Experienced Personal Assistants

Description

Experienced Personal Assistants

Ref: ES150

Location: Eastbourne

Details

This role is to support a Woman

Hours per week: Approximately 10 hours a week, ideally 6 hours on a Tuesday or Thursday to support her farm activities, and 4 hours on a Monday or Wednesday supporting exercise, e.g. gym, walking, swimming. In the longer term some weekend, evening and overnight work may be required. Flexibility around working hours may be possible for the right candidate.

Hourly pay rate: £15 per hour dependent upon experience, completion of the probationary period and the achieved standard required.

An exciting opportunity for skilled and experienced personal assistants with a person-centred approach and initiative to enable a young woman 29 who has autism and complex needs to access a varied and rich programme of activities throughout the week.

The role will include supporting this young woman to access her work with animals and a range of bespoke and creative activities, therefore you will need a full driving licence and access to a car.

She has a good sense of humour and she likes to be independent, making decisions about herself and her days. She finds great satisfaction and worth from having a varied and stimulating assortment of activities, a sense of purpose and achievement. Interested in many things, she is very creative and has a talent for art; particularly enjoying to draw, and to make models, and has exhibited nationally and internationally.

She also likes to create music and videos; enjoys going out - shopping, restaurants, cinema, swimming, horse-riding, funfairs, zoos, aquariums, museums, or simply having fish ‘n’ chips on the beach! She can be a lovely companion. You will need to enjoy the freedom of supporting her on different programmes of activity and be committed to developing her independence and skills. You will be alert and able to assess dangers and ‘triggers’ personal to her and her environment and be able to anticipate these and keep her safe.

You will also be interested in learning how to support her in all areas of her life whilst enabling her to maintain appropriate excitement and emotional expression. She needs security and intelligent support to remain safe, well and emotionally stable. You should be able to share her interests and to challenge her gently with new experiences through a genuine interest in her and her life. You will need to be helpful to her and observant to subtle changes in her demeanour that may signal confusion, distress, anxiety or fear.

You will be respectful of her and her family and friends and exercise discretion with the knowledge accumulated through supporting her. To apply, please complete an application form demonstrating how you meet the job description and person specification and your interest in the role. Closing date: 07/03/2025 The initial interview will be online, followed by a second interview in person and an opportunity to spend time with the family

Duties include:

Supporting her to remain safe, well and emotionally stable.
Maintaining and contributing to the delivery and development of her programme of provision, her timetable of activities and her independence and life skills
Assisting her at home and in the community; and during activities that she is engaged in
Assistance with daily living tasks and activities, including gym and swimming.
Assistance to prepare and cook food and meals
Assisting her on different forms of public transport Assistance getting to meetings/appointments, social events, activities and providing discreet support whilst there
Driving (mileage paid from place of work)
Contributing to planning meetings about her life and provision
Maintaining records of her activities and life goals
On occasions, employees may be required to perform other reasonable tasks appropriate to this type of employment

Candidate qualities:

Ideally you will have knowledge of positive behaviour support (PBS) or a willingness to learn and be open to developing in collaboration, a strategic approach to managing behaviour that can challenge.
Good observational skills are vital for this post as well as strong written and spoken communication skills. This post requires commitment and a willingness to become a friend and ally to her in her life. It is work, that when done well and in good spirit, will be very rewarding.
You must be able to work as part of a team yet possess the confidence to be able to work alone; to ensure her wellbeing and to enable her to live as freely as possible.
Honest and trustworthy
Reliable and responsible
Patience
Observant and responsive
Physically fit and capable
Energetic and quick witted
ble to use, well-judged initiative
Sense of humour
Good written and spoken communication skills
Able to work responsibly with colleagues, managers of the provision and other professionals Able to work flexibly with her in the family home and out in the community
Commitment to your own and her personal development
Willingness to learn and undertake further training
Able to respect privacy and confidentiality and maintain discretion at all times
Flexible approach to working hours and structures
Good computer and IT skills
Cooking and domestic skills
Full driving licence, competent and confident driver, and access to a car
Competent at swimming
No allergies to animals
Able to work around animals, especially pigs and chickens

Desirable requirements:

Previous personal assistant experience (particularly with individuals who have autism, complex needs and behaviours that challenge)
Experienced in Positive Behaviour Support, Person Centred Active Support and Total Communication DBS Certificate PRICE training experience First Aid Certificate GCSE, further and higher qualifications
Similar leisure interests ‘Business Class One’ car insurance cover
Able to work increased hours at times throughout the year to cover emergencies, staff holidays and/or sickness

Additional requirements Non-smoker preferred or someone willing to refrain from smoking during working hours Notes: All applicants must have the right to work in the UK and be willing to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check if required. Please note, if you are successful in your application for this position, you will be either engaged directly or employed by the individual employer and not by Independent Lives. The role may be offered on an employed or self-employed basis, depending on the suitability and agreement with the employer. If the role is employed, you will be entitled to holiday pay and issued an employment contract. *Exemption for gender is claimed under the Equality Act 2010 Part 1 Schedule 9

Ad ID: 5417273776