Community Care Worker

Job responsibilities

The job involves working within recognised procedures and required the post holder to use initiative when organising their workload and determining work priorities daily.

You will also be expected to:

• Respond independently to problems and unusual situations with access to an Advanced Practitioner and colleagues for advice and guidance.
• Deal with any unexpected problems or situations through recognised procedures.
• Undertake Independent decision making on handling particular situations and unexpected problems.
• Resolve problems or situations which may be complex and not covered by existing procedures.
• Use judgement to assess a particular situation and decide the best way forward for resolution, when there is conflicting information.
• Raise concerns with an Advanced Practitioner, i.e. in relation to Safeguarding, moving and handling, in relation to the above points.

Accountabilities:

• To undertake detailed assessments of care and support needs and reablement goals, with the specific focus of taking a holistic view of the persons needs and considering the options of support available to them.
• To undertake reviews of formal support arrangements.
• To undertake non-complex assessment of needs.
• To undertake non-complex carers assessments.
• To help people and their carers to identify sustainable contingency plans to help them maintain independent living in emergency and crisis situations.
• To comply with all relevant legislative requirements as well as Livewell policies and procedures.
• To recognise statutory responsibilities in respect of providing Community Care services.

Responsibility:

• Responsibility for providing information, advice and guidance on established Livewell policy and external regulations and/or statutory requirements related to the well-being of people.
• Occasionally required to demonstrate duties and provide advice, guidance and support to other employees, students or trainees. Also to provide feedback to the Practice Learning Managers/ Student Supervisors.
• Responsibility for accurately inputting information of work undertaken on electronic systems, i.e. Care first 6 and systm1 and also using a number of systems for checking information relevant to the persons needs.
• Responsibility to ensure that data inputted onto the system is accurate.
• Work in partnership with all other relevant agencies to ensure the needs of vulnerable adults are addressed, e.g. police, NHS.
• To recognise the need for other professional involvement within the team and across Livewell services.
• Undertake other duties appropriate to the grade of the post.

Demands:

• A basic level of physical effort is required.
• To ensure that the tasks and duties of the job are undertaken correctly within the normal demands of the job task, the post holders capacity can be mentally demanding on a daily basis due to the requirement to work to deadlines, e.g. Completion of assessment within departmental and team timeframes.
• The post holder is regularly subjected to conflicting demands depending on the needs of people (e.g. urgent phone calls).
• Daily involvement and direct work on a regular basis, which can be significant, with service users who are vulnerable and experiencing difficulties, e.g. terminal illness.
• Working with people who can be difficult to communicate with.

Working Conditions:

• Most of the work within our team will require the post holder to assess service users within their own environment or a residential/nursing setting.
• Serious verbal abuse, aggression and other anti-social behaviour from people and/or members of the public can occur occasionally.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in a Health and/or Social Care setting, including voluntary work or administrative role 1 year minimum.

Desirable

• Demonstrable experience of addressing a range of human needs, including personal crisis, disability, ill health.

Skills

Essential

• IT skills in using applications including Microsoft applications such as Outlook (including calendar), Word and Excel, on a regular basis.
• Advanced analytical, problem solving or creative skills are required within support planning process for service users.
• Ability to work in partnership with other agencies so that the best outcomes for the service user are achieved.
• Ability to make a judgement on the risk factors to a service user (including protection issues). Ability to prioritise those risks and act on the risk assessment.
• Proven planning and organisational skills to assist in the support planning process.
• Developed interpersonal skills to meet the needs of service users and service requirements. For example, being open and supportive with service users but able to seek support as and when required.
• Ability to resolve situations of conflict, e.g. family disputes.
• Non-judgemental attitude and abilities to build trust with vulnerable adults. Must have developed listening skills.
• Advisory, guiding, negotiating and/or persuasive skills to enable appropriate solutions for the service user, e.g. the ability to discuss and persuade service users and carers to adopt suggested lifestyle and environmental changes to meet assessed need.
• Effectively communicate verbally with service users, colleagues, managers and partners in different agencies in various settings, e.g. in private homes, meetings, telephone calls.
• Developed communication skills to effectively communicate sometimes complex and/or sensitive information both verbally and in writing with service users, as well as to provide feedback to professional colleagues.
• The ability to identify any communication issues and signpost service users to the appropriate service in order to complete support plan.
• The ability to produce written reports and complete standard recording of service forms and documents, as well as communicating electronically, e.g. email.
• Ability to participate in learning & development by shadowing more experienced Community Care Workers and Social Workers.
• The ability to support, advice and give information to assist students on placement in their development.
• Developed caring and/or training skills to meet the assessed needs of the service users which can be demanding, i.e. learning difficulties, frail or have sensory frailties or mental health problems.

Knowledge

Essential

• Personalisation principles and practice
• Relevant policies and procedures of LWSW and Department
• Relevant legislation e.g. Care Act 2014, The Mental Capacity Act, Freedom of Information Act, Disability Discrimination Act
• Resources in order to provide advice and information to enable vulnerable adults and carers to make informed choices, e.g. Allowances, access to support
• Safeguarding for vulnerable adults and children and young people
• Working knowledge and experience of working to address a range of human needs, including personal crisis, disability, ill health.
• Practical and procedural knowledge for a range of tasks related to the service area.
• Knowledge of the policies or procedures relating to at least one other service, e.g. NHS Continuing Health Care

Additional requiements

Essential

• To be available to work in a service that operates 7 days a week, with varied shift patterns.

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to Vocational Level 3 in a relevant subject or equivalent level of qualifications or significant equivalent previous knowledge & experience.
• Good general education to GCSE level or equivalent.
• Enthusiasm and commitment to developing within an Adult Social Care setting.
• Experience word processing, MS Office word and excel.
• Evidence of a consistent pattern of learning and development from education, training and experience.
• Awareness of the Social Work England / Livewell Southwest Code of Practice and the College of Occupational Therapy, to meet the standards of practice and conduct required of social care workers.

Desirable

• NVQ Level 3 and NVQ Level 4 Health & Social Care.
• Full Driving Licence.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).