Community Facilitator – Community Connections

Responsible to: Project Manager

Hours: 35 hours per week

Salary: £23,345 PURPOSE OF JOB: To provide a social prescribing service to individuals over the age of 18 living in the London Borough of Lewisham. Working in partnership with community organisations and health and social care, statutory services to best support socially isolated adults and the local community.

This job description does not provide an exhaustive list of tasks and activities as all posts within the organisation are subject to evolution as the organisation develops and grows.

Community Connections is a social prescribing project jointly delivered by Age UK Lewisham and Southwark, Voluntary Services Lewisham, and Rushey Green Time Bank. We support adults living in Lewisham who would benefit from accessing the community provision, for example community gardens, social groups and transport schemes, etc, and we also support the groups in turn, such as finding a venue or funding. There is a strong team of five Community Facilitators and two Community Development Workers working together to provide the best service possible.

Key tasks and responsibilities

To be the key point of contact for people looking for community support to meet identified needs, either over the phone or in their homes.

To provide people with information to assist them to make use of informal or community resources and where appropriate, involve family, carers, friends and community networks.

To coordinate the delivery of services, making sure the person agrees and is clear on what will be provided, when and at what cost.

To research into resources and services that people may wish to

use, and working with Community Connections’ Community Development Workers to identify unmet needs.

To provide information in a way that is accessible to both the individual being supported and also colleagues in health and social care, through adapting your communication as appropriate.

To work with a person-centred approach, putting the client’s choices first, recognising that the best outcomes are when the clients are supported to achieve autonomy and independence.

To be computer literate and administratively self-supporting.

To keep accurate records and perform other administrative duties as appropriate, including maintaining an up to date diary and work schedule.

Manage a rolling caseload of clients.

ORGANISATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Meet legislative and regulatory requirements. Provide statistical information in relation to monitoring requirements. Provide a supportive working environment to all staff and

volunteers. Attend staff and team meetings as requested. Undertake any other duties as determined by the project manager.

Promotion of a Supportive Working EnvironmentA supportive working environment can be defined as an environment where contribution is recognised, encouraged and rewarded. Staff and volunteers alike expect to be encouraged to develop personally and professionally and to acquire new skills at a pace that is suitable to them. All staff and volunteers must promote this environment as part of their roles and responsibilities.

Training and Development

Training and development of staff and volunteers is a key expectation of all staff employed by the organisation. They will demonstrate their commitment to staff and/or volunteer development by assessing skills, planning development activities, discussing outcomes and evaluating effectiveness. They will be expected to motivate, encourage, coach and support staff and/or volunteers towards the outcomes agreed.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

The successful applicant must be able to demonstrate empathy for the people the project supports, and be committed to the promotion of a person centred working environment.

All posts within the organisation are subject to change as the organisation grows and develops. Staff must be able to adapt to change and, therefore, flexibility is a key attribute required of all employees.

The post holder will possess the following:

Essential Knowledge, Skills and AbilitiesKnowledge:

Good understanding of the issues which can lead to social isolation Good understanding of person centred working Understanding of the benefits of community engagement

Skills and Abilities: Good IT skills, including Microsoft Word processing, spreadsheets,

databases, internet and email Excellent organisational and administrative skills including information

gathering, and collating resources Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to

- build and maintain positive relationships both internal and external;- communicate effectively in person, on the phone and in writing- be diplomatic and approachable

Excellent time management skills including meeting deadlines in a timely manner

Ability to manage conflicting priorities within a busy working environment

Ability to learn rapidly and manage varied information intelligently Ability to travel within the London Borough of Lewisham as required Ability to work effectively as part of a highly diverse staff and volunteer

work force

Personal qualities: Drive, energy and enthusiasm People focused with unconditional acceptance of others Creativity and intuition

Other The successful applicant will be required to have an enhanced DBS Check