DASH Support Worker (Casual)

Buckinghamshire Council; Buckingham; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Part time

Job summary

A local government council in Buckingham is seeking a DASH Support Worker to assist in running engaging sessions for individuals with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). This hands-on role involves supporting activities like swimming and sports, ensuring a positive experience for all participants. Applicants should be friendly, adaptable, and capable of swimming, with experience in SEND preferred. This is a casual position with a rewarding atmosphere, offering £13.04 per hour plus holiday pay.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

Opportunity for meaningful engagement

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience working with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
• Ability to swim and converse in English.
• Willingness to undergo a DBS check.

Responsibilities

• Assist the club leader to ensure sessions run smoothly.
• Help participants during physical activity.
• Ensure participants are picked up by correct carers.

Skills

Friendly

Adaptable

Confident

Great communicator

Able to swim

Basic sign language or Makaton

British Sign Language (BSL)

Education

Previous experience working with SEND

Sports coaching qualifications

Job description

Are you passionate about sports, inclusion, and creating unforgettable experiences? DASH Disability Sports Club is looking for a DASH Support Worker (casual) to help run our vibrant club in Buckingham.

DASH is a fun, welcoming sport and social club for young people and adults with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Every Tuesday 5pm-7pm at Swan Pool in Buckingham, we host two hours of activities - one hour of swimming and one hour of multi-sports, arts, and socialising.

You’ll work alongside our amazing club leaders to ensure sessions run smoothly and safely. From helping set up equipment to joining in the fun, you’ll play a key role in creating a positive, engaging environment for our members. The disabilities of the young people and adults are extremely varied, you will need to be confident, extremely adaptable and prepared to learn.

Why you’ll love it:

• Rewarding work - Build meaningful relationships and make a real impact.
• Fun and flexible - Laugh, learn, and grow in a supportive team.
• Great experience - Perfect for anyone looking to start a career in SEND or sports coaching.

The hourly rate is £13.04 plus an additional 12.07% uplift for annual leave.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively neworganisation that combines the strengths and expertiseof the previousfive councils in the countytocreate positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to providestronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.

About the role

As a DASH Support Worker, you’ll assist the club leader to ensure sessions run smoothly and safely. Each session includes one hour of swimming and one hour of multi-sports, arts, and social activities. The role is a flexible one, if you are unable to attend a session just let the team leader and office staff know and they will arrange cover.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Assisting the group leader to help the club run smoothly, taking part in physical activity and assisting participants where required
• On occasion, if required, assisting the participants when getting changed.
• Making sure the participants are being picked up by the correct carers and parents.
• Socialise and maintain a professional attitude with the participants throughout.
• Ensure the participants are positively benefiting from their experience.
• Participating in and assisting with swimming sessions as required
• Helping put out/set up equipment
• Take payments using the I Zettle machine (card machine)

This is a rewarding, hands-on role where you’ll build meaningful relationships and gain valuable experience working with SEND in a supportive team. If you are someone who would like to work with those who have SEND in a relaxed, fun and engaging environment then this is the role for you.

On-the-go:

Our ‘on-the-go’ roles mean you’ll usually start and finish your day from a base, moving around between different locations throughout the day. You won’t need a fixed desk to work from, but you’ll have access to our network where you can keep up to date with admin and the latest staff updates.

About you

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Friendly, adaptable, and confident
• A great communicator and team player
• Able to swim and converse in accurate spoken English
• Willing to undergo a DBS check
• Previous experience working with SEND
• Sports coaching qualifications
• Basic sign language or Makaton
• British Sign Language (BSL) skills

Please refer to the job summary attached for full details about the role.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like‑minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Our Communities directorate works across the county to deliver a number of the key customer‑facing services that our residents, businesses and visitors rely on every day.

This directorate includes a wide range of services, including:

• collecting and disposing of waste and recycling
• maintaining our roads and Rights of Way network and parking
• ensuring the delivery of school transport, and supporting sustainable travel including public bus services and School Crossing Patrollers
• managing Country Parks
• leisure facilities, museums, theatres and libraries, as well as developing our Cultural Strategy
• Licensing, Environmental Health and Trading Standards
• Cemeteries and Crematoria

The customer is central to how we develop and deliver all of these services, which help promote our rich and vibrant culture and special environment.

We are looking for enthusiastic, ambitious and committed individuals to join our team and help us to continue to make Buckinghamshire a great place to live, work and visit. This is an exciting time for us as we bring together the services previously run by five separate councils before Buckinghamshire Council was created. Whilst making major changes to contracts affecting residents across Bucks, we continue to focus on delivering great customer service. You will join us on our journey of continuous improvement - whether that’s through developing strategies and ways of working or delivering services on the ground, every person in Communities is a valued member of the team.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work‑life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.