Driver - Support Worker

About Us:

THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF GIRO’S PERSUASIVE POWERS 

Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories. We love it when our work touches lives. 

Take Stepping to the Beat, our 3k walk, jog or run for people with learning or physical disabilities or Autism, their families and carers. It’s a life-affirming, music-based event Coreen and Claudia are massively proud of – and they were keen for people to spread the word. So, imagine how thrilled they were when one of our residents, Giro, did just that. Advocating for people with disabilities at a planning meeting for transport in London, he was proudly wearing his event medal. And he decided to use it to encourage others. As he passed it around the room, Giro inspired lots more people with disabilities to get involved. Infectious enthusiasm goes a long way here. 

Please view the extraordinary story of Giro’s Persuasive Powers here.

The Role:

As a Driver with Support Worker Responsibilities, you can make your own powerful contribution to the lives of adults with Profound & Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD). Joining the Community Access Westminster team based at our Droop Street Hub, you’ll get to go home each day knowing you have made a real difference.  You’ll be part of a team who provide individualised support, enabling some of Westminster’s most vulnerable residents to achieve real success in their lives, despite their challenges. We adopt the Person-Centred Active Support ethos that ‘every moment has potential.

Service users will rely on you to drive them safely from their homes to our Hub and back again, and to any other destination they need to reach as part of the service. It’s a customer-facing role, supporting people in activities that maximise choice in their lives. Key to the quality of service you provide will be the care you show, not just to service users, but also to the vehicle. You’ll inspect it daily, keep it clean, and make sure all tail-lifts and clamps are in good working order. Taking a proactive approach, you’ll identify and plan for any complications on the roads, so we can keep on delivering what customers need even when it’s challenging. 

At Westminster, you can expect much more than the chance to work and travel around a world-famous city, full of iconic landmarks. You can also look forward to opportunities to develop your skills and knowledge. You’ll have access to a range of specialist training, not limited to your everyday responsibilities. 

Please refer to the Job Description for more information.

About You:

To join us, you’ll need a PCV D1 license, valid in the UK, plus experience of driving minibuses or larger vehicles in busy, inner city areas. We would prefer you to have experience of working with in a person-centred way with people who have learning disabilities. You’ll need knowledge of legislation relating to capacity, consent and safeguarding, and a commitment to promote individuals’ equality, diversity and rights. Knowledge of health and safety around transporting people using wheelchairs will be particularly important. We’ll also expect you to be a team player with good communication skills.

What We Offer:

Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster. Westminster City Council’s strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city’s future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe.

At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. To find out more about how we do this visit  https://www.westminster.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/public-health-strategy-policies-and-reports/equality-duties

As a forward-thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working.

The Council is a Disability Confident Employer. If you have declared a disability in your application, we guarantee an interview if you meet the essential criteria of the job. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked if you need any reasonable adjustments in order to attend, and we will make these wherever possible.

Contact details for an informal discussion: Joe Taylor, Service Manager via email at JTAYLOR4@WESTMINSTER.GOV.UK