Specialist Support Worker

Job Introduction

Are you a compassionate and driven individual looking for a career that makes a real difference in people's lives? At [Employer hidden], we are dedicated to empowering those with learning disabilities, enduring mental ill health, autism, and other complex needs. 

We are eager to connect with passionate individuals who are committed to providing person-centred care. If you have the empathy, resilience, and dedication it takes to enrich the lives of the individuals we support, we want to hear from you! We will provide you will all the support required. When you first join [Employer hidden], you will be paid for completing a comprehensive Induction Programme involving face-to-face training, e-learning and shadowing experienced members of your team. For those new to care, we will make sure that you are given the support to complete your Care Certificate and gain a nationally recognised Level 2 qualification in Health and Social Care or relevant to your role, partnering with our provider company Paragon Skills. 

Roles are paid at an hourly rate (£10.90 per hour). The salary shown is as a per annum equivalent for information only. 

We are flexible regarding full or part-time hour contracts and we will also consider candidates who may be looking for Bank. Shifts can vary across days, nights and weekends, offering you the flexibility to work around commitments you may already have. 

Our application process

Our organisation is committed to safe and fair recruitment, safeguarding and protecting those we care for and serve. We make sure all our staff are vetted, selected, trained, and supervised fairly and to a high standard so that they can provide safe, effective, and compassionate care. As part of our application process, we carry out telephone screening with all candidates. During the telephone screening, we discuss the role in more detail with you and make you aware of the pre-employment checks that are required by our company. If you are invited to interview, you are required to complete a pre-employment pack, which asks you for your full employment history (explaining any gaps) since finishing secondary school. Due to the nature of our sector, we are required to obtain reasons for leaving your previous employment. We are a values-based employer and our interview questions and process reflects this.  

At [Employer hidden] we support vulnerable adults and therefore roles that require contact with our service users are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Before joining us you will be required to have an Enhanced DBS Check. The amendments to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (2013 and 2020) provides that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain convictions and cautions are considered ‘protected’. This means that they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed will be included within the pre-employment pack and can be found on the Ministry of Justice website.

You can also find further information regarding the DBS filtering service here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbs-filtering-guidance/dbs-filtering-guideFurther useful information can be found here with regards to declaring cautions and convictions: https://www.nacro.org.uk/criminal-record-support-service/support-for-individuals/disclosing-criminal-records/disclosing-criminal-records-employers/#lawdisclosingjobs 

At [Employer hidden] we understand everybody has a past, which is why we review all cases on an individual basis. Having a criminal record does not mean you cannot work in the Health & Social Care sector, but it is important to declare any convictions and cautions that are not 'protected'. The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) also offers a confidential checking service for transgender applicants in accordance with the Gender Recognition Act 2004. This is known as the sensitive applications route, and is available for all levels of DBS check. This sensitive applications route gives transgender applicants the choice not to have any gender or name information disclosed on their DBS certificate, that could reveal their previous gender identity. To contact the sensitive applications team, please telephone [contact hidden] or email [contact hidden]. 

As per our privacy notice, all pre-employment checks are carried out by our third-party provider, Adecco. 

It’s a criminal offence for people who are barred from working in regulated activity to apply for roles that require them to work unsupervised with vulnerable adults. 

Please note that by applying for a job with us, you are confirming that you have the right to work in the UK and you have acceptable evidence to prove this. If you are unsure whether you have eligibility to work in the UK, you can find further information regarding acceptable documents by visiting https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checklist 

As a Support Worker you will receive the following benefits:

• Take your Birthday off plus 5.6 weeks of holiday
• Continuous Learning & Development opportunities - including access to bespoke training, Apprenticeships in Health & Social Care and Business and Leadership & Management
• Health Cash Back and Pension Scheme
• Eligible for £500 bonus through our refer a friend scheme (unlimited referrals)
• Enhanced pay for maternity or paternity leave
• Blue Light Discount Scheme
• Eligibility for COSTCO membership

Main Responsibility

• Support service users to lead a full and active life in line with their wishes and choices, considering their assessed needs and individual support and care plans, participating in the development of plans where applicable
• Support individuals to stay safe, taking appropriate action to safeguard their welfare and protect them from abuse wherever possible
• Provide emotional support when needed, maintaining a person-centred approach
• Support service users to participate in chosen social activities and services in their community, manage their finances and medication responsibly, help with practical tasks around the home, and respectfully support with personal care, hygiene and healthcare
• You will be an informal point of contact for those in the service users circle of support (e.g. Families and Social Workers)
• Accurately report and record any issues related to the care and support of our Service Users to monitor their health and wellbeing
• Comply with Health and Safety regulations and have regard for the Health, Safety and Welfare of others
• Form appropriate relationships with those we care for and maintain professional boundaries in work.
• Work within organisational policies, procedures and guidance.
• Committed to demonstrating the organisations values and behaviours in their work.

The Ideal Candidate

• Ideally you will have previous experience supporting individuals with complex needs, or previous experience working in care, however we will provide specific training to enable you to deal with needs and to support people living in our services
• Caring and compassionate, having a genuine passion for wanting to help our service users lead a full and active life to enable them to achieve as much independence as possible
• Understand there will be challenging days, but able to remain positive in those situations. Remember, you have the chance to positively influence how someone feels and that is no small thing
• You'll enjoy working as part of team as well as using your own initiative and have a willingness to support your colleagues when needed

Job Details

Job Title: Specialist Support Worker

Salary: £23,805

Frequency: Annual

Job Reference: eden/TP/3463/315

Contract Type: Permanent

Contract Details: Full Time or Part Time, Bank also considered

Closing Date: 27 October, 2023

Department: Operations / Care Support

Operational Area: N Notts & Lincoln

Location: Newark - New Service, United Kingdom

Posted on: 28 September, 2023