Project Support Officer LBS-007

3 months contract with a Local Authority

Job Summary:

• Partnering with the Family Rights Group (FRG) and funded through the Department for Education's (DfE) Stable Homes, Built on Love' strategy, Southwark's Family Group Conference Service is developing a new Lifelong Links Team which is part of Southwark's FGC Service.
  
• This Team, along with the FGC Service, requires exemplary and flexible support from a Project Officer to ensure that family networks are strengthened, and that children in care, and care experienced young people, are helped to make lasting connections with family, friends and other important people they may have lost contact with.
  
• The Project Officer will be expected to support the FGC Lead and the Lifelong Links Team Manager with all aspects of administration, project management, including but not limited to maintaining update to date Excel spreadsheets, uploading FGC and Lifelong Links Plans onto the child's file, and supporting the evaluation of and reporting on project achievements against agreed deliverable targets with the DfE and the Family Rights Group (FRG).
  

Key Duties/Accountabilities (Sample):

• Upload FGC and Lifelong Links Plans (and other relevant information) onto the children's Mosaic files.
  
• Maintain up to date Excel spreadsheets for all FGC and Lifelong Links cases.
  
• Update and maintain FGC and Lifelong Links data, collating and tracking performance and outcomes.
  
• Ensure there is effective support for the FGC Service and Lifelong Links Team, including self-employed FGC and Lifelong Links Coordinators.
  
• Complete deep file searches on Mosaic for each child or young person referred for a Lifelong Links intervention.
  
• Develop and build monograms using Genopro.
  
• Compile and edit Journey Books.
  
• Coordinate and facilitate work of various steering / practice development groups across the FGC Service (including the work of the Family Council), ensuring that they function appropriately, records are kept and actions delivered.
  
• Be a key point of contact in matters relating to administration duties and responsible for disseminating internal and external information on behalf of the FGC Service and Lifelong Links Team.
  
• To work within a framework of anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice, to seek to address equality issues in practice provision. To recognise, uphold and promote the Council's Equal Opportunity and Diversity agenda.
  
• To undertake any other duties appropriate to the post and grade.
  

Skills/Experience:

• Practical working knowledge of project management practices and theory.
  
• Excellent operational knowledge of the full suite of Microsoft Office software.
  
• Knowledge and experience of working to directorate and corporate policies, procedures and practice including performance frameworks and their application within a social care setting.
  
• Experience of providing project or service support at different stages of its life cycle, which may include planning, implementation and/ or monitoring.
  
• Experience in the development of appropriate project monitoring, governance and reporting approaches.
  
• Experience researching, analysing, interpreting and presenting data and information for specialist and non-specialist audiences.
  
• Experience of collaborative working with a variety of professionals, agencies and service users.
  
• Experience of working to strict deadlines in a demanding and intense environment and able to maintain productive and collaborative working relationships.
  
• Proven organisational and time management skills; including the ability to balance and prioritise a workload, responding to changing priorities and deadlines.
  
• Ability to work on specific projects which demand flexibility and creative thinking. The ability to develop report-based monitoring systems.
  
• High level communication, listening, organising and planning skills.
  
• Computer literacy skills at a level to maintain case records within information management systems and produce high quality assessments, reviews and reports.
  
• Working effectively in a multi-disciplinary team and with multiple agencies.