Support Worker - Leybourne in Newcastle upon Tyne

Who Are We? The Percy Hedley Foundation is one of the largest regional charities supporting people with a range of learning and physical needs. We take a person‑centred, flexible approach to the care and support we provide. We have five sites providing specialist education, adult day services, residential care and independent supported living to our service users. Our sites are based in Forest Hall, Killingworth, Jesmond, Newcastle City Centre and North Shields. We work towards excellence every day and our team members are committed to delivering the very best outcomes for the people we support.

The Role: Please note we do not offer sponsorship, applicants must have the right to work in the UK. Due to the current demands of the service this requirement is for female staff only in order to provide support to female residents. We are on the lookout for a talented, creative, and unique Support Worker with a passion for supporting young adults to live their best life and join our incredible team at Leybourne House. Leybourne is a high‑energy service with a clear focus on delivering the highest standard of person‑centred care and support.

As the newest member of our team, you will have a proactive approach, be an excellent communicator and hold a good understanding of positive behaviour support. A great sense of humour and ability to make a good cuppa is essential too! We uphold the values of positive behaviour support, choice, and autonomy for our young people to lead fulfilling lives, with clear strategies that focus on wellbeing, positive behaviour support and people strategies, all that link directly into the foundation values and promote wellbeing for our young people and staff too.

Leybourne is a small residential service within the centre of our community that specialises in supporting young adults with learning and physical disabilities on either a 1:1 or 2:1 basis, that require personal care and support. At Leybourne we provide 24‑hour residential care 365 days a year so it is important that we are fully flexible to meet these requirements. You must be fully flexible Monday - Sunday.

Comments from our team on why they love working at Leybourne:

• Making a difference to young people’s lives
• Being able to support the young people with new experiences is so rewarding
• The young people we support are amazing and there's never a dull moment
• You get to do activities you wouldn't normally
• The teamwork is great, great incentives, great team
• No day is the same, it’s a fun place to work

To be successful you will have worked previously in a care setting and understand the importance of routine and structure for our young adults. You’ll also be committed to inspiring the people you support and helping make a positive difference to the lives of young people. If you think you have what it takes to join our team we would love to hear from you.

Why Work for Us: At Percy Hedley we encourage career development and progression. We run a robust training programme and also have development opportunities across the wider Foundation.

We Also Offer The Following Benefits To Staff:

• 23 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising to 28 days after 5 years service (pro‑rated for part‑time staff)
• Loyalty awards starting at 2 years’ service
• Access to a rewards scheme designed to save money on shopping
• Access to Blue Light Card
• Contributory Pension Scheme
• Induction and ongoing training
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Wellbeing support (including occupational health, physio services and counselling services)
• Access to discounted Nexus Travel
• Corporate Pop Card (payments spread over 12 months and deducted from salary each month)

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants should be aware that the post will only be offered to successful candidates subject to an Enhanced DBS and barring checks as well as other employment clearances such as referencing in line with our regulator’s legislation requirements.

Please note that this role is classed as regulated activity as it involves working directly with children and/or vulnerable adults. All shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a criminal records self‑declaration form prior to interview, and all candidates will be subject to an online check prior to interview.

The amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013, 2020 & 2023) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are 'protected' and are not subject to disclosure to employers, and cannot be taken into account. Guidance and criteria on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found on the Ministry of Justice website.

Please note it is an offence to apply for this role if the applicant is barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children and the Percy Hedley Foundation has the right to respond appropriately. As a disability confident employer who is registered and accredited by the scheme, we would encourage all applications but please reach out if you require any guidance or support in your application.

This recruitment is ongoing therefore the vacancy will close when a suitable applicant has been appointed.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme.

A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high‑volume, seasonal and high‑peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non‑disabled people.