Community Support Worker

Job Title: Community Support Worker
Location: Reach Deaf Supported Living Service
Salary/Hours: Full-Time 36 Hours per week, €33,307.00 Per Annum
Duration: 1-year Fixed Term & Specific Purpose, Subject to Garda Vetting and Probationary Period.

Reach Deaf Services is committed to ensuring that the people in our service are empowered to live the best life possible. We are recruiting to ensure that the right staff are in place, prepared, trained, and ready to support people as they transition to their new homes. We are hugely committed to investing in our staff and provide a very generous training package.

Reach Deaf Services are seeking Support Workers to provide support to the people who live in their own homes in our community service.  Our vision is to support people to live an inclusive life with equal opportunities empowering each person to shape and direct their future.

The successful candidates will support and facilitate individuals to transition from the residential to their own homes and support them to develop and hold valued social roles in the community.

This position can include some evenings, sleepovers and weekends. The rate of pay is €33,307 per annum to include one weekend per month and inclusion on an on-call roster. Additional Sundays and Bank Holidays are paid at double the time. You will be working as part of a team with the opportunity to have dedicated key working hours to support people to develop skills they need for life in the community.

Why work for us:
Reach Deaf Services is a not-for-profit organisation, providing services to the deaf community in Ireland and are currently recruiting for a Supported Living Services Manager.

We offer a competitive salary
Flexible working
Generous employer pension
22 days annual leave
Learning and Development opportunities with a focus on personal and professional progression
A job with purpose, working as part of a diverse and inclusive team

Duties and Responsibilities:

The below contains the main outline of duties. Duties are likely to arise from time to time that do not fall within the below list.

• Support individuals in directing their own lives in accordance with their cognitive and physical abilities in an environment that reflects the comforts of home
• Support improved opportunities for individuals to have meaningful relationships with families and friends by making them welcome in the individuals’ home
• Respect individuals, their families and each other as individual showing dignity, courtesy and professionalism always
• Participate and promote a zero-tolerance culture to abuse
• Act as an advocate for individuals
• Support individuals to confirm any appointments by requesting interpreters and ensuring to confirm date and attendance. Liaise with colleagues in relation to organizing and planning of appointment date
• Promote the social interaction of individuals with the community, including facilitating the ongoing involvement in their personal interests, hobbies etc.
• Plan and organize with client outings and accompany where necessary
• Support individuals to keep regular contact with family members and friends by writing, email, phone or text to plan visits and share communication with the individuals’ consent
• Assist in the provision of a quality service by promoting and adopting a philosophy of care and working in line with national and locally devised Policies, the Regulations and National Standards for Individual Services for Adults with an Intellectual Disability
• Ensure that care and support is carried out in an empathetic and ethical manner and that the dignity and spiritual needs of the individual is respected
• Contribute to the development of a multidisciplinary assessment and person-centered support plan and assist in its implementation and evaluation in consultation with the individual and family/representative as appropriate
• Carry out assigned and delegated responsibilities involving direct support and all activities of daily living to assist clients maintain standards of personal hygiene, laundry, dietary intake, physical, mental health and any other personal needs
• Actively support individuals with their consent in taking prescribed medication and recording of same. The role of Support Worker in medication administration will be to follow the individualized support plan and service policy. Appropriate training and supervisions will be provided
• Actively participate in the cleaning of houses, utility rooms, equipment, kitchens and bedrooms
• Prepare and serve food as appropriate in accordance with safe food handling policy
• Maintain the confidentiality of all information made available to him/her during the course of his/her work
• Support individuals using our services to maximize their independence and quality of life while protecting individual health and safety
• Actively support individuals with their consent in managing their finances and recording same. The role of Support Worker in finance will be to follow individual’s personal plan and service policy

Health & Safety
The Support Worker will:

• Conduct him/herself in a manner that conveys respect of the individual will and preference to take on new tasks ensuring a positive risk assessment is carried out where required
• Report any incident or potential incident, which may compromise the health and safety of individuals, staff or visitors and take appropriate action
• Apply precautions at all times to minimize the risks of cross infection e.g. clean up any spillages of bodily fluids, wear personal protective clothing and use equipment provided appropriate to the task
• Ensure that all equipment is stored and cleaned correctly, and storage areas are kept clean and tidy
• Report any breakage or malfunction of equipment to technical staff and /or appropriate others
• Present to work having regard to the highest standard of attire and personal hygiene.
• Participate in Fire prevention procedures and precautions as per policy and other emergency requirements
• Have a working knowledge of Assisted Decision-Making Act, National Safeguarding Policy for Vulnerable Adults, HIQA National Standards and Regulations, Standards for Healthcare, National Standards for the prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, Hygiene Standards etc and comply with associated HSE protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards
• Report any accidents, near misses to the Line Manager and ensure completion of incident / near miss forms
• Attend training courses as required e.g. Positive Behavior Support, Manual Handling, CPR, Hygiene, HACCP, Fire Prevention etc

Skills and Experience
We are looking for a new Team member with innovation, excellent communication skills, a record of accomplishment of involvement in their local community, flexibility and creativity.   This person will be expected to support people in their everyday life whilst supporting them around the interests of their choice and continuing to explore new areas of interest with them.

Qualifications

• Minimum Level 5 in Social Care, Community Care, Disability Studies Applied Social Studies, Health Care or appropriate equivalent
• FETAC Level 4 – Irish Sign Language desirable or willingness to achieve within two years. The organization will fund the cost of the training for Level 3 and 4.

Professional Knowledge

• Knowledge of supporting a person to transition from Residential settings to the community.
• Knowledge of Residential Care legislation including HIQA’s National Standards for Residential Service for Children and Adults with Disabilities, and others as applicable
• Previous experience of safeguarding adults from Abuse
• Demonstrate sound knowledge of adults with disabilities
• Previous experience in supporting adults in a residential setting
• Willingness to undertake further education

What we Offer

• Rewarding and flexible working environment, with excellent support from a network of Team Leaders and Managers
• Set rosters and regular work hours
• Competitive rates of pay + Travel Expenses
• Induction and continued training programme to upskill in areas such as Social Role Valorisation, Positive Behavior Support, Medication Management, Mental Health and various other areas required to enable you to have the necessary skills in supporting people to lead self-directed lives.
• 22 days holidays, Maternity Benefit, Excellent Pension Package, Employment Support Programme and opportunities for career progression

Do you not meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and members of underrepresented groups are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet all qualification criteria.

At Reach Deaf Services, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your experience does not align perfectly with every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles

If this exciting opportunity sparks your interest, please contact us

Any interested applicants should forward their CV and a short covering letter stating their suitability by email to recruitment@reachdeafservices.ie

Interviews will take place on a rolling bases until all vacancies are fulfilled

If you require further details on this role, please contact Kristina Harris directly at KHarris@reachdeafservices.ie

All offers of employment are subject to Garda Vetting.

Regards
Kristina Harris
HR Generalist
Reach Deaf Services