Rehabilitation Officer, Worker Visual Impairment

North Yorkshire Council; Hambleton; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Local Government Pension Scheme

Flexible working arrangements

Employee wellbeing programmes

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

North Yorkshire Council is seeking a Vision Rehabilitation Specialist to empower adults with sight loss to live independently across the county. You will design person-centred rehabilitation plans and teach orientation and mobility, daily living skills and communication.

You’ll work with the Sensory Services Team, travel across the county, support carers, and promote independence through training, equipment and adaptations while safeguarding and promoting wellbeing.

Qualifications

• Person-centred rehabilitation programmes tailored to individual needs.
• Orientation and mobility techniques taught for safe travel.
• Daily living skills and communication skills developed.

Responsibilities

• Assess needs and tailor rehabilitation programmes to promote independence.
• Teach orientation and mobility for safe, confident travel.
• Support carers with advice and ongoing training.
• Promote vision loss awareness among staff and community.

Skills

Person centred approach

Rehabilitation programmes

Orientation and mobility

Daily living skills

Communication skills

English language

Education

Diploma HE Rehabilitation Studies

NVQ Level 3 Health and Social Care

QCF Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care

Job description

Job summary

Make a Difference Every Day

Are you passionate about empowering people to live independently and achieve their goals?

We are looking for a motivated and compassionate Vision Rehabilitation Specialist to join our experienced and well-established specialist countywide Sensory Services Team. This is an exciting opportunity to work with people of all ages living with sight loss, helping them develop the skills, confidence and independence needed to live safely and successfully within their communities and to be part of a highly supportive, passionate and knowledgeable staff group.

As part of our dedicated team, which includes Sensory Social Workers, Communicator Guides as well as Sensory Officers, you will deliver specialist rehabilitation support, training and advice that helps people reduce, delay or prevent the need for ongoing care and support services. We are a countywide team, so the ability to travel across the county independently is essential, work base location can be discussed at interview.

Main duties of the job

About the Role

You will work directly with individuals who have visual impairments, providing person-centred rehabilitation programmes tailored to their needs and desired outcomes.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Assessing needs and developing rehabilitation programmes that promote independence.
• Teaching orientation and mobility skills to enable safe and confident travel.
• Supporting individuals to develop and maintain communication and daily living skills.
• Recommending and providing specialist equipment and adaptations.
• Working with carers to ensure they have the advice and support they need.
• Undertaking reviews and monitoring progress against agreed outcomes.
• Promoting awareness and understanding of sight loss among colleagues, partner organisations and local communities.
• Being part of and actively supporting awareness training to partner agencies
• Promoting and holding drop-in sessions in the community with visually impaired people and colleagues
• Working collaboratively with health professionals, voluntary organisations and community services to maximise opportunities and resources for people.
• Contributing to safeguarding activity and promoting the wellbeing of vulnerable adults.

About us

What We Offer

In return, we offer:

• A rewarding role where you can make a genuine difference to people's lives.
• Opportunities for professional development and learning.
• Flexible and supportive working arrangements.
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Access to a range of employee wellbeing and benefits programmes.
• The opportunity to work within an experienced and highly valued specialist service.

Additional Information

This post requires an Enhanced DBS check.

As this role involves direct communication with service users, applicants must be able to demonstrate a confident use of the English language.

Job responsibilities

Job context

This post is part of a specialist countywide Sensory Services Team offer for North Yorkshire. The team consists of Sensory Social Workers, Rehabilitation Officers Visual Impairment and Communicator Guides.

The core focus of this role is preventing, reducing and delaying the needs of adults with care and support needs and carers by promoting independence and recovery through the provision rehabilitation support, training and equipment, ensuring people make best use of community facilities as appropriate to promote independence.

You will be expected to work collaboratively with North Yorkshire Council staff and other professionals working with people with sensory needs and also to promote awareness and understanding of sight loss and the impact on individuals to the wider community.

An enhanced DBS clearance is required. This role involves spoken communications, so a confident use of English language is required.

Job Purpose

The core focus of this job is to maximise the independence and safety of people of all ages with vision needs in North Yorkshire who have eligible social care needs.

Operational Management

• Support vulnerable people of all ages with visual impairment who have been assessed as being in need by planning, implementing and reviewing rehabilitation programmes to meet the persons or carers preferred outcomes within specified resources or by enabling people to access universal community resources.
• Provide support, advice and training to people and carers, including:
• Enabling visually impaired people to maintain, acquire communication skills.
• Training visually impaired people in the use of orientation and mobility techniques and skills. How their needs could be partly or wholly met by access to universal and other non-care services.
• Promote awareness and understanding of vision loss and techniques to support individuals through training and equipment to meet individual needs.
• Undertake reviews of the rehabilitation programmes as required by the Team Manager.
• Assist with Safeguarding Adults Investigations, as delegated by the designated Safeguarding Manager and in line with procedures.
• Ensure value for money and maximise opportunities to generate income for adults with care and support needs.
• Involve advocacy services when appropriate.
• Maintain regular contact with adults and carers to monitor and respond to changes in their situations.
• Represent the Directorate in court proceedings and with other agencies as required.
• Assist in proactively working towards the increased uptake of direct payments and other service development initiatives including (but not limited to) reablement, personalisation, individual budgets, self-assessment and self-directed care.

Communications

• Contribute to the development of communities to enable the empowerment of vulnerable people with vision needs. Liaising with local, universal and other services to promote vulnerable peoples access to them.
• Share best practice and learning with North Yorkshire Council staff and other professionals working with people with vision loss to promote awareness and understanding of vision loss and the impact on individuals.
• Communicate with adults with care and support needs and carers in an appropriate manner to enable effective written and oral communication in line with Directorate policies and procedures.
• Engage with a range of other agencies to maximise choice and resources.
• Facilitate 1:1 and group sessions with North Yorkshire Council staff and other professionals working with people with vision loss to promote awareness and understanding of vision loss and the impact on individuals.

Resource Management

• Support the adult with care and support needs and carers to meet their assessed needs within the indicative budget and in a way which maximises resources, where this is not the case you will seek advice from the Team Manager.

Systems and Information

• Maintain clear, concise and timely case records in line with the Directorate's policies.
• Assist in the collection of performance data using the appropriate IT systems.

Person Specification

Occupational Skills

Essential

• Person centred approach to work with adults and carers.
• Asset and strength-based approaches with adults.
• Development and provision of rehabilitation programmes and training including orientation and mobility techniques, daily living skills and communication skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills written, verbal, braille etc.
• The ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.
• Ability to use persuasion, influencing and or negotiation techniques to influence others.
• Resilience skills.
• Works productively in a pressurised environment and supports others to do so.
• Ability to act calmly during difficult circumstances and recovers quickly from setbacks.
• Effective time management and planning skills, meets deadlines.
• Effective written communication skills communicate effectively in writing to produce documents in a range of formats and styles to suit a range of audiences. Excellent case recording and report writing skills.
• Decision making skills can make decisions within own area of responsibility which may involve considering risks.
• Ability to monitor quality and service standards.
• Good IT skills including use of email, intranet, internet, word, excel and inputting date into the Councils assessment system.
• Flexibility and adaptability.
• Problem solving skills uses creativity and innovation to generate solutions to problems.

Qualifications

Essential

• Diploma HE Rehabilitation Studies or predecessors.
• NVQ Level 3 Health and Social Care, QCF Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care or there is a requirement that you will be expected to complete this award within 12 months.
• Working knowledge of the causes and effect of different types of vision loss and the variety of impacts of visual impairment on people in society.
• Knowledge of the range of equipment available to support people with vision needs.
• Knowledge and understanding of vision need, rehabilitation policy developments and good practice at a local and national level.
• Good working knowledge, understanding and application of community care legislation and regulations.
• Knowledge of statutory requirements, including requirements in respect of carers, equality and anti-discrimination legislation, maintaining a safe working environment, data protection and confidentiality.
• Knowledge of the Care Act and its application.
• Knowledge of and understanding of how Equality and Diversity, Dignity and Respect and Human Rights will apply to this role.
• Experience of working creatively and innovatively with adults with care and support needs or carers to develop an agreed rehabilitation programme to achieve the identified outcomes including daily living skills both inside and outside of the home to maximise independence.
• Experience of working with people with vision needs in their own homes in the community.
• Experience of working positively in a changing environment.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Rehabilitation Officer, Worker Visual Impairment Northallerton, United Kingdom