Residential Social Care Worker

Are you passionate about making a positive impact on the lives of children? Do you thrive in a dynamic and supportive work environment? We have the perfect opportunity for you Join our team at Ashdale Care (Ireland), on our journey to transform the lives of young people with complex, emotional and behavioural needs. 

No two days are the same here in Ashdale Care, this job description is designed to be flexible and adaptable, providing guiding principles for the post holder's work rather than strict limitations. It will undergo periodic review to ensure alignment with evolving organizational needs.   

About The Role

You will be part of a unique team who will work together to facilitate excellent practice and be part of rebuilding children’s lives. Our vision is for every young person who lives with us to experience a safe, happy and nurturing present and a future that is filled with hope and optimism.

Key Responsibilities

·        Cultivate genuine and caring connections with the young people, always interact with the young people and their families with dignity and respect, promoting a culture of unconditional positive regard.

·        Contribute to the promotion, creation, and maintenance of a welcoming, safe, caring, stable and therapeutic environment.

·        Advocate for the rights and responsibilities of each young person while promoting physical, emotional, social, cultural, ethnic, and spiritual wellbeing.

·        Ensure that young people are not subjected to any forms of abuse and report any concerns according to policy and procedures.

·        Supervise outings from the home and undertake daily household activities such as cooking and cleaning, as part of positive modelling.

·        Actively participate in working within the Model of Therapeutic Care.

·        Be physically able to support with challenging behaviours when needed.

·        Provide emotional support during difficult or stressful times and encourage young people's participation in care planning, placement planning, decision-making and service delivery.

·        Integrate understanding of youth trauma and past experiences into practice through specialised training such as Developmental Trauma and Attachment from the Therapeutic Support Team.

·        Collaborate with support networks, including social workers and educators, guardians and family members.

·        Collaborate effectively within a team, engaging in regular communication through daily handovers, team meetings, and various reviews and planning sessions. Give and receive feedback on performance with colleagues and managers.

·        Maintain consistency in execution of childcare plans.

·        Complete and maintain accurate records and reports for each young person in line with statutory requirements and Ashdale Care policies and procedures.

·        Take on key worker duties including the handling of daily petty cash, accurately documenting receipts, securely storing money and valuable items and serving as a primary point of contact for professionals/family/young person.

·        Contribute to community engagement and agency partnerships to enrich residents' experiences and opportunities.

·        This role involves sleepover shifts.

What you’ll get in return

•Competitive pay scales starting at €32,739 based on experience plus sleep allowances of approximately €8,000

•Annual Pay Review

•Income Protection

•Enhanced maternity/ paternity leave cover

•Exceptional Training Opportunities both internal and external

•Flexible working arrangements

•Competitive annual leave entitlements with increases for long service

•Employee Pension Scheme

•Sick Pay

•Education Assistance Programme

•Employee Assistance Programme

•First Access to career opportunities as we continue to grow our services throughout Ireland

This role involves shift work. Shifts are as follows: 

• Support shifts: 8- 10 hour shift e.g. 10am-8pm or 12pm-10am. 

• 18 hour Sleep in shift (Late Early, 18hr): Start at 10am-12am. Sleep in the home 12am-7am. Finishing the  shift 7am-11am. Paid a separate hourly rate for the sleep in hours in addition to your contracted hours.  Wake nights also make part of this rota

Skills Needed

About The Company

Ashdale Care is the leading provider of enhanced and specialised therapeutic residential care for children and young people in Ireland. We care for young people with complex emotional and behavioural needs who cannot be adequately cared for in a mainstream setting.

For over 20 years our focus has always been ‘putting the child first’. Our child-centric ethos consists of compassionate and industry-leading therapeutic care. This is delivered by a skilled in-house team which includes therapists, psychologists, teachers and creative art therapists for the most comprehensive support possible.

We provide a range of essential services for children and young people such as sensory integration, therapy, outdoor activities, education and so much more.

Company Culture

Our core goal is to allow children to create relationships, develop life skills and give them a safe place to grow.

We define ourselves by the care we give to everybody at Ashdale Care. We provide an abundance of training opportunities to all those on the Ashdale Care team. You will have every opportunity to grow in your role, and we reward and recognise hard work and dedication through career progression.

Our commitment to transforming lives is a mission that our team members contribute to daily and a role they are fully supported in.

Desired Criteria

Required Criteria

• Ability to work in regulated activity, care for and supervise young persons
• Full clean driving license
• Flexible – willing and able to adapt to changing circumstances, shift patterns and expectations
• Level 7 qualification (degree) or above in one of the following: Social Care Social Work Health and Social Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy Youth & Community Teaching Nursing Social Science Addiction Counselling Counselling / Psychotherapy Family Support Disability Studies Applied Behavioural Analysis Early Years Care
• Higher Certificate in Custodial Care (Irish Prison Service)

Closing DateSaturday 30th November, 2024