Life Skills Practitioner in Peterculter

VSA's Rowanlea House Adult Service, situated on the Linn Moor Campus near Peterculter, provides an intensive housing support and care at home service for young adults with complex learning and behavioural difficulties and autism that focuses on the development of meaningful life skills and personal fulfilment. VSA believes that young adults with complex needs should continue to learn after they leave formal education. To that end, we engage our tenants in programmes aimed at developing personal, domestic and community skills.

Our dedicated and enthusiastic team of Support Workers (Life Skills Practitioners - Adult Service) provide the necessary support and care to ensure this happens. We are looking to recruit people that will both support and work with the adults within their home to help them to develop these life skills further, as well as expand their horizons. We also want people that can be innovative and help us to embed our approach in practice within this service.

You will be expected to work on a rolling rota, which will include early, late shifts and weekend working (shifts are: 7.30am – 3.30pm and 2pm – 10.15pm). It is important that you have experience of working with children/adults with autism, complex needs and behavioural challenges, as well as being confident in working alongside them and as part of a staff team. We will however provide full training and support.

Hours: 39 hours per week

Rota: 4 week rolling rota where you will be required to work a variety of shifts including early/evening and alternate weekend cover.

Salary: £12.81 p.h

We offer our Support Workers fantastic benefits including:

• Competitive Salary
• Generous Holidays
• Sick Pay Scheme
• Transport to and from city centre to campus available
• NEST Pension Scheme
• Refer a friend scheme
• Ongoing professional development

Main Duties/Responsibilities:

• Identifying ways of communicating effectively on difficult, complex and sensitive issues.
• Supporting Tenants appropriately in the communication process, especially where specific communication needs have been identified.
• Promoting, monitoring and maintaining health, safety and security including medication administration.
• Minimising risks arising from emergency and ensuring Tenants, colleagues and self are safe and secure in the Tenancy and following, at all times, the policy and guidance on adult protection and supporting Tenants to maximise self-care skills.
• Promoting the wellbeing and protection of the Tenants, working with them in ways which promote their rights and responsibilities, supporting them to express their views and preferences about their health and wellbeing.
• Ensuring that the Tenants' physical environment is clean and comfortable, guiding and actively supporting Tenants in Housing with Support tasks while they re-learn or maintain skills necessary for remaining in their Tenancy.
• Supporting service users as Tenants in their daily living through identified 'Care at Home' tasks.
• Contributing to the prevention and management of challenging behaviour in Tenants, negotiating boundaries, identifying goals to promote acceptable levels of behaviour, as well as working positively and consistently with care plans and risk assessments to support and enable access to the wider community.
• Participating in the maintenance of accurate recording systems and reports (both manual and computerised) to meet agreed standards in line with administrative, regulatory and management purposes.
• Complying with and having a sound working knowledge of necessary legislative requirements as laid down through the care standards and recognising the impact of following these standards on the overall provision of service.
• Developing one's knowledge and practice continuously through participation in training and development activities.
• Carrying out any other tasks from time to time, provided they are reasonable and within the postholder's capabilities.
• Having awareness and working within internal control systems in your area to facilitate improvement in the quality of service provided.

Key Skills/Aptitudes:

• Ability to communicate well verbally with individuals
• Ability to work with individuals who may display challenging behaviour.
• Ability to maintain accurate records
• Basic I.T. skills (e.g. – e-mails)
• Record keeping
• Problem solving
• Using initiative
• Organisational Skills
• Good interpersonal skills

Personal Qualities:

• Approachable
• Evidence of ability to manage challenging behaviour.
• Willingness and ability to carry out physical care tasks e.g. toileting
• Ethical
• Flexible
• Team-worker (working in a small team)

Other Job Requirements:

• To comply with the registration and qualification requirements as laid down by the Scottish Social Service Council (SSSC) and to strictly adhere to the SSSC Codes of Practice.
• Ability to work in an environment with service users who demonstrate challenging behaviour as well as being able to respond effectively to this, using and training in Behavioural Support Strategies (BSS) following VSA standards and procedures.
• Implementation of communication and learning strategies such as TEACCH, PECS etc.

In order to facilitate the transport of staff to and from our Linn Moor campus, VSA operates a staff bus in the morning, afternoon and evenings to cover all applicable staff shifts.