Homeless Outreach Worker

The Competition

The purpose of this recruitment campaign is to form a panel of Homeless Outreach Workers to fill full time temporary and permanent posts that may arise as vacancies arise.

The Candidate

The candidates will demonstrate through their application form and at the interview that he/she:

• Possess excellent professional/technical knowledge and skills

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

• Excellent team leadership skills

• Ability to work independently or within multi disciplined teams

• Problem solving skills

• Planning and organisational skills

• A good understanding of safety management in the workplace including Health and Safety legislation and regulations

Duties and Responsibilities

Homeless Outreach Workers will be expected to carry out the following non exhaustive list of duties:

• Appointments interviewing and assessing clients seeking a homeless service by appointment or unscheduled presentations at public counter

• Providing assessment and advice to people who are homeless

• Participation in the Homeless Action Team (HAT)

• Engaging with and supporting the Housing First programme in consultation with other relevant NGOs Service Providers and agencies

• Assisting in managing the delivery of Housing First in the Kildare area and linking with the provider the HSE and Housing Agency

• Enabling and assisting clients to source suitable private rented accommodation

• Working with clients placed in emergency facilities with a view to securing long term accommodation and where possible avoiding continued placement in emergency facilities

• Assisting the Council in managing Service Level Agreements with NGOs

• Attending weekly Housing Application Assessment meeting where relevant

• Providing information to the Housing Allocations team as requested

• Assisting persons in settling into accommodation and ensuring that clients are fully briefed on services available to them from external agencies

• Receiving and acting on referrals submitted via the interdisciplinary referral protocol

• Allocating emergency accommodation as appropriate or where a client is eligible for social housing providing information and assistance in presenting the application

• Investigating cases thoroughly maintaining links with other authorities Gardaí CWOs Prison Services HSE and other NGOs etc

• Establishing new links with support services and facilitating out of office meetings in resource centres and other facilities where appropriate

• Increasing access to health and social services for those experiencing homelessness

• Creating public private partnerships to benefit clients where possible

• Attending child protection case conferences family support meetings family conferencing and mediation sessions case reviews and courts when requested

• Liaising with rehabilitation institutions prisons in the region

• Assist the Council in implementing the National Quality Standards Framework (NQSF) and the National Childcare Service to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness

• Creating and maintaining files and records of service users

• Documenting meetings and calls with clients

• Recording all entry exit to emergency accommodation and payments due to suppliers

• Collating data and statistics regarding the homeless service as required including research and preparation of reports for the Strategic Policy Committee on Housing

• Record and report on monthly KPIs and annual reports as requested

• Respond to queries on the Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) and to elected representatives as required

• Utilise and input homeless records on the PASS system or any other data management system as directed by the Council

• Work to continuously improve services and ensuring a solutions focused approach to demands for homeless services

• To participate in relevant training and development courses as agreed with Kildare County Council

• Any other duties as may be assigned from time to time

Qualifications

Character

Each candidate must be of good character.

Health

Each candidate must be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Education Training and Experience etc

Each candidate must on the latest date for receipt of completed application forms:

(a) Have a good standard of education Have obtained a social care practitioner third level qualification or FETAC level 8

(b) Have appropriate relevant experience in a similar position with supporting independent references

(c) Understand the role and responsibility of Kildare County Council in relation to Homelessness and have experience of homeless services or relevant equivalent

(d) Demonstrate a strong knowledge and competency regarding social housing options and understanding of how to prevent divert or progress from homelessness

(e) Have a strong understanding of the representational role of elected members and of local government structure as well as the role of NGOs and other agencies charities and voluntary groups involved in the area of homelessness

(f) Have very good interpersonal skills coupled with good report writing and administrative skills

(g) Have a flexible attitude in dealing with the day to day issues that arise in meeting the many and various needs of this client group

(h) Have experience of dealing with aggression and or challenging behavior

(i) Have experience in carrying out assessments including risk assessments

(j) Have experience in developing support plans and carrying out reviews

(k) Have ability to work on own initiative to work alone and in a team setting

Please supply copies of any certificates diplomas or degrees you may have with the application form If qualifications were obtained outside of Ireland please supply a comparability statement with your application

Driving Licence

Applicants should at the date of appointment hold a full valid Irish or EU licence for Class B vehicles or a licence acceptable to NDLS for transfer to full Irish licence Link below They must be a competent driver and shall drive a car in the course of their duties and for this purpose provide and maintain a car to the satisfaction of the local authority The council must be indemnified on their insurance

https://www.ndls.ie/help/faq.html#exchange-of-foreign-driving-licences

Competencies for the post of Homeless Outreach Worker

Key Competencies for the post include the following and candidates will be expected to demonstrate sufficient evidence within their application form of competence under each of these Please take particular note to these when completing the application form as any short listing or interview processes will be based on the information provided by the candidates

Management and Change

Strategic Ability

Displays the ability to think and act strategically to ensure they contribute to the delivery of homeless services in the County

Political Awareness

Has a clear understanding of the political reality and context of the organisation

Networking and Representing

Develops and maintains positive and beneficial relationships with a range of stakeholders Builds networks of technical and professional contacts Promotes and sustains an appropriate positive and cohesive image for the organisation it represents Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with all internal and external stakeholders including team members statutory agencies and voluntary organisations Can work with multiple stakeholders to implement change

Delivering Results

Problem Solving and Decision Making

Can pinpoint critical information and address issues logically Understands the context and impact of decisions made Can act decisively with complex information and multiple stakeholders Demonstrates an understanding of the social housing system and the challenges faced by the key target groups

Operational Planning

Plans projects to determine rationale objectives and deliverables resource requirements timelines and milestones reporting requirements and evaluation methods Establishes high quality service and customer care standards

Managing Resources

Manages the allocation use and evaluation of resources to ensure they are used effectively to deliver on operational plans

Delivering Quality Outcomes

Makes timely informed and effective decisions and shows good judgement and balance in making decisions or recommendations

Performance through People

Leading and Motivating

Motivates others individually and in teams to deliver high quality work and customer focused outcomes

Managing Performance

Effectively manages performance Empowers people to achieve or exceed organisational goals by delegating sufficient authority responsibility and accountability

Communicating Effectively

Recognises the value of communicating effectively with all employees Actively listens to others Has highly effective verbal and written communication skills Presents ideas clearly and effectively to individuals and groups Effectively identifies and manages conflict and potential sources of conflict Ability to deal with difficult sensitive work situations that require excellent interpersonal communication and judgement skills

Personal Effectiveness

Relevant Knowledge

Keeps up to date with current developments trends and best practice in their area of responsibility Demonstrates the required specialist knowledge understanding and training for the role

Resilience and Personal Well Being

Demonstrates appropriate and positive self confidence Remains calm under pressure and operates effectively in an environment with significant complexity and pace

Integrity

Behaves in an honest trustworthy and respectful manner and is transparent fair and consistent in dealing with others

Personal Motivation Initiative and Achievement

Is enthusiastic about the role and sets challenging goals to achieve high quality outcomes Is self motivated and persistent when faced with difficulties Engages in regular critical reflection in order to identify how own performance can be improved

Knowledge Experience and Skills

Knowledge and understanding of the structure and functions of local government including service requirements Knowledge of current local government issues Understanding of the role of a Homeless Outreach worker Understanding key challenges facing the local government sector and Kildare County Council Knowledge and experience of operating ICT systems

Particulars of Employment

The Post

The post is wholetime i e 35 hours per week and appointment may be permanent or temporary

Location

Kildare County Council reserves the right to assign the successful candidates to any premises in use by the Council now or in the future The person appointed will be required to report to their place of work by their own means of transport and at their own expense

Commencement

Kildare County Council shall require a person to whom an appointment is offered to take up such appointment within a period of not more than one month and if they fail to take up the appointment within such period or such other longer period as the Council in its absolute discretion may determine Kildare County Council shall not appoint them

Working Hours

The current working hours are 35 hours per week Monday to Friday Kildare County Council reserves the right to alter the hours of work from time to time in line with Government Circulars

Kildare County Council also has a flexi time system in operation details of which are available from the Human Resources Section

You may be required to work overtime on various occasions

All hours worked are subject to and recorded in accordance with the provisions of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 and the Organisation of Working Time Regulations 2001 Kildare County Council requires employees to record their hours using a Clocking system

Reporting Arrangements

The Homeless Outreach Worker will report directly to the Administrative Officer or to any other employee of Kildare County Council such as the Chief Executive or Director of Service or any other appropriate employee that may be designated for this purpose

A system of regular appraisal will be operated during employment which will involve discussions between the employee and the line manager regarding performance and conduct

Probationary Period of Employment

Where a person is permanently appointed to Kildare County Council the following provisions shall apply

a) there shall be a period after appointment takes effect during which such a person shall hold the position on probation

b) such period shall be twelve months but the Chief Executive may at their discretion extend such period

c) such a person shall cease to hold the position at the end of the period of probation unless during this period the Chief Executive has certified that the service is satisfactory

d) the period at a above may be terminated on giving one weeks notice as per the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Acts

e) there will be assessments during the probationary period

Remuneration

€57,895 per annum to €66,017 per annum maximum

€68,367 per annum LSI 1 after 3 years satisfactory service at maximum

€70,730 per annum LSI 2 after 6 years satisfactory service at maximum

On appointment successful candidates will be placed on the first point of the salary scale Appointment to a higher point of the salary scale may apply to candidates employed elsewhere in the public service subject to verification of service history

Remuneration is paid fortnightly by PayPath directly to the employees nominated bank account The current wage pay cycle may be revised during the period of employment

Remuneration is subject to all statutory deductions e g PAYE and PRSI

Increments are paid annually subject to satisfactory attendance conduct and performance and national agreements Increments may be withheld if performance attendance and or conduct are not satisfactory

Superannuation and Retirement

A person who becomes a pensionable employee of the County Council will be required in respect of their superannuation to contribute to the Local Authority at the appropriate rate

The terms of the Local Government Superannuation Consolidation Scheme 1998 as amended or the Public Services Superannuation Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2004 or the Public Service Pensions Single Scheme and Other Provisions Act 2012 will apply as appropriate on appointment

Retirement age for employees is dependent on their relevant contract of employment with due consideration being given to the rules of the superannuation scheme to which they belong