Family Outreach Officer

This is a hybrid role supporting the Paediatric Ophthalmology Departments at both King’s Mill Hospital (Nottinghamshire) and St. James’s Hospital (Leeds). The position is primarily home-based, with an expectation to attend each hospital site at least one day per month.

The working hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm.

Central to this role is working closely with Ophthalmologists and clinical staff as part of a team offering high-quality advice and guidance to families during a critical stage of their diagnostic journey, requiring empathy, strong situational awareness, and demonstrable experience.

This role will require you to adhere to values, policies and procedures of both Trusts and Guide Dogs.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality information, advice and guidance to families of children and young people, via phone, digital platforms and in person
• Manage a caseload, supporting families at key stages including around initial diagnosis, and signposting to relevant services where appropriate; to include, Health, Education, Welfare and Social Care.
• Deliver person‑centred support, gathering information to develop outcome‑focused action plans.
• Build and maintain strong knowledge of SEND legislation, processes and available services to effectively support families.
• Work collaboratively with internal teams and external partners to ensure co‑ordinated care and support, facilitating smooth communication across services.
• Maintain accurate and up‑to‑date records in line with service standards and reporting requirements.
• Support outreach activity, including attending community or clinical settings and contributing to events or workshops where required
• Complete necessary paperwork for registration and refer families to relevant Guide Dog Services, as well as statutory and voluntary agencies for further support.
• Assist families with external funding applications.
• Raise awareness of Guide Dogs Services and activities, ensuring families know about the full range of support available.

About you

• You're a compassionate, empathetic and highly motivated professional, with a strong commitment to improving outcomes for children, young people and their families. You are inspired by Guide Dogs’ mission to support people with sight loss to live the life they choose, and passionate about empowering families of children and young people with vision impairment to feel confident, informed and supported throughout their journey.

Skills and Competencies

• Ability to build professional, person‑centred relationships with families across face‑to‑face, phone and digital channels.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to engage a range of audiences.
• Effective organisational, time management and planning skills, including managing a varied workload.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, using initiative when required.
• Experience of working empathetically and sensitively with families and young people.
• Competent in using IT systems, including Microsoft Office and databases, with an understanding of data protection (GDPR).
• We wouldn’t be able to change the lives of people with sight loss without our people. That’s why it’s important for us to provide a variety of benefits that reward our colleagues in a way that suits them and recognises the hard work and contribution that they make.
• 26 days annual leave. After three years of continuous employment, this increases to 28 days plus bank holidays.
• Real Living Wage Employer
• Flex pot - equal to a proportion of your annual salary to use on our wide variety of flexible benefits
• The option to buy and sell annual leave
• Discounts and cash‑back scheme
• Excellent pension scheme (We will match your pension contributions plus 2% up to a maximum of 9% employer contribution)