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 of circa €1.2billion and delivers its services through over 5,500 people in 259 locations across the Country.

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

• Child Protection and Welfare
• Parenting, Family Support and Early Help Services
• Alternative Care
• Birth Information & Tracing and Adoption
• Tusla Education Support Services (TESS)
• Children’s Service Regulation
• Counselling and Therapeutic Supports

Further information is available on www.tusla.ie.

The team for Separated Children Seeking International Protection has the responsibility for providing a service to children and young people who are newly arrived in Ireland seeking international protection and who are separated from their parents or their guardian. The team provides valuable support to these most vulnerable children/young people from various countries who come to Ireland for safety, refuge, and better quality of life and as applicants for International Protection.  The aim is to assist the young people in achieving their full potential through education and integration, to participate fully in Irish life and make a meaningful contribution to Irish Society through self-sufficiency and independence. To be supported with reunification where immediate family members join them in Ireland, escaping persecution, war and marginalisation in their country of origin.

The service is multifaceted with operational responsibility for Intake, Duty and Initial Assessment of children and young people notified to Tusla by the IPO under the International Protection Act (IPA) 2015; for the intake eligibility assessment of such referred young people to determine their eligibility for service under the Child Care Act, for the placement of the young person.

The service also manages teams for Children in Care and beneficiaries of temporary protection fleeing war in Ukraine and Subject to Placements under Section 5 of the 1991 Child Care Act; the provision of alternative care placements to Unaccompanied minors in Foster Care, Residential Care, Supported Lodgings and After Care Services.

The team is expanding and involved in extensive service review and development. It is a multicultural team with a strong team ethos committed to meeting the needs of all service users.

Purpose of the role

Post holder will be required to provide high end administrative support across all functions within SCSIP.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Administration

• Support the monitoring and control of resources in accordance with Tusla’s Financial Regulations.
• Ensure appropriate records are maintained as may be required by Tusla.
• Promote good working practices and uniformity of standards.
• Work with Management to ensure adherence to the legislative framework and internal Tusla policies and procedures.
• Undertake all duties assigned in line with relative policy, procedure and legislation.
• Support the development and implementation of integrated management reports across relevant performance indicators, human resources, finance, IT and risk management for Business Support Service.
• Provide high level administration support for the business support service for the Area Managers Office including management of staff as required.
• Deputising as appropriate
• Take a lead or support ongoing projects / initiatives within the Area Managers Office

Policy, Research & Quality

• Assist with the development of policy documentation on policy, procedure and guideline development and review processes.
• Set a programme of work to review each policy to ensure it is aligned to the agreed template or format and is updated and implemented across relevant services as applicable.
• Work with the relevant departments to implement policies and support the development of these policies to Tusla specific policies and requirements. 
• Support a programme of work of periodic quality audits to ensure consistent implementation of policies.
• Liaise with relevant Tusla Services to ensure training on new policies and/or key policies requiring refresher courses as required.
• Support the development of and/or lead on the Quality Assessment Framework and Risk Management Policy Procedures for the Service. 
• To support the research and information requirements of the Service.

Information Management

• Assist in preparation of service planning and business planning process and other planning processes as required
• Develop and maintain processes for monitoring the implementation of business plans.
• Liaise with relevant services to promote inter-department knowledge sharing.
• Ensure effective communication is maintained between the Area Management Offices
• Co-ordinate responses to PQ’s, FOI, Public Representatives, complaints on request from appropriate channels where required.
• Co-ordinate responses to queries / requests for information from the Area Managers Office to National Operations
• Contribute to policy development and implementation.
• Establish, maintain processes for the collation, analysis and reporting of data and collation of associated reports where required.
• Support the development of integrated management reports across relevant performance indicators, human resources, finance, and risk management.
• 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.

Human Resources:

• Supervise and make provisions for the well-being of staff within your remit
• Create and maintain a positive working environment among staff members, which contributes to maintaining and enhancing effective working relationships
• Ensure staff are aware of their responsibilities in line with the relative policies and procedures developed to support the delivery of an effective service
• Plan, allocate and evaluate work and performance of teams and individuals.
• Provide HR support to assigned team and act as first point of contact for HR issues.
• Conduct regular staff meetings to keep staff informed and to hear views
• Identify and agree training and development needs of team
• Manage the performance of staff, dealing with underperformance in a timely and constructive manner
• Implement Performance Achievement and Personal Development Plans in line with the unit and organisation objectives
• Embrace change and adapt local work practices accordingly by finding practical ways to make policies work, ensuring team knows how to action changes
• Participate in the recruitment, retention and development of staff including training and continual assessment.
• Encourage and support staff through transformation and change process

Education and Training

• To maintain continuous personal development and participate in team-based development, education, training and learning.
• To complete all mandatory training.
• Where appropriate, arrange for the induction and training for assigned staff, as required to maximise skill resources, (to include workplace experience placements where applicable).
• Where appropriate, provide supervision and assist in the development of knowledge, skills of relevant staff under your supervision.
• To participate in performance evaluation / review, identifying areas for improvement and appropriate plans / measures to achieve them.
• To ensure policies and procedures exist for all areas.

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.

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

• Candidates must be in employment within Tusla – Child and Family Agency, the HSE or within other statutory health agencies, or a body which provides services on behalf of the HSE under Section 38/39 of the Health Act 2004 or within a body that provides services on behalf of Tusla under Section 56 or Section 59 of the Child and Family Act 2013.

And

• Have at least two years’ administrative related to the role.

And

• Possess sufficient administrative capacity to discharge the functions of the grade/post.

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.