Senior Support Worker – Learning Disability

NHS; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK healthcare provider is seeking a Senior Support Worker to join the Community Learning Disability Team in North Tyneside. You will work with individuals with learning disabilities and complex behaviours, performing assessments and developing Positive Behavioural Support Plans. The ideal candidate should have an NVQ 3 or equivalent experience, with extensive knowledge of care procedures. This role requires strong collaboration within a multidisciplinary team and the ability to assist in audits and development activities.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience of supporting individuals with learning disabilities.
• Knowledge of care procedures for behavioral assessments.
• Valid driving license is essential for the role.

Responsibilities

• Provide support for specialized nursing care and Positive Behavioural Support plans.
• Conduct behavioral assessments and interventions under supervision.
• Contribute to service development and quality improvement processes.

Skills

Working with people with learning disabilities

Behavioural assessment skills

Strong communication skills

Education

NVQ 3 or equivalent

Job description

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Support Worker – Learning Disability

The closing date is 23 December 2025

In North Tyneside the Community Learning Disability Team (CLDT) is part of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. It is a multi-disciplinary team managed along with services provided by the Local Authority.

Building on the current CLDT provision, this post will facilitate the provision of children and adult specialist service offering assessment, intervention, and training for people who have a learning disability, complex behavioural/and or mental health needs.

This post involves a range of clinical activities, including supporting senior nurse with monitoring of behavioural case load, assessments and interventions and managing risk in the community. Liaising and working in collaboration within the multi-disciplinary work force.

The ideal candidate will be passionate about working in collaboration with service users, their family, carers and professional colleagues in order to enhance health and well-being, and to prevent or reduce behaviour that challenges.

Please note we reserve the right to close this vacancy prior to the closing date once the required number of suitable applications have been received.

Main duties of the job

This post will be based with the Community Learning Disability Team in North Tyneside. The post holder will work within the Enhanced Crisis Aversion Team. The post holder will provide and support in highly specialised behavioural assessments and interventions for children and adults who present with severe behaviours that challenge.

The post holder will assist senior staff with the development of highly specialised Positive Behavioural Support Plans for patients and service providers in order to reduce or prevent placement breakdowns or admissions into inpatient settings.

About us

We manage three major locality hospitals at North Tyneside, Wansbeck and Hexham, plus a number of smaller community hospitals and clinics from Tynemouth to Berwick on Tweed, in addition to our state-of-the-art Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, the first of its kind in England. We also care for people in their homes and provide services from facilities in local communities such as health centres. We give people greater choice and control over their care to help them to live independently at home and avoid hospital admission where appropriate. High quality patient care is at the heart of everything we do and we strive to ensure every single patient and service user has an exceptional experience with us. We have one of the most extensive patient experience programmes of any trust in England.

Job responsibilities

The post holder will provide support with the development of highly specialised nursing care and Positive Behavioural Support plans for children and adults living within the North Tyneside area who present with complex behavioural/mental health needs. The post holder will carry out behavioural assessments, observations and interventions under the direction of a senior nurse.

There is an expectation the post holder will contribute to all relevant meetings and be involved with service development, audits and quality improvements.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• NVQ 3 or the equivalent level of knowledge and skill gained through experience and theoretical knowledge to diploma level equivalent
• Extensive experience of working with people who have learning disabilities and challenging behaviours.
• Knowledge and understanding of care procedures and policies appropriate for this level

Other Requirements

• It is an essential requirement of the role that the post holder has a valid driving licence and is either a car owner and able to use the car for work purposes, or has a Trust personal lease vehicle which may be used for the role. However, the Trust would consider making reasonable adjustments to the role, if necessary, to enable a disabled person to undertake the role

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust