Employability Support Worker

Job Description:

Employability Support Worker

Post: Employability Support Worker

Hours: 17.5 hours per week

Salary: Point 13-17, £22,100 - £22,662 per annum, pro rata

Location: Dundee

Reports to: OPFS Family Support Services Manager

Main Duties

The Employability Support Worker will be responsible to the Dundee Services Manager and will work in collaboration with Dundee Pathway Consortium (DPC) partner organisations to provide employability services for single parents with disabilities and mental health conditions in Dundee.

Specific Duties

l Case Management: Support single parents with disabilities and mental health conditions, using case management methods, to provide a continuum of consistent support on their employability pathway journey into sustained employment.

l Families: Help eligible single parents to identify their future goals, assess motivation, develop personal development plans and help in their implementation through individual and group work.

l Barriers: Identify barriers to employment and work with single parents with disabilities and mental health conditions to address those barriers.

l Liaison: Building links with organisations and groups throughout Dundee, to identify eligible single parents interested in progressing towards employment.

l Outreach & Engagement: Undertake activities in communities to actively reach eligible single parents as a basis to support their learning and development and engage them in action to support change within their lives.

l Work/Vocational Activities & Training: Co-ordinate and deliver a range of activities to enable single parents with disabilities and mental health conditions to develop core knowledge and skills to increase their employability potential.

l Job Matching: Refer job ready single parents to support within the consortium to help with job searching, interviews, securing and sustaining employment.

l In Work Support: Provide single parents with disabilities and mental health conditions with continued support whilst in employment to help sustain their jobs.

l Local services: Develop knowledge of services related to employment, training, education, childcare and other support. Develop an effective network of referral agencies to support clients' needs.

l Signpost: single parents to services that will address their needs.

l Money Advice: Liaise with money advice workers and the single parent helpline to offer better off calculations and access to debt counselling support.

l Marketing: To implement the marketing and promotion strategy for the service.

l Monitoring and Evaluation: Ensure effective recording, monitoring and evaluation procedures are implemented.

l Other Relevant duties: Carrying out any other relevant duties related to the above.

Other Duties:

l This job description is a broad picture of the post at the date of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all possible duties and it is recognised that jobs change and evolve over time.

Personal Specifications

Essential

1. Qualification: A relevant professional qualification or an exceptionally good standard of education equivalent to HNC/HND, SVQ 3 or 4 combined with relevant experience.

2. Knowledge of issues affecting lone parents in Scotland

3. Knowledge of employability issues relevant to single parents

4. Experience of liaison and partnership working with other agencies

5. Knowledge and understanding of the roles of other voluntary and statutory agencies relevant to lone parent families.

6. Excellent written and verbal communication skills;

7. IT skills commensurate to the needs of the post

8. Commitment to professional development

9. Flexibility to meet the needs of the services

10. Satisfactory Disclosure check

Desirable:

1. An understanding of current government policies and how these impact on one parent families

2. Knowledge of Welfare Benefits: it would be helpful for candidates to have a broad understanding of the benefits system as it relates to single parents.

3. Experience of developing new services

4. Experience of group work: candidates should preferably have had experience of running groups and understand group work issues

5. Driving license and use of a car:

6. Experience of work with single parents: Prior experience of work with single parent families in a voluntary sector or statutory context would be helpful.

Terms & Conditions

1. Period of appointment: The post is funded initially until 31 March 2021 with potential to be funded until 31st March 2023 with annual reviews. Confirmation of appointment will be dependent on completion of a satisfactory three-month probation period.

2. Salary: OPFS salary scale points 13 – 17, currently £22,100 to £27,012 (pro rata). Appointments will be made at a point reflective of previous experience and salary.

3. Hours of work: 17.5 hours weekly with flexibility to meet the needs of clients.

4. Holidays: Annual leave entitlement is 25 days and 12 Public holidays pro rata.

5. Pension: You will be auto-enrolled from your start date. OPFS pays 7% of your salary and you pay 3%.

6. Training, support and supervision: OPFS is committed to the development of its staff through internal training and access to external training. We also have an annual staff appraisal system in place and all staff receive regular monthly support and supervision from their manager.

7. Equal Opportunities and Family Friendly Employment: OPFS aims to be an equal opportunity and family friendly employer. We have Investors in People status and Living Wage accreditation.

8. Closing date: The closing date is Friday 4th October 2019 at 5pm. Please download an application from our website www.opfs.org.uk . Please contact info@opfs.org.uk 0131 556 3899 if you require a paper application form.

The job description is a broad picture of the post at the time of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all possible duties, and it is recognised that jobs change and evolve over tim