Senior Support Worker
Job description
Senior Support Workers are experienced Support Workers with additional ‘Key Worker’ responsibilities for a particular person supported by their team. This tends to be someone they know very well or have a great relationship with. Senior Support Workers are often the main interface between the person, their family and the team. Good communication and organisational skills are needed to bring together views, professional advice and information on the person’s wishes and needs, and to make sure everyone is on the same page (or at least reading the same book!). Senior Support Workers have good written and verbal communication skills, providing timely factual written and verbal reports to the Registered Manager so they can understand any changes in needs, progress against any particular goals, and levels of satisfaction with the service they are providing.
Being a Senior Support Workers provides Support Workers with valuable experience of increased responsibility. – We’ve found that our best managers were often great Senior Support Workers before taking the plunge into a managerial role.
External applicants for Senior Support Worker (not already with us) join our comprehensive organisational training programme, a home-specific induction training programme and are provided with a period of ‘shadowing’ or buddying up with confident colleagues. They are then provided with regular supervision (1:1) with the home manager to discuss roles and responsibilities and any additional training or support needed.
Green Light is now known for its high quality autism and learning disability services and positive approaches to supporting people with complex needs. Those joining us as a Senior Support Worker can expect to support people with a diverse range of needs, across the autism spectrum; conditions like Aspergers Syndrome, High Functioning Autism and individuals with Prader Willi Syndrome Some may have health needs like Epilepsy or Diabetes too. Our teams and the people they support are continually learning about these conditions, how they affect people and what support can be provided to help. Any specific needs, and how these are to be met are planned with support and training from specialists in their fields.
At times, some people may behave in puzzling or unusual ways. Termed ‘challenging behaviour‘ this is often a learnt way of communicating an unmet need for someone who may not (yet) have other ways to express themselves. Understanding the meaning (or function) behind this, is one of the fascinating parts of the role.
Green Light’s teams are well-resourced with staffing ratios reflecting the needs of each person with the majority of people supported by Green Light having 1:1 support, in some cases more than 1:1. Our teams are provided with high levels of management support and supervision in the home from managers who understand the pressures of the role and where their help may be needed.
Specialist support is provided to the manager and their team from Green Light’s wider management team who have specialised in Human Resources, Quality Assurance, Operational Management, Recruitment, Administration and Finance. Green Light is one of the first providers in the UK to have a dedicated Positive Behaviour Support team of behaviour analysts who can work ‘hand in hand’ with our teams to ensure the care our teams provide is person-centred and focused on improving quality of life. Our management team works closely together to provide 24/7 ‘on call’ support for teams who can access this for advice, guidance or practical assistance needed night or day.
Each team is led by an experienced Registered Manager and Deputy Manager who provide support, supervision and coaching to their Support Worker, Senior Support Worker and Waking Night Support Worker colleagues as they provide around the clock support to the people in the home. We are proud to say that our teams have consistently been able to achieve ‘good’ overall ratings when inspected by the Health & Social Care Regulator The Care Quality Commission. Reviews with families and professionals consistently provide positive feedback on our teams and the support they provide.
Our teams are made up of people from all walks of life, some at the start of their career and some mid-end career. As a workforce we value diversity and love the vibrancy this brings to our teams and experience for all. We value life experience and the value this brings to what we do, and how we do it. Some of our best team members are those who’ll be the first to admit; ‘they never dreamt of doing this kind of thing before!’ You can see some of our existing staff blogs here & read a bit about their previous backgrounds and experience.
However, for those who are career-minded, Green Light has proven to be the perfect ‘launch pad’ for many careers in Health & Social Care, particularly those wishing to specialise in autism, learning disabilities and/or behaviour analysis. Green Light is now well-regarded – punching above its weight – nationally in this niche part of the Health & Social Care sector. As we have grown since 2010, opportunities have emerged to learn and improve, offering valuable experience and insights for those who have taken these opportunities. This experience is now a foundation stone in the careers of many of our current senior team, as well as colleagues who continue to make an impact elsewhere in the Health & Social Care sector.
Senior Support Worker
£21,382.00 + sleep in & weekend enhancements
Registered Manager
Cornwall, UK
