Job Title: Support Worker/Personal Care Assistant

Location: East Preston

Hourly rate: £12.00 per hour

Reference: BRR7226

Hours/shifts: Various shifts available Monday-Sunday day & evening, to work on a rota with the rest of the team.

Summary

I am a young disabled man in my 30's who requires support to live independently. I have a Chromosome abnormality and dual sensory impairments.

I sometimes display challenging behaviour and am at risk of falls so need support to keep safe at all times.

I am of physical size around 10 years old. I love being around people and enjoy social events e.g. going out for lunch, the sea life centre, bowling, swimming, social groups. Daily activities will vary depending on my mood/needs.

For the first time in long time, I need some new PA’s to join my team to enable me to live independently in my own home with my sister and her family.

Duties include personal care, domestic tasks and support with social activities.

Experience of providing care and working with people with sensory impairments required.

You must be friendly, reliable, patient and understanding and comfortable around animals.

You should be a driver with a clean licence and willing to drive my motability car.

Ability to lift and push a manual wheelchair required.

Other Requirements

• Must be comfortable with pets

• Non-smoker preferred or someone who is willing to refrain from smoking during work hours.

• Must have a UK driving licence

• Must have a clean licence to drive employer’s motabilty car

• Other :

All applicants must be willing to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check if required.

Successful applicants will be entitled to Holiday pay and will be issued employment contracts.

Description

Typical duties

Domestic:

To undertake such tasks deemed necessary on my behalf on a daily basis to ensure household tasks are completed i.e.

Laundry: Washing, drying, ironing and putting away

Changing bed linen/ bed making

General cleaning and tidying of my part of the home

Taking out rubbish

Minor household maintenance e.g. changing light bulbs

Preparing drinks, snacks and meals.

Shopping

Support to use garden

Making phone calls on my behalf when I am too unwell to do this.

Making tea for the employer's guests

Personal Care:

To ensure high levels of personal care, developing an understanding of my personal care routines, to ensure consistency and security.

Support getting in/out of bed

Help getting into and out of bath as required.

Supervision and assistance with washing and bathing – towelling dry/ drying hair.

Assistance with applying cream.

General hair/skin care

Using the toilet and changing pads

Dressing and undressing/ helping with buttons and fastenings.

Assistance with medication i.e. dispensing, administering and/or prompting

Helping with other aspects of personal care as required, for example assisting to get changed at swimming pool.

Getting in and out of the wheelchair ('transferring')

Mealtimes e.g. cutting up food, assistance to eat food safely/feeding (I will grab things so food should not be placed to near when feeding).

Monitoring me to prevent choking. Wiping away secretions.

Support with challenging behaviour and keeping safe.

Physiotherapy exercises

Social:

To develop an understanding of my dual sensory impairment, using creativity to enable me to receive a range of sensory stimuli to provide pleasurable experiences.

Accompanying and assisting on shopping trips when required

Accompany when accessing social and leisure activities e.g. swimming, visiting cafes, sensory rooms.

Accompanying to doctors/hospital appointments when required

Accompany to therapy appointments or support groups.

Accompanying when clothes-buying, including help with un/dressing and lifting clothes on/off the rails.

Occasional longer journeys

Accompanying on trips out

Accompanying on social events or meetings

The above duties will involve driving my motability car

Whilst on duty at my home - watching TV and assisting with craft activities

Lifting my folding wheelchair in/out of car, pushing my manual wheelchair when out.

Person specification

The successful applicant will be:

Experienced in providing care and working with people with sensory needs

Friendly and cheerful

Respectful of my privacy and confidentiality

Reliable with good time-keeping

Able to both follow instructions and work on own initiative

Hygienic, tidy minded and well organised

Fit and healthy to undertake the required duties

Patient and understanding

Creative

Able to speak and read English to a reasonable standard

Legally permitted to work in the United Kingdom

Able to work at all times to high standards of Health & Safety

Previous experience preferred but this is not as essential as a kind and common sense approach to these roles.

Please note, if you are successful in your application for this position you will be employed directly by the individual employer and not Independent Lives