Support Worker

Purpose of Job: To deliver high standards of care, protection and support to children and adults with learning disabilities and related complex needs by facilitating their physical, psychological, emotional, and recreational development.

Tasks/Duties & Responsibilities

• To be responsible to the team, senior staff and the registered manager for the direct care of the children, young people and support of the staff team when on duty.
• To actively promote the Community philosophy of creating a family style home and maintain the home’s Statement of Purpose.

Professional Care Worker practice

• To take part in an induction process. Ensure that you are aware of the Business and legal policies and procedures, and work within them.
• To be aware of and have an understanding of autism and the models on which the home’s practice is based and the theory that underpins the model.
• To be familiar with and aware of safeguarding issues procedures and guidelines.
• To be alert to the signs of distress and abuse, and to ensure that the children and adults are monitored and protected.
• To ensure you have all relevant information on the children and young peoples background and present needs by reading all relevant documents & signing records.
• To be aware of relevant information, that requires daily attention such as children and young peoples logs, incident files, sanction and communications books, diary etc. To ensure that you record all information accurately and legibly and communicate it appropriately.
• To attend handovers giving and receiving all information appropriately as well as contributing to discussions and debriefings.
• Agree consequences of actions with children and young people that will benefit the child or young person and create opportunities for changes in behaviour and renewed confidence in line with the organisation’s practice model.
• To contribute to the normal development of the children and young people through the provision of a healthy life style.
• To be aware of the children’s and young peoples leisure and recreational needs and preferences within Business policies and guidelines.
• To communicate all concerns to the Registered Manager with regards to the children and young peoples physical or emotional needs and be alert to signs of distress or abuse, and to ensure that children and young people are monitored and protected.
• To listen to and talk to children and young people, and to observe their behaviour, and record significant features.
• To contribute to placement planning, participating in reviews and other meetings as required, and to assist in the implementation of placement plans to facilitate the children and young people working towards the aims and goals of their care plans, taking into account the views of the child or young person.
• Where it has been agreed with your supervisor, to carry out the responsibilities of a key-worker as described in individual home’s staff policy.
• To attend group meetings with an awareness of how communication promotes emotional growth and development whether verbal or non-verbal.
• To promote the homes philosophy of behaviour management through consistency, respect, warmth and empathy and above all compassion.
• To provide for the child or young persons physical needs as necessary, for example, by cooking, washing, ironing, shopping, bathing (where appropriate), budgeting, or by enabling the child or adult to carry out such tasks for themselves.
• To assist in returning them to their families or enable them to move on to alternative carers or independence at the appropriate stage in their lives.
• To ensure the rights and needs of children and young people are met as fully as possible whether spiritual, physical, intellectual cultural or social and to ensure that the children and young peoples primary needs are met when on shift.
• To provide a caring and supportive environment for children and young people that respects and affirms their racial, cultural and religious identity and lifestyle.
• To facilitate and support any family or other contacts important to the individual child or young person, agreed by reviews/planning meetings or court hearings. Also to protect children and young people from contact with individuals who have been deemed as inappropriate or a danger to the individual child or young person.