Higher Intervention Worker – Application Form
Higher Intervention Worker (one post)
£21,931 pro rata; actual salary £15,665 per annum for a 25-hour role
East Sussex Vision Support, formerly known as East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted People, is a charity based in Hailsham that provides vital services to more than 1600 blind and partially sighted people who live within East Sussex, Brighton and Hove. Whilst aiming to increase the independence, confidence and wellbeing of blind and partially sighted people, we also work to promote the understanding of sight loss in local communities.
East Sussex Vision Support works with its clients to ensure that they are able to live an independent life within their communities. Our ethos is to enable people and to ask them what they want from us.
2021 is an exciting year for us; for our 100-year birthday this year we have rebranded our charity to become East Sussex Vision Support, we have a new head office in the middle of Hailsham and we have secured 3-year funding for a major Reaching Communities Lottery project, providing Higher Intervention Workers.
We are now recruiting a Higher Intervention Worker (HIW) to join our two new HIW starters recently recruited. You will be part of this Lottery project working with blind and partially sighted clients with higher level complex needs providing practical, emotional and physical support.
As an HIW, you will be trained to work with all clients’ needs and disabilities, you will build up a relationship with the client and get to know them well. Above all else, the HIW’s will enable more people who are blind or partially sighted to live an independent, confident and socially included life in the community.
HIW’s will look after 3 specific geographical patches and be responsible for managing a team of volunteers. We are recruiting now for a HIW to support clients in the coastal strip area from Saltdean – Rye.
Additional staff benefits include friendly working environment, 5 weeks annual leave (pro rata), full training and development and access to a contributory pension scheme.
We are looking for outgoing and friendly individual with excellent communication skills who can work flexibly within a team, manage competing priorities and use their initiative to anticipate and solve problems. You should be a confident self-starter able to prioritise workloads and client needs, ideally with experience of managing/working with disabled people or other similar bodies of people.
Closing date: Wednesday 29th July 2021 at 9.00am
You can apply for this job online by clicking on the link here.
This organisation is committed to supporting people challenged by sight loss. We aim to enhance the lives of those with visual impairment and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Job Description
ORGANISATION: East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted People (ESAB)
LOCATION: County HQ – Hailsham, East Sussex
JOB TITLE: High Level Intervention Officer
HOURS: 25 hours per week,
CONTRACT: Part time permanent subject to three years funding
RESPONSIBLE TO: Chief Executive
MAIN PURPOSE OF JOB: To focus on the welfare of ESAB’s Members identified as having complex or multiple needs.
This is a target driven, new position funded initially for three years.
SUMMARY
Over the last three years it has become apparent to ESAB that more and more of their members are identifying as having complex or multiple needs. This is as a direct result of local and national cuts to other services including mental health, housing and general disability services.
ESAB would like to tackle the issue but the current Low Vision service does not offer a wide enough scope to be able to make a real difference in the lives of many of its members. The creation of three High Level Intervention Officer posts will be crucial in the next phase of ESAB’s work to ensure every blind or partially sighted person it comes into contact with has the best opportunity to live a fulfilling and independent life.
KEY TASKS
- The High Level Intervention Officers will work on a one to one basis with specific members to enable them to come to terms with their sightloss, identify their needs and wants and access services appropriate to them.
- The High Level Intervention Officer will take referrals for clients from the Low Vision Support Workers who will identify at the initial telephone contact that a client has higher level needs so that the High Intervention Officer can provide the client with the following support.
1:1 working with blind and partially sighted clients
- On receiving a referral the post holder will make contact with the member and arrange to visit them at home.
- To identify the members needs from a holistic angle and formulate a care plan that clearly identifies the members goals and how they will be achieved.
- To work in as flexible manner as the role dictates, assisting the member in whatever form they require, including active listening.
- To provide advice and guidance to users of the service and divert appropriately to other providers both internally and externally.
- To accompany members who require support to other services including, medical appointments, benefits, legal, social activities, advocacy services and any other service identified in the members care plan.
- Build and maintain effective relationships and partnerships with referral agencies
- To provide advice, guidance and support to the member and their family including the following areas;
- Service/ support or situation
Health Wellbeing including Fall prevention
- To give regular demonstrations, advice and information about health related issues. In particular falls, healthy eating etc and to facilitate exercise sessions for the elderly.
IT/technical support
- Source Home Visiting volunteers that can assist with IT.
Loss of Carer/Partner
- This is a very hard time for the client and they need onging support to manage difficult life changes and emotions and begin managing on their own with extra visits/calls and volunteer matching to build social confidence and desire to leave the home.
Coming to Terms and living with Sight Loss diagnosis
- Make more ongoing 1:1 visits/1:1 support and arrange volunteer support.
- Benefit Financial support required
Benefit advice and information
- Inform clients about the benefits they may be entitled to. Give relevant up to date accessible advice and information so they can decide if they want to apply.
Face to face Benefit application assistance to tribunal level if necessary
- Talk through benefit. Order forms, assist by filing in the forms and collating evidence with the Vision Impaired Person, send the form off and deal with any queries, questions to tribunal level if and/or as needed.
Face to face emotional support
- Offer emotional support during the application process and up to tribunal level if necessary.
- Other financial support
Debt
- Support individual to come to terms with debt issue and help to find appropriate accessible debt advice and support. Ensuring all inform is accessible and understood.
Job loss or issues due to sight loss
- Support the client emotionally, practically and act as advocate. Offer advice, information and training to the organisation to support the Vision Impaired Person in the workplace. Signpost or refer to employment specialists if appropriate.
Not managing/ accessing correspondence, bills etc.
- One to one appointments to find out why they are not managing: is it due to accessing correspondence or something else? Offer practical advice and support.
- Housing Related Issues due to:
Hoarding
- Support the client emotionally, support to find appropriate trained help and funding for this. Seek specialised volunteer to give ongoing practical support.
Poor living conditions or enforced home move
- Offer support and act as advocate with housing organisations etc. Taking into consideration the needs of Vision Impairment especially when moved into temporary accommodation. Offer practical and emotional assistance.
- Drug and alcohol abuse
- To work closely with the specialist drug and alcohol abuse agencies to support those caseworkers to understand and factor into recovery the emotional and physical consequences of sight loss.
Duties outside the client working relationship
- Provide support / training to the above providers of services as needed and as appropriate. Enabling improved Vision awareness and enabling the member to have independent future access to these services.
- To develop and implement a rigorous monitoring system and prepare reports for the National Lottery.
- To meet the monitoring, reporting and publicity requirements of ESAB and the National Lottery.
- To decide with the team how to involve users in the development of the service and how to develop and maintain links with local groups, statutory and voluntary organisations and volunteers.
- To be self-supporting in respect of administration.
- To participate in team meetings.
- To undertake any other tasks commensurate with the post.
- To undertake available training opportunities and show commitment to continuous development, to maximise your potential and ensure the efficient and effective delivery of the organisations services
Person Specification
Post: High Intervention Officer
Location: Hailsham, East Sussex
| Essential Criteria | Desirable Criteria | Method of Assessment/ Source of Information | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key Skills & Abilities |
Adequate numeracy skills to meet requirements of the post |
Problem solver | Application/ Interview |
| Education/ Qualifications | Educated to a good standard | ||
| Knowledge |
|
| Application/ Interview |
| Experience |
|
| Application/ Interview |
| Personal Attributes |
| Application / Interview | |
| Other |
| ||