Mental Health Senior Support Worker - Preston

Job overview

Mental Health Senior Support Worker, Young People

Ashton on Ribble, Preston

£28138.50 - £30205.50 per annum (dependent on experience)

Full Time 37.5 hours per week

Shift patterns will include :

Early – 7am – 3.30pm

Late – 2pm – 10.30pm

Early/late- 8am-7.30pm/10am-9.30pm

You may be required to cover Waking Night shifts on occasions for holiday/absence reasons;

Waking Night – 8.30pm – 7.30am

Main duties of the job

Essential requirements of a Support Worker

• Level 3 diploma qualification in care or equivalent or willingness to work towards this.
• Flexibility - Your role will involve working shifts including weekends and Bank Holidays
• Must be able to attend training throughout employment which will be held on weekdays.
• Good written skills and the ability to write basic reports and record information accurately.
• Basic IT skills (Your role will involve some computer work, completing forms, using an online care system, and writing emails)
• Good verbal communication skills and the ability to listen to others.
• An ability to maintain a professional working boundary.
• Ability to remain calm in emergencies, supporting others during difficult situations.

Desirable Criteria of a Support Worker

• Full UK Driving Licence
• NVQ Level 2 qualification or equivalent in Care
• Previous experience of working with young people who have mental health needs.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

At Care in Mind our homes are always a hub of activity and energy where the young people can feel safe, and our staff enjoy coming to work. Our young people can still be quite active at night so you will have lots of interaction and will be required to support them their wellbeing, education, household tasks and general life skills. There will also be more challenging aspects to the role such as incident management and de-escalation of challenging behaviours. You will be required to update online care records, complete medication administration and provide effective handovers to the day staff. In addition, you will be responsible for the general upkeep and tidiness of the home ensuring the young people live in homely environment. Even though you are working nights, you will have the support of another night worker or a sleep in and have access to an on-call manager for additional support.

At our home in Preston you will be working with young people who have a variety of mental health diagnoses including personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, those who have difficult relationships with food, and those who use self-harm as a strategy to cope with their emotions. This role requires patience, resilience, and compassion as you support our young people to navigate various challenges and develop new skills. When asked what qualities are the most important to them in a staff team, our young people have said they would like caring, honest, understanding, fun, and kind people to come and work with them. They love to learn new things and have a variety of hobbies and interests that they like to share with the team. They’re also an adventurous bunch who engage in a variety of activities such as going to the zoo, museums, outdoor sports, theme parks, and escape rooms to name a few. Our young people are working towards moving on positively from the home into the community and are developing skills that support their independence and autonomy.

Florida House is a newly renovated 6-bed service located in Ashton-on-Ribble, the house is large and modern with spacious bedrooms and communal areas which includes a kitchen/dining area, two lounge areas, two bathrooms and one shower room. The house also has a fairly sized garden which is perfect for summer BBQs and outdoor games. It is a short drive or bus journey away from Preston Town Centre, there are also various local amenities such as Preston Railway Station; Preston Docklands including a cinema, shopping, food and beverage outlets; as well as local parks. The home is well cared for and staff and young people work together to make it homely and welcoming. Previous care experience is not essential and full training will be provided. You will receive ongoing support and mentoring from our friendly residential and clinical team which includes Reflective Practice, 1:1 supervisions and Group Staff support.

The role will include some fewer fun aspects such as incident management, de-escalation of challenging behaviours, completing several online records, report writing, audits, and medication management.

Previous experience of working with young people who have mental health needs is essential and ideally you will have worked as a Support Worker in a similar environment. You will receive full training and ongoing support & mentoring from our friendly residential and clinical team. The job is highly rewarding and is an excellent development opportunity if you would like to gain supervisory experience and move into a future management role of which we will support the right candidates to do.

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.