Exchange House Ireland National Travellers Service is the largest front line Traveller specific service in Ireland. We are an organisation of Traveller and non-Traveller people working together to provide services to Traveller families, and Traveller young people and children and Traveller men and women, many of whom are in crisis. We pride ourselves in working with some of the most marginalised members of the Traveller community.

We are a multi-disciplinary service provider offering Family Support and Crisis Intervention Services, Children and Young Peoples’ Services, Addiction Services, Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Services and Education and Training Services to members of the Traveller community in the Dublin area. We also deliver various national services through training, provision of expertise and partnerships with other organisations providing services to Travellers in Ireland.

Exchange House Ireland now wishes to recruit an

Family Support Access Worker

Part-time; 12-Month Fixed Term Contract

Outline of the position

Facilitate supervised and supported access visits between Traveller children and their families and family support as part of the Family Support and Crisis Intervention service and within the agency’s planned response to the needs of Traveller community in the greater Dublin.

Reporting to

• Family Support and Crisis Intervention Service Manager.

Main duties

Access

• Coordinate supervised and supported access visits with parents and other relevant parties. 
• Provide guidance and positive modelling for parents attending access.
• Observe and record child/parent interactions, verbal/non-verbal engagement/presentation during access visits. 
• Provide individual feedback on each visit to parents and other relevant parties including Tusla social workers etc. as required.
• Ensure the safety of everyone present at access visits and intervene or end visit if appropriate. 
• Raise concerns around issues that might impact access e.g. parental substance use, domestic abuse, mental health, childhood trauma. 
• Maintain onsite access room and ensure it is appropriately furnished with toys, materials etc.
• Provide supervised access visits in the community if appropriate.
• Support parents to connect with their children outside of visits e.g. letters, calls.

Family Support

• Help parents to understand and respond to their children’s needs.
• Advocate for and prioritise the best interests of the child in decisions around access.
• Promote Traveller children’s culture and identity through access. 
• Work within Children First guidelines and raise child protection concerns as required.
• Liaise with the Designated Liaison Person in Exchange House Ireland in all matters related to Child Protection and safeguarding.

Inter-Agency work

• Liaise with Tusla and other relevant services as required in relation to access e.g. Tusla.
• Provide verbal and written feedback to Tusla and other relevant agencies. 
• Attend and participate in professional meetings regarding access such as child in care reviews. 
• Develop positive working relationships with all relevant agencies, statutory and voluntary, to promote needs of the Traveller community.

Record Keeping

• Process self-referrals or referrals on behalf of families from services e.g. Tusla, family courts.
• Write up accurate records of each visit including observations and recommendations.
• Adhere to agency’s data policy in relation to sharing access reports with parents and other relevant agencies. 
• Adhere to the service’s system of record keeping.
• Ensure the terms and conditions of service and access plans are agreed and followed.
• Provide regular feedback to manager on progress, concerns and potential child welfare issues. 
• Arrange and participate in access review meetings with parents and other relevant parties. 
• Maintain strict confidentiality of all client information including maintenance of records.

Organisational and Policy Work

• Work closely and holistically with other Exchange House Ireland departments.
• Work on the organisation’s national and international policy work.
• Contribute and participate in Exchange House Ireland EU projects.
• Contribute to Exchange House Ireland organisational development as required.

Other Duties

• Participate in team meetings and individual supervision.
• Participate in the duty system and any additional duties as required.
• Any other duties as requested by the CEO or Board of Directors.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Experience

No previous experience is essential as you will receive in-house training, mentoring and supervision throughout your employment. However, a strong interest in developing skills and experience in the following are required:

• Interested in working with children and families experiencing difficulties.
• Interested in learning to support vulnerable children.
• Interested in supporting Traveller children’s culture and identity.

Essential Job Specific Competencies 

• Ability to communicate well with children and put them at ease.
• Understanding of age-appropriate play and child development.
• Good observational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to record clearly and accurately.
• Basic written and IT skills.
• Good organisational skills.
• Good communication skills
• Ability to work flexibly.
• Ability to work unsupervised within agreed limits.
• Ability to work as part of a team.

Attributes and Attitude

• Commitment to supporting the Traveller community. 
• Ability to remain calm under pressure.
• Ability to manage challenging behaviour. 
• Ability to address and manage risk.
• Ability to maintain boundaries. 
• Ability to seek direction and support as required and identify personal training needs.

Terms and Conditions

Based in

• Exchange House Ireland’s offices on Great Strand Street, Dublin 1, D01 WC97
• Off-site work may be a part of this work and as such, access to a car is desirable with full clean license, current NCT, tax and insurance which covers the vehicle for work purposes.

Hours of work

• 17.5 hours net per week
• Some flexibility may be required on occasion in relation to working hours and travelling.
• Opportunity for hybrid working at manager’s discretion.

Salary: 

• 12-month fixed-term contract
• The salary will be as per the HSE’s Multi-Task Attendant scale [October 2023], commensurate with qualifications and experience.

How to apply

If you feel you are a good fit for Exchange House Ireland and would enjoy working with us, please send your application to info@exchangehouse.ie with the subject line ‘Family Support Access Worker Application’.

• Your application must include a cover letter and up-to-date CV combined and sent in one document
• Please keep your cover letter to a maximum of one page. In your cover letter, include:
  • Why you feel you are a good fit for this role with Exchange House Ireland; and
  • Details of your relevant experience

More information is available by visiting Exchange House Ireland’s Careers page or by calling the Personnel Department on 01 872 1094

Closing date for receipt of applications is 5pm, Friday January 24th 2025.

This position is supported with funding from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, through the Dormant Accounts Fund

• This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the responsibilities and requirements of the position. It may be subject to change based on the organisation's needs and the evolving nature of the role
• Exchange House Ireland is an Equal Opportunities Employer
• Applications from members of the Traveller community, with relevant qualifications, are especially welcome
• All positions in Exchange House Ireland are subject to Garda Vetting and full reference checks
• All positions in Exchange House Ireland are subject to ongoing funding 
• Applicants must be eligible to work in Ireland