Ireland’s leading children’s charity is recruiting:

Project Worker – Dublin 15

Location: Corduff Family Support Project, Dublin 15
Contract: Part-time (30 hours per week) and Fixed Term to end November 2025
Salary: €27,740 - €42,878 DOE (This is the pro-rated salary for 30 hours)

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

Name of the Project: Corduff Family Support Service Finglas
Address/Location: 22 Corduff Park, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15
Telephone: 01-8262434

At Barnardos Springboard Project in Corduff we provide a combination of Family Support and Initial Child Protection Assessment work on behalf of our funders Tusla and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board (ddletb).

Project Workers undertake Initial Family Assessments in partnership with Tusla using the Signs of Safety Approach. Signs of Safety is the national child-centered approach adopted by Tusla for child protection and welfare practice. Barnardos’ assessments are aligned with the Signs of Safety 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 often in response to the Initial Assessment work, as well as receiving referrals from Tusla, schools, Health Care Professionals, community organisations and self-referrals. These interventions include:

• Partnership with Parents (PwP) - 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.
• This Is Me programme - an evidence-based programme designed to guide interventions in working with children in conjunction with the important people in their lives. This work has a therapeutic focus and is based on the individual child's assessed needs. Its purpose is to build resilience and help children to understand and express their feelings and manage their own behaviour.
• Family Work - Project Workers work to support whole family functioning and to enhance family strengths to reduce family conflict and improve relationships and communication.
• Inter-Agency Work - the team works 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.
• Opportunities Assisting Staying in School (OASIS) programme - the aim of this programme is to prevent or reduce early school leaving. This programme supports children who are referred by their teachers to make the transition from primary to secondary school. This Programme is facilitated by a specifically designated Project Worker and the Programme Assistant.
• Parent and Toddler Programme – the project runs three Parent and Toddler groups which are co-facilitated by Project Workers and/or the Family Support Worker and Programme Assistant. The aim of this Programme is to provide a safe and supportive environment for parents and children to play and interact, to reduce social isolation and to provide advice and support when appropriate.

Part Time (30 hours over 4 days per week including Monday, Wednesday and Friday)

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 organisational, community and voluntary bodies.

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 inter-agency working, desirable.
• 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 Level 7 on the NFQ) in one of the following:
  • Social Care
  • Social Work
  • Youth Work
  • Or related discipline (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 Corduff service but may be required in the future to work in other project(s) in the Dublin North/City Region 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 on 10th May 2024
Interview date: TBA

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