Team Leader - Adult Social Care

About the job:

Location: Waltham's Cross, Braintree, United Kingdom

Salary: £19.95 (British Pound Sterling)

Purpose

To manage a team of staff providing high quality and innovative person centred day opportunities. To provide direct support to service users with a range of complex needs, in buildings and in the community.

Generic Accountabilities End Results/ Outcomes:

• To organise and/or provide direct support including personal care to service users with complex needs.

Responsibilities and service standards

• Meet needs in accordance with the individual support plan.
• Provide person centred support, ensuring the individual remains central to all support and care and is involved in all aspects of their care.
• Provide care and support within procedures and to current best practice.
• Use planned and consistent approaches to working with people with complex needs and/or challenging behaviour.
• Work with people with complex needs and/or behaviour that may challenge the service to enable community participation.
• Consider, assess and manage appropriate risks.
• Provide support effectively and to the required standard.
• Transport service users safely and on time when required.
• Deliver an effective, courteous service and escalate concerns as needed.
• Manage a team of staff: allocate and schedule work; ensure team completes work to the required standards.
• Recruitment, induction, performance review, supervision and appraisals undertaken to required standards; provide supervision, identify learning gaps and support professional development, especially regarding complex needs.
• Implement effective performance management; hold effective team meetings to required timescales.
• Contribute to the team’s service plan in line with the organisation’s vision.
• Provide support to staff to ensure required standards are achieved; identify changes impacting the service/profession.
• Contribute to the development of others (e.g., through coaching, mentoring, placements, feedback).
• Promote the professional code of practice.
• Liaise with colleagues and other agencies to support service users with complex needs and their families/carers; escalate complex cases appropriately in line with procedures.
• Contribute to development and implementation of support packages; monitor and report on service users’ circumstances; progress is recorded (care/support plans, logs, reviews, incident forms).
• Organise and maintain records using the appropriate process/system; ensure information is accurate, complete and recorded within timescales.
• Participate in monitoring systems as required (e.g., audits of support plans); work with safeguarding requirements within own area of responsibility.
• Behaviours and actions support safeguarding of vulnerable adults as appropriate; identify safeguarding training needs and apply learning to practice.
• Act in accordance with all policies and procedures that apply to the job and the Council; ensure compliance with all policies and procedures.

Job Specific Accountabilities

• Manage the work of a team to organise and/or provide intimate personal and/or social care to vulnerable adults in line with the support plan and procedures (including administration of medication and personal care).
• Plan, facilitate and engage sessions with clear outcomes for each individual.
• Maintain health, safety, personal hygiene and dignity of the individual.
• Provide emotional support to service users and their families/carers.
• Receive, secure, reconcile and handle money appropriately; issue receipts when needed; money handled according to procedures.
• Manage a team who provide support to vulnerable adults; provide guidance around complex needs.
• Ensure effective support is provided in line with the Support Plan; engage service users in community activities; support connections and networks locally.

Nature of Contacts

• Work directly with parents/carers and vulnerable adults receiving services.
• May involve dealing with challenging behaviour and situations.
• Work directly with members of the public and other professionals.

Procedural Context

• Organise tasks within a support plan using analysis and judgement; apply procedures and best practice.
• Work within procedures and best practice guidelines including medication, moving and handling, personal care, risk assessments, health and safety, safeguarding and passenger assistant guidelines.
• Respond to changing events as required; promote and adhere to the professional code of practice: Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support Workers and Adult Social Care Workers in England.

Key Facts and Figures

• May involve use of domestic equipment; moving and handling of people; use of assistive technology; use of multimedia equipment (Tablets, MP3 players, camera, video, etc.).
• Responsible for own and others’ safety and security (e.g., home visits, community outings).
• Enhanced DBS clearance required.

Resourcing

• Staff management in line with the Council’s organisational design principles for scale of post.
• Budgetary responsibilities - none.
• Responsibility for plant, equipment, handling cash/goods; limited responsibilities, expected up to delegated level of post.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Appropriate experience with relevant service user group and understanding of statutory frameworks / requirements and current best practice for complex needs.
• Proven ability to manage a staff team to achieve outcomes; carry out assessments and support plans for complex needs.
• Practical knowledge of a range of procedures; sensitivity and empathy to build trusting relationships with service users and families.
• Proven ability to provide person centred support; build and maintain effective working relationships; literate and numerate; maintain records.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written); ICT skills including Microsoft applications.
• Proven ability to manage behaviour that may challenge services; encourage and support community connections.
• Proven ability to work as an effective team member.

Indicative Qualifications

• Relevant care qualification, such as NVQ Level 3, QCF, or equivalent or willing to study for this.

The above profile is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees in this role. It is not intended to be a detailed list of all duties and responsibilities which may be required. This role profile will be supplemented and further defined by annual objectives, which will be developed in conjunction with the post holder. It will be subject to regular review and the Council reserves the right to amend or add to the accountabilities listed.