Sherrard House: Social Care Leader
Role: Social Care Leader
Job Summary
Sherrard House is a small Residential Centre which is run by a Voluntary Organisation funded by TUSLA catering for up to 5 young teenage girls in one emergency service (24/7) and two residential buildings. Sherrard House is in Dublin City Centre and easily accessible by public transport. Sherrard House is inspected by the Alternative Care Inspection and Monitoring Services Children’s Residential Centres under the framework of the National Standards of Children’s Residential Centres 2018 (HIQA).
Our primary aim is to offer the young people in our care a nurturing, caring and protective environment. We aim to support, encourage and enable each young person to meet their full potential by working with them in conjunction with their families, social workers, counsellors, schools and other relevant professionals. We also aim to provide the young people with positive life experiences, trusting positive appropriate adult relationships and role models, doing so enables the young people to learn new coping skills that can support them in their interactions with their families, school, work and in their future lives.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Working with Children/Young People/Families/Carers
- To support the implementation of Tusla’s Prevention, Partnership and Family Support; Child Protection and Welfare; and Alternative Care Strategies.
- Promote a culture where young people are treated with dignity and respect, promoting a culture of unconditional positive regard at all times.
- Promote physical, emotional, social, cultural, ethnic, spiritual and religious welfare of each service user.
- Advocate on behalf of the service user.
- Compliance with relevant Tusla policies and development of Sherrard House P&P.
- Attend court as required.
- To identify the needs and strengths of Children/Young People/Families/Carers and to work in partnership with them, their families and other practitioners to meets their needs, realise their rights and achieve desired outcomes.
- Participate in the completion of preliminary screening and assessments, safety planning as required under Children’s First in line with Standard Business Processes, this should be done in consultation with the relevant line manager.
- Support the completion and implementation of Child plans such as, Children in Care Plans; Child Protection and Welfare Plans; Social Work led Safety Plan; Meitheal Support Plans; Single Agency Family Support Plans.
- Support the implementation of creative community alternatives to care.
- To work at an individual, group and community level with children in conjunction with local statutory and voluntary partner agencies.
- To support children and young people in alternative care and promote reunification or permanency planning as appropriate.
- Liaise with accommodation, welfare, education and training resources to source appropriate service for service users.
- To promote the participation of children and young people in decision making on issues that affect their lives at both individual and collective levels.
- To work directly with children to prevent or mitigate adverse childhood experiences and to capitalise on strengths and build resilience.
- The Social Care Leader may also have additional supervisory duties of Social Care Workers or Family Support Practitioners and others that may be required
- To undertake, supervise and support access visits to children in care with their parents and extended family and access visits arranged on court orders
Administration & Accountability
- To undertake, supervise and support access visits to children in care with their parents and extended family and access visits arranged on court orders. To keep such records and submit such reports as are required from time to time.
- To be familiar with emergency procedures and to know who to contact in an emergency.
- Ensure Child protection procedures are followed in accordance with the responsibilities of a designated officer.
- To keep abreast of current legislation and current professional child care knowledge.
- To implement the Child and Family Agency’s procedures and policies.
- To undertake ongoing professional training and development.
- To attend regular supervision with the designated Manager.
- To perform any other duties that may be assigned from time to time.
Teamwork & Leadership
- Participate in working within a team centred consistent approach.
- Working with other professionals and external stakeholders.
- Work as part of a team and assist and support colleagues in implementing practice models.
- Supervise Social Care students as appropriate/required.
Training & Professional Development
- Delivery of training both internal and external.
- To perform such other duties as appropriate to the office as may be assigned from time to time by the designated manager.
Health & Safety
- Comply with and contribute to the development of policies, procedures, guidelines and safe professional practice and adhere to relevant legislation, regulations and standards.
- Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the service for example National Standards for Child Protection and Care and comply with associated Tusla – Child and Family Agency protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.
- To support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service.
The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.
Applicants must by the closing date of application have the following:
- Be registered in the Social Care Workers Register maintained by the Social Care Workers Registration Board maintained by CORU.
or - Hold a CORU approved Social Care Worker qualification and have applied for CORU registration (evidence of application will be necessary)
(https://coru.ie/health-and-social-care-professionals/education/approved-qualifications/social-care-workers/)
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Social Care Practice, Atlantic Technological University
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Applied Social Care, Atlantic Technological University
- Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social Care, Atlantic Technological University
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Social Care Practice, Institute of Technology, Sligo
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Applied Social Care, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
- Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social Care, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Social Care, Dundalk Institute of Technology
- Bachelor of Arts in Social Care, Munster Technological University
- Bachelor of Arts in Social Care, Institute of Technology, Tralee
- Honours Bachelor of Arts (Social Care), National University of Ireland, Galway
- Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social Studies (Professional Social Care), Quality and Qualifications Ireland, delivered by Carlow College, St. Patrick’s
- Bachelor of Arts in Social Care, Quality and Qualifications Ireland, delivered by The Open Training College
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Professional Social Care Practice, South East Technological University
- Bachelor of Arts in Professional Social Care Practice, South East Technological University
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Applied Social Studies in Professional Social Care, South East Technological University
- Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social Studies in Professional Social Care, South East Technological University
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Social Care Practice, South East Technological University
- Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social Care, South East Technological University
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Professional Social Care Practice, Institute of Technology, Carlow
- Bachelor of Arts in Professional Social Care Practice, Institute of Technology, Carlow
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Applied Social Studies in Professional Social Care, Institute of Technology, Carlow
- Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social Studies in Professional Social Care, Institute of Technology, Carlow
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Social Care Practice, Waterford Institute of Technology
- Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social Care, Waterford Institute of Technology
- Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social Studies in Social Care, Technological University Dublin
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Applied Social Studies in Social Care, Technological University Dublin
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Social Care, Technological University Dublin
- Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social Care, Technological University Dublin
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Applied Social Care, Technological University Dublin
- Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social Studies in Social Care, Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Applied Social Studies in Social Care, Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown
- Bachelor of Arts in Social Care, Dublin Institute of Technology
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Social Care Practice, Institute of Technology, Tallaght
- Bachelor of Arts in Social Care Practice, Institute of Technology, Tallaght
- Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social Care, Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest
- Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social Studies in Social Care, Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Social Care Practice, Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest
- Bachelor of Arts in Social Care Work, Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Social Care Work, Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest
- Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social Care, Athlone Institute of Technology
- Bachelor of Arts in Applied Social Studies in Social Care, Athlone Institute of Technology
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Social Care Practice, Athlone Institute of Technology
- Bachelor of Arts in Social Care Work, Limerick Institute of Technology
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Social Care Work, Limerick Institute of Technology
or
Be eligible for registration in the Social Care Workers Register maintained by the Social Care Workers Registration Board maintained by CORU (evidence of application will be necessary)
and
Have the requisite knowledge and ability (including a high standard of suitability and ability) for the proper discharge of the duties of office.
and
have a minimum of three years’ post qualification experience of working in a Children & Families Service or other relevant environment with a similarly challenging client group.
Health
A candidate for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.
Character
Each candidate for and any person holding the office must be of good character.