Relief Support Worker - Lawn Court in Bexhill-on-Sea

Can you support and enable people to take control of their lives and promote recovery and independence? Do you want the opportunity to engage in a career which provides fulfilment and variety? Together is an amazing organisation to work for with Lawn Court project being the pinnacle of our company. It’s not just because we’re one of the UK’s oldest and most respected mental health charities, it’s because we put the people who use our services at the heart of everything we do – supporting and enabling them to take control of their lives and make a positive contribution to the community.

Lawn Court is a highly successful Residential Support & Recovery Service in Bexhill-on-Sea and due to our continued success we are looking to add to our staff team. Lawn Court is looking for an inspiring and compassionate person, who can work creatively alongside people with mental health needs on their journey towards greater wellbeing & independence. Utilising your passion for empowering people with complex mental health needs, you will be supporting individuals to increase their independence & life quality.

For the Support Worker position we value your positive attitude above all and so the position is ideal if you are new to social care. We offer excellent training opportunities and a chance to work within a dynamic, friendly working environment, competitive pay, career development & other benefits. Because of the nature of our work, you will be expected to work early/late shifts, weekends and sleep-in duties for which a sleep-in allowance is paid in addition to salary. You will also accrue holiday pay during the hours in which you work.

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

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

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

Benefits

At Together we value and encourage diversity and inclusion within our workforce. We are committed to creating a workplace where you can be your authentic self, welcoming applications from people from diverse communities and backgrounds who share our values. As an employer, we are committed to making any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process. Successful candidates will require an enhanced DBS check.

Together is committed to equal opportunities and non-discriminatory practices.