Home Care Support Worker Learning Disability (Children and Young People)

Job introduction

Do you have some experience of working with children with learning disabilities?

Are you looking for a rewarding, varied role where each day can offer a fresh challenge?

Are you passionate about making a real difference to someone’s life?

If so then we would like to hear from you for our full and part time roles.

For an informal discussion, please contact Vikki Witham - Practice Manager on 01273 295530

About the role

About us

At Drove Road we provide a mixture of short breaks and full-time placements for young people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour between the ages of 8 and 18.  Our dedicated team of staff works hard to create a positive, safe, stimulating and homely environment in which each young person’s specific needs are met and they are supported to develop and learn new skills while having fun. Particular emphasis is given to those skills that promote independence.

About the role

You will join a large supportive and diverse team of committed staff to enable the young people living or staying at Drove Road, many of whom have Autism with associated challenging behaviour and complex needs to participate in all aspects of daily life and develop their skills. You will help them to increase their independence, have fun and thrive. The work will involve:

• supporting with intimate personal care where required
• ensuring individuals’ physical, intellectual, emotional, social and cultural needs are met and optimising opportunities for play, leisure and learning pursuits
• undertaking a range of domestic tasks including cleaning, shopping, providing freshly prepared meals etc.
• planning, organising and participating in a range of stimulating activities both at Drove Road and within the wider community e.g. swimming, walking, bus and train journeys, parties, visits to the cinema, bowling, shopping, etc.
• assisting with the administration of medication
• using various communication tools to help our diverse young people express themselves
• maintaining records
• creating and maintaining relationships with family members, carers and friends
• keeping yourself and others safe during times of challenging behaviour    

About you

You will need to have:

• some experience of looking after children or young people
• good communication skills including verbal and written for daily notes, emails and phone calls with families and other professionals
• good number and organisational skills for medication administration and planning a shift
• the ability to use your own initiative and think quickly in a difficult situation
• the ability to work as part of a team
• the ability to meet the physical, emotional and mental demands of the job e.g. be able to use restrictive interventions to restrain the young people in line with their behaviour support plans

We welcome people with a Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (or equivalent qualification). If you currently do not have this qualification, we will fund you to gain this within 2 years and you must be willing to commit to this.

You will need to be able to work a four-week rolling rota as follows:

Early shifts: 7.00 am to 2.30 pm (until 11.00 am in term time)

Late shifts: 2.00 pm to 9.30 or 10.00 pm.

In addition, you will be required to work at least 2 weekends a month and do “sleep-in” duty at least once a month.

We have a team meeting fortnightly on a Wednesday 12-3pm.

We currently have 2 x 37hr per week and 1 x 30hr per week vacancies.

If your availability does not fit this criteria we would still be interested in hearing from you as we have some flexibility within this. Please call or email for more details.

Working for us

We can offer you:

• a generous salary
• time and a half for working at weekends
• double time for working on a bank holiday
• time and a third for working at night (between 8pm and 6am)
• additional payment for “sleep-in” duty
• the opportunity to volunteer to work extra shifts
• a good pension scheme
• generous holiday from 25 days a year
• regular supervision meetings and fortnightly team meetings
• job specific training and development, including funding to cover the required qualification as well as first aid training, administration of medication, physical intervention training, safeguarding, autism awareness and safer handling

Please read our Apply for a job at the council (brighton-hove.gov.uk) pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you’ve submitted your application and at interview.

As part of your application, you will need to complete your education and work history and provide answers to some shortlisting questions. Your answers to the shortlisting questions are the most important part of your application as they will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our guidance here (Shortlisting questions guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.

Additional information

Company information

Please note that this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and is subject to a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Check.

We welcome applications from all sections of the community but particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans as these groups are currently under-represented in our Directorate workforce.

As part of Brighton & Hove City Council's ongoing commitment to redeployment, please note that this vacancy may be withdrawn at any stage of the recruitment process, without prior notice if a suitable redeployee (internal employee at risk of redundancy) is identified.