Social Care Worker

BROTHERS OF CHARITY SERVICES –WEST REGION

POSTS: 6 x PERMANENT PART-TIME SOCIAL CARE WORKERS

CURLEW ADULT SERVICES (Boyle, Ballaghaderreen, Frenchpark areas)

Ref: 72234

A panel may be formed as a result of this campaign from which current and future, permanent and specified purpose vacancies of full or part-time duration may be filled.

DESCRIPTION AND VISION OF SERVICES

The Brothers of Charity Services Ireland – West Region provide a community based, person centred service focusing on the needs and abilities of children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The vision of the service is to support people with intellectual disabilities to achieve a full and valued life in their community, in line with best practice both nationally and internationally. Working in partnership with each person supported by services, and their family and communities, we aim to create opportunities for people supported by services to have ordinary life experiences and to be closely connected to family and friends. We are committed to supporting people to live a life of their choosing, and the provision of quality services to meet the needs of the people we support.

Curlew Adult Services provide a range of community based servicesincluding day, residential, respite, community outreach, family support and a range of multidisciplinary support services. People are supported in various types of day settings – day centres, supported employment, social and micro enterprises, training and education and these can be in groups or individualised. People are supported in residential settings in their own homes in the community individually and in groups with different staffing support levels depending on their levels of disability. Our Services are person centred focusing on the needs and abilities of adults with intellectual disabilities and autism. Our focus going forward is to form a relationship/partnership with each individual and their family and communities, supporting people to plan and direct their own service so that they can enjoy a life with a healthy balance of supports. We wish to create opportunities for people who use our service to have valued social roles in their communities and to form friendships.

We wish to recruit innovative, creative and motivated people who will relish the opportunity to assist in achieving this vision as part of a team. We are looking for people who will be flexible and adapt to the needs of particular individuals they supportand are open to change.

Location:

Curlew Adult Services (Boyle, Ballaghaderreen, Frenchpark Areas). Staff allocation could be either within residential/respite/day settings or in community services or in an individual’s own home. The appointee will initially commence working in one particular area of the Curlew services and this work location may change due to future service needs.

The Role:

Social Care Workers fulfil a key worker supportive and advocative role for individuals supported by the service. The Social Care Worker role is to support the person in all aspects of their life focusing on the individual’s ability and promoting independence and development of skills at all times. The Social Care Worker will assist and support people who use the service with development of their individual person centred plans and the achievement of associated outcomes, and critically, will support people who use the service to make informed choices and fulfil their potential. They will encourage participation in the community through inclusive and creative thinking, seek opportunities for new experiences and encourage positive risk taking in leading to informed choices.

The successful candidate will provide leadership and supervision at a local level, ensuring the service delivered is person-centred.

Reporting/Responsible to:

Team Leader/Team Manager/Area Manager

Qualifications:

Candidates must hold one of the following qualifications:

• Registered with or eligible to register with CORU by November 2025.
• HETAC/DIT/NQAI BA in Applied Social Studies/Social Care.
• Open Training College (HETAC) accredited National Degree in Applied Social Studies (Disability).

and

• A full clean manual Driving Licence, which qualifies you to drive manual transmission vehicles on Irish Roads is an essential requirement. It may also be necessary for the appointee to obtain a Class D1 Driving Licence (if not already in possession of one). Assistance will be given towards this purpose of obtaining a class D1 licence.
• Fluency in verbal and written English is an essential requirement of this post.

Experience:

· Experience working with individuals with an intellectual disability and individuals with challenging behaviour is desirable. Full training will be provided.

· Experience in the area of goal setting and programme implementation through a person centred approach is also desirable.

· Working within a staff team and shift leading at times.

Skills:

Candidates must demonstrate:

· Leadership and networking skills - Staff will be expected to network with local community groups and develop positive links for the individuals who use the service.

· Excellent organisational and planning skills, with the ability to support goal setting, putting goals into action and following through to the achievement of outcomes

· The ability to communicate effectively in both written and verbal forms and excellent report writing and record keeping skills

· Creativity, initiative and self-motivation

· Commitment to current best practice internationally and co-operating in an interdisciplinary team environment with a person-centred philosophy

· The ability to exercise good judgement, discretion and confidentiality

· Excellent listening skills, patience and a sense of humour

Working Hours:

· 1 x Permanent Part-Time 60 hours per fortnight

· 4 x Permanent Part-Time 45 hours per fortnight

· 1 x Permanent Part-Time 31 hours per fortnight

All posts are based on a 14-day duty roster. The successful candidates may be required to work to accommodate an integrated day service, with weekend work, some split duty hours, public holidays, evening/night duty and sleep-ins to meet service needs. The Brothers of Charity Services model of service is based on Personal Outcome Measures requiring employees to be flexible in their working hours to provide a quality service delivery for each individual.

Annual Leave:

22 days per annum (pro-rata for part-time), i.e. 8.46 hours per 100 hours worked. Appropriate service related leave will be granted after 5 and 10 years’ service respectively.

Remuneration:

Department of Health Social Care Worker salary scale as at 01/06/2024 apply: €38,451 x 11 increments - €53,436 per annum (pro-rata for part-time). A long service increment €54,445 per annum (pro-rata for part-time) is payable after 3 years on the maximum of the scale.
Additional payments will be made for weekends, public holidays and night duty when worked.

Salary quoted is based on a 39 hour working week. The successful candidate will be granted incremental credit subject to satisfactory verification of previous public sector service.

Tenure:

A panel may be formed as a result of this process from which subsequent permanent, temporary or fixed term Social Care Worker appointments within the Curlew Service location may be offered over the next 6 to 12 months.

Probation:

A probationary period of nine months from the date of appointment applies to the post. The employment may be terminated at any time during the probationary period should the employer find that the appointee is unsuitable to continue employment. The probation period may be extended at the Employer’s discretion.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Brothers of Charity Services model of service is based on Personal Outcome Measures requiring employees to be flexible both in their approach and their working hours to provide a quality person centred service in an individualised way.

Specific Conditions:

• Staff must have a positive attitude towards working with persons with an intellectual disability and autism.
• Staff must treat each person with an intellectual disability as an individual and at all times acknowledge and respect the rights and personal dignity of the person.
• Staff are required to establish and maintain relationships with adults with disabilities that are based on respect and equality and that promote their independence.

Main duties and functions:

• Be an active member of the assigned team and assume leadership as required in the absence of the Team Leader.

· Develop positive relationships with people supported. Consult with Individuals to help them to identify their personal vision for their lives and their current support needs. Ensure that the support of all individuals is of the highest professional standard using Individual Personal Outcome Plans and a Key Worker system.

· Advocate for people supported in all aspects of lives. In accordance with each individual’s wishes, assist the person to pursue any rights/report any rights restrictions up to and including referral to the internal Human Rights Committee or other Advocacy Structure. Following consultation with manager and multidisciplinary support team support the person to access the Independent Advocacy Service where appropriate.

• Foster and encourage independence and initiative in the People Supported by the Services and facilitate community participation, integration and the development of people’s independence.
• Ensure the Service is delivered in line with the Personal Outcome Measures (POMs) quality system and also in line with the Health Information and Quality Authority Standards (HIQA) for residential Services.
• Keep appropriate records to enable full reports on the People Supported by the Services to be available to the multidisciplinary staff and Team Leader/Service Coordinator/Area Manager.
• Maintain records with respect to individuals’ personal outcomes, rights, safety, health, finances and any other pertinent details as required and in line with organisational and statutory requirements.
• Update and maintain records on all organisational databases and IT systems as required.
• Support individuals in recreational and social activities in the evenings and at weekends. Be willing to participate in all training and recreational activities including taking individuals on outings, trips and holidays as arranged.
• Develop positive relationships with the People Supported by the Services, offer choices and assist them in making informed decisions and in achieving their personal goals including, but not limited to, work/training, home environment and leisure activities.
• Support individuals in developing and maintaining friendships and other relationships.
• Develop a good working relationship with families and key people involved with the People Supported by the Services, as deemed appropriate under the supervision of the Team Leader/Service Coordinator.
• Assist People Supported by the Services with personal banking and adhering to the National Guidelines on managing individual finances.
• Be responsible for the purchase of goods and services for the household in line with budgets and organisational purchasing policies and keep accurate financial records of same.
• Assist the individuals in accessing public services such as medical services, public transport, etc., as equal and active citizens within their communities.
• Assist individuals in maintaining good health, receiving appropriate healthcare and maintaining good personal hygiene.
• Support individuals with their personal care and activities of daily living.
• In conjunction with the multi-disciplinary team, carry out regular positive behavioural programming reviews and set goals for improvement.
• Carry out housekeeping duties, and ensure the house is maintained to a high standard of cleanliness and décor.
• Assist individuals in menu planning and preparation of food, cooking daily meals and maintaining a high standard of food hygiene.
• Administer medication when necessary in line with the Services’ Medication Administration and Management Policy.
• Supervise support workers while on duty.
• Avail of all training and development opportunities that enhance this position.
• Ensure confidentiality is maintained in all matters concerning people supported by the services including the safe storage of reports and records.
• Ensure that all accidents/incidents to individuals, staff and visitors are reported in accordance with Service policy.
• Operate within the policies and procedures of the Service in all aspects of your work.
• Promote dignity at work and show respect to individuals, colleagues and stakeholders in the course of duty.
• Be aware of and become familiar with fire drill procedures within the work place, i.e. fire detection, evacuation and fire-fighting.
• To be conscious of Health & Safety matters in the workplace and, in particular, to comply with employees’ obligations as set out under Chapter 2, numbers 13, 14 & 15 of the Safety, Health & Welfare at Work Act, 2005.
• As the duties and responsibilities of any post in the Service are likely to change with the ongoing needs of the people supported by the services, i.e. age, level of disability, health etc, staff are expected to have a high level of flexibility, willingness and an ability to develop new approaches to their work as the people supported by the services needs demand.
• Perform such other duties appropriate to the post as may be assigned by the Team Leader/ Service coordinator. All duties must be carried out in person at all times.

The role of the post holder will not be limited by reference to this job description. It would be expected that the role will evolve as professional, structural and People Supported by the Services demands change and the post holder will be expected to demonstrate flexibility skills that will facilitate this.

Informal enquiries for this post to Tommie Scanlon, Curlew Services Area Manager
on 087 169 7954

Closing date for receipt of completed application forms /CV’s on-line is Wednesday 27th November 2024

Interview date is scheduled for Tuesday 10th December 2024.

The Brothers of Charity Services Ireland is an equal opportunities employer