Job Detail

Watford Mencap is a charity providing high-quality social care services and support to people with learning disabilities, and their families, in South West Hertfordshire.  We enable people with learning disabilities and their families to make the most of life, to enjoy choice and control over their own lives, enabling them to fulfill their life ambitions. We are an independent charity affiliated with Royal Mencap and are self-funding.

Working as a Personal Assistant in our Supported Living Service is varied, rewarding and challenging. It offers you the opportunity to help create a great service that meets the needs of the people you and the team support, as our service develops and people’s needs change.

OUR VALUES

We are INCLUSIVE. People with learning disabilities are at the heart of everything we do.

 We are RESPECTFUL. We work in a person-centered way, whilst listening to the views of all.

We are WELCOMING. We are approachable and value all.

 We are PROGRESSIVE. We promote learning to support everyone to achieve their potential.

 We are CHALLENGING. Through our work, we will push the boundaries for individuals, organisations and society.

The pay rate for a Personal Assistant in our Supported Living homes is £10.00 per hour. 

Benefits include:

• a competitive pension plan
• annual leave and enhanced company sick pay
• opportunities for professional development
• health cash plan
• Starting salary of £11.50, going up to £12 after probation 

This role involves lone-working as well as working alongside colleagues and is a 7-day service that requires working daytime, evenings and weekends as well as sleeping in. As a Support Worker, you will receive support and leadership from the Service Manager and you will be able to share knowledge and learning with your colleagues both in the Residential & Supported Living Project as well as in the wider service and organisation.

Shifts can vary and there is a need to be flexible, but can be early (7.00am - 2.00pm); late (2.00pm - 10.00pm); daytime (9.00am - 5.00pm); sleep-in overnight.

Staff are expected to take turns working shifts; sleep-ins, weekends and holiday times.

The job is very varied and no two days are the same!

You will assist the Manager in supporting a range of people with a learning disability to maintain standards set by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Hertfordshire County Council.

In conjunction with the person and Manager, you will support individuals to achieve their life goals as well as leading a shift and accompanying paperwork.

You will be based in one of our Supported Living projects but will be part of a wider team and may, at times, be required to work across the entire service. The job will involve acting as a Key Worker for an individual person.

In this role you will:

• support the person to plan and achieve their goals
• review and implement support plans
• liaise with professionals
• help individuals manage their money
• deliver direct support. 
• You will find this an extremely rewarding job where you will be making a real difference in peoples’ lives on a daily basis.

• We are looking to recruit the right candidate with a flexible “can do” attitude, good IT skills, an eye for detail, emotional resilience and the ability to juggle a broad and diverse workload.
• Experience of working with people with a learning disability is not essential; however, the experience of supporting someone and working as part of a team is desirable.
• We are looking for someone with strong communication skills and the ability to develop effective working relationships.
• You must be able to deal with challenges and be solution-focused.
• Being able to drive is not essential, but helpful as it enables us to take our clients out and about in the community.
• You must be able to demonstrate a genuine commitment to the values and goals of Watford Mencap.