Senior Support Worker

**JOB DESCRIPTION: SENIOR SUPPORT WORKER**

**Responsible to**:the Care Manager, reporting regularly.

**Responsible for**:the day-to-day running of the Supported Living Service in the absence of the Care Manager/Deputy Manager

**Main Objectives**:to assist in overseeing and co-ordinating the running of the service, ensuring a safe, stimulating and caring atmosphere for the service users. The Senior Support worker must work within the parameters of agreed plans, establishments, and budgets for the service. In the absence of the Deputy Manager/Care Manager, the Care Provider’s approval must be obtained before:
1) committing the organisation to any capital expenditure.

2) changing the staff establishment.

3) altering the procedures and policies of the company.

4) Completing disciplinary hearings

**Main Duties**:This Service is registered as a Supported Living Care Service and the Senior Support is responsible for assisting the Manager in maintaining high standards of service user care. The Senior Support will be required to assist with the following duties, but in the event of the Care Manager being on leave, or on sick leave for a prolonged period, the Senior Support will be expected to assume responsibility for these matters:
**Key Result Areas**
- **Service Provision**_:

- Ensuring that adequate staffing is available to provide the necessary care.
- Taking part in a rota based on-call system in order to support with the monitoring and management of the service during out of office hours.
- Ensuring that reports are adequately kept.
- Ensuring that all administrative records, including service users’ Care Plans, are regularly reviewed and maintained in order to give an adequate and up-to-date view of the total care situation, and that appointments for staff and service users are noted in the diary.
- Ensure compliance with all statutory requirements (Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, CQC HSCA Essential Standards for Quality and Safety 2008).
- Liaison with professional colleagues in other agencies and attending meetings as appropriate.
- Involvement in Policy development for the organisation.
- To always promote a positive image of the organisation.
- To provide the day to day needs of the service users and support service users in all aspects of personal care.
- **Quality**_:

- Monitoring to quality of care.
- Ensuring that effective monitoring systems are in operation to ensure that care practices are of the highest standard
- The participation in and the development and implementation of agreed Quality Assurance/Development techniques.
- The continuing assessment of care needs the development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care, and the maintenance of the ESSENTIAL STANDARDS OF QUALITY AND SAFETY.
- Involvement in the support of students.
- **Staff Management**_:

- The co-ordination and supervision of the staff team, notifying the Care Provider of vacancies as and when they occur.
- Identifying, making recommendations and monitoring programmes designed to meet the training and development needs of staff, and to create a working environment in which staff can develop their skills.
- **Finance**:_
- Ensuring that all financial instructions are observed, especially that budget limits are kept, including the certification and despatch of bills and responsibility for Petty Cash.
- The use and good management of the service users’ finances within agreed procedures
- **Supported Living Service Management**:_
- Management/monitoring/reporting the repair and maintenance of the office, keeping records of such, to be submitted to Head Office regularly. Repairs involving potential high cost must be agreed with the Care Provider.
- Maintenance of a high standard of hygiene and the general tidiness and cleanliness of the premises, including gardens or other outside areas
- The provision and care of service users’ clothing, property, linen and furnishings where stated in their care plans
- The supply and safe keeping of medical supplies and first aid equipment.
- The observation of diet, menus, catering, purchase of provisions and hardware.
- The supervision of laundry and general domestic work; domestic work may need to be undertaken by the Deputy Home Manager as well as by other staff.
- The purchase and care of equipment required by the service users for leisure activities.
- Maintaining an up-to-date inventory.

The Care Manager will still retain overall responsibilities for these duties being carried out satisfactorily.

In addition, the Senior Support worker will be required to undertake any other appropriate duties within the framework of the post, in agreement with the Care Manager or Director.

The Senior Support worker will be required to work a 38-hour week plus sleep-in dependent on area (unless otherwise stated or agreed), which will include some duty shifts and some waking nights as per rota. Sleeping in is rota’d accordingly. It may be necessary, from time to time, to