Support Worker – Learning Disabilities & Autism

Support Worker – Learning Disabilities & Autism

Location: St Austell, Cornwall
Pay: £12.75–£13.25 per hour
Hours: Full-time, Part-time and Bank opportunities available
Driving: Drivers preferred
Sponsorship: Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role

United Support Services supports adults with learning disabilities and autism across St Austell and the surrounding area.

We are looking for reliable, curious and motivated Support Workers who want to help people build confidence, develop practical skills and get more from everyday life.

This is not a role where staff simply do things for people. We use Active Support, Positive Behaviour Support and person-centred approaches to help people take part in their own lives as much as possible.

What the role can involve

Depending on the person you are supporting, your day may include:

• Supporting people with cooking, shopping and household tasks
• Helping people access activities and their local community
• Supporting appointments, swimming, walks and other meaningful activities
• Supporting medication and health needs in line with care plans
• Helping people develop communication, confidence and independence
• Supporting people to build routines and everyday life skills
• Responding calmly when someone is distressed
• Recording and reflecting on behaviour so that we can understand what may be happening
• Working alongside colleagues, families and health and social care professionals

Understanding behaviour

We do not simply view behaviour as something that happens because someone has a disability.

We encourage staff to think about what happened before, what the person may be communicating, what they may need and what we can learn from each situation.

We have a dedicated Positive Behaviour Support team who work alongside staff to review behaviour, identify patterns and improve the way support is provided.

Our practice is also supported by Nick Barratt, MSc, UKBA (cert), BCBA, an accredited Behaviour Analyst.

Staff receive training and development in approaches including:

• Positive Behaviour Support
• Positive Behaviour Management
• PACE
• Active Support
• Autism and communication
• Understanding distress and behaviour
• Reflective practice

We also use the PERMA framework to help us think more broadly about wellbeing, including positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and achievement.

Training and development

You do not need to know everything when you join us.

We provide training, supervision and ongoing development to help staff build confidence, improve their knowledge and understand the people they support.

As the organisation grows, there may also be opportunities to progress into:

• Senior Support Worker roles
• Specialist or PBS-related responsibilities
• Mentoring and training opportunities
• Leadership and management roles

Progression is based on ability, values, development and the needs of the organisation.

What we are looking for

We are particularly interested in people who are:

• Reliable and consistent
• Willing to learn
• Calm when situations become difficult
• Comfortable getting involved in everyday activities
• Respectful of each person’s communication, routines and preferences
• Able to work well as part of a team
• Able to balance enthusiasm with working at the person’s pace
• Willing to reflect on practice and learn from experience

Previous care experience can be useful, but attitude, reliability and willingness to learn are equally important.

Drivers are preferred because some roles involve supporting people to access the community.

Hours and working patterns

We offer Full-time, Part-time and Bank opportunities.

Shift patterns vary depending on the needs of the people we support and may include daytime, evening and weekend work.

We aim to provide staff with a reasonable work-life balance and clear rota arrangements wherever possible.

Pay

£12.75–£13.25 per hour

Sponsorship

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

Apply

If you are interested in supporting adults with learning disabilities and autism in St Austell, we would like to hear from you.

Apply through the vacancy page or contact United Support Services for more information about the role.