Careers at
Childhood Matters

Job Description:

Childhood Matters is recruiting a Social Care Worker to work across our child in care clinical services and strengthen our multidisciplinary team.

The successful candidate will be a member of Childhood Matters, providing high quality, trauma informed child and family support while working on a multidisciplinary team. They will work within a therapeutic framework, and be highly self-reflective and able to model this with the foster carers/children/parents/staff they are working with.

Childhood Matters has a combination of site-based and home-based services. Interventions are attachment-focussed and incorporate dyadic and systemic ways of working with the child, carers and team around them, drawing on models such as Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP); Theraplay; Mentalisation-Based Treatment (MBT) approaches, Sensory Attachment Intervention (SAI), Therapeutic Life Story Work (TLSW), among others. Our Multidisciplinary Team is currently comprised of clinical psychologists, assistant psychologists, a play therapist, child art psychotherapist and specialist occupational therapist and social care staff.

Successful candidates will take a key role in contributing to MDT discussions of each referred child’s needs as well as those of the system around them. They will liaise with partner agencies to endeavour to achieve positive outcomes for children in care and their carers, working to build/restore placement stability and enhance key relationships in the child’s family/support network.

The role will include offering specialist training and consultation to colleagues and the wider team/system around the child, such as social workers, teachers, foster carers, and residential and support workers supporting children in care.

Childhood Matters is a trauma-informed and equal-opportunity employer. We offer competitive salary packages as well as benefits including enhanced maternity leave; pension contribution scheme; health care plans; flexible working hours; internal and externally provided training opportunities, and competitive annual leave entitlement.

The successful candidates will be expected to:

• Work as a member of the multi-disciplinary therapy team, providing high quality support to children in care and their families/carers as well as offering support and guidance to the system around the child via telephone or video conference, email, consultation, professionals’ meetings, attending and participating in statutory Child in Care Reviews etc.
• Support the care of children where their living arrangements are at high risk of breakdown.
• Working directly with children in need and their families in the community in order to assess and develop the potential of parents/carers and children to remain safely united and prevent children coming into care.
• Supporting the reunification of children with their family in the community.
• Implementing both an intensive service to families in crisis and planned interventions as part of agreed plans for children and their carers.
• Be responsible for holding and managing a caseload and exercise autonomous professional responsibility (where appropriate) for the planning and prioritising of own workload within the bounds of the service’s operational policies
• Promote the team’s trauma-informed and trauma-responsive ethos, supporting colleagues and other departments within the organisation as well as referred children/carers/networks
• Contribute to developing and maintaining equality of opportunity in working practices by complying with legislation and organisational policies. Advise colleagues about equality, diversity and human rights policies and procedures and ensure they are followed
• Facilitate support groups and learning opportunities for foster carers along with clinician colleagues
• Providing good quality, thorough and analytical recording of observational information.
• To maintain personal and professional development to meet the changing demands of the job, work within their code of professional ethics and participate in appropriate professional supervision and training activities.

Person Specification

Role Requirements 

To apply please submit your CV and Cover Letter to hr@childhood-matters.ie before 12pm on Tuesday 8th August 2023

For further information, or to discuss the post, please contact hr@childhood-matters.ie

Job Description:

Childhood Matters are recruiting an Occupational Therapist to work across our child in care clinical services and strengthen our multidisciplinary team.

The successful candidate will be a member of Childhood Matters, providing high quality, trauma informed child and family support while working as part  on a multidisciplinary team. They will be able to work within a therapeutic framework, and be highly self-reflective and able to model this with the foster carers/children/parents/staff they are working with.

Childhood Matters has a combination of site-based and home-based services. Interventions are attachment-focussed and incorporate dyadic and systemic ways of working with the child, carers and team around them, drawing on models such as Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP); Theraplay; Mentalisation-Based Treatment (MBT) approaches, Sensory Attachment Intervention (SAI), Therapeutic Life Story Work (TLSW), among others.

Our Multidisciplinary Team is currently comprised of clinical psychologists, assistant psychologists, social care workers, a play therapist, child art psychotherapist and specialist occupational therapist and social care staff.

Successful candidates will take a key role in contributing to MDT discussions of each referred child’s needs as well as those of the system around them, formulating the presenting difficulties and considering appropriate intervention.

Childhood Matters is a trauma-informed and equal-opportunity employer. We offer competitive salary packages as well as benefits including enhanced maternity leave; pension contribution scheme; health care plans; flexible working hours; internal and externally provided training opportunities, and competitive annual leave entitlement.

The successful candidates will be expected to:

• Work as a member of the multi-disciplinary therapy team, providing high quality therapeutic input to children in care and their families/carers as well as offering support and guidance to the system around the child via telephone or video conference, email, consultation, professionals’ meetings, attending and participating in statutory Child in Care Reviews etc.
• Support and promote empirically-based practice within the team through engaging in consultation, supervision, formulation and training /education
• Be responsible for holding and managing a clinical caseload in consultation with service coordinator and exercise autonomous professional responsibility (where appropriate) for the planning and prioritising of own workload within the bounds of the service’s operational policies
• Promote the team’s trauma-informed and trauma-responsive ethos, supporting colleagues and other departments within the organisation as well as referred children/carers/networks
• Contribute to developing and maintaining equality of opportunity in working practices by complying with legislation and organisational policies. Advise colleagues about equality, diversity and human rights policies and procedures and ensure they are followed
• Facilitate support groups and learning opportunities for foster carers, families and children along with clinician colleagues

Person Specification

Role Requirements 

To apply please submit your CV and Cover Letter to hr@childhood-matters.ie before 12pm on Tuesday 8th August 2023

For further information, or to discuss the post, please contact hr@childhood-matters.ie

Job Description:

Childhood Matters are recruiting a Clinical/Educational/Counselling Psychologist (staff grade) to work across our child in care clinical services and strengthen our multidisciplinary team.

The successful candidate will be a member of Childhood Matters, providing high quality, trauma informed child and family assessment and support services while working on a multidisciplinary team. They will be naturally curious about, and able to work within a therapeutic framework, and be highly self-reflective and able to model this with the foster carers/children/parents/staff they are working with.

Childhood Matters has a combination of site-based and home-based services. Interventions are attachment-focussed and incorporate dyadic and systemic ways of working with the child, carers and team around them, drawing on models such as Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP); Theraplay; Mentalisation-Based Treatment (MBT) approaches, Sensory Attachment Intervention (SAI), Therapeutic Life Story Work (TLSW), among others. Our Multidisciplinary Team is currently comprised of clinical psychologists, assistant psychologists, a play therapist, child art psychotherapist and specialist occupational therapist and social care staff.

Successful candidates will take a key role in contributing to MDT discussions of each referred child’s needs as well as those of the system around them, formulating the presenting difficulties and considering appropriate intervention. Clinicians joining the team will provide both direct and indirect therapeutic input. They will liaise with partner agencies to endeavour to achieve positive outcomes for children in care and their carers, working to build/restore placement stability and enhance key relationships in the child’s family/support network.

The role will include offering specialist training and consultation to colleagues and the wider team/system around the child, such as social workers, teachers, foster carers, and residential and support workers supporting children in care. We are committed to embedding an evidence-based culture of trauma-informed care and therapeutic practice and therefore keen to continually assess the effectiveness of our service. All clinicians are asked to complete routine outcome measures and carefully consider the effect(s) of their interventions in collaboration with the MDT.

Childhood Matters is a trauma-informed and equal-opportunity employer. We offer competitive salary packages as well as benefits including enhanced maternity leave; pension contribution scheme; health care plans; flexible working hours; internal and externally provided training opportunities, and competitive annual leave entitlement.

The successful candidates will be expected to:

• Work as a member of the multi-disciplinary therapy team, providing high quality therapeutic input to children in care and their families/carers as well as offering support and guidance to the system around the child via telephone or video conference, email, consultation, professionals’ meetings, attending and participating in statutory Child in Care Reviews etc.
• Support and promote empirically-based practice within the team through engaging in consultation, supervision, formulation and training /education
• Be responsible for holding and managing a clinical caseload and exercise autonomous professional responsibility (where appropriate) for the planning and prioritising of own workload and the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients within the bounds of the service’s operational policies
• Compile comprehensive assessment and treatment reports and any other reports as required relating to the children and carers to whom they are offering input
• Promote the team’s trauma-informed and trauma-responsive ethos, supporting colleagues and other departments within the organisation as well as referred children/carers/networks
• Contribute to developing and maintaining equality of opportunity in working practices by complying with legislation and organisational policies. Advise colleagues about equality, diversity and human rights policies and procedures and ensure they are followed
• Facilitate support groups and learning opportunities for foster carers
• Providing good quality, thorough and analytical recording and reports.
• To maintain personal and professional development to meet the changing demands of the job, work within their code of professional ethics and participate in appropriate professional supervision and training activities.
• Work as part of a team of family members, staff and service providers to evaluate safety and identify interventions that can reduce risks to children.
• Assess the risk of future abuse or neglect of children in the family and make recommendations for future welfare and safety of children and parents.
• To provide high quality appropriate assessments, formulations and interventions, communicating in a skilled and sensitive manner with the clients, clinical team and family support/residential workers at Childhood Matters and referring agents.
• Write court ready reports and testify in family court and other legal proceedings as necessary.
• To deliver a psychologically-informed service model to children and families with complex emotional, social and psychological problems and managing these within the context of multidisciplinary working.
• To carry out assessments and risk management of individual clients presenting with a behavioural profile which may include substance abuse, personality disorder, mental health related issues, self-harm and/or risk of harm to others alongside multidisciplinary team
• To provide general advice and assist the management team in identifying, developing and delivering training for the staff and other professionals on aspects of risk assessment, management and care.

Person Specification

Role Requirements 

Qualifications:

• Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling/Educational Psychology

Experience:

• Experience of providing therapeutic input to children is essential
• Experience of working with children in a therapeutic context with existing knowledge of care planning, behaviour management psychoeducation and basic counselling skills

Reporting Relationships 

Reporting is directly to the Senior Psychologist/Clinical Lead. 

This job description indicates the main functions and responsibilities of the post and is subject to review and amendment in the light of service developments and changing circumstances and may include other duties and responsibilities as may be determined from time to time by Childhood Matters in discussion with the post holder.

To apply please submit your CV and Cover Letter to hr@childhood-matters.ie before 12pm on Tuesday 8th August 2023

For further information, or to discuss the post, please contact hr@childhood-matters.ie

Job Description:

Childhood Matters are recruiting a Therapeutic Social Worker to work across clinical services and strengthen our multidisciplinary team. This post is suitable to an experienced social worker, Guardian Ad Litem, or relevant qualified professional with similar experience and goodness-of-fit to service.

The successful candidate will be a member of Childhood Matters, providing high quality, trauma informed child and family assessment and support services while working on a multidisciplinary team. They will be naturally curious about, and able to work within a therapeutic framework, and be highly self-reflective and able to model this with the foster carers/children/parents/staff they are working with. Childhood Matters has a combination of site-based and home-based services and the may involve travel and unsociable hours. Interventions are attachment-focussed and incorporate dyadic and systemic ways of working with the child, carers and team around them, drawing on models such as Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP); Theraplay; Mentalisation-Based Treatment (MBT) approaches, Sensory Attachment Intervention (SAI), Therapeutic Life Story Work (TLSW), among others. Our Multidisciplinary Team is currently comprised of clinical psychologists, assistant psychologists, a play therapist, child art psychotherapist and specialist occupational therapist and social care staff.

Successful candidates will take a key role in contributing to MDT discussions of each referred child’s needs as well as those of the system around them, formulating the presenting difficulties and considering appropriate intervention. Clinicians joining the team will provide both direct and indirect therapeutic input. They will liaise with partner agencies to endeavour to achieve positive outcomes for children in care and their carers, working to build/restore placement stability and enhance key relationships in the child’s family/support network.

The role will include offering specialist training and consultation to colleagues and the wider team/system around the child, such as social workers, teachers, foster carers, and residential and support workers supporting children in care. We are committed to embedding an evidence-based culture of trauma-informed care and therapeutic practice and therefore keen to continually assess the effectiveness of our service. All clinicians are asked to complete routine outcome measures and carefully consider the effect(s) of their interventions in collaboration with the MDT.

Childhood Matters is a trauma-informed and equal-opportunity employer. We offer competitive salary packages as well as benefits including enhanced maternity leave; pension contribution scheme; health care plans; flexible working hours; internal and externally provided training opportunities, and competitive annual leave entitlement.

The successful candidates will be expected to:

• Work as a member of the multi-disciplinary therapy team, providing high quality therapeutic input to children in care and their families/carers as well as offering support and guidance to the system around the child via telephone or video conference, email, consultation, professionals’ meetings, attending and participating in statutory Child in Care Reviews etc.
• Support and promote empirically-based practice within the team through engaging in consultation, supervision, formulation and training /education
• Be responsible for holding and managing a clinical caseload and exercise autonomous professional responsibility (where appropriate) for the planning and prioritising of own workload and the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients within the bounds of the service’s operational policies
• Compile comprehensive assessment and treatment reports and any other reports as required relating to the children and carers to whom they are offering input
• Promote the team’s trauma-informed and trauma-responsive ethos, supporting colleagues and other departments within the organisation as well as referred children/carers/networks
• Contribute to developing and maintaining equality of opportunity in working practices by complying with legislation and organisational policies. Advise colleagues about equality, diversity and human rights policies and procedures and ensure they are followed
• Facilitate support groups and learning opportunities for foster carers
• Providing good quality, thorough and analytical recording and reports.
• To maintain personal and professional development to meet the changing demands of the job, work within their code of professional ethics and participate in appropriate professional supervision and training activities.
• Work as part of a team of family members, staff and service providers to evaluate safety and identify interventions that can reduce risks to children.
• Assess the risk of future abuse or neglect of children in the family and make recommendations for future welfare and safety of children and parents.
• To provide high quality appropriate assessments, formulations and interventions, communicating in a skilled and sensitive manner with the clients, clinical team and family support/residential workers at Childhood Matters and referring agents.
• Write court ready reports and testify in family court and other legal proceedings as necessary.
• To deliver a psychologically-informed service model to children and families with complex emotional, social and psychological problems and managing these within the context of multidisciplinary working.
• To carry out assessments and risk management of individual clients presenting with a behavioural profile which may include substance abuse, personality disorder, mental health related issues, self-harm and/or risk of harm to others alongside multidisciplinary team
• To provide general advice and assist the management team in identifying, developing and delivering training for the staff and other professionals on aspects of risk assessment, management and care.

Person Specification

Role Requirements 

Qualifications:

• CORU registered (Social Worker)

Experience:

• Minimum two years’ experience in a social work role
• Experience of providing therapeutic input to children who have experienced developmental trauma is essential
• Experience of working with children in a therapeutic context with existing knowledge of care planning, behaviour management psychoeducation and basic counselling skills

Reporting Relationships 

The successful candidate will work in close cooperation with the various teams in Childhood Matters. Reporting is directly to the Senior Psychologist/Clinical Lead while maintaining a professional relationship with the Service Managers and CEO. 

This job description indicates the main functions and responsibilities of the post and is subject to review and amendment in the light of service developments and changing circumstances and may include other duties and responsibilities as may be determined from time to time by Bessborough Centre Management in discussion with the post holder.

To apply please submit two copies of your CV and covering letter to:

HR Department, Childhood Matters, Blackrock, Cork