Job Description
Job Description | Person Specification Serenity Housing
Job Title: Residential Support Worker
Accountable to: Deputy Manager, Team Leader, Registered Manager
MAIN PURPOSE OF THE JOB
- To establish a nurturing and supportive relationship with children and young people in order to help them develop functional and constructive relationships with others.
- Within the overall framework of Serenity Housing philosophy of care and statement of purpose to participate as a team member in providing care and support to the children and young people placed in the home.
- To work with the rest of the team to provide a stable, caring and supportive environment for children and young people that respects and affirms their racial, cultural and religious identity and lifestyle.
- To assist children and young people to develop socially acceptable behaviour through encouragement of positive behaviour, constructive response to inappropriate behaviour and adherence to Serenity Housing service’s behaviour management strategies.
- To act at all times within the framework of the Core Principles
TASK/DUTIES | RESPONSIBILITIES
Working with other members of the team, and as agreed with the line management or shift leader, to be actively involved in the direct care of the children and young people in accordance with standards of care as identified within the relevant policy or practice guidelines. This will include, for example:
- Contributing to the normal development of the children and young people and promote a healthy life style.
- Residential Support Workers will as directed promote and support children and young people’s education.
- Being aware of the children’s and young people’s leisure and recreational needs and supporting their active participation in these.
- Listening and talking to children and young people, and observing their behaviour, and recording significant features or events.
- Taking an active part in social activities, both on the premises and, as agreed, away from the home. This will include driving the home’s private cars for shopping and other excursions.
- Providing for the child or young person’s physical needs as necessary, for example, by cooking, washing, ironing, shopping, encouraging good personal hygiene, budgeting skills and working towards enabling young people to carry out such tasks for themselves.
- Working professionally with families and outside agencies, including social workers, teachers, therapists and any other relevant bodies as directed to meet the needs of child/ young person.
- Preparing the child/ young person to deal with problems and where necessary helping them to make the transition towards independence.
- To handle petty cash transactions and manage these in line with the homes procedures to do so.
- Contributing to placement planning, participating in reviews and other meetings as required. To
- Assist in the implementation of placement plans and supporting children and young people to work
- Towards agreed goals. This may include assisting children and young people to return to their families or enable them to move on to alternative cares or independence at the appropriate stage in their lives.
- To take on key worker responsibility with support where necessary for one or more child or young person.
- To support any planned contact with family or others important to the individual child or young person, as agreed by reviews/planning meetings or court hearings. this includes protecting children and young people from contact with individuals who have been deemed as inappropriate or a danger to the individual child or young person.
- Join other members of the staff group accompanying the children and young people on their annual holiday as determined and selected by the managers.
Equal Opportunities
All young people are equally entitled to have their needs met in a fair and balanced way. The Support Worker is responsible for promoting equal opportunities for all and for challenging any behaviour or practice which discriminates against any young person or colleague on the grounds of race, religion, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation or any other perceived difference.
OBJECTIVES
Support children and young people to develop and improve their relationships with others, their social and life skills, academic attainment and participation in recreational and leisure pursuits through contributing to the provision of stable, secure and safe surroundings, planned activities and individual interventions.
CONDITIONS OF WORK
This post requires the worker to follow a rota completed by the registered manager / deputy that includes sleep-in duties, evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
Staff are expected to comply with the following requirements. This list is not exhaustive and may be added to from time to time.
CORE PRINCIPLES
Promote and protect the health, safety and wellbeing of children and young people placed at the home. Support children and young people to make progress in relation to their overall wellbeing, personal development and relationships with others.
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Participate in and contribute to relevant meetings as necessary. These include for example, induction, handover meetings, supervision, appraisal and regular participation in staff and group meetings as required.
- Participate in appropriate training events as agreed with the Manager and, where necessary, undertake relevant NVQ training.
- Act as a member of the staff team and be aware of the importance of teamwork, supporting colleagues and receiving support as necessary.
- Take responsibility, as guided by the manager during the induction period, to learn about all relevant policies, procedures and practices which apply in the home. Be aware of where these documents are kept and refer to them at any time for guidance as required.
- To maintain professional standards at work and to ensure conduct in and away from the home does not compromise their role in working with children and young people.
ORGANISATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Be aware of, understand and apply the organisational and legal policies and procedures.
- Be aware of relevant information that requires daily attention such as young people’s logs, incident files, sanction and communications books, diary etc. Ensure that all information is recorded accurately, legibly and in a timely manner and that it is communicated appropriately.
- Be prepared to learn about child protection procedures and guidelines, keeping up to date with any changes and to operate at all times within those parameters.
- Maintain Serenity Housing Children’s Home policies regarding Health and Safety by taking personal responsibility for their own health and safety and drawing attention to any unsafe practices adopted by others. This includes general health and safety, food hygiene, fire prevention, proper use of hazardous substances, etc.
- Maintain client confidentiality at all times having no communication with the media or other outside bodies unless permission is expressly given by the Registered Provider (Director).
- Be involved in the promotion of good domestic and material standards throughout the Home.
SAFEGUARDING AND CHILD CENTERD RESPONSIBILITIES
- Be alert to any signs of distress and abuse, and to ensure that children and young people are monitored and protected, reporting any concerns to the line manager or Shift Leader.
- Ensure the rights and needs of children and young people are met as fully as possible whether physical, emotional, social, educational, spiritual or cultural.
- Ensure all relevant information on the young person’s background and present needs is available, read, understood and signed off where necessary.
- Agree consequences to 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 and with the regulations and Quality Standards.
GENERAL
- Ensure that the organisation Equality & Diversity policy is promoted at all times in the conduct of the Home’s business.
- Ensure that your own work contributes to the Home’s, departmental and corporate plans.
- To give each child/young person practical skills and social status that are valued within their communities.
- To have anti-racist and anti-sexist work practices, which help Children and young people value anti-discriminatory attitudes and behaviour.
- To work in line with the home’s policy on Health and Safety.
- Any other duties within the general scope of the post as directed by the Deputy Manager /Registered Manager.
PROBATION PERIOD
This position is subject to successful completion of six months’ probation period. The Registered Manager in consultation with the Responsible Individual may terminate or reverse the appointment as a result of poor performance/incompetence or any such practice not befitting a Support Worker Role.
This is a description of the job as it is at present constituted. It is the practice of this company periodically to examine employees’ job descriptions and to update them to ensure that they relate to the job as then being performed, or to incorporate whatever changes are being proposed. It is the company’s aim to reach agreement on reasonable changes, but if agreement is not possible, the company reserves the right to insist on changes to your job description after consultation with you.
Person Specification
Category
Requirements
E | D
Qualification
Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (QCF) or willing to work towards Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare.
D
Experience
Experience of direct involvement with children and young people, whether in a personal, voluntary or paid capacity
D
Knowledge
An understanding of the kind of behavioural issues, which might arise with children and young people in a residential setting
E
Skills and Ability
Ability to communicate and interact well with children and young people.
E
Ability to develop nurturing and supportive relationships with children and young people
E
Ability to work with children and young people and attend to their needs as stated in their support plan, behaviour management plan etc.
E
Interest in and experience of activities which can be used in the work with children and young people.
E
Ability and willingness to be involved in domestic activities and to engage children and young people in assisting with these to develop independent living skills.
E
Ability to manage petty cash transactions and maintain accurate record of these.
E
Good level of literacy skills to write and contribute to reports, logs, etc. Good IT skills, including word, excel, email and the internet.
E
Other:
Willing to participate in relevant job centred training, including learning about the core principles
E
Prepared to work within and promote the framework of policies and procedures applying to the way in which this home is operated
E
Willing and able to undertake training to attain a relevant National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 3 required for your job role.
E
Ability to work early, late and weekends and to sleep in at the home on a rostered basis in line with the needs of the home.
E
E – essential
D – desirable
Safeguarding and child centred responsibilities
Be alert to any signs of distress and abuse, and to ensure that children and young people are monitored and protected, reporting any concerns to your line manager. Ensure the rights and needs of children and young people are met as fully as possible whether physical, emotional, social, educational, spiritual or cultural. Ensure all relevant information on the young person’s background and present needs is available, read, understood and signed off where necessary. Agree consequences to 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 and with National Minimum Standards.
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: £10.30-£12.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Bereavement leave
- Employee mentoring programme
- Flexitime
- Free parking
Flexible Language Requirement:
Schedule:
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Slough: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Education:
- GCSE or equivalent (preferred)
Work Location: One location
Reference ID: Residential Support Worker
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