Mental Health Senior Support Worker

Mental Health Senior Support Worker, Young People

Fulwood, Preston

£23244 - £24960 per annum dependent on experience and qualifications

Full Time 37.5 hours per week

Essential requirements of a Support Worker
- Flexibility - Your role will involve working shifts including weekends and Bank Holidays
- Must be able to attend training throughout employment which will be held on weekdays
- Good written skills and the ability to write basic reports and record information accurately
- Good verbal communication skills and the ability to listen to others
- An ability to maintain a professional working boundary
- Ability to remain calm in emergencies, supporting others during difficult situations

Desirable Criteria of a Support Worker
- Full UK Driving Licence
- NVQ Level 2 qualification or equivalent in Care
- Previous experience of working with young people who have mental health need

Care in Mind provide residential services for young people aged 16-30 years old. The young people we care for often require a high level of support to assist with difficulties they may have from self-harming, behaviour, and emotional difficulties. Our aim is to support the young people using a therapeutic approach to help them achieve their individual goals, in preparation for transition to adult life.

Company Benefits
- 30 days holiday (Rising to 35 days with service including bank holidays)
- An additional day off each year for your birthday
- Opportunity to work part time hours if this suits your circumstances
- Excellent Learning and Development opportunities (Level 3 in Adult Health & Social Care and support with completion of the Care Certificate)
- Paid Training, Induction and DBS check
- Healthcare CashPlan with costs provided towards dental and optical care and a range of other healthcare treatments and benefits including discounted gym memberships, online shopping discounts, free eye tests and various other benefits
- Blue Light Card to access further shopping discounts
- Enhanced company pension
- Life Assurance (2 x annual salary)
- Enhanced maternity/paternity leave
- Employee Assistance Programme/24-hour Counselling Service

At Care in Mind our homes are always a hub of activity and energy where the young people can feel safe, and our staff enjoy coming to work. As Senior Support Worker your role will involve working alongside and supporting the Deputy and Registered Manager in supervising a team of staff and will carry out the co-ordination and leading of shifts. You will take the lead and play an active part in the young person’s key team, creating and updating care plans, work collaboratively with the homes multi-disciplinary team ensuring all actions have been completed. You will also take an active role in supporting new members of the team and be involved in the recruitment of new staff attending interviews and local job fairs.

At our home in Fulwood you will be working with young people who have a variety of mental health diagnoses including personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, those who have difficult relationships with food, and those who use self-harm as a strategy to cope with their emotions. This role requires patience, resilience, and compassion as you support our young people to navigate various challenges and develop new skills. When asked what qualities are the most important to them in a staff team, our young people have said they would like caring, honest, understanding, fun, and kind people to come and work with them. They love to learn new things and have a variety of hobbies and interests that they like to share with the team. They’re also an adventurous bunch who engage in a variety of activities such as going to the zoo, museums, outdoor sports, theme parks, and escape rooms to name a few. Our young people are working towards moving on positively from the home into the community and are developing skills that support their independence and autonomy.

The home is a 5-bed service and is located near local woodland and scenic walking routes, it is a big house with lots of character set in large grounds, which are perfect for summer BBQs, veg patches, and outdoor games. The surroundings are very peaceful with stunning views of local wildlife and countryside. It is a short drive or bus journey away from the centre of Preston which has excellent transport links and numerous amenities. The home is well cared for and staff and young people work together to make it homely and welcoming.

The role will include some fewer fun aspects such as incident management, de-escalation of challenging behaviours, completing several online records, report writing, audits, and medication management.

Previous experience of working with young people who have mental health needs is essential and ideally you will have worked as a Support Worker in a similar environment. You will receive full training and ongoing support & mentoring from our friendly residential and clinical team.

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