JOB DESCRIPTION/ PERSON SPEC
The Autism Project@GSTT
Job Coach/Employment and Training Advisor
Reporting to:Senior Job Coach/Project Manager and Orchard Hill
Main Purpose: To support Senior Job Coach/Project Manager.
The main aims of the role are to support students in work placements within the hospital and to build skills to assist the students in finding paid employment both in the classroom and in 1:1 sessions throughout the year.
Line Management responsibility: N/A
Working with:
Senior Job Coach/Project Manager
Projects Director –CareTrade
Orchard Hill College Staff
Tutor
Host Employer Managers and Mentors and staff
Place of work: You will be based at TAP@GSTT offices with daily travel to St Thomas’ and Guy’s Hospitals.
Background:
The Autism Project @ Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust (TAP@GSTT)
This project is run by CareTrade a small London charity that strives to improve the life chances of school leavers and adults with autism.
TAP@GSTT help up to 12 young Londoners with autism a year .Our aim is to help these young people gain real hands on work experience to develop their employability skills & to help them into work or find further training to help them in their future careers.
In 2009 CareTrade won a bid from the Office of Disability Issues to establish a Project SEARCH site. Eight young Londoners with autism graduated in July 2011 and two are employees at GSTT. We had a further nine students start in 2011 & our pilot finished in July 2012.
TAP@GSTT started in September 2012. We had 11 students in 2012/13 who have just graduated. This year we were in partnership with Orchard Hill College and GSTT.
Participants gain real hands on work experience within a wide variety of departments at GSTT to develop their employability skills & to help them into work or further training. All participants experience up to three placements and each one is focused on developing different skills, these can be areas that the participants need to improve in or provide them with skills that will enhance their employment opportunities. Along side this experience they work towards an Employability Qualification and build knowledge in areas such as interview skills, letter writing, communication & CV development.
In the 2013/14 academic year we hope to have up to 12 students on the project.
Assistant Job Coach Core Responsibilities:
- To work in close collaboration with the Senior Job Coach/Project Manager at all times to ensure that students are progressing towards both their qualification and practical work experience targets and that these are complementary.
- To support students on a day-to-day basis on their work placements.
- To learn the work place duties of each placement and make any modifications (label cabinets, simplifies written instructions, etc.) necessary to the successful completion of the job by the student who will interview for that work rotation.
- To teach the essential tasks/duties/core skills of the job to the student in partnership with other staff - Because the goal is independence, the Job Coach builds natural supports (mentors within the workplace) and reduces the amount of time spent with each student as core skills are developed
- To reinforce employability skills learnt in class and to help students to understand protocols and interpret work culture. Ensure students understand the health and safety in the work environments and adopt appropriate workplace behaviour
- To work with the Senior Job Coach/Project Manager to develop individual support programmes to enable student to carry out each placement to their own and the manager’s satisfaction. Encourage the students to develop their own coping strategies thus reducing the need for external support.
- To work with the Senior Job Coach /Project Manager to monitor and record the students’ progress in their placements with department managers and mentors and give feedback to students.
- To assist with completion of all necessary evaluations, reports and documentation as required.
- To assist with travel training needs of the students, promoting independent use of public transport.
GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
- To attend all staff meetings and participate in staff development as required.
- Promote a positive image of autism, the Project, Project partners and organisations and CareTrade.
- Co-operate with all CareTrade staff in maintaining good relationships with outside agencies and the general public in order to promote the charity and win increased support for its work
- Co-operate with all CareTrade and Project staff in maintaining harmonious inter-personal relationships. Ensure that your conduct within and outside of your work place does not conflict with professional expectations.
- Ensure an awareness and observation of Fire and Health and Safety Regulations at the work place.
- Ensure the respect, dignity and rights to privacy of both students and staff as far as possible.
- Carry out any duties as are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job and the title of the post, as required by your Line Manager or his/her next higher level of authority.
The job description reflects the present requirements of the post .You will be expected to carry out other activities that are within the scope of the role.As duties and responsibilities change and develop the job description will be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the post holder.
Applications are sought from all suitably qualified sections of the community.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all adults who use our services and as such expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
CONFIDENTIALITY:
Maintain confidentiality for all areas of the CareTrade Charitable Trust, GSST or other partner’s organisations its staff and its work. The nature of the work entrusts people with confidential information about clients/service users, their families and staff within CareTrade and partner organisations. Any breach of this confidentiality will constitute gross misconduct.
EMPLOYEE SPECIFICATION
TAP Job Coach
An E or D indicates the essential and desirable characteristics of the post holder
Qualifications
Teaching or training qualification D
E.g. City and Guilds 730
Or 7307 Adult Further Education
Qualified to degree level D
Knowledge
Equality Act E
Learning Disabilities/Disability issues D
Assessments procedures in respect of
Skills and needs of people with disabilities D
Employment issues for people with disabilities D
Autism and Asperger Syndrome D
Skills
Organisational skills E
Ability to empathise and advocate for the
needs of people with learning difficulties E
Negotiating E
Ability to enable/empower others to
meet their maximum potential E
Ability to motivate others E
Enthusiasm, ability to teach others - in a
systematic way and using different
teaching methods / approaches E
Ability to work independently and using
own initiative E
Work Experience
Managing own workload E
Team working E
Experience of working with
people with disabilities D
Experience of teaching or training
e.g. facilitating life, social and
communication skills E
Working with people with autism
(paid or unpaid) D
Challenging behaviour D
Supported Employment/Work/College
placements for people with learning disabilities D
Working as part of multi-disciplinary team D
Liaising with organisations E
Personal Qualities
Self motivation E
Tactful and diplomatic E
Possess considerable patience E
Assertive E
Flexible approach to needs of client
and job E
Effective communicator E
Creative in responding to needs of
clients E
Good interpersonal skills E
Loyalty and commitment E
Committed to Equal Opportunities E
Committed to ongoing personal training
and development E
On going good health and attendance D/E
Excellent time keeping skills E
EMPLOYEE SPECIFICATION
TAP Job Coach
Working conditions of this post are indicated below:-
TRAVEL:
The post is based at TAP offices. Travel to GSTT sites is essential. There may also be a requirement to occasionally travel to other places of work within London to facilitate travel training and to visit and liaise with potential employers. There will also be meetings at Orchard Hill College.
HOURS:
This post is 37.5 hours a week - 8.30 am to 5 pm M-F. Candidates must be willing to be a little flexible to facilitate student parent meetings and occasional presentations in the early evening. Time may be taken in lieu for unsocial hours worked.
HOLIDAYS:
5 weeks holiday a year plus Bank Holidays. All holiday must be taken in consultation with the Projects Director. No more then one member of the team should be on leave during term time. No leave to be taken during ‘peak’ times and a minimum of three of the five weeks to be taken during closures (outside student term time). Leave can be carried over to following year at the discression of the Projects Director.
REMUNERATION:
This is a fixed term 1year post subject to a 3 -month probationary period.
The salary is £ 26,000 per annum Including Inner London Weighting plus a 6%
pension contribution through NEST.
WORKING ENVIRONMENT:
Office, classroom and within various departments at both St Thomas’ Hospital and Guys Hospital.
PRESSURES INHERENT IN JOB:
Dealing with young people with autism and Asperger Syndrome; many of whom display complex behaviours including communication and social difficulties.
OTHER SIGNIFICANT FACTORS:
A professional and flexible approach is required in order to maintain and enhance the reputation of the project and of all the partner organisations of the Project.
ADDITIONALINFORMATION:
All staff will be subject to CRB check and any other recruitment requirements determined by GSTT and Orchard Hill within their recruitment, training and development policies (available on request)
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