CoAction West Cork provides quality services to support children and adults with an intellectual disability, and children with autism. This is achieved by helping each service user reach their full potential, working in partnership with their families and carers, within the community.

Community Access Facilitator

Castletownbere Day & Residential Services - Ref D043

Permanent Contract - 39 hours per week

Closing date: Friday, 21st August 2026

Please note that a 12 month panel may be formed from these interviews from which future permanent, temporary, part-time or full-time vacancies may be recruited for.

For full position details and job description or for details on submitting an application please visit our jobs website https://coaction-west-cork.hirehive.com or you can email hrgen@coaction.ie

Key Working Relationships:

The Community Access Facilitator will work closely with people who receive a day services and with their nominated circles of support.
The Community Access Facilitator works with Day Services wider team and management as well as members of the multi-disciplinary team.
The Community Access Facilitator will also build and maintain working relationships with relevant community organisations, educational providers and local employers,

Reporting to: The Day Services Coordinator

The aim of the adult training and employment programmes within the Training and Employment Centre is to develop a range of practical and training skills with a view towards increasing innovation, independence and a sense of achievement for service users. The programmes contain vocational training and social and recreational activities. The Community Access Facilitator of a programme is responsible for planning, developing, implementing and reviewing the specified programme and associated work schedules within the training and Employment Centre in line with the ethos of the organisation and in consultation with team members.

Purpose of the post

The Community Access Facilitator will work autonomously under the general supervision of their manager.

The Community Access Facilitator will:

1) Empower people to live full and meaningful lives. To build their confidence and autonomy and explore/progress their career and life goals.

2) Enable adults with a disability to gain and maintain valued social roles (student, employee, volunteer, neighbour, friend) and to be recognised as equal citizens.

3) Promote input and co-production of how their Day Services are planned and delivered so as to ensure that adults with disabilities shape policies and supports that affect them.

4) Support participation in decision-making at both the individual and the service design/ delivery level, addressing barriers to inclusion and advocating for structural change where required.

5) Respect the dignity and autonomy of the person, ensuring rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and equality legislation are central to all actions.

6) Work in both group and individual settings in the community with adults with disabilities and their nominated circle of support, promoting equality of opportunity to access a wide range of community-based services and mainstream opportunities (education, work, leisure, civic participation) on the same basis as the general population to meet their individual needs.

7) Promote positive risk taking, supporting individuals to make their own decisions and learn from new experiences.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Service User Support/Care

The Community Access Facilitator will:

Work collaboratively with the person supported, their nominated circle of support to co-produce person-centred plans with ambition and possibility.
Support the person to access mainstream opportunities (education, work, civic life) on the same basis as others, and to challenge structural barriers where they arise.
Promote advocacy and self-direction, ensuring the person’s voice is central to all planning and decision-making by supporting adults with a disability to speak up for themselves and make their own choices, making sure their views guide all planning and decisions.
Include people with a disability directly in identifying and managing risk, respecting their right to make informed choices even when those choices involve some level of risk.
Support social and community inclusion, recognising the diverse identities of people with disabilities who are supported (e.g. gender, Traveller identity, ethnicity, sexuality).
Provide respectful and dignified personal support, which may include assistance with eating, showering, dressing and toileting, when required.
Support the person with developing their skills in the areas of :
o Creating and maintaining valued social roles
o Communication o Activities of daily living
o Social Integration and the use of community facilities
o Social Integration and the use of community facilities
Support the person to establish a circle of support and wider community connections.
Support the person to focus on outcomes/goals aligned with their person-centred plans.
Support the person to identify their strengths and areas of interest to enable active citizenship and community participation.
Support the person to identify who is best placed to support them to access valued roles in community.
Ensure that all activities and supports are monitored, maintained/reduced at an appropriate pace to ensure adults with a disability can sustain their valued social roles.
Introduce new experiences at a pace that enables the person to achieve success, addressing obstacles and other issues that may compromise achievement of agreed goals.
Seek out opportunities for the person to participate in social, work or training roles of their choice which are in socially inclusive settings and typical for a person of a similar age.
Assist the person to develop a full range of social relationships and valued social roles including developing friendships and social networks.
Empower the person to be a valued citizen in their local community, make choices and have ordinary life experiences.
Seek out opportunities for the person to experience a range of activities as a means of discovering their areas of interest, strength and conditions that will enable inclusion and citizenship.
Promote advocacy and self-direction through listening to the person’s wishes, supporting the person to make decisions and advocating on their behalf where required.
Explore and encourage the use of natural community supports by building interpersonal relationships in community with others.
Provide onsite support and mentoring to people who are accessing work experience in the local community.
Assist the person to identify and develop opportunities to experience volunteering, work experience, supported employment and pathways to full employment.
Promote and provide practical road safety awareness and travel training as required.
Facilitate the person to access mainstream educational programmes. · Identify and support the development of skills for self-directed living, including the delivery of training modules.
Assist with administration of medication, carrying out therapeutic interventions as prescribed by multi-disciplinary team /medical professionals, working collaboratively with the multi-disciplinary team.
Support the person to develop and maintain money management skills and ensure that petty cash used and any personal monies of individuals supported are properly accounted for.

Administration
The Community Access Facilitator will:
Establish and maintain partnerships with organisations, including advocacy groups, to strengthen systemic change for inclusion.
Attend and participate in staff meetings, multi-disciplinary team meetings, planning and review meetings as deemed appropriate.
Ensure the privacy and confidentiality of the person whilst acknowledging the needs for professional sharing of information within the relevant staff team.
Ensure records and documentation are maintained to a high standard and storage of files is in line with data protection policy at all times.
Develop and maintain good relationships with the nominated circle of support of the person supported, their support circle and uphold and support their role in the person’s life.
Work with other organisations to create networks and share resources.
Contribute to the development of quality assurance systems and procedures.
Identify and collect data to measure outcomes, prepare reports as requested. Record not only outcomes but also barriers experienced by people supported, ensuring these inform service improvement and policy advocacy
Report on rights-related indicators (access to services, discrimination experienced, progress on autonomy and inclusion
Cover for other staff as required.

Education & Training

The Community Access Facilitator will:

Attend and participate in all staff training as deemed relevant by organisational policy and service manager.
Undertake relevant training and be informed of current developments in services for people with disabilities e.g. Person-Centred Planning, Personal Outcome Measures, Human Rights and Citizenship.
Participate in committees and agency forums as directed by service manager.

Health & Safety / Risk Management

The Community Access Facilitator will:

Stay informed of current Human Rights Based Approach developments, United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities implementation, and national/international disability rights frameworks
Engage in training on anti-discrimination, cultural competence, trauma-informed practice, and intersectionality
Observe, report and take appropriate action on any matter which may be detrimental to the person’s supported care or wellbeing.
Adhere to all CoAction’s policies and procedures and to all relevant Health & Safety legislation.
Enable positive risk taking and ensure this is documented in line with the person’s rights under United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and service policies.
Adequately identifies, assesses, manages and monitors risk within their area of responsibility.
Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the role for example, Standards for Healthcare, National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, Hygiene Standards etc.

The above Job Specification is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to them from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.

Essential Qualifications

Candidates must possess a Qualification in General Health and Social Care or Community and/or Youth Work, as outlined in the Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) formerly FETAC on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) of not less than QQI Level 5

or

An equivalent Health Care qualification from another jurisdiction.
Valid Full Drivers Licence and access to a vehicle is essential

Essential Skills

Good Communication skills.
Good Interpersonal Skills
Team Worker
Caring Skills
Empowering
Teaching/ Training
Advocacy
Supervision of Staff/managing behaviour

Desirable Skills

Report Writing
Training Staff
Working with Families
Working in a horticultural environment
Working in a Catering Environment
Working in an Art/Craft/Pottery environment

Benefits:

Generous 25 days annual leave
Sick Pay
Maternity Leave
Parents Leave
Pension
Death in Service

In line with organisation policies

This job description indicates the main functions and responsibilities of the post and is subject to review and amendment in light of changing circumstances and may include other duties and responsibilities as may be determined from time to time by the Director of services/CEO or designated Line manager, you will be given as much notice of such changes as possible.

CoAction West Cork is an equal opportunity employer.

Community Access Facilitator - Castletownbere - 39 Hrs/Wk - Permanent - Ref D043

Benefits

Job Description