What Will I Be Doing?

As a residential support worker:

  • Accompanying service users to leisure activities/outings – CVS or a location of their choice – e.g. the cinema, the park etc, enabling them to acquire independence, whilst at the same time encouraging them to integrate as a group and gain and develop social skills.
  • Accompanying the service user to appointments – e.g. the doctors, dentist, hairdressers or hospital
  • Helping prepare lunch with the service user – ensuring they have a healthy and balanceddiet and that dietary requirements are met.
  • Ensuring that service users are suitably clothed, and their footwear is adequate for the activity they are undertaking.
  • Ensuring that monies agreed for the purchase of food, outings, etc. are collected weekly and secured safely.
  • Helping the service user with their personal hygiene and personal care needs – helping to the toilet, changing pads and washing.
  • Monitoring the provision and stock of food in the house you are based in.
  • Maintaining the standard of living within the house – ensuring it is clean and tidy andencouraging the service user to participate in cleaning and tidying activities
  • Accompanying the service users on holidays – a place of their choice and interest to them
  • Providing a safe and secure home environment for the service user and ensuring no unauthorised person is let on the premises
  • Administering medication as and when required (full training provided)
  • Supporting service users through times when they are feeling anxious and may result in them displaying risk behaviours

We hope you enjoy working here as a support worker and find it a rewarding experience. April 2016

Summary of Terms & Benefits

  • The vacancies are permanent and worked on a rota basis arranged locally
  • The salary will be paid on Autism Together’s pay scale point 9, currently £7.40 per hour, rising to point 10, currently £7.60 per hour on successful completion of a 6 month probationary period
  • If qualified to QCF/NVQ Level 2 or above in Health & Social Care, the starting salary will be paid on point 10, currently £7.60 per hour, progressing to point 11 £7.75 per hour on successful completion of a 6 month probationary period
  • All staff are entitled to 5 weeks plus statutory bank holiday entitlement (equivalent to 8 days). The annual leave is calculated in hours, depending on the weekly hours worked
  • One additional days holiday is awarded following completion of 5 years’ service and two additional days on completion of 10 years’ service (pro rata)
  • Company Sick pay scheme, rising to 8 weeks full and 8 weeks half pay
  • Attendance incentive scheme
  • Access to a defined contribution pension scheme (NEST) with a contribution from the organisation
  • If you are required to work any of the 3 festive bank holidays you will receive 1½ times pay plus time in lieu
  • Instant access to the tax free child care voucher scheme operated in conjunction with Sodexo
  • Twice yearly implementation to the tax free cycle to work scheme, The posts are Wirral based but you may be required to work at other locations within the organisation
  • Comprehensive training programme and access to further qualifications

April 2016

Support Worker Person Specification

Requirements / Essential / Desirable
  1. Qualifications
  1. Relevant qualifications e.g. NVQ2 in Care
  1. Education to at least GCSE or equivalent
  1. First Aid qualification
/ 


2. Knowledge
a)Knowledge of people with learning difficulties
b)Basic understanding of people with autism
c)Understanding of the importance of confidentiality / 
 / 
3. Experience
  1. Experience of working with people with learning difficulties/challenging behaviour
  1. Working with people in a residential setting
  1. Attending to the personal care of a service user
/ 


  1. Skills/Abilities
a)High standard of care
b)Good oral and written communication skills
c)Ability to encourage and motivate others
d)Working alone and being proactive with a service users / 



  1. Personal Qualities/Circumstances
a)Ability to drive
b)Ability to work shifts
c)Commitments to service users rights
d)Commitment to equal opportunities
e)Ability to be away from home overnight for service users holidays and training / 


 / 

April 2016

Support Worker Job Description

Job Profile:

1.To co-operate with the Team Leader, Registered Manager, and Quality & Development Manager in providing a happy, caring and secure home background for service users, together with a well structured programme of leisure activities and social skills training for each individual service user.

2.To do everything possible to help to create good working relationships and full co-operation between care workers, teaching staff, clerical and domestic staff, and part-time specialists.

3.To play an active part in promoting good public relations in the locality, so as to increase public awareness of, and support for, the aims and objectives of the organisation.

Responsible to:Firstly, the Team Leader, Registered Manager, Quality & Development Manager, and ultimately the Director of Operations and the Chief Executive.

Responsible for:Service User(s)

Relationships:1.To establish and maintain good working relationships with all service users and staff.

2.To be sensitive and aware of the need for good relationships, and communication with relatives, guardians, or advocates of the service users.

3.To ensure that the Registered Manager and Team Leader are kept informed of service users' progress, or any problems which may arise, necessitating social work input.

4.To foster good relationships with the public, by promoting an understanding of autism, and the work being undertaken by Autism Together whilst maintaining a level of confidentiality.

Location: You may be required to work at any location within the organisation.

Physical Conditions:Work is performed in standing and sitting positions. The work is undertaken indoors and outdoors. You will be required to work nights and/or sleep in duties as and when required. A current, clean driving licence is a desirable requirement of the post.

Accountabilities:

Finance:To ensure that measures necessary to comply with budgetary

control is applied.

To ensure that such monies as have been agreed for the purchase of food, outings, etc. are collected weekly and secured safely.

To ensure that receipts to cover money withdrawn for domestic purposes are presented to the Finance Department within a reasonable time.

Materials:To ensure that service users have a healthy and balanced diet, and that provisions are of a good standard, and stocks of food sufficient to cover any eventuality are held, and that any dietary requirements are met.

To ensure that service users are suitably clothed, and theirfootwear is adequate for the activity they are undertaking.

To ensure that each service user has his or her own personal hygiene items.

To ensure that any vehicle which is supplied for use by the organisation is treated with respect, kept clean, and driven only for the benefit of the service users, and by those insured to drive on behalf of the Autism Together and to adhere to any mileage restrictions.

MAIN TASKS

Care of Service User(s):

1.To be directly responsible for a small group of service users, or a namedservice user and to train and develop their potential, in accordance with their abilities.

2.To ensure that each service user has a programme drawn up, which will provide appropriate training in social skills.

3.To draw up a programme of meaningful leisure activities for each service user, enabling them to acquire independence, whilst at the same time encouraging them to integrate as a group.

4.To act as key worker to service users, forge and maintain links with the families and take particular interest in their key person’s welfare and well being.

5.As and when required the key worker will, for reviews and other meetings, prepare, reports and assessments on their key service users, present these reports and act on recommendations arising from them within the agreed time scale.

6.To maintain a high standard of 'good housekeeping', ensuring that all areas

are kept clean and tidy.

7.To understand the organisation's health, safety and fire regulations, and ensure that they are strictly observed.

8.To accompany service users on holidays.

9.To not permit any unauthorised person on the premises, but only those on

official business, or friends and relatives of the service user.

10.To ensure that necessary arrangements are made for service users to attend

the hairdresser, and to go on shopping expeditions.

11.To ensure that if medical help is needed for any service user, it is sought promptly, and line management is kept informed.

12.To accompany service users to medical, dental, and hospital appointments.

Employee Relations:

13To participate in the staff appraisal and supervision programme.

14.To participate in and contribute to Staff Training Programmes.

15.To ensure that any matters concerning individual service users are kept strictly

confidential to the oragnisation, its staff and management.

16.To carry out any other duties which may be agreed from time to time, in

discussion with the Team Leader, Registered Manager, Quality & Development Manager, and which relate to the service users’ welfare and development.

This is intended as a guide to the main responsibilities of the post, and is not an exhaustive list of duties. This job description is subject to amendment, following consultation with the post holder.

April 2016