Day Opportunities Community Support Workers

SHROPSHIRE COUNCIL; Shrewsbury; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Part time

Job summary

A local government authority in Shrewsbury seeks Day Opportunities Community Support Workers to promote independence for adults with learning disabilities. You will support service delivery, ensure individual choice, and enhance the quality of care in a community-focused environment. Ideal candidates will have experience in social care and strong advocacy skills. This role offers part-time hours with additional benefits.

Benefits

28 days annual leave

Training and development opportunities

Reimbursement for travel expenses

Qualifications

• Experience working with adults with learning disabilities.
• Ability to promote independence and inclusion.
• Understanding of safeguarding principles.

Responsibilities

• Support Locality Leads with service delivery.
• Develop and maintain positive relationships with clients.
• Contribute to training and development opportunities.

Skills

Experience in social care

Strong communication skills

Advocacy skills

Understanding of health and safety practices

Education

Relevant qualification in health/social care

Job description

As Shropshire Council we are rightly proud of our achievements and we have proven tobe a resilient local authority in our response to the many challenges we overcome, particularly over recent years. We will be continuing this momentum with ambition and afocus on delivering our four key priorities outlined within the Shropshire Plan: HealthyPeople, Healthy Environment, Health Economy and Healthy Organisation.We are committed to achieving this by aligning everything we do to our vision 'Shropshire- living the best life'; to tell everyone that Shropshire Council is a great place to be.We will enable a skilled, happy, healthy, diverse, inclusive, empowered, and proudworkforce that influences and leads change, addressing any inequalities.As a member of the Day Opportunities services within Care & Wellbeing - ASC you willsupport the achievement of these key priorities, making a real difference to the lives ofpeople in Shropshire.The Day Opportunities Community Support Workers posts will be responsible for a groupof localities based, community focussed and digitally confident services that are personcentred and strengths based - enabling care and support that promotes independenceand inclusion.In addition to ensuring the ways we support the people we currently work with areperson-centred and strengths-based, you will work with others to create an offer thatyoung people looking for their next opportunity will want to be part of and choose to join us.You will contribute to ensuring that services are delivered in accordance with, andunderpin, the following:

• the priorities and strategic objectives of People Directorate and the Council
• the vision and values of People Directorate and the Council
• the Council's commitment to openness and transparency
• responsiveness to changes in legislation; national; regional and local priorities,
• creation of an environment that enables our vision for Day Opportunities to be successfully delivered.

Overview of your role

Day Opportunities play an important role in the provision of social care. In your role you will support the Locality Leads and their teams to ensure that those who choose to be part of our services along with their families and carers are able to live their best lives. You will ensure that we support people with the aspiration of finding and using their individual gifts and skills to achieve their goals and maintain independence and inclusion at every opportunity.

Who will your manager be and what will you be responsible for?

• Reporting to Locality lead at Aquamira who is in turn responsible for your health and safety, training and development.
• Expected to lead and/or contribute to a range of projects and build relations with both internal and external partners in order achieve specified outcomes but will not have direct authority over those involved.
• Responsible for preparing responses in line with Shropshire Council's corporate processes and national/regulatory/statutory processes (e.g. complaints, MP enquiries, Information Governance requests, customer enquiries, media enquiries, HR staff investigations etc.). These responses should be in line with the quality and timescale expectations set out within Shropshire Council's published procedures and/or case allocation emails and discussions.
• Responsible for completing within expected timescales all mandatory corporate and role specific training. Training requirements will be detailed in your corporate induction and Personal Development Plan (PDP). Courses are accessed via the council Learning Management System via the Intranet.

What will you be doing?

• Work within the philosophy of the Adults with Learning Disability Service to create a supportive atmosphere within their day services, where people attending our services have the opportunity to achieve maximum independence across the services and various locations.
• Respect the dignity of each person attending our services by working in a manner which promotes his/her individuality by ensuring that the client has adequate information about choices and facilities available.
• Actively support and encourage people to use their advocacy and self help skills at every opportunity supporting the individual where necessary by developing the client's awareness of legal and civil rights.
• Respect confidentiality at all times.
• Comply with safe systems of work in accordance with the Directorates Health, Safety and welfare policies and procedures and local ones.
• Contribute to the maintenance of records, files and reports as appropriate in line with our policies and procedures.
• Support and contribute to the implementation of programmes for individuals or groups.
• Provide support of a practical and personal nature to the client, where appropriate.
• Undertake the role of key-worker for individuals.
• Liaise with parents / carers and other professionals / agencies e.g. Community Nurses, Social Workers and Physiotherapists on behalf of the people attending our services.
• Gain a knowledge of service provision and resources within and external to the county. To be available for supervision with the Locality Leads in accordance with departmental procedure and to use supervision constructively.
• Gain an awareness of Adults Services Policies and Procedures relating to the whole range of duties.
• Develop an awareness of issues related to equal opportunities and antidiscriminatory practice in carrying out your duties.
• Take an active part in identifying training, development and continuing personal and vocational development opportunities.
• The post-holder may be required to undertake other duties not specifically mentioned in this job description (e.g. driving duties after received specialised training).
• In exceptional circumstances the postholder may be nominated as an appointed person to cover in the absence of the Senior Support Worker.
• Monitor standards of support where required provide relevant advice or feedback to the staff team members, reporting any difficulties to Locality Lead.

The post holder will

• Be responsible to the Locality Leads, Day Opportunities who are in turn responsible for the post holder's health and safety, training and development.
• Work in partnership with the Day Opportunities Commissioning & Transformation/Operational & Transformation Team Managers to embed and implement our programme of transformation and new ways of working.
• To promote a culture within Day Opportunities services that reflects its vision - particularly in how we put the people who choose our services at the heart of everything we do, working with purpose and ambition.
• Promote and uphold the privacy, dignity, rights, health and wellbeing of people who always use care and support services.
• Working as one team in contributing to the development of services and to a range of projects as defined by the Day Opportunities Locality Leads - building relations with both internal and external partners to ensure services are firmly embedded as a key asset within local communities.
• Communicate in an open, and effective way to promote the health, safety and wellbeing of people who use our services.
• Strive to improve the quality of care and support through continuing professional development.
• Ensure that you work ethics demonstrates that our services are ambitious, aspirational, high‑quality and designed to be attractive to everyone who uses, or may choose to use, them, e.g. young adults leaving school and looking for their next opportunity to develop.
• Work together with your colleagues and Locality Leads to ensure the effective implementation of programmes of transformation, ensuring that services are of the highest quality, are designed in a person‑centred and strengths‑based way and ensure value for money.
• Adopt a customer focused approach when delivering your service, ensuring engagement with service users and maintenance of an appropriate personal profile.
• Act as an advocate for your service and work collaboratively with colleagues across the whole Council to meet the needs of the people of Shropshire.
• Meet individual, service and personal development targets agreed through the Personal Development Review Process, learn from experience and are committed to continuous improvement individually and as an employee of the Council.
• Work with colleagues to meet your team's key performance indicators, support a culture of team working and ensure the team functions successfully in support of the Council's corporate and service objectives.
• Meet the behaviours and competencies adopted by the Council in the way in which they achieve their objectives and carry out their work.
• Promote and engage with Council's responsibility to safeguard the welfare of children, young people and adults, and protect their right to be safe from harm.

The above duties are an illustrative outline and are not an exhaustive list.

Conditions of Service

• The post is Fixed Term for 20 hours per week, hours to be agreed but will be worked between our Normal office hours which are 8.30-4pm Monday - Thursday and 8.30-3.30pm on a Friday with the option of a minimum lunch break of 30 minutes unpaid if required. Occasional evening/weekend work may be required.
• The post is subject to the Council's annualised hours scheme as implemented within the specific work area.

Annual leave entitlement is a pro rata flat rate scheme of 207 hours (28 days) annual leave plus bank holidays, with five days extra awarded to those staff with five years local government service giving an entitlement of 244 hours (33 days). Two days of an employee's allowance (pro rota for part time staff) must be taken at Christmas for any potential Christmas closures. Employees who work in a building/service which is required to open over the Christmas period, the two days leave (pro rota) can be carried over into your next leave year but must be used by the end of March.

The appointment is subject to one months' notice in writing on either side. The appointment is subject to six months' satisfactory probationary service during which time the notice period will be one week on either side. Smoking is not allowed in Council buildings, in Council vehicles or in any Council place of work.

It is a condition of your appointment that you provide a suitable vehicle for the performance of your duties and that this is readily available for use during normal working hours. You are entitled to claim for reimbursement of the costs of travel on council business at the rate of 45 pence per mile.

Pre‑employment checks

• Satisfactory employment references
• Medical report
• Evidence of the qualifications required for the post/listed on your application form