Support Worker

Role: Support Worker
Location: Falconwood, 33-47 The Green, Welling, Kent, DA16 2PA (Children's Services Falconwood Residential Respite)
Hourly rate of pay: £10ph (Increasing to £10.42 in April)
Contracted hours: 37

What you can expect from us:

• Fantastic paid training and career progression opportunities (including recognised qualifications in health and social care)
• Paid DBS (we will recover the cost should your employment terminate for any reason, other than redundancy, before passing your probation)
• Flexible work arrangements with opportunities to take on additional bank shifts too
• 30 Days Annual Leave (including Bank Holidays) / Pro rata dependent on hours. Annual leave entitlement increases with length of service
• Nest Pension and Death in Service Benefit
• Dedicated Employee Assistance Programme and Access to Mental Health First Aiders
• Access to the Blue Light Card (providing discounts on the high street and online) as well as 25% discounts in our own stores and Cafés.
• Refer a Friend scheme, so you can earn up to £250 for every person you refer to work for Aspens
• Recognition schemes, including ‘Employee of the Month’

At Aspens, we have over 100 years of experience in supporting people with learning disabilities and on the autism spectrum in the social care sector as well as children, young people and adults with a range of disabilities or complex needs in a respectful way.

We aspire to be honest leaders in our social care field, setting the highest possible standards for the care of the people we support. Our dedication to caring for people applies to our valued workforce as well as to the people our organisation exists to support.

We empower our staff by equipping them with the skills, knowledge and tools they need to do an excellent job, remain up to date with the latest developments and training in the sector and to achieve their own professional goals.

About the role

Falconwood Children’s Home (Ofsted registered) in the London Borough of Bexley is a residential short break service where children or young people with disabilities and/or emotional and behavioural needs have overnight stays, giving their parents or carers a break. This specialist service has up to 9 beds and accommodates young people from the age of 5 up to the age of 17.

The Support Worker is responsible for providing support, advice and guidance to those staying at Falconwood and ensuring that the children and young people experience high levels of personal, emotional and physical and support and social care.

They will need to work with young people and children with All SEND (special education needs and disabilities) as well as Autism Spectrum Conditions to help develop individual skills and confidence in all aspects of daily life, including building positive relationships, activities, leisure and social skills, education and accessing the local community and amenities. To provide a short break service for the young person, child, parents and/or their families.

The Support Worker will be contracted to 37 hours per week and the hours of work will be made up of 8 hour shifts and will include occasional sleep in duties. Overtime available.

About the candidate

Aspens Charities are looking for honest, respectable and professional people to join us to promote the values that Aspens champions; enabling and empowering people to learn new skills, live life to the full and contribute to society wherever possible.

• Qualified to Level 3 in Health and Social Care (or equivalent) or able to work towards acquiring this.
• Experienced with working with children and / or adults with SEND as well as ASC
• Driven and proactive to help others
• Have a positive ‘can-do’ attitude with lots of “get up and go!”
• Friendly, calm and helpful
• Have a good sense of humour
• A team worker with good communication skills
• Flexible and trustworthy
• Patient and have a caring attitude
• Good at listening
• Willingness to learn and develop
• Good English & Maths and IT skills

Pay and Benefits

We are very happy to offer this role at a starting salary of £10.00 per hour while also offering further training and development opportunities alongside a full induction, enrollment to the workplace pension scheme (if eligible), paid sick leave which increases with years of service, 6 weeks annual leave entitlement (including bank holidays) and access to our amazing wellness programme.

Aspens are committed to empowering staff to succeed in their professional goals and so have in place support teams and networks to help with any issues that the charities team face.

Any offer would be subject to Disclosure and Barring checks, which we will complete on your behalf if you don't already have one, and satisfactory employment references. We will consider job share and part time arrangements for all posts in line with the needs of the charity.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: From £10.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Employee discount
• Store discount
• Wellness programme

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: One location