Parent Engagement Worker

About The Role

Early Years Alliance are looking for an experienced self-motivated, pro-active practitioner to carry out targeted outreach to link parents to the range of Lewisham Children and Family Centres’ parenting support services, and other local services to meet their family needs, through either through universal routes or via referrals for targeted support. You will be based in Lewisham, SE London, and will also deliver evidence-based parenting programmes and assess individual suitability for those programmes as part of your role.

Are you experienced in working with vulnerable families? Do you have a recognised qualification in health and social care or Early Years? If so, we want to hear from you.

You will also have the opportunity to be trained in evidence-based parenting programmes, if not already trained, and deliver these as part of a team. You will be skilled in planning and carrying out delivery of general parenting engagement and development, and a programme of community outreach to link families into our parenting support offer. You will have good listening skills and be able to work in an empathetic manner to enable and empower parents to make positive decisions about their children and their family lives. You should be self-motivated, have excellent safeguarding awareness, and a sound knowledge of child development.

**Benefits**:

- 25 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays, pro rata for part time employees
- Additional annual leave for long service
- Enhanced sickness pay.
- Employer and employee contribution pension scheme
- Birthday leave so you can have a day off for your birthday dedicated to you and your well-being.
- Regular access to internal and external learning and development opportunities
- A Recruitment Referral Payment Scheme, giving you an introductory payment of up to £300 if someone you have referred to the Alliance takes up a role in the charity.
- Vitality membership wellness and fitness app - including lots of great health benefits, rewards, telephone, and face to face counselling.
- Savings of up to 25% on O2 Refresh Airtime Plan on any new phone or tablets.
- A dedicated mental health First Aider to support your mental well-being.

**Main duties**:

- To provide 1-1 support for vulnerable children and families in the community, via delivery of evidence-based parenting programmes and other parenting support services.
- To contact families to assess need, enabling appropriate support to be provided for families with identified low levels of additional need within the community. This does not include home visiting. Support may include helping the family to:

- access Children and Family Centres for the first time
- access a school or nursery place and the free entitlement
- access benefit entitlements, health services ,employment, training or volunteering opportunities
- understand and complete paperwork where needed
- access agencies and local services that may provide them with additional specialist help or support that they need
- To be pro-active in planning and carrying out delivery of general parenting engagement and development, working closely with local partners to attend community events, school open evenings, health centres, HV and GP team meetings, parks, local shops, cafes and other community spaces.
- To liaise with partners to plan the delivery of universal parenting programmes in the community, and to assist in the co-delivery of targeted parenting interventions such as Triple P in a range of delivery sites and online.
- To be pro-active in carrying out a rolling programme of outreach, developing a range of activities and initiatives aimed at engaging parents, particularly those who may be considered hard to reach or at risk of exclusion, and increasing the number of families registered, reached, and regularly engaging with the Children and Family Centres and our wider parenting support offer.

**Essential criteria**:

- Possess recent significant experience of working effectively in a support capacity with vulnerable families in a deprived urban environment.
- Possess Working with Parents Qualification at Level 4; OR NVQ 3 or equivalent as a minimum in childcare, health or social care, early years, play work or education.
- Experience of delivering a range of parenting programmes or services to support parenting needs.
- Training in an evidence-based parenting programme such as Triple P, or willingness to attend training to enable such delivery on commencing work.
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of child development, and g of the needs of vulnerable families within a disadvantaged multi-cultural urban environment, as well as excellent knowledge and experience in safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults.
- Possess excellent organisational skills, and a proven ability to plan your work effectively, produce clear reports, work independently and pro-actively on own initiative to a high professional standard.
- All successf