A support worker plays an important part in enhancing the daily lives of the people in their care.
For many of our clients, a support worker empowers people to live as independently as they can whether it’s helping them with routine tasks at home or organising and participating in their favourite activities.
At Paterson Health and Social Care, each of our service users has their own unique set of needs. For example, they could be living with a physical disability and/or a mental health condition. The fact that every person is different means the role of a support worker is incredibly varied.
Typical responsibilities include:
· Providing support with household tasks and personal care.
· Supporting and helping with health care needs, including routine checks or administrating medication.
· Overseeing and helping with tasks such as shopping, using public transport and paying for bills.
· Planning activities based on their interests and hobbies and participating when necessary.
· Supporting the development of personal skills through interaction with others and meaningful activities.
· Working alongside professional care teams to establish and implement treatment plans to ensure they are receiving the best standards of care.
The role of aSupport worker can also be very flexible, in most cases we are able to offer ongoing, regular shifts with the same clients enabling you to build a relationship with the service users. It also means that our workers can shape their shift patterns around their lifestyle and preferences.
What qualities does a support worker need?
All our support workers have access to regular training, including health and safety training, moving and handling and basic life support. Whilst not all support worker roles require formal qualifications, GCSE A-C in English and Maths and a social care qualification such as Level 2 or 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care are advantageous.
In terms of personal attributes, a support worker should be kind, patient and compassionate. For some of the people we support, communicating is a challenge so being able to identify the best ways to communicate them is an important part of the role.
There are so many opportunities for support workers to carry out further training and to progress within the healthcare profession including formal qualifications or vocational training programmes. In addition there are a wide range of opportunities to become a specialist whether it’s dementia care, learning disabilities, domiciliary care and more.
The role of a social worker can be incredibly rewarding and if one thing is for sure it’s that no two days are the same.
If you have a genuine passion for helping others and would like to work in a friendly, diverse environment then why not apply now and join our team. We offer:
· £250 joining Bonus given after 300 hours completed
· £150 referral bonus given after 200 hours completed
