Children and Young People’s Support Worker for Holiday and Weekend Short Break Scheme (East Sussex)

Children and Young People’s Support Worker for Holiday and Weekend Short Break Scheme (East Sussex)

Location: Battle / Eastbourne (7.5 hours on a Sunday during term time plus additional holiday activity supports)
Lewes (3.5 hours on Saturday afternoons)  / Uckfield (3.5 hours on Saturday mornings) - In term time
Ideally Uckfield and Lewes could be the same staff if able to travel between venues and mileage and travel time would be covered, giving 7.5 hours on a Saturday
Contracted Hours: As above
During the holidays for holiday activities - additional 5 hrs of support per week.
Hourly Rate:  £11.44 as of April 2024

What you can expect from us:

• Full training and career progression opportunities (including recognised qualifications in health and social care)
• Flexible work arrangements with opportunities to take on additional bank shifts too.
• 30 Days Annual Leave (including Bank Holidays)
• 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 20% discounts in our own stores 
• 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’

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About the Role:

The support worker provides flexible support to children, young people and their families within both group environments (building based and community based)

They will work with young people and children aged 8-25 years with Autism Spectrum Conditions and associated disabilities to help develop individual skills and confidence in all aspects of daily life, including building positive relationships, activities, leisure and social skills.

Duties and Responsibilities

· To support children and young people who attend our groups to remove barriers so that they can engage as fully as possible in order to benefit from the group objectives and realise their abilities.

· To support children and young people to engage in activities that broaden their opportunities to be part of their local community.

· To work closely with the Group Lead and other Support Workers to provide a safe and enjoyable group environment for the children, young people and their families.

· Develop close professional relationships with colleagues, children and young people and maintain up-to date picture of the individual needs of each service user.

· To provide personal care if required to children and young people where needed whilst maintaining the dignity of the individual.

· To support children and young people to attend the groups by providing support prior and after sessions where needed for individuals.

· To provide support to the Group Lead to document and reflect on group sessions.

· To comply fully with Aspens Charities expected practices and procedures including Child Safeguarding.

· To conduct yourself at all times in a way that represents the values and principles of Aspens.

This job description outlines the main duties and responsibilities of the post holder.

The post will include other duties and responsibilities not specified here. It is also likely that changes will be required: such variations are common place and cannot in themselves justify a reconsideration of the grading of the post.

About the Service:
The team within the Children and Young People’s Service work closely with families, carers and other social services involved in a child/young person’s care to build a package of support that is right for every individual and help every step of the journey. Our East Sussex services include social support groups, after-school clubs, Saturday clubs, community-based 1-1 support and holiday activities as well as residential holidays for children and young people with autism and learning disabilities aged 8yrs to 25yrs.

Our existing staff teams deliver excellent services based on the needs of the individual, teaching skills and creating support solutions that enable individuals to manage the impact of their difficulties. The staff team have the skills, knowledge, expertise and confidence to best support individuals with neurological needs.

About Aspens:
Here at Aspens we strive to uphold our core values by aspiring to be leaders with Integrity in the 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, and we work to treat all of our employees, external partners and those we support with respect and kindness at all times in inclusive environment we offer here at Aspens.

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.

For more information about Aspens and our services please visit our website: https://www.aspens.org.uk/

You can also take a look at our social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn

Person Specification
As a charity we are looking for Caring, hardworking and understanding people to join us to promote the values that Aspens champions; respect, honesty, empowerment and professionalism.

Ideal candidates are those who are able and willing to work towards their own personal progression, for self-development and to be able to better support the people we work with. We have an incredible internal training team who support staff from day one to not only benefit your career going forwards but to offer you that first step in a new career if this is what you’re looking for.

Below you will find our essential and desirable criteria for candidates applying for a Children’s Support Worker role with us.

Essential Availability:

Flexible working hours including after school and weekends

Essential Training and Qualifications:

· General education and ability to attain the desired qualifications.

· Ability to undertake all necessary training related to the job role.

Desirable Training and Qualifications:

· Childcare qualification

· Area of interest such as sports, art

· First Aid

· Care Certificate

· Medication management and administration.

· Any other training relevant to supporting the children and young people that we work with (Particularly training in Autism Spectrum Conditions and Positive Behavioural Support)

Essential Experience and Knowledge:

· A willingness to learn how to support individuals who have an Autism Spectrum Conditions and/or other disabilities.

Desirable Experience and Knowledge:

· Experience of working with children and young people with SEND

· Experience of working with individuals with behaviours that could challenge.

· Experience of providing personal care to individuals.

· Experience of providing group support.

· Knowledge of alternative communication methods - Makaton, BSL, PECS etc

· Knowledge of pan-London Safeguarding procedures.

Essential Skills and Attributes:

· Ability to work within a group environment

· Ability to transfer skills between job roles

· Ability to work on your own if required

· Good verbal and written communication skills.

Additional Essential Criteria

· Ability to attend various locations for group activities

Additional Desirable Criteria

· Ideally living in and around the following areas:

· Hastings

· Bexhill

· Hailsham

· Eastbourne

· Lewes

· Uckfield

APPLY NOW with one easy click and one of our team will be in touch to discuss the role with you and answer any of your questions and arrange an interview.

 

Interview process:
We will work with you to ensure most suitable dates/times for interview.
Interviews can either be conducted in service or via remote/video call, dependent on your preference and service tours/visits can be arranged at a later date. Ideally, we would love to initially meet you in person, however, we do appreciate the worries and anxiety that an interview can cause so are open to other options.

 

Aspens Charities are an equal opportunities employer.

Aspens is committed to the safeguarding and promotion of welfare of all children, young people and adults. All successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS disclosure, and satisfactory references. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order (1975, 2013,2020). Our safeguarding policies can be found on our website.

 

At Aspens Charities, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in Aspens’ workforce, such as sex/gender, minority ethnic group, religion, belief, sexual orientation, age, and abilities. We believe that a variety of perspectives leads to better innovation and a stronger team. We are dedicated to creating an environment where everyone feels valued, heard, and has an equal opportunity to thrive.

 

Apply via CV or Application Form Application Form

Email us your CV direct Contact: Recruitmen[email protected]