Social Work Resources job profiles

Service: Adult and Older People
Grade scale: Grade 2 Level 3
Reports to: Community Support Co-ordinator

Purpose of the job

To provide an essential response service to requests for support initiated through calls and alerts received by the Community Alarm Service.

To provide practical, and direct extended personal care to vulnerable adults and older people within their own homes in accordance with the Health and Social Care Standards. Support people to remain independently living at home or facilitate their discharge from hospital by helping them achieve their maximum independence.

Key tasks and responsibilities

To work alongside other professionals including Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Community Nurses to develop service users’ skills and abilities to maximise and enable their independence using techniques to motivate and encourage individuals that enable their independence in line with their support plan to increase confidence and skills.

Monitor and observe the physical, emotional and environmental circumstances of service users to ensure their health and wellbeing are maintained and dynamically assess the changes in mood, capabilities, and relative health of service users and communicate concerns to line managers and other professionals involved in the care and support of the individual.

Dynamically assess the safety of service users, Home Carers and others, including the physical risks within the home, to inform the delivery of care and recording and communicating these to family and other professionals in the multi-disciplinary team.

To provide care and support in accordance with the service user’s personal support plan and to use observation and informed judgement to make minor adjustments to how support is provided based on changing needs and abilities. Report any noted concerns, risks or changes to appropriate personnel accordingly.

To be aware of the principles of Adult Support Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 and be clear on the process of referring an adult at risk of harm. To report any identified risks or concerns to a manager.

Liaise with others on behalf of service user such as their family or GP, noting any concerns using appropriate methods and notifying appropriate manager of any change of circumstances and needs of the service user.

Respond to emergency and unplanned situations, identifying areas of risk, and accessing emergency services and support.

Maintain manual and electronic records and systems that support the delivery of Care at Home services and record observations, concerns regarding the care and support of service users and actions taken.

Ensure dignity and confidentiality of service users are respected at all times, respecting the service user’s preferences and lifestyle.

Undertake and support service users in the form of basic assistance to prompt or assist with self-administration of prescribed medication, including the application of creams, lotions and eye and ear drops. Where appropriate take responsibility for administration of service user’s medication ensuring appropriate records, including MAR charts, are maintained to reflect medication interventions.

Provide care and support to service users in accordance with national Health and Social Care standards, national guidance and local policies and procedures, including Infection Prevention and Control, Medication, Moving and Assisting, Health and Safety and Adult Support and Protection.

Undertake personal care – assist the service user with personal hygiene, disposal of continence aids and personal hygiene relating to continence issues. Support to eat at mealtimes, support to get washed and dressed, support with oral hygiene, support to toilet, emptying and cleaning of commodes, changing of bed clothes, repositioning in bed.

Provide extended personal care; for example, stoma and catheter care.

Assist service user with their mobility including physical tasks using appropriate equipment, aids and adaptations for transfer if required, to assist the service user in to /out of bed, and with walking, to ensure access to items such as telephone, TV, papers, drinks.

Prepare and cook food in accordance with hygiene and health standards.

Person specification

Safer recruitment checks

As part of our approach to good practice and safer recruitment we carry out a number of pre-employment checks.

• Asylum and Immigration right to work in the UK.
• Reference check: external candidates require 2 references, one of which must be from present or most recent employer; Internal candidates require 1 reference from current line manager.
• Candidate Disclosure Scotland check, where applicable.

Behaviour framework

The council’s behaviour framework is a set of core behaviours that defines how employees approach work to enable the delivery of key tasks for the role. The expected behaviours for this role are:

Efficient

• Punctual and conscientious in your approach to work.
• Use council resources efficiently, avoiding waste and unnecessary expense.
• Identify inefficiency in processes and communicate this to your manager.
• Meet deadlines and targets in your day-to-day work.
• Understand the impact of wasteful behaviours on the environment and you act to minimise this impact.
• Use of information technology to achieve best outcomes.

Flexible

• Willing to learn new tasks and accept new ways of working.
• Willing to be flexible in your approach to work to meet changing service delivery needs, deadlines and urgent priorities.
• Anticipates and responds flexibly to changing priorities and modifies practice to meet changing environment.
• Help team members when they have urgent deadlines and prioritise your work accordingly.
• Understand the need for change and are open to this across your working life.

Performing

• Use professional expertise and knowledge to ensure the council is leading best practice to improve outcomes.
• Is polite, professional and friendly to customers and apply customer care standards and attitudes at all times.
• Works safely to maintain the safety of yourself and other raising concerns about unsafe working practices.
• Meets standards of work required in your role in terms of quality and output.
• Uses initiative to solve problems and raise potential issues.
• Acknowledges when mistakes are made and learns from them.
• Seeks feedback on your performance to learn and improve.

Working with others

• Works with other teams and colleagues internally and externally, developing relationships and sharing knowledge, ideas and expertise to achieve outcomes.
• Has professional relationships with colleagues and is aware of dignity at work standards.
• Actively and respectfully listens to people in order to understand them and their views.
• Contributes appropriately in team and other meetings and discussions.
• Presents words and views clearly in a way that other people find meaningful.
• Respects diversity and promotes equality of opportunity when working with colleagues and members of the public.

Leading

• Role models the standards of behaviours expected of a South Lanarkshire Council employee.
• Displays and enables leadership through sharing knowledge and skills, seeking guidance and providing support to your colleagues, team and the wider community.
• Uses professional judgement/expert knowledge to make informed decisions.
• Is aware of and adheres to professional codes of practice and the council’s code of conduct and understand how these impact on employment with the council and public perception of council employees.