Facilitator: Older People’s Activities

To work with older people and others running existing activities at WAC and to facilitate the development of new activities with and for older people.
The post is funded by Lambeth Council and the post holder must also maintain the information needed under that contract.

The successful applicant will have experience of facilitating new developments, working with and empowering older people, fundraising for activities, and a broad knowledge of relevant services. Must be committed to countering ageism and any form of discrimination. Needs a well organized, dynamic individual.

Main responsibilities

- Provide support to the largely self running Out and About Club.
- Identify opportunities for other self-help projects and assist these develop.
- Manage the agreements with the specialist sessional workers, including making recommendations of changes needed.
- Contribute to the identification of other sessional provision which would best fulfil the project goals. Develop such sessions as agreed by management.
- Increase the use of WAC’s dance hall for physical activities by older people, specified because this is an important community resource which in the day time could contribute more to the goal of staying fitter in old age.
- Where approved by WAC Management Committee work with other organisations within WAC or the wider community to develop their services to older people.
- Extend the reach of services to greater numbers.
- Promote diversity of activities, recognising as far as possible the wide range of backgrounds and interests of older men and women.
- Contribute to fundraising for older people’s activities.
- Liaise with other organisations working with older people
- Contribute to collecting and publicising through WAC reception information on activities for older people or those for the whole community including older people.
- Recruit, and supervise volunteers engaged on WAC older people’s work.
- Refer people with specific problems to WAC Advice Services or other sources of help. As far as possible monitor the welfare of service users, and particularly where they may not be being supported by family, by other service users, or networks, seek to ensure that they are linked into supportive services.
- Interview new service users to get to know them, their needs and skills so they can be linked most appropriately into WAC and/or other services.
- Work within the guidance of WAC’s contract with Lambeth and WAC policy and procedures.
- Collect and submit information required by the Lambeth Contract or the line manager or (via the line manager) WAC Management Committee.

Essential

• Experience of working with older people in a supportive, creative and participative manner
• Strong interpersonal and listening skills
• Experience of encouraging self help activity and mutual support
• Knowledge of statutory and voluntary sector provision for older people.
• Ability to collect and store statistics and other data and to complete monitoring forms fully and on time.
• Ability to communicate clearly orally and in writing.
• Fundraising experience for activities (or similar)
• Experience of working in a multi racial context
• Experience of promoting equality of opportunity and opposing discrimination.
• Excellent organisational ability.
• To have been cleared by a CRB check (if not already cleared this must be successfully completed)

Desirable

• Proven track record of managing against service level contracts
• A social work or community development qualification
• Fundraising skills/ experience for larger projects
• Experience of managing budgets

Waterloo Action Centre has been a community hub in the area for 35 years and has a long history of provision of services to older people, and involving them in the running of WAC and its activities. WAC aims to be at the forefront of service delivery to older people, respecting, valuing and promoting their contributions, and supporting them in developing skills, healthy living and enjoyment.

There is currently an existing weekly programme of activities at WAC:

Monday 2-4pm: Line Dancing Class
Tuesday 10.30-11.30 am: Exercise class followed by informal lunch
Wednesday: Nutrition class
Thursday 10.30-11.30am: Arts Class
Thursday 11.30am -3.30pm: Out & About Club
Friday: Service Monitoring

WAC is a vibrant community centre open 7 days a week, about 100 hours a week. Opportunities particularly relevant to older people include a day time advice service funded by Lambeth and an evening legal advice session which has been run on a voluntary basis since 1971 by qualified lawyers. This service sees 50-60 people a week. WAC has a large reception area open 10-5 each week day. Since WAC is on the market street this is a useful place for people to pop in for information. There is ample space too for people to stop for a cup of tea and a gossip. Several older people do this regularly, chatting informally together for hours.

Among the evening and weekend activities WAC is a base for 7 minority ethnic churches. These are run on a voluntary basis with strong participation in many of them by older people.

The Bangladeshi Community Group based at WAC provides English language classes which includes older learners. There is also a music group on Wednesday afternoons; the music is Bangladeshi but they welcome people from all cultures. A part-time Sylhetti speaking health worker is in WAC one day a week seconded by the PCT. Her health promotion services are open to, and used by older people who are not Bangladeshi as well as those who are. Sylhetti speaking retired volunteers provide advice and support to people of all age from Bangladesh 4 days a week.

A Mauritian Pensioners Group meets one afternoon a month in WAC, as does a group of women who served in the WAAF during WW11. Evening activities include a range of dance groups, tai chi, music, community group meetings. All of these include older people as participants and often they are prominent in providing the activities.

The Association of Waterloo Groups runs a community office for local groups who do not have their own base. A recent initiative created from this office addresses the problem that many older people are bereaved or for other reasons no longer have anyone to go places with. As our users all have Freedom Passes, there are weekly outings on public transport for anyone who turns up. Not only are these outings enjoyable but people are meeting others who they can contact if they then feel like doing other things too e.g. going to the Theatre. Participants organise the outings so, as with much at WAC, all the effort is voluntary and economical.