Job Description – Community Connector

• Grade: £32,154 (NJC 19)
• Hours: Full-Time (37 h.p.w.): Fixed term: to 30^th March 2027 (pending future funding)
• 25 days holiday per year plus bank holidays, 8% pension contribution (1% employee contribution), mileage rate, cycle to work scheme.
• DBS: Enhanced
• Responsible to: LCA CEO
• Location: Langworthy Cornerstone

Overview

The Community Connector will be based at Langworthy Cornerstone and employed by the Charity and will work towards the Partnership objectives of the Wellbeing Matters Programme.

The Wellbeing Matters programme is a Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise led initiative delivered by Salford CVS that focuses on Person and Community Centred Approaches to improving the wellbeing of Salford people. Wellbeing Matters is led by Salford CVS in partnership with five VSCE anchor organisations employ a Community Connector/s (The Big Life Group, START inspiring Minds, Social Adventures, Inspiring Communities Together and Langworthy Cornerstone).

A key element of Wellbeing Matters is the community connecting / social prescribing programme that connects people referred by health professionals with a non-medical need to local community assets to support their wellbeing, independence, and to reduce social isolation. The programme aims to support people to feel more connected to their communities, more confident, and less socially isolated by linking them into local groups and services. The goal is for people to be better equipped to manage their own health and wellbeing. 

The Wellbeing Matters Community Connectors work with people on a 1 to 1 basis over a number of sessions to establish ‘what matters to them’ and to then connect them into relevant wellbeing and social support within their neighbourhood to improve their wellbeing and decrease social isolation; for example connecting them to – community groups (dancing, singing, gardening, cooking), sports or physical activities, food banks or food clubs, friendship groups or befriending, green or blue activities, taking part in volunteering, emotional and mental wellbeing support, welfare support or CAB and much more.

Wellbeing Matters currently employs Community Connectors across Primary Care networks (PCN’s), Citywide, Long Covid Clinic, Salford Royal Hospital Community Connectors, Mental Health Community Connector aligned to the Living Well programme and WorkWell Community Connector aligned to Salford’s WorkWell programme.

The Wellbeing Matters programme supports the development of the VCSE ecosystem that supports social prescribing through volunteering, voluntary action, community activities, investment and assuring the quality of groups and activities.  This element of Wellbeing Matters includes Volunteering / Capacity-Building Development Workers whose role is develop the capacity of local VCSE groups and activity that ensures a healthy voluntary, community and social enterprise eco-system to socially prescribe into though Volunteering, advice and guidance and funding support.

https://www.salfordcvs.co.uk/wellbeing-matters

Main Purpose of the Post

Community Connectors are at the heart of our approach to social prescribing in Salford and we are looking for a team of enthusiastic and person-centred individuals to undertake these roles.

Working across the area of South East Salford within a neighbourhood anchor you will support individuals to access local groups and activities adapting a strengths-based approach in order to ultimately improve their health and wellbeing. In addition to working with individuals, you will be working with community development worker local community to identify and develop opportunities to meet the residents in your area as well as liaising with healthcare professionals to support the service’s development.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

• Develop positive working relationships and accept referrals from key health key workers including Care Coordinator, GP’s and mental health teams
• Develop and maintain good communication with people accessing the service to ensure that their strengths, goals and preferences as individuals are met and connect them to relevant services and opportunities within their community to achieve these.
• Build up knowledge of what services are available in the local and wider community and assist with recording this both locally and centrally
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with key relevant community-based service providers to ensure effective and smooth onward referrals e.g. other local voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations
• Identify local gaps in meeting a specific need and feed this information into delivery team meetings and to the neighbourhood volunteer development worker.
• Monitoring and record key information regarding individual’s participation in the programme including tracking their experience and outcomes and provide timely feedback to referral partners.
• Support and assist with the monitoring and evaluation of the programme including producing relevant monitoring reports as well as collecting broader qualitative and outcome data from case studies, focus groups and interviews to understand how or why the delivery approach is impacting on people and the local community.
• Support project development by raising awareness of the service through training, presentations and events.
• As part of the wider social prescribing team contribute to the development of the service including the development and maintenance quality assurance and improvement systems that monitor standards and support high-quality service delivery.

Generic Responsibilities

• To manage own time and workload effectively, whilst also working as part of a team
• To work within and promote the Cornerstone’s Values, Ethos and Vision and contribute to its development
• To work in accordance with all policies and procedures of LCA, particularly (but not exclusively) Health and Safety; Information Governance and Safeguarding
• To commit to your own personal development and attend training, team meetings or development activities as required
• To undertake any other duties as appropriate to the nature and grading of the post