Job Title Project Worker, Cork

Location Sophia Housing, Douglas Street and City Park House, Cork City

About Sophia 

Sophia is a national organisation that has been supporting people as they emerge from homelessness since 1997.

Sophia is a niche service provider for two reasons; Firstly, it sees the provision of home of one’s own as the primary response to homelessness and the intervention that Sophia is exclusively focused on. Secondly as an Approved Housing Body, its core mission is to provide homes for individuals, couples and families who not only need a home but also present with other support needs.

Sophia recognises that homelessness can have a traumatic impact on people and that services need to be designed and delivered in a trauma informed way.

Reporting to Project Manager

Contract Fixed term (12 months)

Hours 39 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm with flexibility

Job Purpose 

To provide an efficient and high quality service in our Cork Project. The successful candidate will work on a daily basis with families and individuals coming from homelessness. He/she will manage a caseload in a busy project, key work individuals, carry out assessments and care plans and regularly liaise with other agencies/authorities on behalf of the service users.

Key Responsibilities 

• To have regard for the objectives and ethos of Sophia Housing Association.
• To work as a member of the Support Team under the supervision of the Project Manager.
• To attend Team meetings and to participate in training as required.
• To participate in the assessment and interview process for referrals to the service.
• To work in a holistic way with Family Members and Single Persons as appropriate to their housing management andpersonal needs.
• To provide practical home support to tenants when required.
• To provide resettlement preparation as required.
• To respond to and report child protection concerns in line with Children First guidelines.
• To liaise with appropriate local crèche facilities.
• To plan for and assist Families and Single Persons as appropriate with their move on from the Projects.
• To liaise and work effectively with relevant personnel in Sophia Housing, and other relevant agencies; e.g. Local Authority, Health Board etc.
• To set up and maintain appropriate records of the work with Tenants and the work of the Project.
• To ensure Tenancy Agreement is understood by Tenants and to attend Tenancy Meetings when required.
• To co-operate as appropriate with research and evaluation of the service.
• To implement Policy and Procedures within the service.
• To participate in responding to emergencies within the Projects as required.
• To share administrative duties within the Team; e.g. Rent Collection, Petty Cash, etc.
• To promote Tenant involvement in the development of the Projects.
• To check on the maintenance of the apartments within the Projects.
• To be vigilant to any Health, Safety and Welfare risks in the workplace and bring any concerns to the attention of your line manager.
• To undertake other work that may be assigned to you from time to time.

Person Specification

• A degree in Social Care/Social Science/Applied Social Studies or related discipline i.e. addiction, social work.
• A minimum of one years’ experience working with this client group.
• An understanding of the issues affecting people who are homeless.
• Knowledge around child protection issues, mental health issues and addiction.
• The ability to work on own initiative.
• Proficient IT Skills and knowledge of PASS database.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills both verbal and written are essential.
• To have excellent report writing and record keeping skills

Application Process:

Please forward a Cover Letter and CV to Recruitment@sophia.ie

The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday, 6th December 2024