Care Team Member

Time Commitment: Minimum one set morning or afternoon per week, ideally 1 – 2 days if comfortable and sustainable amid other commitments  

Reports to: Care Team Manager and Social Care Director

Minimum Education Level: Training and/or experience in offering emotional support, ideally in the process of training as a psychologist, therapist or other wellbeing practitioner

Start Date: Not currently hiring

Summary:

As a member of the Care Team you will help the Lisbon Project provide a higher and more consistent level of care for its team and community members. You will be available to provide emotional support to community members through 1:1 drop-ins and Safeguarding support to the wider organisation through collaborative working with allocated team managers and coordinators.

 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Providing emotional support: 

• Be available for 1:1 drop-in sessions as per your timetable – sit with community members, following the flexible session structure as outlined in training and practice sessions: supporting them through co-regulation; grounding tools and direction towards resources where appropriate. Also proactively seek interaction with community members who appear vulnerable/struggling and may not be aware of Care Team support.

• Record Drop-in Sessions through shared team ‘form’ to support team development of data and practices

• Engage in supervision support provided by Care Team Manager and later access to the developing Care Team Expert Panel

Contributing to AdminHub and Family Friday workshops:

• Engage in team discussions on these topics and volunteer to develop written/visual article or workshop ideas where appropriate

Supporting LP-wide Safeguarding: 

• Work closely with allocated Programme Manager or Coordinator to understand the activities they organise; to risk assess; to develop low-maintenance strategies for mitigating risks and to be available to support if Care Team needs arise in your allocated team’s activities

• Support team members connecting to Care Team Reflective Practice sessions organised to support them on a monthly basis.

• Following the minimum performance guidelines (MPGs). To be consulted internally with the position's supervisor.

 

Benefits:

• Contributing to Social Impact – Self-fulfilment and personal growth in pursuing a valuable cause.

• Networking Opportunities - Getting connected to partner institutions, philanthropists and people of all backgrounds.

• Knowledge Growth – Learning about immigration related processes, contexts and realities as well as other NGO related topics in Portugal.

• Work Experience - Getting experience working in a professional environment with a welcoming workplace culture.

  
  

The Context:

The Social Care department provides administrative support and emotional care to Lisbon Project community members. It does this through two separate teams, the Bridge Team and the Care Team, which collaborate on the same three outputs:

1.      Daily 1:1 Drop-in – in-person support

2.      AdminHub – information platform (soon to include emotional regulation ideas)

3.      Family Friday Plus workshops with special guest speakers at least once a month

The Care Team was launched in October 2024 and has started to offer 1:1 emotional support to community members as a drop-in service. This support is strictly not therapy but we believe it offers an important opportunity for community members to process challenging emotions in a community space in which they feel safe. In line with the department and organisation’s wider approach, where more specialist support is required, our aim is to connect community members with appropriate services outside of the Lisbon Project as effectively as possible.

Care Team volunteers are not experts and they do not “case-hold” or take on ongoing responsibility for community members' situations after the drop-in, unless required by safeguarding concerns identified in the session which would need to be flagged to the LP’s safeguarding leadership team. Most community members benefit significantly from the structured emotional support with grounding techniques provided but, where the emotional or even mental health needs are more complex, community members must be signposted to more specialist services outside of the Lisbon Project. We are currently in the process of recruiting a ‘Care Team Expert Panel’ (made up of technicians in trafficking, domestic violence, healthcare, mental health) to bolster the resources and support we can offer through the Care Team (on advice from Expert Panel members) while also building up the active working knowledge of the governmental, NGO and private practice specialist support that is available outside of the Lisbon Project.

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