Support Worker

What is a Support Worker?

Support Workers work as part of a team of support staff to provide individual, person-centered support for service users with learning disabilities and difficulties, complex needs and autism in a supported, residential and respite housing services.

As a Support Worker you will perform a variety of tasks, including domestic and personal care, support to access community, or leisure and social activities. It's an important role and can be an extremely rewarding career, as you will be supporting someone to live an independent, active personal and social life to the best of their abilities.

Job Title: Support Worker

Location: Mainstay DRP – Downpatrick

Location will be determined on appointment. Please note that all team members may be subject to transfer between locations according to client's needs

Accountable to: Registered Manager of the service

Reports to: Assistant Manager

Hours of work: Up to 39 hours per week

(Work includes irregular hours e.g. daytime, evenings, weekends, split shifts. And will require regular waking night duty and sleep in's to meet the needs of our clients)

Salary: £12.53 – £13.76 per hour

As well as working every day in a fulfilling career, we also offer –

• Comprehensive training aligned to NISCC
• Free meals while on shift (all frontline staff)
• Support to gain market-leading qualifications
• Mentoring and on the job training from our experienced team members
• Auto enrolment pension
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
• Free parking on all of our sites
• Refer-a-friend bonus of £200
• Team Welfare Fund – Offering a loan of up to £500
• Rate of £70 for sleep in shifts
• Employer funded Healthcare scheme (which includes savings on high street retail outlets and gym membership)

Annual Leave: 20 days per annum (plus an additional 3 days following 5 years' service) with 8 Bank Holidays per year.

Job Purpose:

To support Mainstay in delivering their vison for any individual with a profound and multiple learning disability to lead a happy, healthy, fulfilled life of independence within their local community. All whilst being given choice and support, enabling them to live their best life possible. As a Support Worker you will ensure everyone is provided with choices and support to lead a happy, healthy independent life to the best of their abilities within their community.

Main tasks and responsibilities are:

Support ALL clients to live THEIR best lives

Compassion and Care

• Provide person-centered support to service users as identified in their support plans

Empowering

• Facilitate and enhance their daily and independent living skills

Motivational

• Inspire our service users to succeed and develop

Customer focus

• Act as a nominated co-worker for allocated service users, putting the service user at the heart of what they do

High Standards

• Accurately maintain records in line with the organisation's policies and procedures, adhering to all guidelines and best practice

Role Model

• Be a positive, proactive and supportive member of our team

Creativity and Initiative

• Proactively develop new ideas to support our service users and to enhance how we work for our service users

Below are some examples of tasks you may be asked to complete each day, however each and every one of our clients are individual and have a different level of support required so all their care and support plans will let you know what they need.

Job Activities:

Service Lead (Applicable if at Point 3 and Point 4 of the pay scale) –

• Responsible for leading a shift, delegating key tasks to team members, ensuring all tasks are completed, and be the first point of escalation of issues
• Plan and implement activities on a shift including staffing levels, work allocation, transport.
• Ensure communication is effective and transparent to team members and service users, and all policies and procedures are understood and followed
• Report significant events to the relevant stakeholders in line with the organisation's policies and procedures e.g. RQIA, NISCC, Supporting People, HSC Trusts, families.
• Safeguard the use of service users' finances, managing checks and audits
• Ensure the medication policy is adhered to by all team members and breaches are escalated
• Complete sleep overs as required and be first response for any crisis intervention that may occur throughout the night

Support –

• Support our service users to meet their physical, personal and emotional needs as identified in their support plans, identifying and reporting changes in servicer users' needs
• Support service users with growing their life skills, including advice & guidance to manage personal budgets, maintaining their property, living as part of a household, and to look after their health and wellbeing
• Participate in the planning and development of structured activity programmes for service users, which may include supporting service users with day activities and assessments
• Assist service users to overcome social exclusion by supporting them to attend and take part in community based social activities and play their part in the local community
• Fulfil the role as a Key Worker for service users and lead all liaisons with parents, carers, next of kin, medical professionals other third parties to ensure the best standard of support for each service user
• Review regular progression of service user's SMART goals and outcomes. This includes the sourcing and implementation of additional support to achieve the goals.
• Maintain and review all Care/Support Plans and all relevant service user documentation

Care –

• Protect the rights and promote the interests of the service user
• Strive to establish and maintain the trust and confidence of the servicer user
• Promote the independence of service users while protecting them from danger and harm
• Take part in the collection and distribution of money from our central office to your working location
• Support our service users with eating, drinking, personal care, and mobility as may be required and in line their support plans and best practice
• Report and escalate incidents appropriately and in good time, in line with our policies and procedures
• Maintain annual registration with the NISCC

General –

• Uphold the Mainstay DRP Code of Professional Conduct, in your role as a NISCC registered health and social care professional
• Actively participate in supervisions with your manager and develop your skills in required areas
• Actively and positively participate in regular team meetings
• Attend training events and courses as required in the fulfilment of your role
• Accurately maintain all records and administration in line with our policies and procedures, including using our online care logging system, and providing effective handover information to team members
• Adhere to all health and safety requirements in the fulfilment of the role

Skills you will need:

You will need to be able to develop a strong and trusting relationship with the person you are supporting and enjoy helping them to live life the way they choose. Your role is not to make decisions for them, but to help them live an independent life. A Support Worker needs to be –

• Highly motivated, and committed to delivering service excellence
• Committed to personal and professional development
• Can develop an approach to practice based on critical thinking, reflection and feedback
• Have the capacity and self-confidence to innovate
• Non-judgemental, with ability to empathise with clients
• Honest, trustworthy and respectful
• Possess cultural awareness and sensitivity
• Flexible, energetic, positive and calming disposition
• Resilient and self-caring

What we need from you:

• Remember you are a professional Social Care worker and have signed up to the NISCC code of Standards and Practice
• To be punctual and demonstrate a strong teamwork ethic
• That you act in a professional way at all times
• Dedicate your time at work to supporting our clients
• Support your shift leader, Senior and Managers to deliver a first class service for our clients and service users
• Partake in training to ensure personal and professional development and maintain the required level of training compliance
• Follow all Heath and Safety guidelines
• Take responsibility for your work
• Share your skills and knowledge to support the organisation's ongoing development

Essential Criteria

• Ability to work under pressure
• Excellent IT and report writing skills
• Ability to maintain accurate documentation
• Knowledge of social care and NISCC standards
• NVQ Level 2 in Care or Equivalent qualifications (or willingness to work towards), or suitable experience

Desirable Criteria

• Experience working with or offering support to a vulnerable client group
• Experience of providing personal care for vulnerable adults
• NVQ level 3 in Care or Equivalent qualifications
• Experience of working in a supported living/residential/care organisation
• Experience of working with people who have a learning disability and/or autism
• Experience of administration of medication
• Full and Valid UK Driving License (or access to suitable transport to allow you to for fill the duties of the role)

NOTE This position is subject to an Enhanced Access NI check. Copies of the relevant policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders as well as the Access NI Code of Practice are available on request. Please note that having a criminal record will not necessarily be a bar to obtaining a position with Mainstay.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From £12.53 per hour

Expected hours: No more than 39 per week

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Free parking
• On-site parking

Work Location: In person