Overnight Respite Support Worker/PA – Join a Life Full of Laughter, Music, and Sparkles DP7407

Independent Lives; Worthing; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Part time

Job summary

A community support service is looking for an Overnight Respite Support Worker to provide care for a vibrant 34-year-old woman with Down syndrome. The ideal candidate should be warm, confident, and enjoy music, dancing, and social gatherings. Responsibilities include personal care prompting and accompanying her to social activities. The role requires a female candidate, as per the Equality Act 2010 exemptions. The pay rate is £12.50 per hour.

Qualifications

• Must have the right to work in the UK.
• Patient and cheerful personality.
• Comfortable with pets.

Responsibilities

• Support with personal care prompting.
• Accompany to social events.
• Keep her safe during outings.

Skills

Companionship

Interpersonal skills

Reliability

Creativity

Respect for privacy

Job description

Overnight Respite Support Worker/PA – Join a Life Full of Laughter, Music, and Sparkles!

Ref: DP7407

Location: Worthing

Details

This role is to support a woman.

Candidate should be a woman.

Drivers licence required: Yes

Own vehicle needed: Yes

Hours per week: Overnight respite hours needed

Hourly pay rate: £12.50

Are you someone who loves music, dancing, friendship, and fun? Do you believe in empowering people to live their best, most vibrant lives? If so, this could be the role for you!

We’re looking for a warm, confident, and down-to-earth support worker or personal assistant to support a vibrant 34-year-old woman with Down syndrome who lives life with passion, humour, and plenty of sparkle.

She’s independent in many ways and has a strong sense of self. She knows her own mind, loves being social, and is determined to enjoy life on her terms. She’s a huge fan of music, dancing, singing, swimming, and Zumba — and she’s never one to turn down a party (especially when she can wear full-on sparkles!). Wednesdays are a highlight of her week, when she meets up with her social group to visit cafés, play pool, and get creative.

She loves her friends, her family, and her cat, Princess, and she’s a big wrestling fan — she likes to attend live matches when she can. The right person for this role will be someone who’s willing to get involved in these activities and enjoy them alongside her.

While she is fairly independent, she does need support to stay safe in the community and sometimes needs emotional reassurance, especially when navigating relationships and boundaries. She may also need gentle guidance around making healthy food choices, as this can be an area where she sometimes struggles to accept boundaries and can become a little upset.

She manages most of her personal care independently, though occasional prompting is helpful — especially when she leaves things to the last minute. She wears a pad as a precaution and has very rarely needed help in the past, but would not require anyone to change this for her.

Overnight support is needed, as she receives respite hours. This usually involves staying overnight and being a calm, friendly presence while supporting her usual routines. Ideally, we’d love to find someone open to the possibility of her having occasional respite sleepovers at your home or supporting her if her mum wanted to go out for the evening or take a break. It would be especially lovely if she could go somewhere where she’s getting full attention and having some fun, which she absolutely thrives on.

There may also be other occasional work such as accompanying her to wrestling events or parties, which she loves.

You’ll need to be someone who’s relaxed but responsible, enjoys being active and sociable, and is happy to both support and celebrate her independence.

If you’re someone who believes in empowering people to live their lives with confidence, joy, and community, then this could be the perfect role for you.

Duties include:

• Other relevant duties as required
• Transportation
• Companionship
• Keeping her safe
• Assist her with making healthy food choices
• Personal care prompting
• Accompany her to social events

Candidate qualities:

• Respectful of the employer's privacy and confidentiality
• Reliable with good timekeeping
• Able to both follow instructions and work on own initiative
• Hygienic, tidy and well organised
• Fit and healthy to undertake the required duties
• Patient and possess excellent interpersonal skills
• Honest and cheerful
• Creative
• Must be comfortable with pets
• Able to always work to high standards of health & safety

Notes:

All applicants must have the right to work in the UK and be willing to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check if required.

If you are successful in your application for this position, you will be either engaged directly or employed by the individual employer and not by Independent Lives. The role may be offered on an employed or self-employed basis, depending on the suitability and agreement with the employer. If the role is employed, you will be entitled to holiday pay and issued an employment contract.

Please note: If you do not hear back within three weeks of applying, unfortunately your application has not been successful on this occasion.

*Exemption for gender is claimed under the Equality Act 2010 Part 1 Schedule 9