JOB SUMMARY Are you passionate about supporting children, young people and adults, aged from 4 years up to 25 years, with a learning disability and/or are autistic, and their families? Do you have experience of working in a supporting role, gained through settings such as social care, health, the community, further education? Can you demonstrate strong communication skills, safeguarding awareness, and experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team? Would you be interested in holding a small caseload of individuals, working intensively with them to prevent crisis and /or hospital admission? If you answered yes to the above, then this might be the role for you. We can offer you a comprehensive training package, support and supervision and no two days that are the same! This role is for 37.5 hours per week, fixed term contract from 1 year, with possible extension subject to funding. Please click the link or scan the QR code below to watch a short video of the role of a Key Worker What is a Key Worker? KEY TASKS Person Centred Planning Maintain a dynamic caseload of children and adults up to the age of 25 years, who have been identified as being on the Dynamic Support Register (DSR). Work with the child, adult and family as appropriate to develop a personalised plan based around their needs. Identify and agree outcomes and deliver this plan with flexibility. Facilitate the provision of bespoke support to help the individual and their family, develop the self-management skills needed to meet their agreed goals and outcomes. Support parents to access and implement the support and tools needed to manage behaviour and challenging situations, where appropriate. Facilitate the provision of interventions to prevent admission to inpatient settings Use creative and accessible techniques to communicate with the person you are working with, depending on their various communication needs e.g. pictures or role play. Advocacy Actively listen and accurately capture the individuals views and preferences and convey these to other services as needed Communicate clearly with the individual and their family, where appropriate, to help them understand and navigate the system e.g. conveying complex legal and medical information in a clear and accessible way Represent and champion the individual and their family in discussions around provision of care. Advocate for individuals and/or families to ensure the necessary support is in place to enable them to remain within the community Create a culture which prioritises keeping a child/young person within the home/community by persuasively communicating with a range of services including staff at different levels of seniority Troubleshoot on behalf of the child, young person and family where needed Identify changes that would lead to better outcomes for those with autism and/or learning disabilities Ensure action points from care plans, CETR’s and the dynamic registers are followed to ensure action is taken across teams Signposting/Multi Agency Working Identify, guide and refer individuals and their families to other services where needed e.g. CAHMS, short break provision Act as a link between health, social care and education Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of the local offer and keep up-to-date with changes to provision in order to signpost and refer effectively Actively build and maintain relationships with a range of professionals across different teams and settings Safeguarding Maintain accurate and up-to-date knowledge of relevant legislation and frameworks including Children & Families Act, Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, 117 After Care Procedures, Human Rights Act. Take a lead role in the safeguarding of children, young people and adults ensuring that best practice is adhered to at all times. Attend all mandatory safeguarding training and ensure Daisy Chain’s policies and procedures are adhered to at all times. Record Keeping Maintain clear, accurate records of work with each individual, in accordance with Daisy Chain’s procedures on record keeping. Keep track of progress to gauge ongoing support requirements Undertake administrative tasks necessary for the efficient and effective delivery of the key responsibilities in this role. Additional responsibilities Comply with the Charities’ Health and Safety policy in all employment practices Maintain the integrity of the Daisy Chain brand in all internal and external communications Work in ways, which promote equality of opportunity, participation and responsibility Maintain a proactive approach to your role and responsibilities along with a commitment to contribute and maintain the positive working ethos within the Charity Ensure attendance at staff meetings. Undertake any training and development deemed necessary for the pursuance of the post Any other duties from time to time, commensurate with the level of the post This job outline is intended to indicate the broad range of responsibilities and requirements of the post. It is neither exhaustive nor exclusive but, while some variation can be expected in particular duties, the outline is considered to provide a reasonable general description of the post. Due to the individual needs of the Children, Young Adults and families we support, there can be behaviour that challenges which need to mitigated during appointments. Training will be provided to manage this. This post is deemed to require an Enhanced DBS Check with the Disclosure and Barring Service due to the fact that there is access to children and vulnerable adults. Person Specification Experience: Experience of working with neurodiverse individuals with a range of complex needs - Essential Experience of working in the community to provide a bespoke package of support to children, young people, adults and their families/carers - Essential Experience of working with children and young people at risk of inpatient admittance - Desirable Experience of multi-agency and joined up working - Essential Experience of engaging and communicating with a wide range of professionals including at multi-disciplinary panels - Essential Experience managing a caseload of families and providing behaviour management support in the community - Desirable Experience of crisis management - Desirable Substantial safeguarding experience - Essential Strong experience in the field of health, social care and/or education - Essential Experience of interpreting and applying mental health legislation - Desirable Qualifications: NVQ Level 3 in Social Care (or other relevant qualification) - Essential Skills: A strong knowledge base of therapeutic approaches to support children, young people and families with complex needs. - Desirable A compassionate and empathetic approach towards children, young people and families - Essential Ability to actively listen and convey the child or families voice accurately when advocating on their behalf - Essential Ability to manage multiple competing case loads through effective time management - Essential High levels of personal resilience and ability to support team resilience - Essential Individual centred planning skills and an understanding of what personalised care is - Essential Ability to communicate complex legal or medical information in a clear and accessible way - Essential Ability to champion the views and wishes of the Individual and their Family in an assertive and clear manner - Essential Mediation and relationship building skills - Essential Ability to use creative & accessible communication based on the individuals needs and preferences - Essential Ability to apply skills and techniques to resolve or minimise conflict and distress - Essential Ability & confidence to challenge and hold services to account - Essential Ability to identify & remove the barriers facing children, adults and families in the community - Essential Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with colleagues and a wide range of professionals - Essential Ability to build and maintain positive, trusting and appropriate relationships with children, adults and their families - Essential Ability to communicate to a range of audiences clearly, sensitively and effectively - Essential Knowledge/Understanding: An up-to-date knowledge of relevant legislation and a commitment to ensuring that knowledge remains up-to-date - Essential An understanding of how to apply this knowledge to ensure the legal rights of an individual are upheld - Desirable A good understanding of health, social care and education systems for those with SEND and how the keyworker role fits into this - Essential An understanding of inpatient services, the CETR process and dynamic support registers - Desirable Accurate knowledge of local offer - Desirable An understanding of the intersection between mental health and learning disabilities/autism - Desirable A willingness to share knowledge, resources and good practice with colleagues and other services - Essential Other: A willingness to support families to attend Positive Behaviour Support training where required - Essential Ability & willingness to work flexibly and responsively - Essential Excellent written and verbal communication skills - Essential Ability to problem solve and remain solutions focused - Essential An understanding of and commitment to the aims, ethos and philosophies of Daisy Chain - Essential Ability to be work flexibly to meet the needs of the service - Essential Ability and willingness to travel throughout the Tees Valley & Durham - Essential A clean full driving license with own transport - Essential Ability to take annual leave within school holiday periods - Essential