Support Worker

Purpose of Role

To provide high quality support to people to enable them to live independently and to have choice and control over all aspects of their life in order to deliver our Mission

Main Responsibilities

Providing Person Centred Support

· Form a positive relationship with the person supported, maintaining appropriate professional boundaries with people we support and their families

· Provide high quality support at all times to every person we support. This means giving each person the individualised support they need in the morning, afternoon and at night-time (as outlined in the person’s Person-Centred Portfolio and, if relevant, their Behaviour Support Plan) to live the life they want and achieve person centred outcomes

· Work as part of a team with other staff and volunteers to provide the right support to enable people to have a good life

· Learn about the person and share that learning with others who are also supporting the person

· Contribute to the assessment, planning, co-ordination and review of Person-Centred Portfolios of the people we support

· Ensure any risks that are identified during support of a person are responded to promptly and escalated in line with Positive Futures’ Risk Management Framework

Supporting people to be safe and healthy

· Support people to be safe and healthy in all aspects of their lives including:

· Maintaining their physical and emotional well-being

· Looking after their homes

· Support people look after themselves in all aspects of personal care as needed and / or provide personal care if needed ensuring that people are treated with dignity and respect at all times

· Support people to understand and protect themselves from different types of abuse

· Ensure every person we support is protected from abuse at all times and report any issue of concern in line with Positive Futures’ Adult Safeguarding Policy

Supporting independence, social and communication skills

· Support people to have choice and control over all aspects of their lives

· Support people to make decisions based upon informed choice and speak up for themselves and / or seek support from advocacy services where needed

· Support people to understand their responsibilities in relation to decision making and lifestyle choices

· Enable people to participate and contribute to their local community as active citizens (e.g. involvement in social, leisure and community-based activities engagement in volunteering, training and employment opportunities as relevant)

· Support people to keep in touch with important people in their lives (including friends, family, carers, advocates and any significant people)

· Support people to plan for and go on holiday, going with them if needed

Supporting people to develop and maintain key skills

· Support people to understand and fulfil their responsibilities to look after their home in line with any tenancy agreements

· Support people with domestic chores such as shopping, preparation of healthy meals, cleaning, gardening, washing clothes and ironing

· Support people to manage their medication and finance as independently as possible

· Support people to get any benefits they are entitled to

· Support people to get help from the right people (e.g. their Social Worker, Doctor, Dentist etc.)

Staff, volunteers and other parties

· Take part in the induction, ongoing coaching, mentoring and training of new staff

· Actively participate in meetings as required (e.g. team meetings, statutory meetings and meetings with people we support and families)

· Positively promote volunteering within the service, be familiar with volunteer processes and encourage volunteers in their role

· Challenge any poor practice and report any concerns to your Line Manager

· Maintain positive professional working relationships with key individuals and agencies

· Represent the service / project and/or the organisation as required.

Administration

· Accurately maintain and store records within the service, using appropriate systems, templates and record keeping processes in relation to medication, finance, behaviours, incidents, communication, risk assessment etc.

· Use ICT systems to carry out the responsibilities of the post (e.g. Microsoft Office, HR and Finance information system, staff scheduling system).

Personal professional practice

· Work in line with Positive Futures’ Mission, Values and Code of Conduct and Practice.

· Work in line with CORU’s Code of Practice which outlines professional standards for all social care workers and meet any registration requirements of the role.

· Participate in relevant learning and development courses as required and maintain your own mandatory training as required by the Service

· Take part in Person Centred Supervision and performance review with your Line Manager

· Read, understand and follow all policies, procedures and guidance, keeping up to date with any changes and / or developments.

General

· Seek to make continuous improvements in your area of work.

· Promote and encourage the involvement of the people we support in the everyday work of our services and the wider organisation.

· Understand and respect confidentiality and maintain personal data in line with Positive Futures’ policies, procedures and guidance.

This job profile provides a summary of the core responsibilities of the role; however, the job holder may be required to undertake other duties from time to time as Positive Futures may reasonably require.

The Chief Executive must be contacted in the event of all media enquiries.

There may be other duties from time to time as Positive Futures may reasonably require.

Complete an application form online stating how you meet the following criteria for this job in the shortlisting section of the application form. We will use this shortlisting section to decide whether to invite you to an interview.

To apply for this role, you MUST have:

Minimum 6 months experience providing paid or voluntary care or support for someone. You can meet this criteria if you:

Have worked for at least 6 months in a paid care/ support role

OR:

You have at least 6 months voluntary experience e.g. can tell us about caring or supporting a child, family member, relation or friend, OR volunteering or completing a work placement where you provided care or support.

· Full, valid driving licence or an ability to travel independently to meet the requirements of the post.

To apply for this role, we would also LIKE YOU to have:

· Previous experience of supporting someone with autism

· Recognised Level 5 award relevant to the role

· Relevant third level qualification at degree level i.e. social work, psychology, and/or allied health.

· Post-graduate qualification relevant to the role

· Proficiency in using standard office IT applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook.

Pay 01 €29,019.00 - €42,830.00

The above salary scales are based on full-time hours (37.5 hours per week).

Salary for part-time hours will be calculated on a pro rata basis.

Pay –

Relief Support Worker 01-05 € 14.27 - € 16.22

06-13 € 17.18 - €21.06

Staff will only be able to progress to Point 6 if they possess a relevant FETAC Level 5 qualification (or equivalent). Holidays 30 days paid per holiday year (including designated holidays)

Pension We offer a contributary pension scheme - we pay 4% for eligible staff alongside your contribution of 4%.

Financial Well Being Salary Finance is our financial wellbeing provider, offering financial education including budgeting tips and tools, videos and webinars. Eligible staff will also have access to savings accounts and loans.