Job Description JOB TITLE: Senior Befriender BASED AT: Upper Springfield Development Trust Action Ability Belfast 200 Springfield Road Belfast, BT12 7DB RESPONSIBLE TO:Team Leader - Befriending and Advocacy HOURS OF WORK:30 hours per week. SALARY: £25,979.00 per annum pro rota Action Ability Belfast Action Ability aims to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities into the community and to support the development of their natural abilities. FUNCTION: The Senior Befriender role is to befriend isolated people with disabilities and to spend a minimum of 3 hours per week on average with each person matched to them or within a small group setting. The aim of the role is to improve self-confidence and remove/reduce barriers so that people are included in their community. Talking to people and forming relationships of trust and friendship are important aspects of this work. In addition, a senior befriender will also assist the Team Leader to supervise a team of befrienders to carry out befriending duties and provide outcome focused support to ensure that the befriending team achieve the highest standards of practice, service user satisfaction and positive outcomes. PRINCIPLE RESPONSIBILITIES Befreinding Support: To meet with those people referred to the service, either individually or to facilitate a small peer group who could benefit from the Befriending. To spend a minimum of 3 hours on average per week with a person or persons with a disability. T0 accompany them on outings or activities chosen by person or persons, which increase their social inclusion. Communicate effectively and sensitively with people with disabilities on a one-to-one basis and in groups. To maintain absolute integrity and confidentiality in relation to personal issues raised by befriending service users and or family members and carers. To participate in staff meetings, service user forums, personal supervisory support sessions and any other work-based meeting relevant to your role. Adopt a team approach across the organisation, contributing to the successful delivery and implementation of Action Ability Belfast services, predominately befriending. Participate in appropriate training as directed by Action Ability Belfast Programme Manager or Team Leader and highlight own training needs relevant to post. To adopt a proactive approach in promoting Action Ability Belfast and activities relating to the programmes and services. To adopt a flexible approach to working hours as per requirements of the service, including evenings and Saturdays. To ensure all reporting and recording requirements are met, ensuring required administration is carried out in a timely manner and report changes at all times. To ensure administration systems are adhered to and records are produced as required. To ensure that person centred reviews are carried out at regular intervals. Including support plans and risk assessment reviews. To comply with and to implement all policies of Upper Springfield development trust,to ensure high standards of health and safety by ensuring that staff comply with all safety policies and to ensure safe lone working protocols are followed. To promote anti-discriminatory practice as per Equal Opportunities policy in all areas of service delivery. To report and manage accidents, incidents, and emergencies, following Upper Springfield Development Trust processes and any agreed multi-agency reporting guidelines and requirements. To ensure that all service user and families are safeguarded throughout service provision via Childrens and Adults Safeguarding policies. To comply with all reporting and recording requirements associated with this policy. To work collaboratively and in partnership with external organisations and adopt an inter-agency/multi-disciplinary approach. To demonstrate high standard of written and verbal communication. To communicate with service users, families and other professionals positively and respectfully ensuring to promote the positive reputation of all services of Action Ability Belfast. To create and develop and sustain warm, trusting, and respectful relationships with service users to ensure the welfare of the service user and to support them to develop their skills, self-esteem, confidence, and happiness. To encourage and support service users to express their needs, views, and concerns. To enable them to make choices and decisions and to participate as fully as possible in planning and decision-making processes of all befriending provisions. To respect and promote the rights and entitlements of individuals being supported and to enable them to engage as fully as possible in their communities. Senior Duties: To assist Team Leader in the promotion and up-take of the service. To assist Team Leader in the selection and allocation processes for befriending by management of waiting list, processing referrals, undertaking assessment of eligibility and in turn securing personalised befriending matches. Where this is not possible, to signpost the referral to other appropriate agencies. Facilitate the introduction of service users and befrienders, according to service user personal choice, service capacity and demand. To assist Team Leader To undertake an assessment of risk and prepare positive risk management plans for service users. To assist Team Leader to develop and manage the performance of all staff as and when requires, such as: providing supervisory/support meetings, providing mentoring and training and monitoring practice. To carry out all recording and administrative duties relating to the management and quality monitoring of the befriending service. Including finance duties such as: liaising with internal and external finance teams, managing budgets and income streams and debt recovery. To assist Team Leader To work closely with the families of service users and other professionals involved in their care and support to provide coordinated services to meet the needs of the individuals, including support in managing service user health and social care trust accounts. To assist Team Leader in ensuring service user satisfaction by carrying out individual formal evaluation processes, and to provide relevant reports. To be able to formally deal with difficult situations, behavioural incidents, and complaints as per policy as well as providing support and mentoring to a team of befrienders when going through similar difficult situations. Other duties: To provide support to other Action Ability services on a wholistic support ethos, as and when required. To carry out any other duties which may be reasonably requested, including those delegated by Programme Manager and the Team Leader. To deputise for the Team Leader as and when required. To undergo Enhanced Access NI check, including Childrens and Adults Barred list checks. N.B. This job description is not definitive or restrictive and may be modified to meet the changing needs of Action Ability Belfast services. PERSON SPECIFICATION ESSENTIAL CRITERIA A minimum of two years experience of supporting people with disabilities in a voluntary, personal, or paid capacity. Be of a kind and caring nature with a high degree of genuineness and empathy for people with disabilities. Demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to listen & communicate effectively and toliaise professionally with a range of agencies. Excellent verbal and written communication skills to a wide range of audiences e.g. for an individual and business reports. Have knowledge and experience in IT, including the smart devices, and Microsoft 365 systems. Demonstrate a non-judgemental approach and have knowledge and experience in planning and understanding person-centred support delivery. Be passionate about supporting people with disabilities and have practical understanding of issues affecting them. Can be creative in identifying, planning, and providing social opportunities and experiences. Be honest, reliable, adaptable, and can work within boundaries. Have a mature attitude and apply common sense approaches within senior befriending role. Demonstrate sound judgement with the ability to work independently on own initiative, and as part of a team. Be committed to equal opportunities, social inclusion, and promotion the rights of people with disabilities. Show ability to work in line with USDTs policies and procedures. Willingness to work flexible hours according to the needs of the service. This may include some evening and weekend working as required. Have excellent organisational skills and show the ability to prioritise & manage a challenging workload. The ability to demonstrate a warm, respectful, and supportive approach to service users, families, and colleagues. Experience of promoting and increasing take up of services. Experience of dealing with difficult behaviours and situations and managing complaints. Possess a full driving licence and have access to a car. To have a clean driving licence and access to a car [The Upper Springfield Development Trust is aware that some persons with disabilities may not be able to hold a driving licence. If this is the case, please demonstrate how you can fulfil the mobility requirements for the post for which you are applying]. DESIRABLE CRITERIA Previous Befriending Experience. Previous experience in senior role within health and social care, including service and staff management. NVQ 3/4 or equivalent or higher professional qualification in allied field.