Job Description

Purpose of the Post

To provide advice, assistance and support to young people aged 7 - 17 years old. To attend to their practical, physical and emotional needs. To act as an appropriate role model and to work closely with them to enable them to address their difficulties and achieve their optimum potential.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

To maintain a high quality of support which meets the physical, emotional, intellectual, social and cultural needs of young people.

To provide a caring, supportive and nurturing environment in which young people can feel secure and free from harm.

Establishing positive relationships with young people and always offering them unconditional and positive regard.

Helping young people gain self-control by challenging unacceptable behaviour and rewarding acceptable, pro-social conduct.

Ensuring that each young person's support plan is followed and amended as appropriate to reflect their changing needs.

Provide training in Independent Living Skills to enable independent living (budgeting, finding employment, cooking, cleaning, basic general maintenance around the home etc.).

To act as a key worker or co-worker for a young person to ensure that their support plans are up to date and that their needs are being met. To provide a positive role model to be able to offer advice, guidance and assistance where appropriate.

Establishing relationships which young people perceive to be positive, warm and rewarding.

Providing advice, assistance and support on a 1:1 basis to enable young people to address past and present difficulties.

Providing emotional support at times of difficulty or stress.

Being ambitious for young people, helping them achieve their goals and optimise their potential.

Providing support for young people in their education and extracurricular activities.

Keeping accurate records and providing written reports on young people for planning meetings, reviews or any other meetings as directed by the line manager.

Empowering young people and facilitating their active involvement in the decision making about their lives and future.

Acting as an advocate at meetings where the young person is the subject of discussion.

Encouraging the young person to develop links with the community, attend off-site activities and expand their personal social network.

Maintaining confidentiality whilst also meeting the Sharing Information protocols in regard to safeguarding.

To Work as Part of a Team

Being aware of the aims and objectives of the service and working collaboratively with colleagues to achieve them.

Attending team/ staff meetings and making a positive contribution to them.

Actively contributing to the development of the team.

Receiving and storing information to improve communication.

Being willing to give and receive feedback on performance with colleagues and managers.

Being aware of support plans for all young people and providing support for colleagues by maintaining consistency in the execution of those plans.

Providing informal practical and emotional support to colleagues experiencing difficulties.

Attending and contributing to regular supervision sessions.

Monitoring the conduct of colleagues and referring on any causes for concern (Whistleblowing).

Being familiar with all policies and procedures and adhering to them.

General Responsibilities

Attending young people's meetings and contributing to them.

Receiving training appropriate to the role and maintaining an up to date training profile.

Responsibility for the accurate maintenance of financial records appropriate to the duties of the post.
- Support individuals in developing and maintaining independent living skills
- Promote a safe and inclusive environment for all individuals
- Collaborate with a team of professionals to create and implement individualized care plans
- Document and report any changes or concerns regarding the individuals' well-being

Requirements:
- Previous experience working with as a support worker
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills including good writing skills
- Ability to work independently as well as part of a team
- Compassionate and patient demeanor

Note: This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the position. Duties and responsibilities may vary depending on the specific needs of the individuals being supported.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Freelance, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 12 months

Pay: 14.00-15.00 per hour

Benefits:

Company pension
Ability to commute/relocate:

Colchester CO4 3JF: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Education:

GCSE or equivalent (preferred)
Experience:

Home care: 1 year (preferred)
Language:

English (required)
Licence/Certification:

Driving Licence (preferred)
Work Location: In person