DAY SERVICE ASSISTANT CO-WORKER: One Year Fixed Term

Job description Day Service assistant co-worker February 13

JOB DESCRIPTION (Feb 16)

DAY SERVICE ASSISTANT CO-WORKER: One year fixed term

General Introduction

Tiphereth is part of the Camphill Movement. We are a small semi-rural community based on the outskirts of Edinburgh at the foot of the Pentland Hills. Tiphereth provides both residential and day care for adults with learning disabilities. For more information on the community please go to

Together we make up a community of about 100 people. We have three residential community houses and a variety of day care projects. We have recently bought neighbouring property and land, and are in a period of exciting growth and development. This post is a one year fixed contract to cover sabbatical leave.

The May Group does arts and craft workand has a kitchen for cooking, baking and fruit processing.

The Pentland Group carries out environmental work both in the local and wider community.The group does woodwork and green woodwork, producing pieces of furniture to order, and smaller articles such as toys and bird boxes. The group also operates Colinton Community Compost, a green waste collection and processing scheme on behalf of City of Edinburgh Council.

The Garden Group cultivates vegetable gardens and provides other horticultural activities on behalf of Tiphereth community.

The Peregrine Group does environmental and conservation work in partnership with other organisations in the wider neighbourhood.

Therapeutic services, appropriate crafts, music and celebration are common to all groups.

Ethos of the Organisation

As part of the Camphill movement, Tiphereth offers adults with learning disabilities the possibility of living and/or working together to realise their potential.Our life and work is based on the Rudolf Steiner principles of curative education and the wider social pedagogy movement. Through working with these principles Tiphereth aims to support the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the people in our care.

Tiphereth strives to create situations where each person has the opportunity to participate in services which benefit others. Our definition of work is ‘that which you do for others’. To enable people to achieve this, they are active in small groups under the guidance of one or more co-workers. For those who need more intensive support a higher level of support and care is provided.

Responsibilities

The Day Service assistantco-worker will work as part of a team that is led by the Day Service Manager andsupported bythe groupCo-ordinators.

This post requires the post holder to be prepared to work flexibly across all teams and activities, responding at short notice to the needs of the whole Day Service as they arise.

The assistant co-worker will assist small groups in tasks such as collecting garden waste, litter picking, woodwork, green woodwork, composting, gardening and making firewood.

Theassistant co-worker will work both indoors and outdoors and will enjoy being outside as part of a working group in all weathers.

Thekey tasks of the assistant co-worker are

To uphold Tiphereth’s values, aims and objectives
To provide the highest standards of care and support
To take guidance from co-workers and co-ordinators on work practice and tasks
To work on tasks and with individuals as requested by co-workers and co-ordinators
To assist co-workers in the running of composting, gardening, woodwork and environmental activities, and other activities as required with day attendees
To assist co-workers in taking responsibility for the proper use and setting up of all tools, equipment and materials used
To take responsibility for the safety of day attendees
To keep the Co-ordinators and other co-workers informed regarding any issues in the routine or care for day attendees as they arise
To be responsible for the cleanliness of workshops and areas used by day attendees and to share in all cleaning tasks
To assist co-workers to liaise with parents, carers, escorts, social workers,other health care professionals and therapists as required
To assist co-workers and co-ordinators in relation to their responsibilities to ensure all day attendees individual needs are met
To provide with dignity and respect, all aspects of personal care to meet the needs of individual day attendees
To facilitate and participate at meal times and break times in ensuring that all day attendees needs are met and supported
To accompany day attendees outside of the community for work, walks, trips, outings and appointments and to ensure they have appropriate clothing, equipment and medication they may need

Cultural/community tasks

To assist in maintaining and developing the cultural life and celebration of festivals with the community – this rich cultural life is central to Tiphereth as a Camphill Community
To support day attendees to actively participate in the cultural life of the community
To assist in creating a harmonious working environment and towards maintaining a safe and aesthetically pleasing space in which to work
To support any entrepreneurial activity Tiphereth undertakes

Training and Supervision

There is an initial period of induction for new staff. Support and appropriate further training or refresher courses in on- going training and professional development will be agreed with the Day Service Manager and within the wider Tiphereth community. Staff will be expected to achieve and maintain registration with the SSSC (Scottish Social Services Council) if and when this is required, and adhere to its Code of Practice.

Day Service assistant co-workers have access to reviews, supervision and support sessions, where issues of concern or those needing clarification can be raised, and where practices can be reflected.

Meetings

On a weekly basis (usually Thursdays) there is a Day Servicestaff meeting between 4pm – 5pm. Minutes are taken of these meetings.These meetings present a chance to deal with relevant Day Service issues.

Assistant co-workers attend.

There is a monthly Tiphereth Meeting held on Monday evenings between 4pm-6pm These meetings are events at which the whole community come together.Assistant co-workers attend.

Terms and Conditions

Tiphereth is committed to the Scottish Executive’s Safe Recruitment Policy.Tiphereth is required to carry out checks on your work and personal references, and also Enhanced Disclosure Scotland checks through membership of the PVG scheme. All offers of employment are subject to these checks being completed to Tiphereth’s satisfaction.

Salary: probation year £15,307, thereafter £15,795 (Please note this is fixed term post for one year)

Tiphereth operates a Stakeholder Pension Scheme with CIS Insurance, which you have to join. All co-workers will be registered for a pension and will make 1% personal pension contribution from their gross salaries. In 2013 this will increase to 2%personal pension contribution from your gross salary, in 2014 3% and 2015 4%. Tiphereth will match fund all personal pension contributions with a further 1.25%. All employees will be automatically registered on their first day of starting work.

All posts have a probation period of one year. During this time you will have a review. At the end of this period, if satisfactory, you will receive written confirmation that your post has become permanent.(Please note this is a fixed term post for one year)

Sick pay is paid at the statutory rate.

You will be entitled to 36 days paid holiday per annum pro rata inclusive of statutory and public holidays. You are required to take your holidays at the same time as the Day Attendees unless otherwise approved by the Day Service Manager.Tiphereth cannot guarantee that holidays at other times will be available.The dates of the Day Service holidays will be released on an annual basis in September. The leave year is 1 October to 30 September.

Thecore working hours are Monday to Friday 8.45am to 4.15pm. In addition to this, as described above in more detail, there is the weekly staff meetinguntil 5pm, and the monthly Tiphereth Meeting held on Mondays 4pm to 6pm.

The success of some aspects of the work at Tiphereth is dependent on the post holder’s willingness to occasionally volunteer extra time.