Job summary
Salary: £21,313.45 pro rata, plus enhancements for unsocial hours
Time at 1.3 of hourly rate for after 8pm and on Saturdays
Time at 1.6 of hourly rate for Sundays and Bank Holidays
Alderwood supports older adults with a Functional Mental Health disorder diagnosis who are experiencing behaviors that challenge.
Our team of experienced Support Workers work closely with the qualified team in providing therapeutic interventions and assessments in a person-centered approach. We deliver our support using the Biopsychosocial model of care working closely with external agencies, families, and other professionals. Service users can stay at Alderwood for anywhere between a few months to several years. During this time, they may step up or step down into different areas of the establishment, dependent upon their needs at that time.
The role of the support worker is an exciting opportunity to deliver positive change to the people we serve. This may involve spending time listening to the service users, visiting the local community socially and escorting to hospital appointments. It will also involve encouraging and developing skills and coping strategies in activities of daily living and the maintenance and development of new skills in this area. Working as part of the team, support workers play an integral part of a service users recovery.
Main duties of the job
The role of support worker is very rewarding, especially when they have experienced and shared the full journey of the service user through admission to discharge.
As a Support Worker, you will be passionate about helping to improve the wellbeing of older people living with dementia and other complex mental health needs.
We are looking for highly motivated individuals with good communication and interpersonal skills, plus a genuine desire to work with this client group.The ability to work effectively within a team in order to support our service users to achieve their own recovery goals is essential. Ideally you will have previous experience of working with individuals with complex mental health needs, though this is not essential.
We would love to hear from you if you possess the following:
- Have knowledge and experience of working with people with complex mental health needs
- Are passionate about helping and caring for people with dementia
- Have good social skills and ability to build trusting relationships with the people we care for
- Can recognise and maintain appropriate boundaries and awareness of safeguarding issues
About us
Everyturn Mental Health is a charity providing a wide
range of high-quality integrated mental health and wellbeing services in the
North East of England, placing people and communities at the heart of
everything we do. We're here so nobody has to struggle alone. Everything we do
is driven by our organisational values of innovation, compassion,
accountability, respect, and excellence. Our benefits:
- 30
days Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays (rising to 32 days at 5 years
service) and with the option to purchase or sell days
- Enhanced
Pension and Enhanced Life Assurance Scheme
- Refer
a Friend payment, Cycle to Work & Enhanced Car schemes, Technology
salary sacrifice scheme (for home appliances, tablets, mobiles, TVs,
fitness trackers and more), fully funded flu vaccines
- Vitality
Wellbeing Programme including Employee Assistant Programme, GP &
priority Physiotherapy access and shopping discounts
- A
supportive culture that values work-life balance including agile working
and the option to apply for flexible working from day one, career breaks,
and up to a weeks special leave a year to help you manage unexpected life
events
- Family
friendly policies including Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Adoption pay
- Volunteer
Programme
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Support qualified staff in the assessment of needs.
- Support qualified staff in the planning of care.
- Support qualified staff in the evaluation of care.
- Work in partnership to implement planned written care.
- Provide written and verbal communication for other staff, in
particular for Key Workers.
- Promote informed decision making by clients.
- Actively encourage and participate in social and recreational
activities.
- Promote a healthy balance between rest and activity.
- Have the ability to respond to emergency situations in a first aid
capacity.
- Respect and maintain confidentiality.
- Contribute to the creation of safe and homely environments.
- Maintain a working knowledge of the service philosophy.
- Maintain knowledge of objectives of care.
- Keep up to date with, and adhere to, various policies affecting the
service.
- Work a varied shift pattern, which will include night shifts.
- Positively engage with colleagues and act as advocate for the
organisation.
- Form and maintain relationships with friends and relatives.
- Demonstrates a willingness to support and help others.
- Has an open and friendly persona with people they come into
contact with, developing positive relationships.
- Demonstrates compassion, empathy and understanding with
contacts.
- Treats all people with respect and dignity, dealing with them fairly.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Support qualified staff in the assessment of needs.
- Support qualified staff in the planning of care.
- Support qualified staff in the evaluation of care.
- Work in partnership to implement planned written care.
- Provide written and verbal communication for other staff, in
particular for Key Workers.
- Promote informed decision making by clients.
- Actively encourage and participate in social and recreational
activities.
- Promote a healthy balance between rest and activity.
- Have the ability to respond to emergency situations in a first aid
capacity.
- Respect and maintain confidentiality.
- Contribute to the creation of safe and homely environments.
- Maintain a working knowledge of the service philosophy.
- Maintain knowledge of objectives of care.
- Keep up to date with, and adhere to, various policies affecting the
service.
- Work a varied shift pattern, which will include night shifts.
- Positively engage with colleagues and act as advocate for the
organisation.
- Form and maintain relationships with friends and relatives.
- Demonstrates a willingness to support and help others.
- Has an open and friendly persona with people they come into
contact with, developing positive relationships.
- Demonstrates compassion, empathy and understanding with
contacts.
- Treats all people with respect and dignity, dealing with them fairly.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Good general education and willing to develop knowledge/skills.
- NVQ Level 2 or greater in Health and Social Care (or equivalent) is preferred but not essential.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with a client group who can present with behaviours that challenge.
- Experience of working with people who have enduring and complex mental health needs.
- Experience of working with families and non-professional carers.
- Experience of working in a community-based setting.
Skills, Knowledge and Personal Attributes
Essential
- Ability to work positively in difficult and unpredictable circumstances.
- Able to recognise and maintain appropriate boundaries.
- Genuine desire to work with this client group.
- Able to work under pressure / possess a high level of emotional resilience.
- Good organisation skills and able to prioritise workload.
- Able to work in partnership with others (colleagues, clients, families etc.)
- Able to recognise safeguarding issues.
- Good, adaptable written and verbal communication skills.
- Knowledge and awareness of issues relating to mental health.
- Knowledge and awareness of the principles of person centred care and overall (mental and physical) wellbeing.
- Able and willing to regularly work without direct supervision, using initiative.
- Able to develop good working relationships with and among colleagues.
- Willing to work collaboratively.
- Able to express views, positively and constructively.
- Good basic IT skills.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Good general education and willing to develop knowledge/skills.
- NVQ Level 2 or greater in Health and Social Care (or equivalent) is preferred but not essential.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with a client group who can present with behaviours that challenge.
- Experience of working with people who have enduring and complex mental health needs.
- Experience of working with families and non-professional carers.
- Experience of working in a community-based setting.
Skills, Knowledge and Personal Attributes
Essential
- Ability to work positively in difficult and unpredictable circumstances.
- Able to recognise and maintain appropriate boundaries.
- Genuine desire to work with this client group.
- Able to work under pressure / possess a high level of emotional resilience.
- Good organisation skills and able to prioritise workload.
- Able to work in partnership with others (colleagues, clients, families etc.)
- Able to recognise safeguarding issues.
- Good, adaptable written and verbal communication skills.
- Knowledge and awareness of issues relating to mental health.
- Knowledge and awareness of the principles of person centred care and overall (mental and physical) wellbeing.
- Able and willing to regularly work without direct supervision, using initiative.
- Able to develop good working relationships with and among colleagues.
- Willing to work collaboratively.
- Able to express views, positively and constructively.
- Good basic IT skills.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
