Lead Support Worker

Lead Support Worker (Complex Care Packages)

Reports to: Clinical Service Manager

Contract: 3-6 Month contract (would potentially consider perm)

Salary: £21.50 per hour

About the role

We deliver bespoke complex care packages for children and young people with significant mental health needs, including those with high risk presentations, restrictive care arrangements and multi-agency involvement. The Lead Support Worker is the senior presence on shift, holding the day to day delivery of a young person's package and making sure the plan written by the clinical team is actually what happens on the floor.

This is a shift based, hands on role. You will work directly with young people while also leading and developing the team around them, and you will be the person others look to when a shift gets difficult.

Key responsibilities

Leading the shift

• Take charge of the shift, allocate tasks, run handovers and make sure staffing, observations and supervision levels match what each young person's plan requires.
• Deliver direct support yourself, including personal care where needed, daily routines, education and activity support, appointments and community access.
• Act as first point of escalation on shift, make sound decisions under pressure and know when to escape to the clinical or management on-call.
• Lead and support the team through incidents, including de-escalation, physical intervention where trained and authorised, and immediate post incident support for young people and staff.
• Work to each young person's care plan, positive behaviour support plan and risk assessment, and feed back where something is not working in practice.
• Build trusted, boundaried relationships that help young people manage distress, build routine and take safe steps toward independence.
• Advocate for young people, support their voice in reviews and meetings, and involve them in decisions about their own care.
• Support young people through restrictive arrangements sensitively, including those subject to deprivation of liberty orders, always applying the least restrictive option.

People and practice

• Act as a role model for practice standards, and mentor, induct and coach support workers and new starters.
• Provide day to day guidance, spot checks and informal supervision, and contribute to formal supervisions and appraisals where delegated.
• Deliver on the ground training on individual young people's plans so every team member knows the package before they work on it.
• Take part in debriefs and reflective practice, and carry the learning back into shift routines.

Records, safety and compliance

• Complete accurate, timely and professional records, including daily logs, incident reports, body maps, observation records and handover notes.
• Follow medicines policy, including administration, recording, stock checks and prompt reporting of any errors or omissions.
• Recognise and report safeguarding concerns immediately and correctly, following local authority procedures and internal policy.
• Support health and safety, fire, environmental and building compliance checks on site.
• Work within CQC fundamental standards and, where packages sit within regulated children's settings, within the Children's Homes Regulations and Quality Standards, including preparation for inspection.

Working with others

• Communicate clearly with the clinical team, social workers, education staff, family and advocates, sharing what is happening on shift in a way professionals can act on.
• Contribute to care reviews, professionals meetings and handovers to placing authorities.
• Support new admissions and transitions, including step down to semi-independent or supported accommodation.

Person specification

• Experience supporting children, young people or adults with complex needs, in residential care, supported accommodation, mental health, learning disability or a similar setting.
• Experience of high risk presentations, for example self harm, aggression, absconding, ligature risk or eating difficulties, and the confidence to respond calmly.
• Evidence of leading or senior responsibility on shift, or clear readiness to step up.
• Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare, or equivalent, or willingness to complete it within the agreed timeframe.
• Good written English and the ability to produce clear, factual records.
• Sound understanding of safeguarding, confidentiality and professional boundaries.
• Enhanced DBS on the update service, or willingness to obtain one.
• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle.
• Flexibility to work shifts, including nights, weekends, bank holidays and sleep-ins.
• Training in a recognised de-escalation and restrictive intervention model, such as Team Teach, MAPA or PRICE.
• Experience of deprivation of liberty arrangements or other restrictive care.
• Experience of trauma informed approaches, therapeutic parenting or attachment based practice.
• First aid, safe administration of medication, or a mental health first aid qualification.