Job Title: Female Project Worker

Reports to: Women’s Services Co-ordinator

Objective: To work directly with female service users who may present with a variety of complex needs including addiction, homelessness, mental health and/or trauma, and to support the overall development of a high quality women’s only multi-disciplinary service.

Hours: 39 hours per week

Contract length: 2 years Fixed Term contract, with possibility of extension subject to funding

Salary Scale: dependent on experience

MQI are looking to recruit a Female Project Worker to work in an exciting new Female Specific service. These roles will be part of the team responsible for the setting up, establishment and operation of a new female only day service, “Jane’s Place”, in it’s new building in Dublin 2 with onsite multi-disciplinary teams as well as in-reach clinics into partner agencies. This is a non-judgmental, low threshold, safe space for women, which provides access to keyworking, counselling, GP, general and mental health nurses, psycho-educational and social groups.

The female only day service will provide a ‘one-stop-shop’ for access to information and supports across health, addiction, life skills, gender-based violence, coercive control, legal issues, education, employment support, counselling and mental health services. The role involves 1:1 work with female service users, psycho-educational group work, in-reach into other community projects as well as advocating and empowering female service users.

This is a great opportunity for someone looking to get involved at the start of a new service supporting women in a holistic and trauma-informed way.

Main responsibilities:

• Working specifically to target and engage with female service users (any women over 18 who are experiencing multiple disadvantage- homelessness, health and addiction, abuse, marginalisation and inequality)
• To work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary team in the best interests of the women that use the service
• One-to-one emotional support in times of crisis
• Inter-agency and collaborative working with specialist services to better meet the complex needs of women, in a holistic, person-centred way.
• Work to improve outcomes, create pathways and enable access for women into appropriate services.
• To facilitate the day-to-day operations of a drop-in and appointment based service, to be flexible and have the ability to manage your own diary whilst ensuring the smooth operation of the service.
• Network with other organisations and agencies who support and work with women with complex or multiple needs.
• Provision of an empowering, peer support and group space/environment that strengthens and encourages the belief for women in their own ability to make positive change in their lives, at their pace.
• To help develop and foster an environment of support and encouragement including Peer lead initiatives and programmes where women hold each other up
• To develop and establish women’s groups that provide educational, emotional and personal support to its participants.
• Developing collaborative initiatives with specialist services aimed at addressing complex needs of women.
• Working to enable access to and pathways out of services, and to continue to support women along this journey, to meet their individual goals
• Advocacy work, working with MQI Fundraising and Communications Department, raising awareness of the challenges women face, in order to promote, inform and influence policy.
• Developing strategies in order to increase engagement with women.
• Attend training, seminars, conferences, networks, engagement forums etc related to women’s specific services etc
• Establishing and developing links and interagency working with specialist community, voluntary and statutory services.
• To participate in internal and external meetings as required.
• To have a flexible approach to the work in response to organisational change, development and review of best practice.
• Reporting to the Service Coordinator for individual support, supervision, performance appraisal and working within the parameters of the MQI HR and H&S policies and procedures.
• To ensure that Health & Safety standards are maintained in accordance with the H&S Statement of MQI and to attend H&S Committee Meetings when required

Client work:

• Build trusting and supportive relationships with female service users.
• Developing programmes that promote personal and social development of women.
• To support female services users in a safe, client centred, trauma informed environment.
• To identify and work with the multiple needs of female service users
• To provide early and crisis intervention, information, referral, advice, advocacy in a person-centred capacity.
• To provide high quality, needs led and targeted supports to women with complex needs.
• To provide crisis and case management support in an outreach and in-reach capacity.
• Working within a trauma informed approach to improve outcomes for women accessing crisis services, with multiple needs.
• To when, and wherever possible, involve and include service users in the ongoing development ofthe service and to have their participation built into service plans whenever feasible.

Reporting:

• Produce standard monthly reports for the Service Co-Ordinator and/or Manager of Day Services in line with funding agencies requirements and compile any ad hoc information requests as required.
• Responsible for ensuring that service user records and data are kept updated on the CRM system at all times and provide reports to the Service Co-Ordinator in keeping with all required deadlines and on an ad hoc basis as required.
• To complete all administrative tasks such as report writing, collation of statistics, maintenance of accurate records, up to date case notes, relevant form filling in order to ensure that the service runs smoothly, safely and effectively, in line with GDPR and confidentiality policies.

Person specification:

• Must have a relevant qualification (minimum QQI Level 7 or equivalent) e.g. social care, addiction or related field.
• Must have a minimum of 2 years relevant employed work experience in addiction/community development, social care, or related fields.
• To have a good understanding of the models of addiction treatment and best practice in relation to harm reduction, preparation for treatment and relapse prevention.
• To have a working knowledge of homeless service systems and pathways out of homelessness
• The ability to work with multiple presentations including but not limited to addiction, mental health, homelessness, domestic violence, trauma, sex work & trafficking
• To have experience of working within a team, with good communication skills and the ability to work independently also
• Have experience of key working, case management and group facilitation.
• Understanding of the challenges women with complex needs face
• A knowledge and understanding of a trauma informed approach

Salary: €33,860 - €40,028 per annum
Hours: Full time (39 hours) and Part time hours available
Days: Monday to Sunday
Location: Women's services, Dublin City Centre

If you are interested in this exciting role, please click the link below to apply:
Female Project Worker - Merchants Quay Ireland - Dublin City Centre | HireLocker.com

Management reserves the right to amend or change this job description as required.

This Position is subject to Garda Clearance

Merchants Quay Ireland is an equal opportunities employer