Social Care Worker

**Job purpose**:

- To provide personalised care and support services to a diverse range of service users.
- To work flexibly to ensure individual needs are met while maximising independence, choice, dignity, privacy and well-being, in collaboration with the senior care and support workers/team leaders/relatives where necessary.

**Main accountabilities**:
**Service Delivery**
- Provide assistance with the personal care and support needs of customers as identified in their care and support plan.
- Encourage and support customers to establish and maintain positive relationships with their family and friends and engage in activities which help them to achieve their personal goals.
- Provide support and practical assistance to customers with benefits, budgeting, paying bills and accessing appropriate services.
- Provide social and emotional support to customers in line with policies & procedures and best practice.
- Promote self-advocacy and act as the customers' advocate where appropriate.
- Be aware of customers' wellbeing, safety and state of health, reporting any concerns.
- Provide care and support that is appropriate to the age, gender, disability, race, religion and other differences of the customer to improve their quality of life and independence.
- Ensure all necessary records are accurate and up to date.
- Prompt and assist with the ordering, safe storage and administration of medication as detailed in care & support plans, recording as appropriate.

**Working with people**:

- Contribute to and work as part of a team, including providing cover for absent colleagues to improve service effectiveness and deliver a positive customer experience.
- To participate fully in staff meetings, training and other team activities.
- Build and maintain effective and productive working relationships with colleagues in the business and a broad range of external stakeholders, to strengthen Pro-Support's reputation as a leading housing, care and support provider.
- Achieve high customer satisfaction levels using feedback and customer insight.
- Deal with enquiries from family members, Social Workers and health professionals.
- Ensure customers are aware of personal health & safety issues, as identified in their Risk Assessments.

**Managing self and personal skills**:

- Perform other duties as may be reasonably required by your line manager.
- Manage your own continual professional development utilising available learning resources and opportunities and own personal networks.
- Agree to conduct yourself in line with the general standards of conduct and behaviour as detailed in Pro-Support's Code of Conduct which include awareness of risk, health and safety at work, data protection and embracing the cultural diversity of all colleagues and customers.

**Key experience and qualifications required: (**_This section outlines the key criteria that are necessary for this area of service). _

**COMPETENCIES**:

- Experience of providing care and support to vulnerable people (paid or voluntary)
- Understanding of the needs of vulnerable people
- Knowledge of health & safety issues relating to care and support of vulnerable people
- Ability to work using own initiative and as a member of a team
- Ability to work flexibly to meet customer and service requirements across a wide geographical area
- Availability to work on a rota basis including unsocial hours, weekends and public holidays
- Able to carry out wake-in and sleep-ins where necessary.
- Ability to undertake moving and handling tasks (including pushing of wheelchairs)
- Be familiar with the person-centred approach and how it can be delivered in care settings including home and community.
- Assess strengths within a home/community setting and areas for improvement
- Promote positive attitudes to working with the black elderly and their family and friends who support them
- Work with colleagues to help them identify and overcome difficulties encountered in delivering person centred care
- Develop care practices that promote well-being and reduce disability and distress in elderly.
- Participate in training and learning to improve knowledge, skills and attitude
- Implement necessary changes to domiciliary care that may be related to the environment, client life history, care planning and meaningful activity
- Introduce specific interventions such as needs based behaviour models
- Work with senior staff and management to look at ways domiciliary care in the organisation is organised/can be delivered
- Play a role in the development of individual care for clients alongside other key-workers and senior staff responsible for care planning and wellbeing in general.
- Work with GPs and other healthcare professionals linked to care setting by sharing good practice.

**Essential**:

- Driver - able to commute to various accommodations in the locality
- Flexible - able to work weekends & Bank holidays

**Desirable Criteria**:

- Knowledge of the welfare benefits system
- Experie