J2 - Community Developement Support Worker

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Job Description

Job Title: Community Development Support Worker

Reports to: Community Services Manager

Location: Customs House, Swansea (with travel)

Hours: 35 hrs per week (to be worked flexibly around needs of the project, may include occasional evening or weekend work).

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Job Purpose:

The post covers three main areas which are the Connect project, the Community Fridge, and community development work.

Connect Project:

Connect is a member led day support service that supports people who have mental health and/or sensory impairment support needs. The key aim of the service is to provide a programme of activities that support members to build/maintain positive relationships and a sense of purpose, promote wellbeing, and to help combat social isolation. We currently do this across a variety of community-based locations, in order to promote wider exposure and familiarity with different activities and services in the community.

The postholder will provide support services to Connect clients, which may include activities such as staff facilitated peer support and “Walk and Talk” sessions, as well as support arts, crafts, literature, cultural, healthy eating, wellbeing, nature and environmental workshops.

In Connect we aim to:

• increase social inclusion in the community and assist members in making informed choices.
• enable people to work towards greater independence and live as fulfilled lives as possible, signposting to relevant services that can help with this, where required.
• provide services that help members maintain good mental health and a sense of wellbeing in all our members.
• where we are unable to meet the needs of our members directly, identify and signpost members to appropriate organisations (statutory services, other third sector organisations etc.)

Community Fridge:

The Community Fridge is an open community resource, which receives donations of surplus food from commercial and community donors and diverts it from landfill sites, redistributing it to the local community. The Community Fridge concept has been tried and tested across the UK and has proven to be an effective method for reducing food waste, while also benefitting local communities.

The Community Development Support Worker is responsible for day-to-day delivery of the Community Fridge and other food hub services such as pop up events. The postholder will work with the Community Services Team to contribute to Goleudy’s Community Development ambitions, including the development of Goleudy’s Food and Wellbeing Hub, of which the Community Food Hub will be an integral part.

Community Development:

This is an area of development for Goleudy. We are looking to develop new services to better meet the needs of our service users and members. This may include networking with other local organisations, hosting pop up events to publicise what we do, arranging workshops and other activities for our members, collaborative working with other organisations to provide services etc.

Key Areas of Responsibility

Connect Project

• To ensure that the Connect service is run with consistency, continuity and service excellence.
• Under the leadership of the Community Services Manager, to contribute to the ongoing development and delivery of an activities programme for Connect clients, that ensures that physical, psychological, emotional and practical needs of members are met.
• Through the activities programme, support Connect clients and update client records accordingly.
• Maintain compliance within organisational policy frameworks, IT management systems, contractual and regulatory obligations and legislative requirements (Health & Safety, Environmental Health, GDPR.)
• To recruit and assess eligibility of clients for project membership.
• To create and review risk assessments, ensuring that risk is managed effectively and monitored on a regular basis.
• To monitor client participation, achievement and outcomes and to record interactions on the INFORM database and other information systems as required.
• To monitor quality of service delivery and, where feasible, client driven service development.
• To enable clients to give feedback about content and quality of service delivered.
• To liaise with other agencies when a client’s needs fall outside the limits of Connect, in order to ensure where possible that those needs are met.
• To promote Connect internally and externally to identify opportunities for joint working or partnership.
• To work co-operatively with other staff and external agencies, offering support and sharing information, where appropriate.
• Monitor and respond promptly and appropriately to issues around safeguarding in accordance with the Safeguarding policy and procedure

Community Fridge & Food Hub

• Responsible for delivering the day-to-day activities of the Community Fridge and other food hub services, ensuring that they continue to operate successfully and safely.
• Ensure that the food stock inventory is comprehensive and updated.
• Ensure food and stocks are organised, stored and distributed effectively and in compliance with food standards requirements.
• Ensure that all health, safety and compliance requirements are strictly met for Community Food Hub services including the Community Fridge.
• Ensure that all Community Food Hub services including the Community Fridge operate within Health and Safety guidelines, including ensuring the spaces occupied by the Food Hub comply with Health and Safety Regulations and Standards, including ensuring compliance with HACCP Food Hygiene Regulations
• Assist with co-ordination of the volunteer rota and supervision of volunteers for the Community Food Hub, including the collection of food donations from partners/suppliers, utilising the Community Fridge van as necessary.
• To participate in the recruitment and development of volunteers.
• Ensure a continuous high level of customer service for all customers.
• To contribute to creating and designing new initiatives for the Community Fridge and Food Hub, in order to assist with the sustainability of the project, and to expand its reach and impact.
• To assist in creating content for our social media platforms.
• To promote use of the Community Fridge and Food Hub to communities, staff, our projects and service users.
• To record and manage data on project performance and contribute to reports for a variety of stakeholders, including senior managers, the Board of Trustees and external bodies, ensuring compliance with GDPR.
• Maintain and develop existing commercial donor partnerships and identify new opportunities with both existing and prospective partners.

Community Development

This area of work is under development and these activities are likely to change to reflect this.

• To assist the Community Services Team with implementing community initiatives for improving lives in the community, thereby assisting Welsh Government and Swansea Council to meet environmental targets as well as improve community resilience. This may include activities, training & learning opportunities, meeting mental health needs, social interactions to help individuals gain independence, alleviate loneliness and social anxiety, as well as the relief of poverty & food insecurity, building food skills and the promotion of healthy eating.
• Under the direction of the Community Services Manager, to work with our Operational Teams to realise our aim to make our communities vibrant, prosperous, resilient, healthier, more equal and cohesive.
• To contribute to working towards aligning Goleudy’s approach with Hubbub’s ’Greenprint’. This includes working to promote healthy eating and living, whilst simultaneously improving Goleudy’s environmental credentials through addressing key ‘green agenda’ challenges, both for the organisation, the locality and nationally.
• Promoting the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 within all the services that we offer.

General

• Demonstrating absolute positive regards to our clients and promoting independence.
• Ability to commit to a flexible service delivery that may include occasional evening and weekend working.
• Apply the organisational values to every aspect of the role at all times.
• Be aware of and adhere to organisational policies at all times.
• Take part in progress/performance reviews throughout the year.
• Cooperate with other organisational departments.
• Attend training courses and complete training modules as required to meet requirements of post.
• Take responsibility for own personal development, seeking out opportunities to learn new skills.
• In addition to the duties and responsibilities outlined, you must be prepared to undertake such additional duties that may result from changing circumstances, but which may not of necessity change the general character or level of responsibility to the post.
• Adhere to the organisation’s no smoking / vaping policy for staff at all its premises.

Person Specification

These are the skills, abilities and knowledge we look for when reviewing job applications and asking questions at interviews.

Desirable / Essential

1

Skills & Abilities

1.1 Standard of behaviour is in line Goleudy Code of Conduct and core values.

1.2 Positive attitude towards personal resilience and working with people who face multiple disadvantages/exclusions.

1.3 Ability to learn and develop a tool kit of person centred, trauma informed interventions and approaches.

1.4 Ability to work as part of a team and skilled in building positive stakeholder partnerships with results.

1.5 Ability to work in a busy environment and lone work in the community.

1.6 Organised with excellent time management skills and able to work flexibly across the three areas of Connect, Community Fridge and Community Development.

1.7 Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to understand and explain complex issues succinctly to clients, colleagues, managers and stakeholders.

1.8 Able to adhere to policy framework in day to day practice.

1.10 High standard of literacy, numeracy and information recording skills including competent use of IT, applications and record systems.

1.11 The ability to supervise volunteers and to ensure operational priorities are met.

1.12 The ability to create content for social media communication, marketing and promotion.

1.13 Willingness to undertake training to achieve Level 2 Food Safety & Hygiene

1.14 Ability to communicate in Welsh.

2 Knowledge

2.1 Knowledge or background of working with people in a housing, support, social care, health, education or other voluntary sector setting.

2.2 Interest in community services and the wider social issues of homelessness, health, mental health and food insecurity.

2.3 Understanding of the legislation governing GDPR, health and safety and safeguarding.

2.4 A commitment to broaden knowledge & understanding of food insecurity and food waste agendas

2.5 Interest in support services for people with health/mental health issues, benefits/welfare issues, with the aim of promoting independence.

3 General

3.1 Possession of full driving licence.

3.2 Smart, professional, business-appropriate appearance at all times.

3.3 Ability to undertake manual handling tasks, in line with the nature of the role

Visit Goleudy.org to learn more about our values, ethos and strategic plan