Community Engagement & Project Lead  

 Community Engagement & Project Lead  

Somali Speaking 

Salary: £24,472,  dependent on experience 

Hours: Part-time- 28 hrs per week (Monday-Thursday)

Employment Type- 12 month Maternity Cover 

Location: Mayfield Wellbeing Hub /  

Responsible to: Senior Management Team 

Deadline- Monday 19th February 2024 (interviews held throughout)

*Do not apply via WIT’s website* Email up to date C.V. and 1-page covering letter to farahd@wit.org.uk

Women’s Inclusive Team (WIT) began in 2003 with a group of mothers that needed the space  to chat and support one another with being new parents, trying to get into employment or being  healthier as well as much more. It remained informal for many years but the clear need for a  service that specialised in working with the needs of BAME women and particularly Somali  women became very apparent. This led to the organisation becoming structured with trustee,  business registration and business accounts etc. It began as the Somali Integration Team, changing its name to the Women’s Inclusive Team in 2018. 

At present run for women and their families by women in Tower Hamlets, the Women’s Inclusive  Team aim is to support disadvantaged female Tower Hamlets residents to become independent  and socially included. We focus on supporting the needs of BAME women and promoting social  

cohesion within the wider community. Empowering women through training, employment, and  advice are our core format of delivery and will continue to be the general format of work. The  organisation aims to create more sustainability in the services and support available. 

We do this through our training programmes and projects, these include; 

 

• Accredited Mental Health First Aid 
•  Advice and Guidance 
•  Community Kitchen and Food bank 
•  Employment – Childcare, ESOL Classes and Teaching Assistant courses
•  Community information Workshops – to provide information on various topics such as,  housing, health inequalities and domestic violence.
• Youth Projects (including specialised SEND projects) and Chicksand Preschool 

 

Project Summary 

Flourishing Communities was first piloted in 2021-22 in Tower Hamlets. Aimed to research and understand lived experiences of Somali women in Tower Hamlets in accessing primary health care. The project looked to create spaces and resources for information sharing between the community (project members) and services providers such as local GPs and other health providers both from voluntary and non-voluntary organisations. 

 

This was a partnership project between Women’s Inclusive Team, Tower Hamlets CVS, Local Primary Care Trusts and other health services. Building on the success of the pilot phase, the project then gained further funding for 3 years  which began in July 2022, to build on the work started in the pilot phase and implement changes as recommended from the previous phase to improve access to health for Somali women and other groups. The project will focus on women’s reproductive health working closely with Somali women, Bengali women and Migrant women in Tower Hamlets. Other partners are now Lime House Project and Praxis. 

 

Role Summary 

This role will aid the success of this project by working closely with project partners including local NHS systems and other key stakeholders such as the Somali, Bengali and Migrant communities by working to create requested and needed change to improve access to health

for women within both NHS systems and in the communities by facilitating workshops, training and supporting local women, proposing new initiatives and creating feedback loops for the community at every stage of the project. 

 

You will come with relevant skills, a proactive attitude, and a want to make a difference. 

We will provide you with on-the-job training, the chance to develop yourself, and a great team working environment.  

Key responsibilities 

• Deliver or support the delivery of workshops to build health literacy, share information and capture community health experiences online and in person. 
• Support local community members in accessing primary care services such as their GP and other opportunities available to them.  
• Attend both internal and external meetings. 
• Interpret health information between English and Somali in workshops and consultation  sessions where needed. 
• Create Social media resources and campaigns and work closely with Social Media lead. 
• Liaise with and at times challenge existing services and health care staff to create better access to healthcare for all. 
• Increase the engagement numbers for Flourishing Communities project
• Communicating with our ‘members’ to provide information on health inequalities and the other areas of support offered by WIT.
• Provide general information and guidance to members where required and  make sure this is carried out in a professional and empathetic way, without judgement. 
• Join and sit on specific and relevant boards to share information and advocate for WIT members and local minority communities. 
• Support to create safe spaces for project members to share personal experiences including but not limited to their health. 
• Encourage people to provide feedback and to share their stories about the impact of the  project and service provided to them. 
• Signposting beneficiaries internally across the different teams, following up referrals to ensure these have been actioned appropriately. 
•  Maintain systems to keep accurate records relating to the delivery and outcomes of the  service. 
• Supporting the recruitment and induction of volunteers for Flourishing Communities project
• Raising any concerns about the participation of members using our services. 
• Leading on the creation of activities with the wider team, to address the needs of local women and their  families to access better health
• Networking with other organisations and stakeholders, to promote the activities of WIT, while strengthening our collaboration with others to further our impact. 
• Adhere to all WIT’s policies and procedures, including confidentiality, data sharing, 
• IT/ system security, and safeguarding.
• Undertake  administrative tasks on other projects as and when required by the organisation 
• Setting-up meetings, information sessions and workshops that complement the successful delivery of the project
• Support the work of other community and health related projects within the Women’s  Inclusive Team (WIT) portfolio of work. 
• Manage and honour the communities needs and guide to create change. 
• Contribute to the evaluation process and reports where needed. 
• Manage project finances with the support of the finance team. 
• Contribute to training sessions with and for the funder. 

 

Skills, abilities and experience: 

• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal. 
• Strong leadership skills with confidence to work on your own initiative. 
• Able to prioritise workload to meet the demands of the project. 
• Computer literacy (outlook, power point, excel, word, social media, CRM, Google docs, zoom,). 
• Educated to Degree level or comparable work related experience. 
• At least 2 years experience in project management.
• Experience in community work in a community centred role, ideally within the  voluntary sector on a paid or unpaid basis. 
• Strong report writing. 
• Must be fluent and confident in community language (Northern Somali –Af Waqooyi) 
• Understanding of the relationship between, inequalities and health across different local  communities in East London.

To Apply -email up to date C.V  and 1-page covering letter to farahd@wit.org.uk