Social Care Officer, Blairgowrie Day Opportunities - PKC14025

Working within Perth & Kinross Council is more than a job, it's about being part of an organisation that puts people at the heart of all we do and provides opportunities to make a real difference by enhancing every life we touch.

Are you an enthusiastic and motivated individual who can work creatively to support individuals with learning disabilities to realise their full potential within their communities? If so, you may have the qualities we are looking for to become our new Social Care Officer within the Blairgowrie Day Opportunities Team.

Due to high demand for our services, we are looking for you to join our vibrant and positive team, providing Day Opportunities for adults with learning disabilities. You will support and enable individuals to access and participate in a variety of group activities within both community and building-based settings, helping them work towards their identified outcomes. You should have experience of working with vulnerable adults who have learning and physical disabilities, autism spectrum conditions, and other varied support needs.

You must be able to communicate effectively with service users, their families, colleagues, and other internal and external agencies to ensure high-quality care provision. It would be desirable if you have some knowledge of alternative communication methods suitable for this setting.

You will be required to support individuals with varied needs, including supporting stressed or distressed behaviours and providing intimate personal care where required. You should have the ability to manage your own workload, prioritise tasks, and problem solve. As a Social Care Officer, you will be responsible for undertaking link worker duties, including file maintenance, co-ordinating and chairing reviews, and formulating and developing personal plans to meet identified current and future outcomes.

You should have good digital skills to operate relevant electronic systems and carry out these tasks, whilst ensuring data integrity and appropriate security. You will have the ability to identify, manage and mitigate potential risks to yourself and others by applying existing guidelines and seeking advice when required. You should also have an awareness of general workplace health and safety requirements.

You may be required to undertake moving and handling activities, CALM physical intervention or First Aid tasks as part of this role. Full training will be provided. You must hold a valid UK driving licence (manual), as this post requires travel to a variety of locations across Perth and Kinross. Driving is also required for service user transport and accessing rural locations.

Do you have an understanding of the Council’s Values and Behaviours as the drivers of our organisation and as individuals, through Ambition, Compassion and Integrity? You will be able to influence the way we work with each other, as well as the people and communities we serve, by:

• Thinking “yes”, being creative, looking to improve, and focusing on positive outcomes.
• Treating everyone with kindness, dignity and respect.
• Being open and honest, fair and consistent, and supporting us to do what we say we will.

An SVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care, or a higher/equivalent qualification with relevant work experience, is desirable but not essential for this post. An SVQ 2/3 in Health and Social Care is desirable.

Alongside the opportunity to work within a modern and proactive team, working for PKC offers many benefits, including access to our Cycle to Work Scheme and a range of employee wellbeing resources.

Our values and behaviours influence our work and support us in the delivery of our key priorities. In your application, and should you be invited to interview, you will be asked to describe situations that support the criteria required in the role and which also demonstrate our values and behaviours.

Here's what we can offer you:

• A generous annual leave package
• 6 days public holiday and an additional discretionary day
• Eligibility to join our pension scheme
• Family friendly and positive work/life balance policies such as Flexible Working, Maternity, Paternity & Adoption leave, time off for volunteering and our Wellbeing Framework
• Access to a range of benefits
• Paid SSSC annual membership for relevant positions

We recognise there can be benefits to flexible working and where individual jobs allow, we seek to support this. You are encouraged to discuss potential options with the recruiting manager, if this is of interest to you. A healthy work life balance is important to us and we provide supportive management and, where possible, flexible working arrangements to help you achieve that balance. You will have access to training and support for continued professional development.

This role requires you to be registered with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), if you are not yet registered, you can still apply, as long as you are willing to apply for registration within 3 months of starting with us and be registered within 6 months.

All new employees have a four-month probationary period. Further details are available in the FAQs at “How to apply for a job or apprenticeship with us”.

We would love to hear from you and would encourage you to get in touch with Mark Stratton or Rhona MacKay on 01250 871919 to find out more.

External candidates are required to provide contact details for 2 referees, including email addresses. One of these must be your current or most recent employer.

We welcome applications from everyone and as a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to interview applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential requirements of the post. Please contact the hiring manager above or the Recruitment Team on (01738) 475555 or recruitment@pkc.gov.uk to discuss any reasonable adjustments. Appointments are based on evidence supplied during the selection process.

Diversity is important to us and although some of our jobs may be perceived to be traditionally gender specific, we welcome applications from everyone and would encourage you to apply if you meet the job requirements. That includes welcoming applications from former armed forces personnel/reservists. Many of the skills picked up during your military career could be transferred directly into a role with local government.

Working with children and/or protected adults is regarded as a regulated role and under the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 you will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check. If you have lived overseas for a period of 12 months or more (continuous or total) within the last 10 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check.

A confirmed offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of the above mentioned mandatory pre-employment checks (including references) and will also include eligibility to work in the UK, qualifications and fitness to undertake the post.