Job Description

CV's not Accepted - only those applications submitted on the Age UK Sunderland Application Form will be considered. All information and Application forms can be found on our website www.ageuk.org.uk/sunderland/get-involved/vacancies/

Age UK Sunderland

Post:

Front Door Social prescriber

Contract Type

: Permanent

Hours:

35 hours per week.

Salary/benefits:

25,425.50 pa; access to pension scheme

Location

: Bradbury Centre, Stockton Road

Responsible to

: Front Door Manager

Accountable to:

Age UK Sunderland

Key working Relationships:

AUKS FD Service staff Sunderland City Council Primary care Statutory and Community VCS providers Older people Carers and Carer Organisations Other clinical and non-traditional provider groups as required
The AUKS "Front Door Service (FDS)" social prescribing model provides low level community based support for older people with a focus the preventative agenda. This means that older people will receive the right support, in the right place at the right time receiving information, early interventions and flexible low-level community-based support to those who do not require intensive or specialised care from statutory services.

The FDS acts as a conduit to community infrastructure support and assets.

Self- Care and Sustainability

Working across Sunderland the AUKS FDS works with partners to implement a whole system approach to increase health life expectancy, make every contact count and maximise resources to improve outcomes for older people. This includes:

Investing in empowering local older people through effective care navigation Peer support Mentoring/self-management programmes to maximise independence/wellbeing Helping to identify/combat social isolation
This will encourage older people to:

Take more control over their own health Achieve maximum independence Live longer, healthier more fulfilling lives
This post provides an interface between voluntary sector provider organisations and clients, health and social care and other statutory bodies. The FDS LWL worker is responsible for a caseload of individuals supporting the self-management of their needs via social prescribing interventions.

The post holder will work across 5 Sunderland localities, and support clients in the following areas:

Assisted signposting

to services in the community which help maintain older people's health & wellbeing such as leisure & learning, social groups etc.

One to One Support

to help with issues such as arranging for support to access appointments, travel, access to community care assessments (or carers assessments), where appropriate advise on main choices regarding personal budgets etc.

Social Contact

to establish support from befriending services for those in social isolation or risk of and make referrals to appropriate services with the support of a group of Age UK Sunderland volunteers to maximise capacity for delivering support

Interim support

to help support the older person whilst other support is put in place such as a visit from a volunteer befriender

Multiagency working

with a multitude of statutory and voluntary organisations, networking with health professionals
The post holder will also identify unpaid carers and enable access to appropriate services.

Key Responsibilities

The post holder will be an excellent communicator and develop a wide knowledge of the services offered by non-traditional providers in the Sunderland area. The post holder will require strong organisational skills, must be flexible in approach, able to exercise initiative and demonstrate a consistently high standard of professionalism, being aware of the need for confidentiality and integrity.

Tasks:

Liaison with social work and other voluntary & statutory teams Assessments & home visits Acting as a conduit to VCS & statutory support services Client information gathering & analysis to provide a holistic plan of support (social, financial, health & wellbeing etc.) In depth knowledge gathering on available services (community & statutory), multi- disciplinary services etc. Publicity & promotion of offering Record keeping, monitoring & evaluation Identification of step up care and safeguarding Identification of gaps in services to inform future development
Key skills

Signposting older people to the multitude of support services that are available through voluntary and statutory providers tailored to the person's specific needs Be the point of liaison for service users and carers principally with voluntary sector providers as well as useful commercial services, and liaising with other statutory professionals involved in client's care Delivering case work to support older people to reach specific goals in accordance with
KPIs

Promote the independence & empowerment of older people Build strong relationships with partners and providers Deal in a professional, helpful & sensitive manner with older people, staff, carers & other agencies.
Information and Data

To be proficient in using Microsoft office packages and other identified IT systems and support other team members in their use To record relevant client documentation on identified IT systems as required Facility for learning new software packages which may be in continued development Maintain Excel, CharityLog and other databases to input clients' engagement Support completion of client referrals, record electronically and feedback to team members Ensure the adherence to KPI service targets Extract caseload information from the client database as required, and undertake analysis of caseload information for audit and performance management purposes, including running reports and converting data into charts and tables for sharing with the team Input data onto the client information management systems to update client details, and periodically use reports to ensure client details are correct in line with GDPR Be responsible for updating the electronic service directory on a regular basis, sourcing referral criteria and ensuring these are accessible to all relevant parties in line with
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements

Client Support

Ensure older people's requirements are managed smoothly with no fragmentation in service delivery. Ensure appropriate actions from referrals to the service are completed in a timely fashion Communicate with members of key partners as required Communicate effectively with older people and their families/carers, other staff both internal and external and members of the public.
General

The post holder must at all times carry out duties and responsibilities with due regard to the organisations' equal opportunity policies and procedures.
The post holder must at all times respect client confidentiality and, in particular, the confidentiality of electronically stored personal data in line with the requirements of
GDPR ensuring that there is no breach of confidentiality as a result of his/her actions.

The post holder will be expected to take responsibility for self-development on a continuous basis, undertaking on-the-job training as required. The post holder must be aware of individual responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act, and identify and report as necessary any untoward accident incident or potentially hazardous environment being aware of and responsible corporately and as an individual for Health and Safety policy. The post holder will ensure they accurately represent Age UK Sunderland and ensure the values of Age UK Sunderland are upheld at all times in carrying out their work The post holder must work in general accordance with the organisation's policies and guidelines at all times. To abide by and implement all policies and procedures of Age UK Sunderland, including being aware of and responsible corporately and as an individual for Health and Safety policy. To abide by Age UK Sunderland's safeguarding policy and organisational alerter process.
This job description is intended as a guide to the main responsibilities of the post and not as an exhaustive list of duties and tasks. The post holder may be required to undertake other duties appropriate to his/her grade, which are not listed above, at the direction of his/her manager/Director. The job description may be amended from time to time after consultation with the post holder.

This post is subject to a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced check.

Age UK Sunderland

Person Specification

Post:

Front Door Social prescriber

Location

: Bradbury Centre, Stockton Road

Responsible to

: Front Door Manager

Essential Criteria

NVQ Level 3 in health, social care or equivalent in experience

At least 2 years' experience in health/social care or information & advice or work in direct contact with people, families & carers (paid capacity)

Experience of undertaking assessments and action plans

Intermediate IT competence in Microsoft packages and admin skills

Proven record of written and verbal communication skills

Able to deal sensitively with clients

Able to work as part of a team

Able to prioritise and manage own workload

Analytical skills and be able to interpret information and data and present it in a clear concise manner

Good people skills with a friendly approachable style and ability to generate trust and form positive relationships

A good listener

Flexible & responsive to changing needs of clients

Ability to communicate and extract information sensitively & tactfully

Creative approach to problem solving

Tactful and diplomatic, able to build a rapport with people from a wide range of backgrounds

Experience in use of databases

Experience of working in a voluntary, NHS or social care setting delivering services to vulnerable people

Experience of risk assessment & risk management

Knowledge of voluntary care organisations (preferably within the Sunderland area)

Understanding of client confidentiality and GDPR principles

Understanding of health and social care processes

Understanding of the complexity of older people's lives & barriers they face

Experience of person centred planning

Understanding of safeguarding responsibilities

Knowledge of the range of voluntary, statutory and private sector orgs/services that support older people

Understanding of welfare benefits available to older people

Willingness to undergo further training or development

To abide by and implement all policies and procedures of Age UK Sunderland, including being aware of and responsible corporately and as an individual for Health and Safety policy.

Possess a full clean driving licence and have access to a car for work purposes/

Desirable

Experience in motivational interviewing.

Closing date: Monday 19th May 2025 9:00am prompt

Interview date: Friday 30th May 2025 PM

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: 25,425.40 per year

Schedule:

Day shift Monday to Friday No weekends
Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 19/05/2025