Details of Service

The Child and Family Agency was established on 1st January 2014 and is responsible for a range of statutory functions including provision of child protection, alternative care, specified regulatory services and a range of family support services.  The Agency has commenced a major improvement programme with significant focus on Practice, Culture and Structure.

The Agency currently has responsibility for a budget in excess of €800m and delivers its services through circa 5,000 people in 350 locations across the Country.

The Child and Family Agency has responsibility for the following range of services:

• Child Protection and Welfare
• Family Support
• Alternative Care
• Adoption
• Tusla Education Support Services (TESS)
• Domestic Sexual and General Based Violence (DSGBV)
• Children’s Service Regulation
• Counselling and Therapeutic Supports

Further information is available on www.tusla.ie

Purpose of Role:

Aura Lodge – Is a mainstream Children’s Residential Care Centre. The purpose and function of the centre will be to provide short to medium term transitional care for young people moving to and from Special Care Services.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Management:

• To create and maintain a safe, caring and stable environment for the young people placed in the centre
• To manage the centre in accordance with Child and Family Agency policies, guidelines and protocols and with the regulations made by the Minister for Health and Children under the Child Care Act 1991 and other relevant legislation.
• To ensure that Care and Placement Plans are in place, agreed, implemented and monitored regularly in respect of every young person placed in the centre.
• To promote the rights and responsibilities of each young person in the centre.
• To comply with the Child and Family Agency Admissions and Discharge Policy.
• To participate in on-going planning and strategic development of Child and Family Agency Children’s Residential Centres.
• To ensure the appropriate use of resources within the centre.
• To consult with young people placed in the centre, their families, centre staff and external stakeholders as appropriate.
• To provide such reports, statistics to the Social Care Manager (or other specified person) as required.
• To ensure that the maintenance and upkeep of the centre, its furniture, vehicle and equipment.
• To adhere to Fire Safety Requirements as specified by the local fire safety authority and the Child and Family Agency Fire Safety Officer.
• To ensure compliance in the unit with the provisions of the Health, Safety and Welfare at Work Act, (1989) and other relevant legislation.
• To provide an on call service for the centre and / or for the Child and Family Agency Children’s Residential Centres on a rota basis.
• Such other duties as may be assigned from time to time by the Social Care Manager (or other specified person) to include working shifts where rostered staff are not available.
• To engage in age-appropriate play and other activities with each child/young person within the centre as required.
• To engage in physical intervention where this is in keeping with local policies and procedures as required.

Financial Management:

• To manage the budget for the centre, in compliance with approved budgetary procedures, and to ensure that optimum benefit is achieved from available resources.
• To ensure that expenditure in the centre is controlled within agreed cash limits and in compliance with approved procedures.
• To maintain such records as are required by the Child and Family Agency, or the Minister for Children to ensure that such records are at all times available for inspection by an authorised officer.
• To ensure that appropriate financial information for the unit is provided to the Social Care Manager (or other specified person)

Staff Management:

• To manage and supervise staff in the centre.
• To arrange the duty roster and manage the designated staff resources, ensuring that staff levels and skill mix are appropriate and within the resource allocation.
• To identify in consultation with the Social Care Manager the training and development requirements for the centre.
• To maintain staff records within guidelines laid down by the Child and Family Agency and the Department of Children.
• To participate in relevant professional development and training programmes.
• To attend and participate fully in professional supervision with Social Care Manager

Health & Safety

• Comply with and contribute to the development of policies, procedures, guidelines and safe professional practice and adhere to relevant legislation, regulations and standards.
• Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the service for example National Standards for Child Protection and Care and comply with associated Tusla – Child and Family Agency protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.
• To support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service.

The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office. 

‘Please refer to the Candidate Information pack attached to this campaign for full and further detail’

Applicants must by the closing date of application have the following:

National Diploma in Childcare awarded by Quality & Qualifications Ireland, (QQI) (Dearbhu Cailiochta agus Cailiochtai Eireann) (formerly HETAC)/DIT.   

                                                         OR

National Diploma in Applied Social Care Studies awarded by Quality & Qualifications Ireland, (QQI) (Dearbhu Cailiochta agus Cailiochtai Eireann), (formerly HETAC)/DIT.

                                                       OR

Diploma in Social Care awarded by Quality & Qualifications Ireland, (QQI) (Dearbhu Cailiochta agus Cailiochtai Eireann) (formerly HETAC)/DIT.

                                                       OR

Diploma in Applied Social Studies/Social Care from DIT.

                                                       OR

(v)  BA (Ord) in Social Care Practice (level 7 on the QQI framework).

                                                        OR

Open Training College National Diploma in Applied Social Studies (Disability)

                                                        OR

an equivalent Social Care qualification  

                                                       AND

A minimum of 3 years’ experience of working in a Social Care Grade in a Children’s Residential Centre as relevant to the role.

 AND

The requisite knowledge and ability (including a high standard of suitability and ability) for the proper discharge of the duties of the office.

Health

A candidate for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Character

Each candidate for and any person holding the office must be of good character