Job Opportunity for Manager/ Sr. Manager – Social Work Services at Ummeed Child Development Centre in Mumbai

Context

Bhakti Shah, has been diagnosed with learning disability, and lives with her family in Mumbai. In her current school, she was having trouble finding a supportive environment, conducive to learning with her disability. With the lockdown due to COVID-19, continuing with the same school through online classes proved even more difficult. Bhakti’s story is not unique, 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 information and services, as the number of organizations, professionals and other resources are inadequate to meet the needs of the space.

Ummeed’s social work team conducted a needs assessment and recommended a change of school. They referred Bhakti to remedial educator to help her with online classes. They also supported the parents in identifying and getting admission in an inclusive school. Bhakti enjoys her online sessions for learning and recreation. These have rejuvenated her motivation and zest to learn and study!

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 and at risk of developmental disabilities to reach their full potential and be included in society. As an organization with a workforce of nearly 100 committed professionals, Ummeed’s transdisciplinary approach works towards:

• Supporting children with disabilities through direct clinical services and helping families across the socioeconomic spectrum in their journey towards acceptance and empowerment
• Building a network of trained professionals, community workers and organizations who can prevent, diagnose, and manage developmental disabilities effectively
• Changing societal attitudes so that children with disabilities can be participate meaningfully

About the Position: Manager/ Sr. Manager, Social Work Services

Over 19 years of Ummeed’s journey, it has served over 12,000 children with developmental disabilities and their families through direct services. In addition, Ummeed has trained over 5000 doctors/ therapists/ community workers/ teachers/ parents across the country, on how to better support children and families experiencing developmental disabilities. Ummeed’s Social Workers have played, and continue to play, a critical role in bringing in a rights-based approach to intervention at Ummeed. They do this by providing information to families and service providers (at Ummeed and outside) about childhood disability rights and policies, as well as supporting them in accessing these provisions in various settings. In addition to directly supporting children and families receiving clinical services at Ummeed, Ummeed’s Social Work Team offers trainings on topics such as disability rights. A workshop called “Know Your Rights” for caregivers as well as professionals is one of their flagship programs. The Social Work team also participates in various advocacy efforts, in collaboration with parent-based organizations and other governmental and nongovernmental organizations. As Ummeed’s reach continues to grow, it would like to bring on-board a competent person for the role of Manager/ Sr. Manager, Social Work Services. The role will include co-strategizing the priorities for the team, owning the delivery of the team’s various programs (planning, oversight to execution, tracking and monitoring, data collection, donor reporting, etc.), and supervision and mentoring for junior social workers in the team. It is important to note that Social Work programs at Ummeed include direct support to children and families experiencing disabilities, training programs for parents and professionals, and relevant research and advocacy activities. Reporting into Head of Clinical Services

Roles and Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Manager/ Senior Manager, Social Work Services will include the following:

• Work closely with Head, Clinical Services and Senior team members to define goals and priorities for the Social Work team across clinical services, training services, research, and advocacy for each year
• Manage the delivery and quality of existing services (clinical as well as training)
• Conceptualize new programs that the team can take on as well as plan and deliver programs meant for scale to Determine and implement ways for incorporating the feedback and inputs of children, families, and trainees in the various programs
• Work closely with other clinical and training teams to ensure the Social Work team’s programs are coordinated and aligned with the overall direction of the organization
• Supervise, coach, and mentor junior team members; plan and manage recruitment of new staff in line with strategic priorities
• Work closely with the monitoring & evaluation (M&E) team to ensure accurate and up-to-date data collection, analysis, and reporting of the Social Work team’s work
• Be aware of funding status for the Social Work team’s programs and provide inputs for proposals and donor reports
• Work closely with other shared services teams such as HR, IT, Finance, Admin towards effective delivery of Social Work Services

Minimum Qualifications, Skills required

The applicant must have 7-10 years of experience in the Social Work sphere, including work with children and families experiencing disabilities, and 1-2 years of program management experience. The application must be passionate about working in the social sector and wanting to make a difference to the lives of children and families with disabilities across the socioeconomic spectrum.

The applicant must have:

• Excellent interpersonal skills, including cooperation, collaboration, negotiation, and ability to work across children, parents, trainees, and internal colleagues across teams
• Strong supervision and leadership skills including coaching and mentoring
• Strong oral and written communication skills in English and Hindi/Marathi
• Excellent problem solving and conflict management skills that involve a willingness to understand key issues and creatively resolve them
• Good project management skills (planning, executing, risk management, financial management)
• Willingness to learn about the sector and nuances of Ummeed’s philosophy and values

Why Ummeed?

Ummeed offers:

• A challenging but flexible work environment including opportunities for growth and creating impact at scale
• A leadership that invests in its people, giving them the freedom to explore, innovate, learn, while responsibly delivering on committed outcomes
• A strong culture of respecting diversity, being inclusive and committed to serving children with disabilities and their families
• An opportunity to work in collaboration with a diverse group of highly passionate, motivated and talented individuals
• We encourage parents of children with disabilities who have the above skillsets to apply for the position.

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