Support Worker - Norfolk Road in Sheffield

Norfolk Road is an 11 bed registered accommodation service in Sheffield supporting people with severe and complex mental health needs. A Relief Support Worker has a variety of responsibilities, including direct support with all aspects of peoples’ daily living in order to promote recovery and independence, administering medication, risk assessment and management and recording and reporting. The Relief Support Worker will be part of a small, dynamic team, working alongside contracted Senior and Support Workers within the service. This is a zero hours’ contract and we would welcome applications from people who can work flexibly and offer support to cover annual leave and sickness.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain relationships of trust with service users, to build engagement.
• Help service users to set, prioritise and achieve goals, managing their tenancies and move-ons.
• Work flexibly with service users in their homes and in the community.
• Carry out assessments and determine urgency of service user needs.
• Work with professionals from other agencies, and make onward referrals, linking service users into community opportunities.
• Carry out risk assessments, in order to keep service users safe and improve the quality of our support.
• Attend placement reviews.
• Work with service users on a 1:1 basis and in groups.
• Assist service users to deal with financial issues and navigate the benefits and education systems; manage friendships and family relationships; manage their medication, in accordance with Together procedures.
• Accompany service users to appointments.
• Assist service users to undertake domestic tasks such as cooking and cleaning, ensuring adherence to infection control (training provided).
• Assist service users with personal care as and when required.
• Adhere to the Together policy on lone working.
• Make timely records which are concise, accurate, written for the service user to understand, using Together computer-based systems.
• Write clear word processed and handwritten reports (training provided) and records in English.
• Participate in mandatory and job-related courses and learning activities.
• Maintain professional boundaries in all aspects of work with service users.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

Essential:

• Experience in supporting vulnerable individuals gained from paid work and/or voluntary and/or life experience.
• Minimum of GCSE or Level II qualification in English, or equivalent.
• Basic competence in the use of email and word processing software.
• Demonstrate a non-judgemental attitude and able to be empathetic towards service users and create a trusting environment.
• Able to work in partnership with services users and establish and maintain professional boundaries in working with service users.
• Able to establish and maintain a safe environment.
• Willing and able to undertake domestic tasks with, and for, service users as necessary.
• Demonstrate problem-solving skills relating to welfare benefits, education and relationships.
• Open to - and willing to participate in - formal and informal job-related learning.
• Willing and able to collaborate with colleagues and other organisations.
• Able to use email and computerised systems for service user records and reports.
• Able to travel; have access to car/public transport.
• Able to work a varying pattern of shifts on a 24 hour 7-day week rota, with notice.

Desirable:

• Lived experience of mental distress.
• NVQ Level II in Health and Social Care, or equivalent.