Ireland’s leading children’s charity is recruiting:

Project Worker - Dublin

Location: Church Road, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15

Contract: Fulltime (37 hours) and Fixed Term Contract to end December 2025

Salary: €34,212 - €52,882 DOE

Why work at Barnardos?

At Barnardos we seek to ensure that we have the best people working with us to support our work with children and families. The benefits of working with Barnardos are designed to promote continual professional development and a work-life balance for the most rewarding working experience.

• Barnardos offers a competitive salary – recognising the experience you bring to the role
• Generous annual leave entitlements
• Positive working environment with family friendly ethos and work - life balance policy
• Tax saver travel and bike to work schemes in operation
• Employee Pension scheme with employer contribution
• Training and Development
• Health and Wellbeing initiatives including Employee Assistance programme
• Company sick pay scheme

Child and Family Service Mulhuddart

Address/Location:Church Road, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15
Telephone: 01-8204033

Barnardos provide a combination of Family Support and Initial Child Protection Assessment work on behalf of our funders e.g. Tusla

Project Workers undertake Initial Assessments in partnership with Tusla using the Signs of Safety Approach. Signs of Safety is the national child-centered approach for child protection and welfare. Barnardos’ assessments are aligned with this model, which is grounded in partnership and collaboration with children, families and their wider networks of support.

Project workers offer a variety of family support interventions for children and families. Families may self- refer to the service or may be referred by community organisations, schools and health care professionals. Barnardos work has a therapeutic focus and is based on the individual child's assessed needs.

Types of Barnardos trauma-informed intervention practice work includes for example:

• Partnership with Parents - a one to one home-based parenting programme tailored to meet the needs of parents and their children. The programme focuses on parenting skills and child-parent relationships in order to make positive changes in the home.
• Sensory Attachment Intervention (SAI) - an integrative approach which supports children and adults who have experienced trauma and adversity.The SAI approach recognises the need to establish regulation of the arousal states e.g. fight, flight, freeze, dissociation. These changes can be achieved by adjusting environments and daily routines to include a combination of up and down regulating activities which support individuals to find their ‘just right state’ (Éadaoin Bhreathnach, 2021).
• This Is Me - an evidence-based programme designed to guide interventions in working with children and the important people in their lives. in order to help children understand and express their feelings, self-regulate, and manage their own behaviour.
• Family Work - Holistic approach supporting whole family functioning, to enhance family strengths to reduce conflict and improve communication and relationships.
• Individual Work, which is an evidence-based, tailored intervention working with children in conjunction with the important people in their lives. Its purpose is to build resilience and help children to understand and express their feelings and manage their own behaviour.
• Using evidenced based group work programmes with parents and children.
• Inter-agency and collaborative working, with Tusla, including participation in the delivery of Meitheal, schools and community organisations.

Our teams work in partnership with and promotes inter-agency collaboration to ensure positive outcomes for children and their parents. We work closely with the social work teams, the voluntary / community services, PHN, Gardai and Tusla Prevention Partnership and Family Support Services.

A full driving licence and use of a suitably insured vehicle is essential for this role.

Job purpose

To develop and implement programmes that respond to the needs of children and families referred to the service working in partnership with families and other organisations, community and voluntary bodies.
To conduct Initial Assessments on low –medium risk referrals received from Tusla social work department using the Signs of Safety approach to child protection and welfare concerns.

Personal attributes

• Commitment to the delivery of quality services to children, young people, families and carers.
• Ability to act on own initiative and consult where appropriate.
• Ability to work under pressure, make decisions in consultation with the line manager when appropriate.
• To be committed to adhering to best practice in the work and be innovative and open to change.
• Flexibility and adaptability are essential for this post.
• Ability to form objective relationships with children, young people, families/carers, colleagues and other agencies.

Experience

• A minimum of 2 years’ post-qualification experience of working with vulnerable children and families.
• Experience of working in partnership with families and carers.
• Experience of assessing children’s and families’ needs.
• Experience of planning, implementing and reviewing programmes with children and/or families.
• Experience of interagency working.
• Experience of preparing comprehensive needs led reports on children and families

Desirable Knowledge

• Up to date with evidenced informed thinking with regard to interventions for children and families on an individual and group level.
• Use of Signs of Safety as a tool for screening and assessing risk.
• Experience of Meitheal processes.
• Maintaining electronic records.

Qualifications

• A recognised third level practice qualification [1] minimum QQI Level 7 on the QQI/NFQ in one of the following:
  • Social Care
  • Social Work
  • Youth Work Or a related discipline (e.g. Nursing, Psychology, Early Years’ Education)

A full driving licence and access to the use of a suitably insured car is essential.

The post-holder is initially assigned to work in the Mulhuddart, Dublin 15 service Dublin North region but may be required in the future to work in other project(s) in the Dublin area in line with Organisational needs.

Barnardos is an equal opportunity employer.
We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all.

For full job description and to apply please visit Current Job Vacancies – Barnardos

Closing date: 12pm Thursday 9 May 2024
Interview date: To be Advised

Shortlisting will apply (please note, CVs are not accepted on their own, candidates must complete and submit our application form through Barnardos website).

[1] Course content should include relevant student placements