Support Worker Full Time - must be able and willing to do sleepovers

JOB DESCRIPTION

Post:                    Support Worker/Healthcare Assistant — housing support services and care at home

Reports to:          Senior Support Worker/Senior Healthcare Assistant, Assistant Deputy Manager and Service Manager

OVERALL OBJECTIVES

1.    To provide health, wellbeing and housing related support to people with disabilities to enable them to maintain their tenancies and to achieve their aspirations for independent living.

2.    This job description is generic and applies to all support workers and/or healthcare assistants. The duties will be determined by the individual needs of the service users being supported. The context in which support is provided may vary according to the service users’ living environment and may include site-based support, housing management and support, housing management only.

3.    Depending upon the location, the support provided may be to people with physical or sensory disabilities or people with learning disabilities or people with mental health related support needs or a combination of these.

KEY TASKS

CARE & SUPPORT SERVICES

·         Identify service users’ individual support needs and, through consultation and agreement with the service user and where appropriate, their legal representative/guardian, family, friends Social Worker, Multi-Disciplinary Team and advocacy agencies, develop and implement suitable support plans to ensure that identified support needs are met.

·         Facilitate effective communication with service users, families and team members regarding the planning, support, and maintenance of each support package.

·         Encourage and support service users to live as fully and independently as possible in their homes and within the local community, providing information, emotional, organisational, and practical support and training as appropriate.

·         Maintain safety, security and confidentiality when accessing service users’ homes.

·         Support the safeguarding of service users, and knowledge and understanding about adult support and protection and actions you need to take to ensure service users are safe from harm and abuse.

·         Support and assist service users with administering medication in accordance with the company’s medication policy and procedures and service users’ support plan.

·         Support service users with their daily living activities including cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry duties and recreational activities, in line with their support plan and funded support hours and ensure all support provided is recorded and are up to date.

·         Support service users to manage their money in accordance with agreed budgets and policies and procedures

·         Carry out risk assessments as and when necessary due to the changing needs and aspirations of users.

·         Report to the service manager or their nominee any untoward incident, accident, complaint or abuse of a vulnerable adult

·         Keep yourself, service users and other staff safe and secure including carrying out health and safety checks before you begin work activities, ensuring your actions support health and safety, taking action to manage and deal with emergencies.

·         Maintain all required records of the care and support provided to the service users daily and as required in accordance with company policies and procedures and support plan.

·         Maintain registration to the SSSC and adhere to their Codes of Practice, keep yourself updated with any changes by reading information sent to you by SSSC and by continuously checking updates on the SSSC website, always work within current legislation. 

·         Organise and provide appropriate support for service users preparing to transition to greater independence, including support through the move and resettlement into their new home.

·         Contribute to the protection of service users from abuse, and support service users when they are distressed.

·         Liaise with other housing, health and social care professionals, legal representatives, guardians, family, friends, and advocacy agencies.

·         Assist the people we support during their holiday/short break where required.

·         Undertake lone working as required.

·         Advocate for service users where appropriate.

·         Undertake keyworker roles and responsibilities for service users and support them to celebrate birthdays and important events for the individual and significant others as required.

·         Understanding and acceptance of the conditions of being invited into and working in service users’ accommodation and an acceptance of their rights.

HOUSING MANAGEMENT

·         Ensure service users understand their tenancy agreement, their rights, and obligations, and report any breaches to your line manager and or Service Manager as appropriate.

·         Ensure that all equipment used by both staff and service users is safe to use, serviced regularly, damages reported timeously using the repair and maintenance information that is available

·         Ensure that all buildings and fittings are well looked after and used with care; and that all damages are reported as soon as it has been noticed.

·         Monitor the provision of housing services (heating, cleaning, provision of furniture, etc.), where applicable.

·         Liaise, consult with, and actively support service users’ meetings, encouraging participation in decision making processes.

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

·         Report, order and inspect day to day repairs and estate maintenance, monitoring the performance of the LiN Group’s contractors.

·         Ensure that fire and other equipment is regularly serviced, tested, and complies with health and safety requirements.

·         Carry out risk assessment and hazard reporting in line with health & safety policy and procedures.

STAFF & TEAM WORKING

·         Work within a team, communicating professionally, supporting colleagues and attending team meetings, recording and sharing information appropriately and confidentially.

·         Undertake induction, all core training required for this post, other training and professional development activities as required and specific to service users’ needs.  This may include achievement of specified competencies.  Ensure that PRTLs are completed as per SSSC codes of practice.

·         Develop practice including reflecting on your current skills and knowledge in the workplace, taking opportunities to improve your practice and applying learning in the workplace.

·         Support new staff members during their induction and participating in their development within your capabilities in a supportive manner.

·         Undertake other delegated tasks and responsibilities and needs of the company that fall within your capabilities as directed by your line managers and other professionals such as staff nurses specific to your area and senior management.

·         To be aware of LiN Group’s values, policies & procedures that are current at any time and always to carry out duties accordingly. Reading, understanding and acting on any information sent to you by email or available for you to read within your work area.

·         To comply always with LiN Group’s legal, contractual obligations, and regulatory responsibilities in relation to the above duties. Ensure that any changes to your personal circumstances which may impact your work are reported immediately to your line manager.

·         To work flexibly on a rota basis to meet the needs of the service, this includes weekends, bank holidays and sleep-ins/waken night shifts as agreed at the time of the interview and as per contract. 

Person Specification - SUPPORT WORKER/HEALTHCARE ASSISTANT

 

ATTRIBUTES	ESSENTIAL	DESIRABLE
Experience	Understanding team working	Relevant experience in health and social care
Education, Qualifications and Training		SVQ 2 or higher in health and social care or related discipline
Value Base	A belief in inclusion, evidenced through work practice A desire to ensure the service users are at the heart of decision making Commitment to the principles and practices of continuous improvement
General skills, abilities and knowledge	Good personal organisation skills  Ability to contribute to written records  Ability to reflect on practice
Interpersonal skills	Good verbal and non-verbal communication skills  Observe standards of dress appropriate to the post  Honest and sensitive to the needs of others	Able to represent the needs and interests of the service users to key people
Others	PVG certificate from Disclosure Scotland  Appropriate registration with SSSC and adherence to SSSC Codes of Practice  Flexibility on duties undertaken and hours worked to meet the service user needs and colleagues	Full driving license

 

Position details Salary: £9.25 per hour Contracted hours: Full time - 36 hours Location: Colinton, Edinburgh