Dedicated support worker & life skills tutor required for challenging and rewarding role.

Would you like to join a small team of paid and family carers to support a man with autism and complex needs?

You will provide emotional support while accompanying him on his daily exploratory walks in the countryside, and help him develop confidence in his visits to town, so expanding the range of community places he feels able to access and enjoy. You will also support his wellbeing through planning and delivering structured sessions in his home, which enable him to develop his skills and interests.

Relevant personal or work experience required.

Fishponds area.

You will require a driving license and your own car.

14 - 21 hrs per week, plus opportunities for additional hours to cover other staff leave. Number of weekly hours & working days may be negotiated within this range to some degree.

The M.R. Trust

We are a small family trust who receive a personal budget from the Local authority to enable our relative to live at home with his family.

We employ a small team of dedicated support workers/ practitioners who support him to live as fulfilled a life as possible. We provide him with genuine person-centred support. We seek employees who we are passionate about enabling those with behaviour which sometimes challenges to enjoy full rights and access to our community, and who are able to provide him with the emotional security and the structured, stimulating days he needs.

We offer extensive training and on-going support to our extremely valuable staff.

If you share our values, and have personal or work experience of supporting or teaching people with ASD, learning disabilities, challenging behaviour, brain injury and/or mental health problems we would love to hear from you.

Further details of role:

Key role and responsibilities:

• To listen, strive to understand and empathise with the client.
• To support client with communication and help him articulate his thoughts, feelings, needs and preferences.
• To support client on his 1-2 hour walks of his choice in the countryside around Bristol and surrounding counties, and also trips to shops and towns. To drive your vehicle to take him on his outings.
• To provide client with emotional support and help him manage his anxiety.
• To support client on a 2:1 basis in the community, and a 2:1 or 1:1 basis in the home, according to level of experience.
• To provide client with a stimulating programme of activities during the day.
• To help client to increase his life skills & confidence through structured activities such as cooking, literacy, using his PC and craft/DIY.
• To positively manage risk, to enable the client to do his chosen activities safely.
• To support the client with his anxiety, and help him manage his behaviour using Positive Behaviour Support.
• To participate in training, weekly team meetings and regular supervision
• To work collaboratively with the client, his family, care team and other professionals to ensure he receives consistent support.
• To use home-based ‘planning & preparation time’ to ensure client outings go smoothly, to prepare indoor educational sessions, and to ensure important information is recorded and communicated across the team.

Minimum requirements

· Having a full UK driving licence and willingness to use car for work purposes.

· Sharing our values

· Experience of supporting individuals with challenging behaviour and emotional or social functioning difficulties  such as ASD, learning disabilities, brain injury or mental health problems, either in a personal or professional capacity

· Good communication and team working skills

· Personal qualities such as empathy, interest in the psychological world of others, kindness, dedication, patience, attention to detail and good organisation skills.

· Strong motivation and enjoyment for this type of work

· Average level of fitness or above.

What we will offer:

· Higher than average pay for the sector

· Generous mileage allowance

· Small occupational sick pay scheme

· Job security.

· Extended induction period, extensive on-site Positive Behaviour Support training and ongoing professional support. An opportunity to expand skills and take on more senior responsibilities with experience.

· A supportive, collaborative team culture which is open to learning.

· Pleasant and varied work settings

Procedures in place to reduce the risk of Covid 19 entering and spreading in the workplace. This includes twice weekly rapid testing for all staff. Everybody in the work setting has now received their vaccination.

Apply for further detail of the role.

See the M. R. Trust company page on Indeed to see employee reviews: https://uk.indeed.com/cmp/M.-R.-Trust

 We are also advertising for a 'Senior Autism Support Worker/ Practitioner. Please click here: https://www.voscur.org/jobs/103423