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.