Job Title: Good Neighbour Scheme Co-ordinator

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: Full time (35 hours) or part time considered

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 170 active volunteers help the scheme both as visitors and at times offering practical help.

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.

Co-ordinators 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 Co-ordinator also takes many self-referrals as well as referrals from friends and relatives.

Referrals may include:

Regular or occasional friendly (social) visits.
Telephone calls
Penpal/Happy Post Scheme
Holiday checks - short term for the duration of a relative’s holiday.
Re-arranging furniture to enable greater mobility.
Occasional sitting to give a carer time to attend an appointment
Escorting to hospital appointments (service user to bear the cost of any taxi)

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 rather than go into residential care, 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.

Purpose of the Job:

This post has 3 main strands:

to contribute to the effective development and delivery of the Good Neighbour Scheme so that it improves the quality of life and reduces isolation of those using the service.
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 establish links with new initiatives being set up by health and social services and investigate the potential for further joint projects to support older people.

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.
Follow up, check and review all referrals with volunteers, service users and service providers in a systematic way.
Be available for enquiries from 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
Ensure that those service users with complex needs and who are not appropriate for a volunteer receive a monthly visit from a relevant staff member.
Work with colleagues who co-ordinate SCCCC’s other services and take referrals from health/social care professionals when they are unavailable.
Provide ongoing support and supervision to volunteers on the Good Neighbour Scheme and ensure that the service is responsive to the needs of its volunteers.
Provide support where required to maintain, promote and develop the Penpal/Happy post scheme.
Ensure compliance with SCCCC’s policies and procedures.
Liaise with the fundraiser in order to maximise donations to the organisation.
Liaise with staff in all the relevant hospital departments and community teams to ensure effective operation and uptake of the scheme and all other SCCCC’s services.
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.
Attend the meetings of the organisation and any other meetings as required.
Attend appropriate training courses to enhance/develop his/her 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 for Christmas and New Year.

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 closing date.

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

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.

We are looking to recruit for the above position. The post will predominantly involve working on Thursday evenings, with additional shifts available throughout the year to cover holidays.

Pay
Evening on-call payment per shift = £15.75, 6pm–10pm
Weekend on-call payment per day = £31.50, 10am–10pm
Additional payments after the first hour of call out = £16.81 per hr

There is also the option of other day time bank hours when available.

We are currently updating our salary scales and will share this information as soon as it is available.

Full training will be given

The organisation

SCCCC has over 50 years’ experience in providing services that respond to the needs of vulnerable people in a practical and neighbourly way, complementing the care given by other service providers. SCCCC work in partnership with Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Sheffield City Council and Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group.

The role

We are looking for a caring, compassionate, and self-motivated individual to join our expanding team and work across our hospital to home scheme where you will make a real difference to the lives of people within our community.

Playing a pivotal role in providing excellent support to older people who need it, you will have a flexible approach and be able to adapt to changing circumstances as they arise as the role may see you working in any of the schemes delivered by SCCCC (described in more detail below).
We are not a CQC’d organisation and there is no personal care involved in any of our roles.
Full training will be given

The post supports people to return home safely from hospital, avoid unnecessary admission or readmission, and regain confidence to live independently through practical, low-level support.
Hospital to Home:

This scheme provides a wide range of short-term practical help for older people, their families and carers. Support is provided following referral from a health or social care professional, either to prevent hospital admission or to support safe discharge from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust.

People who may benefit from the schemes are:

•Older and vulnerable people who may be frail, socially isolated, living alone, without relatives, living with older carers, or otherwise vulnerable
•Older and vulnerable people who may be at risk of avoidable re-admission
•Individuals or health/social care professionals who have concerns about home situations and a person's ability to live independently.

How the Schemes Work

Professionals from health and social care teams contact the office to arrange assistance for people being discharged from hospital or for people at home who are at risk of readmission. Most requests are for short-term practical help and include, but are not limited to:
•Collecting a patient from hospital and transporting them home safely.
•Basic shopping.
•Fitting temporary key safes.
•Delivering and fitting small pieces of equipment e.g., bed levers, commodes, pressure relieving cushions, chair raisers etc.
•Welcome the Individual home
•Support the Individual to follow-up any problems associated with the discharge from hospital process. For example: Contact as required District nurses, doctors etc.
•Signpost to appropriate benefit advice service if required

Duties and Responsibilities (dependent on the scheme):
•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 carry out those referrals or allocate volunteers where appropriate.
•Complete referrals taken by the team
•Aid the reduction of premature admission to hospital and/or residential care
•Deliver a flexible Individual-centred service
•Provide support to informal carers
•Be available for enquiries from service users and their families and respond to any requests for information in a timely and professional manner.
•As appropriate, provide telephone support to service users.
•Ensure that all duties and functions are carried out in accordance with SCCCC’s regulations, policies, and procedures.
•Maintain appropriate records of work undertaken and produce written reports as required.
•Attend the meetings of the organisation and any other meetings as required.
•Attend appropriate training courses to enhance and develop their own skills.
•Liaise with the fundraiser in order to maximise donations to the organisation.
•Publicise the scheme through all appropriate channels.
•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 post holder and the Senior Manager.
•This is not a complete description of duties and may be amended in light of the changing needs of the organisation, following consultation with the post holder.

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

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