A skilled and competent programme coordinator is the lynchpin of a successful programme. It’s essential to invest in the right person, and to give them enough time and support to carry out the role effectively.
Don’t underestimate the importance of the coordinator role. It requires someone who is passionate, tenacious and resilient.
The role is complex and is both inward-and-outward-facing.
As well as the operational and strategic aspects of the role, the relationship between the coordinator and all programme participants can profoundly impact on parents and volunteers. This dynamic creates the culture of the programme, with the coordinator modelling an empathic, supportive and empowering approach. The quality of relationship can impact uptake, retention and satisfaction.
Responsibilities include:
- Attracting, engaging, training, supporting, supervising and retaining volunteers
- Careful recruitment processes for volunteers and background checks
- Risk assessment and providing clarity about ground rules and boundaries
- Organising a range of volunteering activities
- Facilitating ways that enable volunteers to engage with pregnant women
- Building relationships and encouraging collaboration with professionals and other voluntary sector initiatives, including maternity (particularly important to ensure referrals), early years, Healthy Child Programme, social care and voluntary sector partners.
The coordinator is responsible for ensuring:
- Reliable and confidential support is provided to parents
- Volunteering boundaries and ground rules are adhered to
- Safeguarding issues are acted on appropriately
- Accurate data is collected and collated for ongoing evaluation.
Please click the download button below to read more about the relational aspect of the role in the Manual Guide: Community Parent Programme Coordinator.
Manual Guide: Community Parent Programme Coordinator
Added 20/11/2019Please sign in to download this file.
A key role of the programme coordinator is to listen and respond to the views of volunteers and parents and develop new projects based on the views of local families.
One-to-one home visiting provides a trusting environment for parents to express their views and uncovers needs for new projects.
The programme coordinator visits each family at home: to assess the safety of the family and area for home visits and to understand each parent’s needs and personality to be able to match them with a suitable volunteer.
They also need to establish a lone-working system for weekend visits and potential night-working for Birth Buddies.
Please click the download button below for example tools for initial coordinator home visits.
Initial visit pack
Added 20/11/2019Please sign in to download this file.
- Insufficient investment in the role (time, support and funding)
- Funders and strategic managers not understanding the community development skills needed
- Imposing short-term, unrealistic targets and timescales
- Tensions around professionals feeling threatened. More information in Planning Pathways to support - Getting professionals involved.
Have clear requirements for the role including skills, qualifications and experience. The right personal qualities are just as important.
Some of the qualities and abilities include:
- Passion and sound ability to form supportive and empowering relationships
- Being determined, persistent and able to listen carefully, reflect and respond
- Ability to confront discrimination and inequality
- Ability to stand back and encourage local people to identify and articulate their own needs
- Belief and firm commitment to early prevention
- Ability to network skilfully in the local area
- Interpret professional information into plain English.
We’ve tested and refined a job description, interview questions and interview performance record.
The Manual Guide: Community Parent Programme Coordinator has more information, you can download this below.
Manual Guide: Community Parent Programme Coordinator
Added 20/11/2019Please sign in to download this file.
You can view and download these resources relevant to recruiting a Community Parent Programme Coordinator.
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Uploaded by youManual Guide Community Parent Programme Coordinator.docx
Added 4-11-2019 by Parents1st UKExample job description programme coordinator.docx
Added 6-11-2019 by Parents1st UKInterview performance record programme coordinator.doc
Added 6-11-2019 by Parents1st UKFurther support and help
For more information on our Investing in staff development skills workshop please click below.