contract

Application Process

Applicants to send cover letter and CV attention of the CEO to frances.haworth@dvservicesmeath.ie, application are by email only. Closing Date is 5pm on 11th July 2025. Interviews will take place the following week.

Please note any offer of a position is subject to Garda Clearance and reference checks.

Meath Women’s Refuge & Support Services is an Equal Opportunities Employer