Outreach Support Worker

Job Advert

**Location**:Leeds, West Yorkshire

**Contract Type**:Permanent

**Hours**: Full or Part Time, Day shifts with weekends off (9-4:30 Mon to Fri)

**Salary**: £10.50 p/h plus benefits, rising to £11 p/h following successful completion of probation

**Who Are We?**

Leeds Autism Services (LAS) is a charity dedicated to helping create a more autism friendly society. We achieve this by campaigning for the rights and recognition of autistic people, sharing information to encourage a better understanding of autism, and by developing and providing specialist support for all of our service users.

When you work at LAS, you will make a positive difference to people's lives every day. It's rewarding, challenging and loads of fun; you'll meet some great people, and have access to brilliant training and development opportunities.

**The Post**

As a Support Worker you will help to improve the lives of the adults we support by promoting understanding and acceptance of people with autism, and helping them to be included and feel valued within their communities. You will be committed to maximising personal liberties and enabling people to make choices and decisions about their own lives. To ensure the highest standards of support are provided to the people who are supported by Leeds Autism Services, you will work within local and national guidelines and always strive to provide the best experience for our service users.

LAS is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of our service users.

**Responsibilities**:

- Ensure the welfare and development of all service users by providing the highest standards of care and making sure that appropriate attention is paid to their spiritual, physical, cultural, social, educational, and recreational needs, in accordance with service user plans
- Promote and implement inclusive, person centred care planning practices
- Support service users to plan their support; identify and achieve personal goals and/or outcomes in accordance with agreed plans
- Support service users in a non-judgemental manner in-keeping with the principles of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS)
- Support service users to access activities which have been identified to help people achieve their goals and outcomes
- Facilitate communication in-keeping with individuals’ preferred methods of communicating
- Help service users to develop records of their achievements and goals in a format which is right for them
- Promote personal liberty, choice, inclusion and decision making within the legal framework of the Mental Capacity
- Complete all appropriate recording formats including health and safety records, service user records, medication, etc.
- Ensure the safe administration and storage of medication in line with LAS policies and procedures
- Recognise changes with regards to physical, social and emotional well-being and bring these to the attention of your line manager
- Maintain professional boundaries at all times

NOTE: This job description outlines only the main duties of the post and is not intended to be exhaustive. You will be required to undertake responsibility for any other duties within the scope, spirit, and purpose of the post.

**Person Specification**

Essential
- Ability to empathise and advocate for the needs of people with autism and/or learning disabilities
- Good communication skills, written/verbal
- Team working
- Positive and flexible attitude to work and working hours
- Tact and diplomacy
- Care and empathy
- Problem solving/use of initiative
- Patience
- Motivation and persistence
- Good interpersonal and communication skills
- Self-awareness
- Loyalty and commitment
- Non-judgemental; committed to equality and diversity
- Good time keeping/attendance
- Willingness to undertake regular training

Desirable
- NVQ in Care Level 3/QCF or equivalent
- NVQ in Care level 2/QCF or equivalent
- LDAF/LDQ or equivalent
- Inclusion/Person centred planning
- Basic understanding of autism
- Experience working with people with disabilities/learning difficulties
- Experience working with people with autism
- Challenging behaviour
- Attending reviews/case conferences
- Use of own vehicle
- Ability to drive company vehicle/mobility cars

**Travel and Working Hours**
- Staff must be willing to work across all 3 LAS bases, out in the community, and in service users homes.
- Working patterns may involve some unsocial hours, e.g. early mornings, evenings, weekends, and some bank holidays, as required by the service. Staff are expected to complete any essential tasks before leaving work
- Staff must be comfortable lone working
- Flexibility is essential due to frequent and unexpected change to rotas and activities

**The Benefits**
- 25 Days annual leave + 8 bank holidays
- Health Care Scheme
- Pension Scheme
- Death in service benefit payments
- Sick pay
- Health and wellbeing support
- Learning, Development and Progression opportunities
- Access to our Employee Assistance programme, including a 24-