Family Support Worker

Little Miracles is a charity that supports families that have children with additional needs, disabilities and life-limiting conditions.

Job Title:

Milton Keynes Branch Co-ordinator

Job Description:

At Little Miracles, our Branch Co-ordinators have a varied and flexible job role. The emphasis of this role is to support the branch volunteers and internal teams within Little Miracles to provide a holistic approach in order for the families we support to receive the best possible care.

This is a family-focused role that mixes providing activities and support to families and can be adapted to suit the successful candidate. Typical duties will include providing emotional support to families with disabled children, working closely with our counselling team, supporting with benefits applications, behaviour and getting support within schools but is also about bringing families together via coffee mornings, events, trips and activities.

The role is very varied and as such is a hybrid of working from home and in the community directly with the families and you will be fully supported by the Head of Families based at our Head Office in Peterborough. Volunteers are so important to what we do and you will also be working closely with the families, staff and volunteers to ensure timely delivery of support, activities, key reports and record-keeping, as well as work alongside and partner with external organisations to ensure that we are providing the most comprehensive service to our families.

The Branch Co-ordinator will also be required to support current members through their journey- whether that is before diagnosis or after; ensuring that the family have support and are able to cope with any matters arising however you will be fully supported within your role and will also manage a team of volunteers (or potentially another staff member depending upon how the role grows and develops.)

Key Responsibilities:

Branch Co-Ordinators will perform the following tasks:

• Providing high-quality support to families that have children with additional needs, disabilities and life-limiting conditions to ensure that they are supported; both practically and emotionally
• Working closely with currently local provisions, including local councils, schools, social services and children's centres to ensure a comprehensive delivery and alleviate existing strain on those services
• Whilst not a fundraising role we are a charity that relies on fundraising and so there are events to support the running of the branch
• Planning sessions as required and ensuring appropriate resources are available
• All ad hoc administration tasks as required for the effective running of the branch including record keeping.
• Support a team of volunteers in order to provide the best support possible to our families.

Personal skills:

• Being approachable is essential in this role as you will be working with a variety of individuals, including professional bodies as well as our members.
• As a Little Miracles representative, you will be professional and courteous at all times.
• Being adaptable and able to think on your feet is required to manage different situations that occur.
• You may be working with very vulnerable families, so it is important to maintain a professional and non-judgemental approach to a variety of parenting choices. Any concerns that may arise need to be handled discreetly and escalated to the appropriate line manager and in accordance with safeguarding policy.
• Strong IT skills are essential.

Qualifications and Required Experience

• Experience of working or supporting families with disabled children (or a similar role)
• A level 3 qualification in a relevant discipline (eg EYFS, youth work or health and social care.)
• Minimum C grade GCSE in Maths or English or equivalent
• Strong computer skills and experience working with CRM databases and finance packages
• An understanding of social media, digital media and web services
• You may be required on occasion to travel to meetings or to meet families in locations convenient to them, so having your own transport is essential

Preferable Experience

• An understanding of fundraising platforms like JustGiving and Localgiving
• Previous experience within the third sector.

Remuneration

We are flexible in many ways in regard to this role. Our budget is £13.50 per hour for 16 hours per week and appropriate travelling expenses will be reimbursed. We also offer 28 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays pro rota) and pension contributions. Hours can be flexible, and a mixture of home and community based, and we can also look at either more or fewer hours for the right person or job-sharing options. We are particularly keen to receive applications from people who have lived experiences of raising a disabled child.

Job Types: Part-time, Permanent

Pay: £13.50 per hour

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Childcare
• Company events
• Company pension
• Health & wellbeing programme
• Work from home

Work Location: In person