Social Care Assistant

Join to apply for the Social Care Assistant - Childrens Connect Service, Co. Mayo role at Western Care Association

Application details

• Please apply by current C.V.
• Closing date September 18, 2025
• Further enquiries from Antoinette Hargadon, Service Manager Tel 087-2808372
• Panels may be formed as a result of this competition for similar posts within the Organisation

Children's Connect Service is an exciting development in the support and provision of service to families and children with intellectual disability and/or autism and other identified additional needs in County Mayo. The service will be working in partnership with the HSE Progressing Children's Disability Network Teams and will seek to support the delivery of priorities for families around the need for a flexible approach to respite and community-based supports. The service will also work collaboratively with both the Western Care Children's centre-based respite services and Home-Share service offered to children, which are all an integral part of a suite of respite services offered by the organisation.

The Community based Support Worker role is to provide flexible community-based respite support to high priority families identified through the county-wide respite referral forum and through WCA admission criteria, as having urgent and severe need for respite-type breaks. The support will be based within the community, offering a range of flexible supports which can include after-school support, community access and evening support. The purpose of the support is to provide a reasonable break for the parent(s) to enable them to continue to support their child or children successfully within their home. The role is flexible and covers the whole of the county. The role may be flexible over a 6-day period including Saturdays and may include emergency supports in exceptional and negotiated circumstances.

As part of the role you may liaise directly with WCA Children's service team and HSE CDNT teams and with TUSLA and CAMHS teams where and when appropriate.

• Provide flexible community-based respite support to high priority families identified through the county-wide respite referral forum and WCA admission criteria.
• Offer after-school support, community access and evening support as part of flexible community-based respite services.
• Promote the parent(s) ability to support their child at home by enabling regular, but brief, respite-type breaks.
• Collaborate with WCA Children's service teams, HSE CDNT teams, TUSLA and CAMHS teams where appropriate.
• Maintain appropriate records and adhere to organisational policies.

• No minimum qualifications required for Social Care Assistant positions
• Knowledge and experience of supporting individuals with intellectual disability and/or autism is essential
• An understanding of person- and family-centred approaches is essential
• Previous experience working with young people is preferable
• Good communication skills, time management and timely record keeping are essential
• Knowledge of working in partnership with families is desirable
• Experience of working in partnership as part of a team and with other agencies is desirable
• Flexibility in relation to working hours and location
• Good IT skills are preferred

• Contribute to and participate in the local service planning process and the ongoing development of the service.
• Provide personal care and support to service users where required.
• Ensure a safe place of work in line with Western Care Association's Dignity at Work Policy and Health & Safety requirements.
• Promote safety in all environments in line with the Association's practices.
• Use positive approaches to support people who may have challenging behaviour in line with organisational practice.

• Full driver's license is essential
• All applicants will be subject to Irish Garda Vetting and reference checks
• Applicants from countries outside the EU must provide relevant work authorisation to take up employment in the Republic of Ireland with the application
• All applicants will be required to access Overseas Police Clearance if they have lived outside the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland for more than 6 months since age 18

• Competitive salary
• Pension and Life Insurance Scheme
• Annual leave in excess of statutory entitlement
• Premiums including anti-social payments on residential rosters
• Dedicated learning and development
• Flexible working opportunities
• Staff initiatives e.g. Employee Assistance Programme, Bike-to-Work Scheme
• Sick pay scheme

Social Care Assistant Pay Scale (Scale Range €31,278 to €43,407 per annum) – based on full-time hours (39 hours per week)

Full job description available by emailing hr@westerncare.com

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Note: This description reflects a position at Western Care Association in County Mayo and does not include the extraneous listings from other job postings.