Location: Various locations in Suffolk (currently Stowmarket and Bury St Edmunds)
Hours Of Work: 16 hours per week.
Salary Scale: £26,835 pro rata.
Responsible To: The Family & Development Manager (line manager) and Business Manager.
Key Relationships: Lead Group Coordinator, Peep team.
Responsible For: Volunteers assisting at groups.
Family group support is part of the range of services offered by Families Together Suffolk, which also includes home-visiting, focused or targeted projects and workshops. The Group Coordinator plans, delivers and promotes family groups across areas of Suffolk. These will be regular drop-in sessions for parents, carers and their children which are welcoming and friendly to all. Flexibility is required to adapt and adjust when necessary for example with changes in funding, venues or guidelines.
Purposes Of The Job
To facilitate group support services to families, providing confidential group support for families with at least one child under the age of 5, who are encountering difficulties in their lives.
To promote and enable child development helping to ensure children have the best start in life.
To encourage parent and child relationships, families to interact within the local community and helping parents to build their self-confidence.
To ensure the effective operation of the groups in accordance with the FTS governing documents, policies, procedures and quality assurance standards.
To maintain high standards of practice in supporting families within the ethos of Families Together Suffolk.
To ensure inclusion and diversity in all aspects of the organisation’s operation and work
Offering confidential support to families.
To discuss additional support or signposting with parents should the need arise.
Main Responsibilities
Plan and procure
Plan and prepare activities adapting to the children and parents attending at group and in liaison with other established FTS groups.
To be proactive in the health and safety aspects of running a group and to comply with all processes and procedures as defined by FTS and authorities.
Ensure the group is run and supervised to agreed guidelines.
Sourcing of suitable materials and play opportunities.
Source and book visitors that appeal to both parents and children.
Carry out regular risk assessments and updates for groups.
Register new families prior to them starting at a group.
Deliver
Organising the setting up and packing away of each session.
Work with families to encourage parent and child attachment.
Lead and manage volunteers effectively and with enthusiasm.
To provide and ensure the delivery of safe, valuable play opportunities and activities for children attending with their parents.
To help parents understand their child’s development and provide an enabling environment for children.
Involving parents and children in clearing away the session as appropriate.
Promoting the ethos of FTS within the setting and supporting the ‘ground rules’ agreed for the group.
Roll out educationally based programmes such as Peep within settings.
Record Keeping And Data
When using the staff cash card maintain receipts and upload all information into the app to enable accounting records to be kept.
Maintain a register of attendees at each group and ensure this is recorded in Clog database.
To maintain efficient, accurate and confidential records regarding families attending groups and update the database (Clog) regularly on a daily/ weekly basis.
Keep a notice board for parents up to date at each group with relevant information.
Comply with deadlines for processes and procedures such as termly fire drills.
Keep family data up to date.
Review
Utilise person centred planning to ensure the groups fully engage attendees.
Provide regular supervision of volunteers either individually or in peer support groups.
Signposting of families to FTS home-visiting service when appropriate.
Assist with gaining feedback and evaluations from parents and children.
Safeguarding
FTS staff have a duty and responsibility to report any safeguarding, risk concerns or concerns relating to adults interacting with the family to their Line Manager who is the Strategic Lead for Safeguarding.
All staff have a duty of care for volunteer’s safety.
Keep a record and report all health and safety concerns or accidents.
Communication And Teamwork
Undertake and participate in relevant training for which mileage and reimbursement of hours will be paid.
Attend team meetings for which mileage and reimbursement of hours will be paid.
Liaise and keep regular ongoing communication with/ reporting to the line manager for the post regarding changes, health and safety, safeguarding, planning etc.
Liaise with the Lead Group Coordinator on aspects of groups.
Additional Responsibilities
The post holder may be required to undertake any other duties that fall within the nature of the role and responsibilities of the post as detailed above.
Part of the criteria for short listing will be that applicants demonstrate the skills needed to use emails, download materials and use word processing to complete the form and therefore no hard copies of application packs will be available, and no handwritten forms will be shortlisted (unless there is an unavoidable reason then prior authorisation for submitting this way should be sought).
When completing your application form please pay particular attention to the person specification and how you meet this as criteria from this will be used at the short-listing stage. Please do not enclose a CV – to conform to our Equal Opportunities Policy applications will only be considered on our standard form. This is to ensure that all candidates are given fair treatment.
We would like to wish you good luck with your application.
The closing date for the return of applications is: 11.59pm Monday 20th
January 2025.
Completed application forms to be returned via email to: info@familiestogethersuffolk.org.uk
Families Together Suffolk registered charity no. 1127760.
A company limited by guarantee registered in England & Wales no. 6674059.
Registered office: 20 Broad Street, Eye, Suffolk IP23 7AF
Application pack
