Job Description

Support Worker

Responsible to:Home Manager/Deputy Care Manager

Payscale:12-18

Specific Responsibilities

1Keep the needs of the deafblind people you are supporting at the centre of your attention at all times. This means:

1.1Listening and responding to the deafblind person that you are supporting. To do this you will use the communication method that he or she prefers and which you will have been trained to use.

1.2Supporting deafblind people with personal care tasks, such as washing, bathing, shaving, dressing and using the toilet. In all these intimate tasks you should ensure that peoples rights to privacy, dignity and cleanliness are respected.

1.3Promoting the health and wellbeing of the deafblind person through encouraging a healthy diet, regular exercise and paying attention to medical needs. This includes the administration of any necessary medication and accompanying individuals to medical appointments.

1.4Understanding and recognising that a deafblind person may communicate with us through his or her behaviours and that this is important to them. Sometimes this can be difficult or challenging. When it is you must ensure that you follow the guidance that is issued to enable us to respond appropriately.

1.5Considering and showing respect for an individuals age, gender, ethnic origin, religious/cultural background and sexual/personal needs and ensuring you keep these in mind in all aspects of your work practice.

1.6 Understanding and recognising how having no, or very limited, sight and hearing, affects each individual differently. This means we have to constantly provide information about the environment around the person, provide safe, personal mobility support and adapt how we work with each person to enable them to make the best possible use of any vision or hearing they have and gain information through touch.

2Enable deafblind people to influence the support and the services they receive, both now and in the future. This means:

2.1Supporting deafblind people and working closely with their families and other professionals to review services provided and to agree plans for the future based on a person-centred approach.

2.2Actively supporting a deafblind person in identifying and participating in a wide range of enjoyable, stimulating and purposeful activities that make for a good quality of life. This will include at least one holiday per year.

2.3Ensuring that the domestic environment is maintained to a high standard producing a safe, comfortable and homely setting. This includes carrying out all normal household tasks and enabling deafblind people to be as fully involved as possible in the running of their own home.

2.4Following Sense procedures developed to prevent any form of abuse. This includes procedures on adult protection, intimate personal care and finances.

2.5Supporting the deafblind person to actively maintain contacts with his/her family and friends and in extending their range of social contacts.

3Help Sense to provide a high quality service by:

3.1Ensuring that all records of your work are completed as required and are up to date, neat and accurate.

3.2Completing Sense’ induction and skills development programme, attending courses as arranged by your manager and attending supervision sessions. These are all designed to give you the knowledge and develop the skills needed to provide the best support to deafblind people.

3.3Behaving at all times in a manner which is respectful towards deafblind people, their families, colleagues, neighbours and members of the public.

3.4Maintaining an awareness of all organisation policies and practices and following these at all times.

3.5To work in a way which ensures a safe, healthy and supportive environment for deafblind people, staff and any other people who come into contact with us in the course of our activities.

3.6To undertake any other duties as requested by the home manager that are in line with the grade and responsibilities of this post.

Person Specification

Support Worker

Achievements and Experience
Essential Criteria / Desirable Criteria
Experience of managing difficult situations. / Experience of healthy living and an understanding of how to promote this in others.
Experience of working with in policies, procedures, organisational aim and objectives and contract of employment. / An NVQ in care/promoting independence or health and social care.
Previous experience in a care setting.
BSL – Experience or qualification
Skills & Abilities
An ability and willingness to provide support to people who need it with dressing and personal care. / Full Drivers license
An ability to summarise and record information in a way that can be readily understood by others.
You will need to be able to communicate in a variety of methods.
An ability to work effectively as part of a team.
An ability to work on your own initiative.
An ability to carry out basic numerical tasks (e.g adding and subtracting figures).
An understanding of the needs of vulnerable people. (e.g children, adults, older people, people with learning disabilities or people who are deaf and blind).
An ability and willingness to participate and support in a range of social and leisure activities.
An understanding that people have health and welfare needs and a willingness to support individuals in meeting their needs in this area.
An understanding of rights, dignity and respect and a willingness to promote them.
An understanding of Equal Opportunities.
An ability to advocate on behalf of individuals
A willingness to participate in training.
An ability to assess risk and work within health and safety policies and legislation.
To demonstrate the personal attributes of respectfulness.
An ability to work flexibly

The person specification is used to help managers decide on who to appoint and ensure that all applicants are judged on the appropriate criteria.

Any questions, presentations and written exercises will be directly related to these criteria. The qualities detailed will be relevant to the post, stated as precisely as possible and should be demonstrable.

Applicants for the post are advised to use the information contained within the person specification to help then structure their application.

Short listing will take into account the meeting of the essential criteria and specifically those points sourced to the ‘application’ form.

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