Personal Assistant

Independent lives; Worthing; On-site; GBP 12,000 - 21,000; Full time

Job summary

Independent Lives in Worthing is seeking a friendly Personal Assistant to support a 16-year-old boy during the school holidays. You will help him enjoy outings, promote independence, and ensure safety while sharing in his humour and playful personality.

Key duties include companionship, shopping, transportation, and community access to charity shops, cafés, and local venues. Reliability, patience and good communication are essential.

Qualifications

• Right to work in the UK and willing to undertake a DBS check.

Responsibilities

• Shopping.
• Transportation.
• Companionship.
• Accessing the community - supporting trips to shops, cafés, restaurants and local venues.
• Promoting independence - encouraging confidence and daily living skills.
• Supervision and safety - helping navigate public places and recognize potential dangers.
• Emotional support - providing reassurance and helping manage anxiety.
• Planning enjoyable outings tailored to interests during the school holidays.

Job description

Are you a fun, friendly and patient person who loves a good laugh and enjoys getting out and about? A lovely 16-year-old boy is looking for a Personal Assistant to support him during the school holidays, help him explore his favourite places and make the most of his time off school!

He has Autism and an intellectual disability but is growing in confidence and developing new skills every day. He is kind, funny and has a brilliant sense of humour. He loves joking around and making people laugh, so he would love a PA who enjoys a good giggle and can share in his playful personality.

He enjoys browsing charity shops for DVDs, carefully looking through them and picking out his favourites. He particularly loves finding an 18-rated DVD to show his mum, knowing she will tell him it is not suitable!

He also enjoys fish and chips at Blue Ocean, strawberry milkshakes, chicken nuggets and chips at Morrisons café, and trips to Haskins Garden Centre for Mexican fizzy drinks, strawberry sweets and bath bombs. He loves going for drives, exploring local convenience shops he has found on Google Maps and checking out the drinks in their fridges!

We are looking for someone who can make these outings fun while ensuring he stays safe. He does not always recognise danger and needs support navigating public places. He can be very friendly with strangers but may sometimes feel anxious and want to avoid them, so a calm, patient and reassuring approach is important. Public transport can be challenging, and train travel is not suitable due to safety concerns.

This is a lovely opportunity for someone who enjoys supporting young people, building confidence and making everyday activities enjoyable. Reliability, patience, good communication and a sense of humour are essential. Most importantly, you should be someone who embraces his personality, encourages his independence and helps him feel safe while having fun.

Duties include:

• Other relevant duties as required
• Shopping
• Transportation
• Companionship
• Accessing the community - Supporting trips to charity shops, garden centres, cafés, restaurants and local convenience shops.
• Promoting independence - Encouraging him to develop his confidence, social skills and everyday life skills
• Supervision and safety - Supporting him to navigate public places safely, recognise potential dangers and manage interactions with unfamiliar people.
• Emotional support - Providing reassurance and helping him manage anxiety when out in the community.
• Planning activities - Organising enjoyable outings tailored to his interests during the school holidays.
• Respectful of the employer's privacy and confidentiality
• Reliable with good timekeeping
• Able to both follow instructions and work on own initiative
• Patient and possess excellent interpersonal skills
• Honest and cheerful
• Creative
• 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 the role is offered on a self-employed basis, you will be responsible for the cost of your own DBS check.