Support Worker - Residential

To assist service users to live their best lives by helping them exercise choice in order to improve mental health and wellbeing, reduce loneliness, increase social participation, work towards goals, and develop independence. Working with service users in accordance with the regulations laid down by the Care Quality Commission and the Care Act.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain relationships of trust with service users, to build engagement.
• Help service users to set, prioritise and achieve personal goals, to increase hope, motivation and ambition.
• Work flexibly with service users.
• Value the lived experience of service users and enable them to use that experience to support each other and improve their Together service.
• Carry out assessments and determine urgency of service user needs.
• Work with professionals from other agencies and make onward referrals.
• 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 navigate the benefits and education systems.
• Assist service users to manage friendships and family relationships.
• Assist service users to manage medication, including supporting people by prompting and/or administering medication according to Together procedures.
• Assist service users to manage their lives by helping with bills, forms, mail and appointments, accompanying service users to appointments as and when necessary.
• Encourage positive choices around food, leisure etc.
• Undertake, and assist with, 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.

Generic Tasks

• Undertake and assist with all tasks and responsibilities connected to Fire Safety and H & S in the service.
• To uphold and practice Together’s organisational values in delivering this role.
• Represent the service positively with service users and other agencies.
• To adhere to Together’s Equalities policy.
• To maintain confidentiality with regard to service users.
• To be aware of and work follow Together’s Safeguarding policy.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Demonstrate a non-judgemental attitude.
• Able to be empathetic towards service users and create a trusting environment.
• Ability to work alongside individuals experiencing mental distress.
• Able to work in partnership with services users.
• Able to 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 produce clear records and reports in English.
• Committed to work in ways which reflect Together’s values.
• Safeguards the wellbeing of clients and colleagues at all times.
• Aware of, and adheres to, Together’s policies regarding Confidentiality and GDPR.
• Aware of, and adheres to, Together’s policies regarding Equalities.

Know-how

• Experience in supporting vulnerable individuals gained from paid work and/or voluntary and/or life experience.
• Lived experience of mental distress (desirable).
• Minimum of GCSE or Level II qualification in English, or equivalent.
• Basic competence in the use of email and word processing software.
• NVQ Level II in Health and Social Care, or equivalent (desirable).

Practicalities

• Able to travel.
• Access to car/public transport.
• Able to work a varying pattern of shifts on a 24 hour 7-day week rota, with notice.
• DBS clearance.
• Willing to undertake regular Covid testing.
• Minimum age 18 plus.

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.