Job Title: Good Neighbour Scheme Coordinator (Peer Mentor Project)

Salary Rate: Salary: £13.45 per hour
(We are currently updating our salary scales, this information will be released to you as soon as available)

Contract Type: 21 hours per week

Background to the Post:

The Good Neighbour Scheme is SCCCC’s longest running project having started in 1966. The scheme offers a range of services to older people and their carers through volunteers who offer the kind of support a ‘Good Neighbour’ might give. The service is provided free of charge with the basic aim of enhancing quality of life and helping to combat loneliness for people over 65 living in Sheffield. Over 190 active volunteers regularly visit or telephone an older person with the focus being on the social aspect – putting the world to rights, usually with a cuppa!

We consider this to be an important and sensitive service as many of the people who are referred to the Good Neighbour Scheme have complex health needs and may be housebound and or socially isolated.

Coordinators accept requests for help from a wide range of referrers across health and social care including District Nurses, GPs, social work teams, Care Managers, Community Support Workers and various intermediate care teams. The service also takes self-referrals and from friends and family too.

Over the last few years there has been a steadily increasing demand for the service for a number of reasons:

•more older people stay in their own homes for longer or move into supported, independent living schemes - including those with Dementia
•a more diverse range of professionals in health and social care are aware of and value the services we offer
•the service is free of charge

We are now in a position where we need to expand the staff team and also look at other methods of volunteer support and coordination. This will allow us to improve our processes, allow the further expansion of our volunteer base and offer support to more people in need, whilst considering service sustainability.

Purpose of the Job:

This post has 3 main strands:

•to contribute to the effective development and delivery of the Good Neighbour Scheme

•to work with the Co-ordinators of our other services which offer a range of support to older people and their carers and ensure the scheme contributes to the overall aims of SCCCC.

•To build and support a network of Volunteer Peer Mentors who will support other volunteers during their Good Neighbours volunteering journey.

Duties and Responsibilities:

•Work closely with other team members to take referrals from a range of referrers, including health and social care staff, friends and family members and the individual themselves, and allocate volunteers where appropriate.

•Be available for enquiries from volunteer, service users and their families and respond to any requests for information in a timely and professional manner.

•Ensure that each service user receives a home visit prior to allocation of a volunteer, in order to confirm personal details, undertake a risk assessment and better understand them and their needs.

•Provide support to service users waiting for a dedicated volunteer by offering support in person or over the telephone where appropriate

•Offer support and supervision to a team of Volunteer Peer Mentors and wider volunteer team and ensure that the service is responsive to the needs of it’s volunteers.

•Ensure compliance with SCCCC’s policies and procedures.

•Liaise with the fundraiser in order to maximise donations to the organisation.

•Publicise the scheme through all appropriate channels.

•Liaise with the Operational Lead to participate in volunteer training as appropriate.

•Maintain accurate records of work undertaken and produce oral/written reports as required.

•Ensure that appropriate monitoring and evaluation procedures are put in place and used effectively.

•Cover the work of other Good Neighbour Scheme Team Members during periods of leave.(As appropriate)

•Attend the meetings of the organisation and any other meetings as required.

•Attend appropriate training courses to enhance/develop own skills.

•Carry out other duties and relevant tasks consistent with the responsibilities of the post which from time to time may be required as agreed between the postholder and the Senior Management Team.

•To participate in the ‘on call’ cover arrangements over Christmas and New Year periods.

Accountability:
The post holder reports to and will be supervised by the Good Neighbour Scheme Operational Lead

Relationships:
The post holder will be expected to develop good working relationships with all members of the staff team and help maintain a mutually supportive and inclusive environment. This includes supporting the work of the organisation’s other schemes whenever possible.

For a full job description/person specification and more information on how to apply, please visit our website.

Please note that interviews for successful applicants will take place within two weeks of the application deadline.

Candidates can ask for reasonable adjustments at any stage of recruitment.