Personal Assistant (RC) - External Vacancy - B23
Job Title: Personal assistant/Support work
Job Ref: RKF/RP/2024
Reporting to: Employer
Location: B23
Rate of Pay: £11.65
Nature of the job role: Personal care and community support.
Main Duties:
We are looking for a friendly, understanding and motivated individual to become a personal assistant for a 61 year old multi-lingual Hungarian/Romanian male, who is very inteligent, creative and artistic. He has a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome and is on the Autism Spectrum. He is able to proficiently speak/write clear English, although English is not his primary language. Therefore, the personal assistant is required to have English as their first language to ensure there are no communication barriers.
He is requiring a personal assistant to provide support with 3 hours per week personal care. This is to include bathing/washing/dressing, and 5 hours per week accessing the community. The individual has health needs and mobility is limited predominantly to wheelchair usage. Therefore, the personal assistant would be required to be physically able to setup/dismantle/breakdown and lift parts of a mobility scooter and/or a foldable wheelchair in and out the car.
The personal assistant would be required to have a driving licence and ideally experience of driving an automatic car as the disability car could be insured for the successful candidate.
Care in the community would be to assist the individual with transfers from his home to car, carry and setup/dismantle mobility scooter and/or a foldable wheelchair, and support him with transfers in and out of the car. The Individual would like their time in the community free from his personal assistant and to have some time and space for himself. However, the personal assistant is to remain close by/available by phone for recall to offer support if and when required.
Personal assistant ideally to be female for the 3 personal care hours – however, not compulsory. For the 5 social hours there is no gender preference providing they are fit and able to lift the mobility scooter when broken down/setup/dismantle. This package can be picked up by two PA’s and split personal care and social hours. Although the ideal candidate would be willing and able to carry out both tasks.
Hours of work:
The working hours will be between the hours of 11am – 4pm/10am-18pm Monday to Friday with the possibility of the odd weekend. As this is a total of 8 hours per week the guidance for working times would be Monday, Wednesday and Friday 11am -12pm/10am-11am (1 hour personal care). For the 5 social hours this can be negotiate on a weekly basis. As much notice will be given by the individual should a weekend be required.
Qualifications:
*Valid UK driving licence, without prior disqualifications.
Skills & Experience:
No experience is essential as we employ on a values-based recruitment model, however, priority will be applied for candidates with some experience in the following:
* Experience of working patiently with individuals with high support needs.
*Experience of working with those with Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism, especially with individuals who prefer only a minimum of verbal communication/instructions and are often/mostly prone to selective mutism.
* Experience of undertaking personal care duties.
*Ideally have experience of confidently driving an automatic car.
Skills and Abilities
• Ability to communicate confidently and sensitively with a variety of people.
• Ability to advocate and represent the views/needs of an individual whenever required/requested and appropriate.
• Good written communication skills.
• Good time keeping and punctuality.
Values and Knowledge
• Commitment to equality and diversity and specifically to promoting access for and inclusion of people with both physical and neurodevelopmental disabilities.
• Comfortable carrying out personal care tasks.
To apply for this role please send a CV or letter outlining your suitability for the role to PAvacancies@idealforall.co.uk – please quote job reference in your application.
Alternatively if you would like to discuss the role please call 0121 558 5555 option 1 and speak to a member of the Direct Payment Team.