Support Worker

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical

To organise and provide person-centred and culturally appropriate activities for service users within the principles of the OPD Pathway.

To work as a team member to deliver interventions under supervision and direction, using principles of desistance to support service users to achieve/maintain a stable and socially-included life in the community.

To support service users to engage in social, recreational and occupational activities.

To use psychologically-informed individual and group work approaches to enhance engagement and involvement, under the supervision and guidance of qualified staff.

To support service users to engage in activities consistent with their psychological formulation and consideration of risk, to assist them in working towards their personal goals and development.

To demonstrate an awareness of principles of psychological formulation as used within the OPD Pathway and to apply these to the support and engagement of service users under the guidance and supervision of qualified staff.

To assess and manage risk within the Hub setting and use supervision and guidance from qualified staff to ensure safety within a desistance-orientated framework; to communicate all relevant risk-related observations and information to qualified staff.

To work in partnership with other agencies, for example supporting service user engagement with third sector organisations.

To be aware of and sensitive to the safeguarding needs of children and adults, and knowledgeable both about potential indicators of concern and about what to do if there is a concern.

To provide information about the Hub and its programme to service users and professionals as required.

Communication

To demonstrate effective communication skills and form positive working relationships, using warmth and empathy that enables service user empowerment.

To demonstrate skills and resourcefulness in communication when barriers to understanding are present.

To ensure timely and accurate information about service user contacts and activity is communicated within the team as appropriate, and recorded where relevant.

To promote the Hub projects as supportive desistance-focused interventions within the OPD Pathway.

To contribute to partnership working with criminal justice and third sector agencies under the guidance of supervisor.

To attend Service User Involvement & Social Inclusion Team meetings as agreed with supervisor, and contribute to clinical reviews and service development meetings.

To provide feedback on external resources as agreed with supervisor.

Leadership/Management

To provide information and resources to other members of staff as appropriate. To induct new members of staff as appropriate.

To support the Social inclusion Lead in the day to day running of the Hubs, including setting up the premises, supporting and facilitating activity, and ensuring the environment is suitable for use.

To participate in the monitoring and effective use of Hub physical resources and supplies, including ordering supplies and managing petty cash, liaising with relevant on-site and Trust staff (e.g. finance) under the guidance of the Social Inclusion Lead.

To support the Social Inclusion Lead in ensuring all relevant environmental checks are completed as required for the Hub (e.g. sharps policy protocols, fire drill).

IT responsibilities

To be proficient in the use of IT for email, intranet and clinical record purposes. To be familiar with word processing and database packages; to use appropriate computer software to develop and create clinical or other service-related reports or documents.

To participate in research and audit activities in line with local service priorities and the Pathway research strategy, as guided by qualified staff.

To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes, in consultation with the post holders line manager/supervisor.

To contribute to the development and articulation of best practice across the service, by continuing to develop relevant professional skills taking part in regular professional supervision, appraisal and maintaining an active engagement with current developments in the relevant disciplines.

To support service users who may become distressed or present with challenging behaviours.

To work within environments that may expose individuals to verbal and physical abuse.

To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping including electronic data entry and recording, report writing and the responsible exercise of professional self-governance in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.

To maintain up to date knowledge of OPD Pathway guidance and local policies and issues in relation to the specific client group.

Person Specification

TRAINING & QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

• Knowledge/experience of approaches relevant to the client group, e.g. psychologically-informed support of individuals with complex needs (e.g. personality disorder, offending histories) and recovery/rehabilitation approaches.
• Evidence of relevant training and professional development activities.

Desirable

• Experience of working in diverse inner-city areas.
• Experience of working partnership with other organisations

EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Experience of working with service users with complex mental health/personality difficulties.
• Experience of delivering individual and group interventions

Desirable

• Personal experience of psychosocial adversity
• Experience of working partnership with other organisations

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Essential

• Knowledge of the principles of desistance and social inclusion with offenders.
• Skills in engagement, assessment, interventions and service user involvement with individuals with complex needs and forensic histories, frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration and observation for defined periods.
• Ability to deal with emergency situations crises safely and effectively; frequent exposure to highly distressing/emotional situations; exposure to verbal aggression and risk of physical aggression

Desirable

• Professional development in models of social inclusion and user empowerment

Application Form and Interview

Essential

• Evidence of relevant training and professional development activities.

Desirable

• Knowledge of approaches relevant to service audit and evaluation

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).

Employer details

Employer name

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

LPP / NHS

7 Holyrood Street

London

SE1 2EL

Employer's website

https://www.elft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)