Junior Social Worker

**About Ummeed**:
India has over 50 million children with disabilities under the age of 15. With access to appropriate health, intervention, education, recreation and livelihood services they can be supported to become productive members of the society. Today most of them have limited or no access to relevant knowledge and services as the number of organizations and professionals in the space are inadequate to meet the need.

Ummeed, a premier non-profit organization for children with disabilities in India, was founded in 2001 by Dr. Vibha Krishnamurthy, a developmental pediatrician. Ummeed supports children with developmental disabilities to reach their full potential and be included in society by providing family centered care to children with developmental disabilities and their families.

As an organization with a workforce of about 100 committed professionals, Ummeed’s transdisciplinary approach works towards:

- Supporting children in overcoming their disabilities through direct clinical services and helping families in their journey towards acceptance and empowerment
- Building a network of trained professionals and community workers who can prevent, diagnose, and manage developmental disabilities effectively
- Changing societal attitudes so that children with disabilities can be meaningful and productive members in it.

**Being a Social Worker at Ummeed**:
The team works closely with families to assist them in understanding and navigating the larger intervention system to ensure that they receive appropriate and timely care and services. They introduce families of children with developmental disabilities to their rights, as well as to those of their children. In addition to empowering these families and children, they are coordinators, navigators, and connectors

The team offers the following services:

- Coordinates and streamlines the care the family and child receive within Ummeed by setting up meetings between different therapy teams to share notes and feedback from families
- Connects families with local resources to supplement the care received at Ummeed or for regular therapy, in cases where families are unable to access services at the Ummeed clinic
- Follows-up periodically with families to ensure that they are receiving the requisite services and also to provide psycho-social support
- Visits health care and intervention centers, inclusive and special schools, recreational centers, livelihood and vocational training centers, etc. to assess the resources available so that families can be directed to them in case the need arises.
- In addition, the SW team is an integral part of and facilitator of the Walk-in Family Support group, a monthly gathering that provides an open space for families of children with developmental disabilities to connect, engage and share experiences. The team also works very closely with other Ummeed members like Family Resource Centre team led by caregivers of children with disabilities to put together communication & rights
- based collaterals that provide information on specific disabilities.

**About the Position**:
The Junior Social Worker plays a crucial role in engaging with families in understanding their concerns and ensuring that they receive timely trans-disciplinary services within Ummeed.

**Primary Responsibilities**:

- Interacting and engaging with families
- Coordinating service delivery across teams within Ummeed
- Liaising with professionals, flagging urgency to offer for particular families
- Build directory of services: connecting families with local resources
- Networking with partner organizations Pan India
- Liaising with organizations that are currently not partners with us
- Home/ hospital/organizations visits (case to case basis)
- Coordinating rights-based workshops and/or support groups for caregivers of children with disabilities
- Awareness building and Advocacy in various space
- Respond to crisis situations such as child abuse & protection (need based)

**Minimum Qualifications**:
Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Social Work (Disability or Child & Family)

**Essential Skills Required**:

- Communication skills both written and verbal
- English, Hindi & Marathi
- Interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate with diverse teams
- Attention to detail and organization skills
- Proficient in MS Office
- Documentation skills
- Willingness to learn & explore
- Ability and willingness to travel to outdoor locations in Mumbai

**Others**:
The above is a full-time position involving 8 hours per day/40 hours a week.

We encourage persons with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities to apply.