Communication Support Worker/ Notetaker

About the role

The hourly rate of pay for this role is £14.86 plus an additional £2.30 annual leave allowance.

This role is offered as a bank contract meaning working hours are flexible and worked as required during term time. We also cover work related expenses including mileage and car parking for this role.

We are looking for a range of Student Support Workers to support deaf, vision impaired (VI) and multi-sensory impaired (MSI) students in class at colleges and universities across Surrey with their communication needs including notetaking. You will be part of our Physical and Sensory Support Service (PSS) which is a targeted specialist education service within Surrey County Council for vulnerable young people.

The Physical & Sensory Support (PSS) FHE 16+ Team consists of a team of qualified Student Support Workers who are Communication Support workers, notetakers and/or multi-sensory impairment intervenors, as well as British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters, higher education (HE) specialist support professionals (SSPs) and qualified teachers for sensory impairment (deaf and vision impairment).

This is a peripatetic role, providing specialist in-class support to deaf and/or vision-impaired students in colleges and universities in and around Surrey.

In the role you will be required to work in partnership with other professionals as part of Physical & Sensory Support (PSS) with vulnerable young people in educational settings, providing curriculum access to post-16 students on Further and/or Higher Education courses.

You will be providing support to deaf and/or vision impaired students according to your skills and qualifications, to facilitate inclusion and academic access. This will principally include electronic notetaking for students who are deaf or visually impaired. It may also include BSL/SSE support for further education (FE) students if you have BSL level 3 minimum, or MSI intervenor support to multi-sensory impaired students, if you have had MSI intervenor training. In-house notetaker training leading to a professional Level 3 notetaker qualification can be provided to successful candidates and we also provide full training in MSI intervenor work.

You will be required to communicate and liaise with FHE 16+ colleagues, students, college and university staff to facilitate quality assurance with regard to support and student achievement.

What are we looking for?

• Experience of working with deaf students and/or VI or MSI students
• An ability to support students as a notetaker, taking electronic notes
• Flexibility to support students across Surrey from 9am – 5pm as required
• Experience of electronic or manual notetaking
• BSL level 3 (for those supporting Deaf students with BSL)
• MSI intervenor training (for those supporting MSI students)
• A willingness and ability to travel around the county to meet the demands of the role

At Surrey, our values and behaviours are just as important as our skills and abilities. They shape who we are as an organisation. Find out more about the values we follow.

Additional information

Applications will be reviewed on an on-going basis and interviews arranged accordingly.

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

Contact details

For an informal discussion please contact James Fitzgerald by e-mail at james.fitzgerald@surreycc.gov.uk.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Benefits

From flexible working to job sharing (where possible) we are committed to providing a healthy work life balance. A laptop and mobile will be supplied if applicable to your role. You will benefit from 26 days annual leave, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service, a generous local government salary related pension, as well as the option to join our car lease scheme. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit MyBenefits for Surrey County Council staff.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. 

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.