Senior Support Worker

Oxfordshire County Council; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 9,000 - 13,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

33 days holiday

Local government pension scheme

Bike and green schemes

CPD opportunities

Discounts

Job summary

Oxfordshire County Council is transforming how it delivers frontline social care for adults, with a focus on independence and wellbeing in communities. You will provide meaningful activities, personal care, medication support, and community cafe involvement to empower residents.

The role is 13.5 hours per week in a local authority setting, with pro rata pay and opportunities for flexible working arrangements. A caring and proactive attitude is essential.

Qualifications

• Caring nature and empathetic approach to individuals.
• Willingness to take responsibility and promote people’s strengths.
• Creative flair for activities and problem solving in care settings.
• Commitment to equality, dignity and human rights in care.
• Open to learning and adapting to new skills and ways of working.

Responsibilities

• Empower people to identify strengths and desired outcomes, embracing new ideas to maintain independence.
• Use a strength-based approach to promote wellbeing and outcomes.
• Support people and carers to ensure their voice is heard through advocacy where needed.

Skills

Caring nature

Can-do attitude

Creative flair

Problem solving

Willing to learn

Job description

Job Introduction

About Us

Do you want to help us radically change the way we deliver social care?

Join Oxfordshire County Council on an exciting journey towards Delivering the Future Together, our ambitious transformation programme which is enabling us to be an employer, partner, and place shaper of choice. We’re seeking the right people who can help us get there while embracing our value of ‘daring to do it differently’, as we continue to strive to do better.

In Adult Services, this means we're daring to do adult social care differently by supporting Oxfordshire’s residents to stay fit, healthy and independent in their communities for as long as possible through a strength’s-based approach. Working with local NHS services, care providers, community and voluntary groups, we make the most of what each of our strengths are, pulling in the same direction, and united by one shared vision.

This means we keep the people we support at the heart of all that we do. And that works. By listening to people and building on the positives in their lives, we can work collaboratively to help them live the lives they want with the right support around them.

It is something we call the Oxfordshire Way and we can’t do it alone – our proactive, positive approach to social care gives everyone the opportunity to make a bigger difference. If we’re doing a good job, we don’t stand still – we’re ambitious and we’re always striving to do better; it’s in our DNA.

About the Role

We’re transforming the way we deliver our frontline services to older adults in the heart of their communities to get the best outcomes possible for each and every person we work with. We do this through our commitment of ongoing professional training, so that you can bring your best self to the people you work with.

You will be supporting adults with learning disabilities, mental health needs, ageing needs and dementia either in the Community or in one of our partner buildings. This is a rewarding frontline role where you will be providing high quality and meaningful activities, medication support, personal care, food and drink preparation, mealtime support and much more! You will also be required to cook in the community café where you will have the opportunity to meet with our patrons and be actively involved in our community.

We continue to be a financially stable local authority and our investment in Adult Services has created a number of vacancies; we are looking for people with a caring nature and a can-do attitude who has a creative flair, embraces challenges and finds solutions. So, join us and help shape and deliver on our vision to radically change the way we deliver social care; it’s really an exciting time to join us!

You will be working alongside our partners, care providers, community support services to:

• Empower people in your community to identify their strengths and desired outcomes, embracing new ideas and ways of doing things to improve and maintain their independence.
• Utilise a strength-based approach to promote people’s wellbeing to help them achieve their desired outcomes.
• Support people and carers to ensure their voice is heard through advocacy where necessary.

This role is for 13.5 hours per week. The salary quoted is the full-time equivalent and will be adjusted on a pro rata basis to reflect the contracted hours worked.

About you

You are…

• Driven to do it differently to find creative solutions that problem solves with the person, rather than for the person.
• Willing to take responsibility, you are a self-leader who has the passion to promote people’s strengths to gain the best outcomes for people.
• Kind and caring, with an understanding of and respect for individuals’ qualities, abilities, and diverse backgrounds.
• Advocating for equality and integrity in all you do with a commitment to human rights and social justice, we will work collaboratively to achieve the best outcome.
• Always learning, to continuously develop your skills and knowledge, which enables us to evolve and adapt, develop new skills and new ways of working.

Rewards and benefits

• 33 day’s holiday p.a. plus bank holidays - Option to ‘buy’ additional days
• Membership of the Local Government contributory pension scheme, employer’s contribution of up to 19.9%
• Our bike and green purchase schemes
• Regular monthly formal and informal support and supervision
• Local and national discounts for shopping and travel
• Extensive Continuous Professional Development opportunities.
• Learn more here: Our benefits | Jobs (oxfordshire.gov.uk)

Our commitment to: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peer support, education and safe spaces for all.

Our commitment to: Guaranteed Interview Schemes

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job. We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships. We are also committed to helping and supporting those transitioning from HM Armed Forces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.

Our commitment to: Safeguarding

Oxfordshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.

Our commitment to: Flexible Working

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi-time, part time working, job sharing, nine-day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.

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