Care & Support Worker for Care Homes in Croydon

Overview

Care Expertise is seeking caring, compassionate individuals who want to make a difference to the lives of others. Care Expertise is an Equal Opportunities employer and all applicants will be considered fairly, regardless of race, colour or nationality, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, disability or age. All staff must be DBS (Disclosing and Barring Service) checked.

Responsibilities

• To understand, promote and achieve the highest possible quality of life for service users.
• To provide an individualised 24 hour programme for each service user in the home, providing a challenging, but comfortable, environment. Promoting service users interests and always protecting them from harm.
• To understand the needs of service users on the autism spectrum and to develop understanding of autism and how it effects the daily routines of service users.
• To develop an understanding of the needs of service user’s other needs and disabilities.

Responsible to: The Registered Manager, Deputy Manager, and other managers as appropriate.

Responsible for: Working closely with all managers of the organisation to achieve the highest possible quality of care for service users.

Key Duties

• To become a key worker or co-key worker for an individual service user understanding that person's particular needs and as key worker to coordinate and organise the service to meet those special needs.
• To undertake all of the recording necessary for service users care and support.
• As part of a team to receive service users on admission, and during their time in the unit provide for their physical and emotional care. As part of a team also to make appropriate arrangements for their transition to other services.
• As part of a team to follow the 24 hour programme for each service user, identifying and assisting service users in their developmental needs, taking part in day services and community services routines, and in the routines of the house.
• To develop the life and social skills of service users. To understand this and make appropriate recordings of the development.
• To prepare for and attend review and other meetings for key worked service users.
• To liaise as key worker with service users families and advocates and to attend appropriate meetings.
• To answer the telephone as appropriate taking clear, unambiguous messages, and ensure these are being passed on, and recorded as necessary.
• To assist service users with personal care, understanding each service user’s particular needs, understanding how to communicate with them, and promoting choice, dignity and respect at all times.
• From the knowledge gained about each service user’s needs in personal care, to accompany them when shopping for toiletries, understanding and promoting each service user's choice.
• To arrange for service users to attend all healthcare appointments, to accompany them, and to clearly record and bring back to the unit all the information gained from the healthcare specialist.
• To accompany the service user for whom they have key responsibility in the purchasing of clothing and other necessities and as key worker to keep an up-to-date list of their belongings and regularly file this in the service user’s file.
• To check, mend, iron and launder service users clothing, and where possible to teach the service user how to do this.
• To follow organisation’s and unit’s Policies and Procedures in the administration and recording of medication.
• To take a turn in being the first aider for the unit.
• To be able to assess and define the most appropriate communication system for each service user and to follow this at all times.
• To attend monthly team meetings, and to take responsible for bringing to these meetings the information required.
• To attend monthly supervision sessions, coming well prepared. To be well prepared for and attend the annual appraisal of their work.
• To follow the Health and Safety Policy for the unit, and to undertake risk assessments at regular intervals for their key service user.
• To take part in the unit’s fire drills, and to understand and follow the unit’s Fire Safety procedures.
• To be responsible for the appropriate recording, and upkeep of, the service user\'s files.
• To ensure that the relevant documentation is completed for each shift, which includes the daily occurrence sheet, the diary, the message book, the medication sheets, and the complaints book.
• To complete finance records accurately including petty cash, food money and service user’s personal accounts.
• To undertake sleeping in and waking night duty as required.
• To remember that the home is a specialist unit and that because those who live there are have special needs (e.g. on the autism spectrum) and behavioural difficulties and to keep noise levels down and routines always in place, and to follow consistent practice.
• To attend all training sessions as required, and to be responsible for keeping their own training file up to date.
• To use the library and at all times to try and build up their knowledge of service user needs through this.
• To undertake Shift Leader responsibilities.
• To be a good team member.
• To read, understand and practice organisation’s Policies and Procedure.
• To undertake all of the above duties and responsibilities in a manner that demonstrates a commitment equality of opportunity, equal access, and anti-discrimination.