Disability Services Support Worker

Threshold Services NI; Banbridge; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Part time

Job summary

A community support organization in Northern Ireland is seeking a Disability Services Support Worker to assist individuals with learning and physical disabilities. The role involves personal care, developing supportive relationships, and ensuring the wellbeing of those supported. This part-time position offers £12.65 per hour and requires registration with NISCC. Applicants should have good interpersonal skills and a flexible approach to work.

Benefits

Pension contribution 4%

28 – 33 days annual leave

Qualifications

• Prior experience of providing personal care would be advantageous.
• Able to work under pressure and apply consistent approaches.
• Registration with NISCC is required for this role.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Team Leader in providing support to individuals with disabilities.
• Develop and maintain trusting relationships with individuals supported.
• Assist in the management of physical health and mental wellbeing.

Skills

Good interpersonal skills

Ability to maintain confidentiality

Basic IT skills

Education

QCF Diploma Level 2 in Health & Social Care (desirable)

Job description

Overview

Job Title: Disability Services Support Worker – Learning / Intellectual / Physical Disability/ Acquired Brain Injury

Reports To: Team Leader

Salary: £12.65 per hour

Location: The Meadows , Banbridge – However, there may be some travel required within Northern Ireland to fulfil the duties associated with the post.

Hours of Work: 21 hours per working week.

Additional Benefits to Support Employees:

• Pension: Employee Contribution 4%, Employer Contribution 4%.
• Annual Leave Entitlement: 28 – 33 days, which is inclusive of your 8 statutory days.
• Enhanced Occupational Sick Pay: Applicable to eligible staff.
• Continuous Professional Development: You will receive an extensive induction, relevant training and regular one to one supervision with your line manager. Threshold will also provide opportunities for team development and when required specialist training for teams.

Purpose of Support Worker Role:

To assist the Team Leader in the provision of professional and high quality support to those individuals with physical and learning disabilities and acquired brain injury promoting recovery through a strength’s based, person centred approach. This enables the people we support to ensure they live independent lives achieving their full potential in all aspects of their lives.

• Provision of direct support to include overnight support where applicable to the persons we support, ensuring their physical and mental wellbeing. This support will include daily assistance with physical care, personal hygiene needs, daily life tasks and skills development, whilst sensitively championing their personal independence and safeguarding their privacy, dignity and rights
• Directly assist the persons we support with the setting and achieving personal orientated goals, which may include social inclusion and self-esteem.

Main Responsibilities of Support Worker

Person Centred Support

• Develop and maintain a positive, trusting and professional relationship with the person we support, acting in a supportive and empathetic manner.
• Openly display compassion and sensitivity to the persons we support, ensuring appropriate professional boundaries are maintained.
• Proactively contribute towards harmonious and holistic support for the persons we support.
• Assist the persons we support in the management of their physical health and mental health and wellbeing, through the development and implementation tailored support plans.
• Involve the people we support in all aspects of decision making, adopting a compassionate approach to any individual difficulties that may be encountered.
• With supervision and guidance, deliver care and person centred support enabling the people we support to develop and improve their social, domestic, personal and community living skills, as defined within their personal support plan and identified outcomes.

Housing Support

• Provide person centred care and support by motivating, mentoring and empowering the people we support in respect of maintaining their homes, adhering to tenancy agreements, meal preparation, shopping and personal budgeting.
• Assist the people we support in the planning, organisation and participation in the either individual or group activities both within the scheme and in the community.
• Assist and encourage the people we support to maintain standards of good personal and home hygiene whilst respecting their right to make choices.
• Assist the people we support in the management of their medication, budgeting, finances and meal preparation as applicable to their support plans.

Supporting Independence

• Empower the persons we support by involving them in all decision making and respecting their choices.
• Provide care using a person centred approach, focusing on re-establishing positive identity, hope, independent and meaningful lives.
• Enabling the persons we support to make informed decisions, whilst sensitively advocating for their needs.
• Liaise with external agencies as appropriate, supporting the persons we support with housing, signposting and referral progression, where appropriate
• Encourage direct participation and contribution to their local community as active citizens to include direct participation in social, leisure and community based activities, engagement in volunteering, advancing training and employment opportunities, as appropriate.

Wellbeing

• Encourage and Support people to be healthy in all aspects of their personal lives, continually encouraging physical and emotional wellbeing.
• Active contribution to the promotion of a culture of wellbeing for all, through personal commitment and participation, encouraging engagement in wellbeing activities.
• Promotion of a positive working environment whereby wellbeing is central to the continued provision of a professional and innovative service.
• Provision of an autonomous working environment where all achievements are recognised and celebrated.
• Ensuring adherence to Threshold’s Safeguarding Policy and Procedure, escalating concerns in a timely manner where appropriate.

Effective Communication

• Communicate regularly, consistently and in a timely manner with all stakeholders. This will include colleagues, allied health professionals, nursing or medical staff.
• Ensure the timely and accurate completion of all pertinent service documentation.
• Actively engage in the giving and receiving of feedback, highlighting areas of improvement, as appropriate.
• Attend and participate in all relevant training, team meetings and handovers.

Team and Partnership Working

• Collaboratively work in partnership with all relevant representatives of all relevant statutory, voluntary and regulatory bodies ensuring adherence to required standards.
• Take personal accountability, responsibility and ownership for the delivery of all results, delegated or otherwise.
• Encourage, recognise and ultimately celebrate innovation and team achievements.
• Dissemination of knowledge and practical skills to fellow employees, enabling team success.

Professional Practice

• Ensure focus on personal professional development to ensure the provision of professional, innovative and integrative service models.
• Monitor and ensure professional registration is maintained at all times.
• Share knowledge and expertise amongst peers to promote trust and foster a learning climate.
• Ensure participation in annual appraisal reviews and set personal development goals.

• Demonstrate professionalism and maintain confidentiality.

• Ensure that risk management processes are complied with, early identification of same and mitigation / remedial actions implemented.

Continuous Improvement & Results Delivery

• Active contribution to the enhancement of service deliverables, focusing upon quality improvement initiatives and efficiency.
• Assist with the attainment of Threshold’s corporate objectives via the implementation of efficient safe systems of professional working practices.

General

• Ensure compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements, including NISCC registration and Access NI check requirements.

Health & Safety

• Adhere and comply with all Threshold’s Health and Safety Policies and Procedures.
• Report and record any matters, for example defects and / or accidents in relation to any issues in respect of Health & Safety immediately, for the attention of the designated person.
• Contributing to the overall physical cleanliness and general condition of the facilities of the service.
• Act as a Deputy Fire Warden and / or First Aid Person if designated.

Equal Opportunities

• Actively promote a working environment where equality of opportunity, anti-discriminatory practice, individual rights and choice are promoted in accordance with Threshold’s established Principles, Policies and Procedures.

Threshold Aims and Objectives

• Actively promote the organisational mission, values, aim and objectives, ensuring all Policies and Procedures, to include the Code of Conduct and Practice are adhered to at all times.
• Be a cultural carrier for Threshold.

Person Specification

Applicants must provide evidence by the specified closing date for application submission as how they meet the following essential and desirable criteria:

Selection Criteria

Evaluation Method

Application

Interview

Education and Professional Qualifications

Essential

· Where driving is required, a full driving licence.

· To work flexibly within rostered hours and be prepared to participate in an on-call rota if required by the respective service.

· Prior experience of providing personal care would be advantageous.

· Registration with NISCC is required for this role

Key competencies and skills

· Good interpersonal skills, able to communicate effectively with a wide range of people.

· Able to work on own as well as part of a team.

· Able to establish and maintain professional working relationships.

· Able to work under pressure and apply consistent approaches.

· To work flexibly and creatively with residents and their families.

· To be discreet and able to maintain confidentiality.

· To have good basic levels of reading and writing in English.

· To be able to maintain accurate records.

· Basic IT skills

Desirable

QCF Diploma Level 2 in Health & Social Care, or demonstrable equivalent.

Previous Experience

Desirable

Minium of three months’ experience within the last twelve months, supporting individuals with physical or learning disabilities, (paid or unpaid), orsix months’ experience of providing support in a care environment.

Interpersonal Skills

Essential

Ability to demonstrate alignment with Threshold’s core values.

Additional Requirements

Desirable

Possess a current and valid driving licence orhave access to a form of transport that will permit the candidate to meet the requirements of the post in full.

Guidance

Threshold will undertake a shortlisting exercise based solely upon the written information contained within your application form, to satisfactorily demonstrate how and to what extent you meet the above specified criteria. The shortlisting exercise will be based upon the identified criteria from the personnel specification.

The shortlisting panel will notmake assumptions as to your circumstances, qualifications and experience.

Threshold reserves the right to supplement these shortlisting criteria using additional essential and or desirable criteria from the personnel specification at subsequent stages of the shortlisting process.

Canvassing

Please note that any form of canvassing, either oral or written, directly or indirectly, in connection with this appointment shall disqualify a candidate from the recruitment and selection process.

Supplementary Information

1. Please note that this is a regulated post and will be subject to a satisfactory Enhanced Access NI Check.
2. The post holder must either be registered or apply for registration with the Northern Ireland Social Care Council, (NISCC), upon appointment.