personal assistants

Independent lives; Eastbourne; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 24,000; Part time

Job summary

Independent lives is seeking a personal assistant in Eastbourne to support a young woman with autism and complex needs. The role involves about 10 hours weekly, with shifts on Tue/Thu and Mon/Wed, plus potential evenings, weekends and overnight work in the longer term.

You will assist with daily living, transport, activities, and independence while maintaining safety and encouraging emotional expression. A full driving licence and access to a car are required.

Qualifications

• Ability to support a young woman with autism and complex needs.
• Willingness to learn and develop.
• Flexible hours, including potential evenings/weekends.
• Commitment to safeguarding and privacy.

Responsibilities

• Support her to remain safe, well and emotionally stable.
• Maintain and contribute to her programme of activities and independence.
• Assist at home and in the community during activities.
• Assist with daily living tasks including gym and swimming.
• Assist with food preparation and meals.
• Assist with transport and getting to meetings/appointments.
• Provide discreet support at events and in the family home.
• Drive (mileage paid from place of work).
• Contribute to planning meetings and life goals records.
• Be a reliable ally and maintain appropriate boundaries.

Skills

Patience

Reliability

Observant

Communication skills

Initiative

Sense of humour

Teamwork

Discretion

Adaptability

Tools

Full driving licence

Access to car

IT skills

Job description

Approximately 10 hours a week, ideally 6 hours on a Tuesday or Thursday to support her farm activities, and 4 hours on a Monday or Wednesday supporting exercise, e.g. gym, walking, swimming. In the longer term some weekend, evening and overnight work may be required., The role will include supporting this young woman to access her work with animals and a range of bespoke and creative activities, therefore you will need a full driving licence and access to a car.

She has a good sense of humour and she likes to be independent, making decisions about herself and her days. She finds great satisfaction and worth from having a varied and stimulating assortment of activities, a sense of purpose and achievement.

You will need to enjoy the freedom of supporting her on different programmes of activity and be committed to developing her independence and skills. You will be alert and able to assess dangers and 'triggers' personal to her and her environment and be able to anticipate these and keep her safe. You will also be interested in learning how to support her in all areas of her life whilst enabling her to maintain appropriate excitement and emotional expression.

She needs security and intelligent support to remain safe, well and emotionally stable. You should be able to share her interests and to challenge her gently with new experiences through a genuine interest in her and her life. You will need to be helpful to her and observant to subtle changes in her demeanour that may signal confusion, distress, anxiety or fear. You will be respectful of her and her family and friends and exercise discretion with the knowledge accumulated through supporting her.

The initial interview will be online, followed by a second interview in person and an opportunity to spend time with the family

Duties include:

• Supporting her to remain safe, well and emotionally stable.
• Maintaining and contributing to the delivery and development of her programme of provision, her timetable of activities and her independence and life skills
• Assisting her at home and in the community; and during activities that she is engaged in
• Assistance with daily living tasks and activities, including gym and swimming.
• Assistance to prepare and cook food and meals
• Assisting her on different forms of public transport
• Assistance getting to meetings/appointments, social events, activities and providing discreet support whilst there
• Driving (mileage paid from place of work)
• Contributing to planning meetings about her life and provision
• Maintaining records of her activities and life goals
• On occasions, employees may be required to perform other reasonable tasks appropriate to this type of employment

An exciting opportunity for skilled and experienced personal assistants with a person-centred approach and initiative to enable a young woman 29 who has autism and complex needs to access a varied and rich programme of activities throughout the week., Ideally you will have knowledge of positive behaviour support (PBS) or a willingness to learn and be open to developing in collaboration, a strategic approach to managing behaviour that can challenge.

Good observational skills are vital for this post as well as strong written and spoken communication skills. This post requires commitment and a willingness to become a friend and ally to her in her life. It is work, that when done well and in good spirit, will be very rewarding.

Requirements

• You must be able to work as part of a team yet possess the confidence to be able to work alone; to ensure her wellbeing and to enable her to live as freely as possible.
• Honest and trustworthy
• Reliable and responsible
• Patience
• Observant and responsive
• Physically fit and capable
• Energetic and quick witted
• Able to use, well-judged initiative
• Sense of humour
• Good written and spoken communication skills
• Able to work responsibly with colleagues, managers of the provision and other professionals
• Able to work flexibly with her in the family home and out in the community
• Commitment to your own and her personal development
• Willingness to learn and undertake further training
• Able to respect privacy and confidentiality and maintain discretion at all times
• Flexible approach to working hours and structures
• Good computer and IT skills
• Cooking and domestic skills
• Full driving licence, competent and confident driver, and access to a car
• Competent at swimming
• No allergies to animals
• Able to work around animals, especially pigs and chickens

Desirable requirements

• Previous personal assistant experience (particularly with individuals who have autism, complex needs and behaviours that challenge)
• Experienced in Positive Behaviour Support, Person Centred Active Support and Total Communication
• DBS Certificate
• PRICE training experience
• First Aid Certificate
• GCSE, further and higher qualifications
• Similar leisure interests
• 'Business Class One' car insurance cover
• Able to work increased hours at times throughout the year to cover emergencies, staff holidays and/or sickness

Additional requirements

• Non-smoker preferred or someone willing to refrain from smoking during working hours

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.

£15 per hour dependent upon experience, completion of the probationary period and the achieved standard required.