Family Connector

Job Advert
Are you a parent/caregiver with a child with a learning disability? Are you passionate about the rights and needs of SEND families? Do you want to be part of positive change in your community? We are looking for a lived experience parent to join our passionate team working to make Tameside better for SEND Families. We are recruiting a Family Connector on a part time basis (10 hours per week). The role is a fixed term contract until March 2025 with the potential the funded project may extend.

Mencap Family Connectors use their lived experience to engage and connect with parent caregivers of children with SEND in their community. Working together with families and local services, they help to build a community where children and their families can thrive.
Family Connectors are based in the community. They provide direct support to families which complements what is already on offer locally. This may include outreach, peer support groups, workshops, signposting and coproduction. They work in collaboration with others across the borough to develop better opportunities and support for families.

To help us make the best happen in local communities, we need the best team. We are looking for an individual who:

Is a champion of inclusion
Is motivated and committed to community/family led ways of working
Is passionate about co-production and co-facilitation
Has community spirit as well as great local knowledge to share

What you will do:
Facilitate peer support groups and develop parent caregiver networks to develop confidence, empower and engage families in their communities.
Co- facilitate or co-deliver support sessions with other service providers.
Harness your lived experience to support families on their journey.
Develop opportunities for co-production so that families can be involved in shaping better services and support across the community.
Empower families to understand their rights and entitlements through workshops or opportunities which will help them better support their child.

What you will bring
Experience of being a parent or caregiver of a child with SEND.
Knowledge and experience of the SEND landscape and local assets.
An understanding of the challenges being faced by families.
A passion for supporting others and developing communities for the better.
Experience of supporting group work/community engagement.
Experience of collating information using MS Office (Word / Excel).
Experience of co-production.

Your skills
Your lived experience and a commitment to using this to empower others.
Passion for inclusion of children and their families from all backgrounds and cultures.
Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills and an ability to genuinely engage with families.
Excellent planning and organisational skills Self-motivated, able to work on own initiative and to prioritise workloads effectively.
Local knowledge and information to share about your community.

Who you will be working with
Families with lived experience of SEND.
People who live and work in the community.
Professionals from statutory and community services.
Other partners supporting families.
Our fabulous team, who will support you into this exciting role.

(Please see the Job Description for more information).

Do you feel that this role is for you?  Please apply with a full and up to date CV that demonstrates your skills, knowledge and experience. We would love you to tell us why you want to work for Mencap.

Job ID: 32777

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader and welcome applicants with disabilities to apply for all roles with us. To find out more about the scheme please visit the direct gov website.

Benefits
As well as knowing that what we do is making a positive difference to people’s lives, you will receive fair pay and have access to a wide range of rewards and benefits as one of our employees.

32 days holiday (including bank holidays) increasing to 35 days with long service plus the ability to buy up to another 10 days via our Holiday Plus scheme
Service related sick pay when 6 month probation is completed
Eligibility to join Mencap Pension Plan where Mencap matches contributions up to 5% on a salary sacrifice basis meaning NI savings. If you don’t join the Plan you start, you will be auto-enrolled after three months with us.
Membership of Mencap Pension Plan to include up to 3 times salary death in service live cover AND Income Protection of 50% salary to be triggered at 26 weeks of long term sickness
Loans for debt consolidation, bikes, computers and phones when you have been with us for 6 months
Interest free season ticket loans
Discounts and cashback from 3% to 30% at high street shops including major super markets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via Mencap Extras
Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc.
Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
Quarterly award scheme and recognition at every 5 years through our You Rock program
Access to award winning training and development
*T&C’s apply based on contract
About Mencap
We work in partnership with people with a learning disability, and all our services support people to live life as they choose. Everyone wants a purposeful job – to do something meaningful. At Mencap, we can give you that. You will have opportunities to develop as a person, colleague, leader and activist. We want to make you feel inspired to reach your potential.

Our work includes;

providing high-quality, flexible services that allow people to live as independently as possible in a place they choose
providing advice through our help lines and web sites