Support Worker

About The Role

Job Location: Teignmouth

Salary: Between £26,208 and £27,310.40 based on 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year

Contract Type: Permanent

We are a 7-bedded residential care home dedicated to supporting adults who are minimally or non-speaking. Our environment is built on the principles of total communication, where every interaction counts and every voice, spoken or unspoken, is valued. Communication here goes far beyond words. We use a rich blend of tools including Makaton, visual supports, AAC devices, and non-verbal cues to ensure each individual is understood, respected, and empowered.

Applicants must have a solid understanding of total communication and hold at least Level 1 Makaton certification. Familiarity with gesture-based communication, facial expression, body language, and tone of voice is essential, as these are often the most powerful tools we have.

While we operate primarily as a shared care home, some individuals receive 1:1 support to access tailored opportunities such as work experience, volunteering, or personalised activities that reflect their interests and goals. Our team plays a vital role in enabling adults to enjoy a wide range of experiences both within their homes and out in the community. From swimming and countryside walks to theatre visits, art sessions, music, and meals out, every activity is designed to be meaningful, inclusive, and enriching.

We’re looking for team members who are enthusiastic, caring, and proactive, people who are committed to supporting adults to live fulfilling lives and who understand the importance of promoting independence wherever possible. Every day here is an opportunity to make a difference, to build trust, and to celebrate the unique ways each person communicates and connects with the world around them.

A day in the life of a Support Worker will involve:

• Supporting adults to have the best quality of life possible. Whether it be through helping them with shopping and cooking, personal care, assisting them with recreational activities, making sure they’ve taken any needed medication, or simply being there for the happy and emotional times.
• Liaising with wider teams, both internally and externally to ensure the care being provided is right for the individual.
• Advocating with and for people so that their wishes and values are taken into account in all areas of their lives.
• Administration. We’ll need you to keep our records up to date so that we can evidence progress; ensuring the individuals receive the appropriate levels of support.

To be a successful Support Worker, you’ll need:

• Ideally have Level 1 Makaton or working towards it, along with experience of working with non-speaking adults.
• Patience, compassion, and resilience – The adults we support have experiences and learning disabilities, which may have an impact on their communication or lead to behaviour that could be seen as challenging.
• Great communication skills – Both verbal and non-verbal communication is important in this role as you’ll be speaking to a lot of different people at different times and need to be able to adapt and update support records.
• To be flexible – You’ll need to be able to sleep at the home during your shifts. We provide 24-hour support.

In return for your time, you’ll get:

• Holidays – You’ll get 28 days annual leave. You’ll still need to work on bank holidays if the rota requires. You’ll also get an extra day off for your birthday after your first year with us.
• Pension scheme– Our pension scheme is based on you paying in 5%, and us adding 3%.
• Learning & Development Opportunities – We provide comprehensive learning opportunities for team members to develop themselves.
• Discounts – You’ll have access to brilliant discounts through the Blue Light Card and our own employee benefits platform.
• Wellbeing Support – Your wellbeing is always our priority. You’ll have access to mental health and wellbeing support. On top of this, our therapies team offers a monthly confidential check-in clinic, and group reflective practice sessions.
• Cycle2Work - The cycle to work scheme enables you to buy a bicycle at a discounted rate.
• DBS – As this role requires you to have an enhanced DBS carried out, we will cover this cost.
• Sleep-in Allowance - You have the potential to earn up to an additional £1,896 per year, based on completing 4 sleep-in shifts per month - but these are not guaranteed.
• After 12 months service - You’ll also be eligible for our Medicash scheme which covers a wide range of medical, health and wellbeing expenses (Including immediate access to a GP!). You’ll also get critical illness paid at x1 your annual salary and life insurance paid at x2 your annual salary, to support your next of kin through the difficult times.

Please note that as part of our safer recruitment processes, successful applicants will be subject to pre-employment checks including an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check, and online and social media checks, and reference validation.

At Phoenix Learning and Care, we pride ourselves on our diverse workforce, and ensuring we have an inclusive environment for all our team members. We remain committed to ensuring our teams can bring their true selves to work without risk or fear of discrimination.