Purple House Cancer Support Centre wishes to recruit a Family Support Worker to work as an effective member of the services team to deliver therapeutic services designed to meet the psychosocial needs of children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer, their siblings, and families. 

The role is based in Purple House Cancer Support Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow. 

Purple House Cancer Support is to the forefront in providing a range of professional support services to people of all ages affected by Cancer in Ireland. 

Founded in 1990, our aim is to help rebuild the lives of families affected by Cancer. Purple House is at the heart of the community. 

This is an opportunity for you to join our team and help the organisation meet the needs of our current stage in growth and development.  

The role of Family Support Worker is an important one in Purple House as you will be a vital player in the delivery of our cancer support services. 

Reporting to: The Family Support Worker reports to the Child & Family Services Coordinator. 

Role & Responsibilities: 

Reporting directly to the Child & Family Services Coordinator the role of the Family Support Worker is to provide professional and compassionate therapeutic support to children & adolescents who have been diagnosed with or affected by a cancer diagnosis or bereavement. 

Work with the family to provide a direct service to them while also enabling them to access other external interventions that will support them to function as a unit. 

Working with other agencies to ensure the needs of the families are being met. 

Facilitate cancer support programmes both to groups and on a one-to-one basis. 

Maintain contact with parents and other professionals on a daily or weekly basis as required via phone or organising meetings. 

To work towards the most positive outcome for the child and family in line with national policy, legislation and best practice. 

Conduct face to face risk & intake assessments and implement risk management plans as appropriate. 

Provide evidence informed, brief, strengths based & goal focused interventions. 

Work in accordance with Purple House’s Policies, Procedures and Guidelines. 

Liaise and consult with other professionals in supporting the client as required. 

Maintain accurate, confidential records of practice using Salesforce. 

Attend external clinical individual & group supervision. 

Contribute to research, audit and evaluation of the service as required. 

Maintain professional and personal boundaries. 

Participate in team meetings and attend other meetings as deemed necessary. 

Share information with the Child & Family Services Coordinator, the Purple House team and other services as appropriate in accordance with good practice 

Contract Type: 2-year Fixed term contract. 

Working Hours: Part time role. 20 Hrs per week.  

MAIN DUTIES: 

Family Support Worker Duties include: 

• Provide high-quality care based on the assessed needs of individuals and families within the whole family concept. 
• Maintain confidential and accurate case records for all direct work with individuals and families receiving Purple House services. 
• Deliver scheduled support plans in partnership with individuals and families, adhering to a rights-based approach. 
• Offer engaging, age-appropriate support to individuals and families. 
• The ability to deliver evidence-based programs through group and one to one work. Training will be provided for specific programs. 
• Prepare written reports to an agreed standard, reviewing individual and group work to measure and demonstrate impact and outcomes. 
• Contribute to the development of new ideas and proposals as services expand within the community. 
• Collaborate effectively as part of the client care team. 
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with Multi-Disciplinary Teams at relevant hospitals and shared care centres. 

Compliance Duties include:  

• Ensure awareness of and adherence to all Purple House policies and procedures that govern service delivery and apply to the entire organisation. 

General Duties: 

• To attend weekly client clinical meetings, prepare material and fully contribute to casework discussions. 
• To be available for planning, review, supervision, support and appraisal meetings. 
• To be available for on-going professional development / training opportunities and to attend all mandatory training. 
• To promote Purple House Cancer Support services available to adults, children and young people and their families. 
• To represent Purple House Cancer Support as delegated by your line manager. 
• To perform any other reasonable duties and specific projects deemed to be within the post-holder’s competence, as assigned by management to contribute to the overall aims of Purple House Cancer Support. 

COMPETENCIES. KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:  

• Third level degree in Childcare, Social Work/Care, Psychology (or relevant disciplines), Education, Community and Youth work (or equivalent relevant discipline) 
• A minimum of three years’ experience of working with families 
• Experience working with clients aged under 18 years old is essential - training / qualification in this area is required 
• Excellent communication skills with a professional approach to the role 
• Provide services to children, young people and families and give the support that is needed to build good relationships with internal and external stakeholders 
• Through knowledge of safeguarding and safe practice in working with children, families and agencies 
• Ability to work independently, manage workload and engage effectively with colleagues. 
• The ability to listen to and involve children, young people and parents in decision making 
• Ability to reflect on practice in order to facilitate personal learning, professional development and service improvement 
• Demonstrate great warmth and the ability to empathise 
• Strong interpersonal & communication skills 
• Ability to work co-operatively as part of a team 
• Strong time management skills and capacity to prioritize competing demands 
• Ability to foster good working relationships with external agencies and organisations 
• Ability to fulfil obligations as per the Children First Act 2015 
• Oncology-related training or Postgraduate Course (desirable) 
• Compassionate approach with a deep understanding of cancer 

Note: Garda Vetting is required (of the successful candidates) for all positions.   

Employee Benefits: 

• Competitive salary based on agreed working hours.  

• Group pension scheme (Upon completion of probation period) 

• Life Assurance Cover (Upon completion of probation period) 

• 21 Days Annual Leave (Pro rata for this part time role) 

 At Purple House we have a duty of care to all our Staff, Therapists and Volunteers to provide staff support and supervision on an ongoing basis to help you deal effectively with the emotional impact of your Role in a Community Cancer Support Centre.   

The services that are available to our teams include the following: 

• Weekly Relaxation Classes for Staff 

• Use of our gym facilities after hours 

• One to One and group supervision to support you with your work 

• Annual team building days 

Please note that Garda vetting will be a requirement for this position.