Home Support Worker

With over 55 years of Service to the people of Clare; Clarecare is a professional social enterprise organisation with charitable status, providing a range of people centred social services to individuals and families in County Clare.  Current services provided include Family Support, Services for Older People (Home Support, Day Centres and Social Work), Child & Adolescent Counselling and Bushypark Residential Addiction Treatment Centre.  Clarecare's headquarters are based in Ennis with local offices in Shannon, Kilrush, Bushypark, Killaloe and Ennistymon. Further information is available on www.clarecare.ie       www.bushypark.ie

JOB DESCRIPTION

TITLE:                Home Support Worker - Relief Cover

 (guaranteed 30 hours per week - permanent contract of employment x 5 positions throughout Co. Clare)

DESCRIPTION OF ROLE:

We require a caring, kind and considerate person who will support Clarecare in delivering a dedicated person-centred community-based Home Support Service* to relevant persons in our communities, thereby facilitating them to remain at home within their community. *Home Support refers to personal care and practical personal assistance with a wide range of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL's) based on service user needs. It includes all forms of enabling personal care and [other] practical personal assistance provided [to] [for] an individual who by reason of illness, frailty or disability needs such care and personal assistance.

ROLE: To provide practical Home Support (IADL's) on behalf of Clarecare's Home Support Service to service users to enable service users live at home in a safe secure and comfortable way. This 30 hours per week part-time permanent role is to provide relief cover to existing Home Support Workers (HSW's) in Clarecare's Home Support Service Areas. We wish to recruit one (1) Home Support Worker for Relief cover, in each of Clarecare's Home Support Service Areas (i.e. Area 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) resulting in 5 positions overall.  Such relief cover can consist of covering annual leave, sick leave, other forms of leave of current HSW's. This relief cover can occur at short notice and involve early mornings and late evenings including weekend cover (working 5 days over 7 days including Public Holidays). Suitable candidates must meet the essential requirements outlined on this job description and candidates must be available to travel within their Home Support geographical service area. Such travel time can range from 15 mins to max. 1 hour to service a Home Support call.

This position is subject to receipt of continued funding from HSE as Service Provider and successful completion of 6 months probationary period.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this role is to deliver a safe, effective & efficient Home Support service in line with required practice standards, to support older people (with assessed support needs) and where relevant, their specified person(s) (e.g. family, friends who provide care) so as to enable the service user to be as independent as possible in their own home, for as long as possible. The successful candidate will work as part of the team in Clarecare and liaise regularly with same.   Flexibility and willingness to travel is essential. You may be required to work outside of normal hours if necessary. Training and supervision (including shadowing where relevant) will be provided to the successful candidate.

RELATIONS: The Home Support Worker, will report to the Home Support Area Manager in the relevant geographical area and work as part of a wider Home Support Service team in Clarecare.  Home Support Area Managers report into the Home Support Service Manager within Clarecare who has overall responsibility for Clarecare's Home Support Service. 

HOURS OF WORK: This is a 30 hours per week, part-time permanent role providing relief cover to other HSW's on a 5 over 7 days roster basis (including weekend's & Public Holidays).  By the very nature of providing relief cover - rostered shifts/work hours/work days are subject to service user Personal Support Plan schedules and are subject to change. Flexibility is required relative to work hours/work days - working sometimes at short notice and involving early mornings and late evenings including weekend cover. The Service reserves the right to alter these working hours/assigned duties from time to time based on the needs of the service user.

JOB LOCATION: The position offered is based in the community providing Home Support services to vulnerable service users in the community. The successful candidate will be required to travel as part of their daily role and may be requested from time to time, to travel to other Clarecare centre locations in the course of his/her work as and when required e.g. for training purposes, etc. Candidates must be available to travel within their Home Support geographical service area and such travel time can range from 15 mins to max. 1 hour to service a call.

Therefore, a full clean current driver's licence, use of own vehicle for work purposes, and willingness to indemnify Clarecare re using your car for business purposes is essential for this role.

ANNUAL LEAVE: The annual leave associated with the post is calculated as 8% annual leave entitlement based on the hours worked. Public Holidays entitlement applies where relevant.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POSITION:

General Responsibilities:

        To report to the Home Support Area Manager in your geographical area or designate.

        To adhere to Clarecare required standards of practice including policies and procedures in relation to all work as a Home Support Worker with Clarecare.

        To adhere to Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons at risk policy and Procedure.

        To adhere to safe procedures when manual handling and in the movement and handling of service users including hoist use.

        To adhere to guidelines on Infection Prevention & Control.

        The dignity, privacy, confidentiality and autonomy of the service user shall be respected at all times by the Home Support Worker/ staff member.

        Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the role for example, Standards for Healthcare, National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare

Associated Infections, Hygiene Standards etc and comply with associated Clarecare/HSE protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.

        To maintain records in accordance with Clarecare standards in order to ensure that excellent record keeping practices are in place.

        To maintain the principles of confidentiality in all areas of work.

        To complete records as required by the Home Support Service Manager or designate and support the work of the Home Support Service within Clarecare.

        To attend supervision sessions with the Home Support Area Manager or designate e.g. Probation Meetings, National Carers Competency Assessment reviews, other meetings as deemed relevant.

        To maintain professional boundaries in all work with colleagues, peers, external parties, etc.

        To perform such other duties appropriate to the office as may be assigned to you by the Home Support Area Manager or designate.

        To participate in mandatory training & assessment including induction training and National Carer Competency Assessments (NCCA). NCCA's will be carried out as a new employee and on a yearly basis thereafter, to ensure

that Home Support Workers have the required and necessary skills to deliver care. 

        Be caring, reliable, trustworthy, and deliver kindness, consideration and respect to all.

        A keen interest in providing high standards of care provision to elderly service users in a community setting.

       Self-motivated with a professional attitude working on his/her own initiative.

       By its nature Home Support requires Home Support Workers to travel from house to house in the community. S/he must therefore have the ability to do this, either by public transport (where relevant) or by their own means

(access to own transport).

     Must have strong interpersonal and communication skills. Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in English Language is essential, to include both written and verbal language skills. All staff must be competent to

communicate effectively with service users and communicate in a respectful and appropriate manner.

Specific Responsibilities: *This role may involve some or all of the following. This is not intended as a complete list and is supplied for information only

 The Home Support Worker will be briefed before undertaking any assignment on the specific IADL's involved but in every case it is incumbent upon the Home Support Worker to carry out the work in a safe and professional way

and must abide by and adhere to the specific instructions as well as the full terms contained in policies and procedures of Clarecare e.g. "Code of Conduct for Carer's" and Clarecare's "Code of Conduct Policy including Staff Gifts,

Tips, Loans and Will Bequests" and HSE's Policy on "Safeguarding Vulnerable Persons at Risk Of Abuse", Dec 2014 and HSE Policy on "Safeguarding Children", Children First Act 2015 and any other relevant policies &

procedures.

 In order to carry out the role successfully, the Home Support Worker must be aware of the needs and requirements of the service user and must communicate successfully not only with the service user but also with other

stakeholders such as specified persons (i.e. next of kin, family members). Any decline in service user's health must be immediately reported to your direct Home Support Area Manager.

      The Home Support Worker has a responsibility to alert the Home Support Area Manager or designate as a matter of urgency about any changes or causes for concern in the service user's condition.

      To report any accidents/incidents immediately to your Home Support Area Manager that may occur while providing care to the service user in their own home.

Assist service users with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs):

     physical assistance with mobility, personal hygiene, dressing, nutrition, hydration and toileting or prompting or supervising such activities where a person is unable to perform them effectively without such prompting or

supervision.

     prompting and supervising the taking of medication.

     assistance with IADL's where outside assistance is necessary to enable a person to engage in these activities.

     exercise and social engagement within and outside the home.

     care for the emotional welfare of the service user.

     personal assistance.

     Preparation of meals and assistance with same.

     General household duties e.g. bed making and laundry.

     Shopping and supplies management.

     Using manual handling/patient handling equipment as required only when training has been received by the Home Support Worker in advance of using the equipment.

     Working with other care professionals such as PHN's, GPs, etc.

     Complete records with accuracy and detail. Ability to keep accurate records of Home Support visits in dedicated folder provided in service users home.

    Commitment to own professional and personal development; A thorough Home Support Worker training & development programme is provided to every member of the Clarecare Home Support team including shadowing where

required. This constitutes both initial and ongoing mandatory/further skills development training and is a requirement of all staff e.g. manual handling/patient handling/dementia training, etc.

    Be prepared to undertake training/certification as may be required and deemed necessary to meet the mandatory/other requirements of the post going forward.

    Home Support Workers employed by Clarecare are not permitted to provide paid care to a member of their immediate family e.g. parents/grandparents, siblings, children, etc.

   Home Support Workers must maintain acceptable levels of personal hygiene and must ensure that they dress appropriately and wear suitable footwear and abide by the full terms of Clarecare's "Head to Toe (Personal

Presentation and Personal Hygiene) Policy and Procedure".

REQUIREMENTS/ QUALIFICATIONS FOR THIS POSITION

Essential Requirements:

Qualifications:

Candidates must possess the following qualifications/meet the following essential criteria relative to the Home Support Worker role:

(i)           Candidates who hold full certification at QQI Level 5 Certificate in Healthcare/Healthcare Support or Community Care (All 8 Modules completed - Major Award) or Nursing Studies will have a distinct advantage

Or

(ii)          Be certified at QQI Level 5 in Health Service Skills or Healthcare Support or Community Care or Nursing Studies i.e. hold certification in 2 modules of Care of the Older Person and Care Skills Modules completed at the time of application. In addition, the remaining 6 modules (outlined below*) must be completed within 11 months of taking up employment with Clarecare.

Or

(iii)         Hold a qualification from another jurisdiction that satisfies the above essential qualification requirements. Clarecare will recognise formal healthcare qualifications from outside of Ireland that are relevant to Home Support provided they have comparable modules of an equivalent professional standards.

* QQI Level 5 Certification consists of the below 8 QQI Modules:

        Care of the Older Person

        Care Skills

        Care Support

        Infection Prevention and Control

        Safety and Health at Works

        Palliative Care Support

        Activities of Living Patient care

        Communications

Essential Knowledge/ Skills/ Experience:

        Hold a minimum of 1 years' relevant experience of quality care provision gained in a Nursing Home/Hospital/Day Centre or community setting. Experience gained in providing care to service users with high needs e.g.

Palliative care, Dementia care, Hoist care, etc is a distinct advantage.

• Hold current Manual Handling & Patient Moving & Handling certification.

        Awareness and understanding of regulations and legislation within the Home Support profession.

        Awareness and understanding of safeguarding adults at risk policies & procedures

        Home Support Workers are frequently the only people that a service user may see on a daily basis thus there is a responsibility to report any relevant information back to the Home Support Area Manager in the relevant

geographical area. It should be clearly understood that the role requires a great deal, sometimes both in physical and emotional ways, and also carries a weight of responsibility.

• A thorough training programme is applicable to every member of the Clarecare Home Support team. This constitutes both initial and ongoing training and is a requirement of all staff. Home Support Workers must address any training needs identified by their Line Manager to support him/her in their role.

        To be able to attend at the rostered time, all rostered service user calls and understand the importance of such calls.

        To report any digression from the service user's Personal Support Plan and to report any concerns/issues regarding the service user or his/her personal support plan to the Home Support Area Manager as a matter of urgency.

Essential Knowledge/ Skills/ Experience contd....

• To install and effectively use the Clarecare OneTouch Database system app on your own personal mobile smartphone and attend all relevant training on same and use the app for accurate clocking in/clocking out purposes and recording mileage for travel expenses re-imbursement purposes.
• To provide Clarecare with your personal email address to facilitate receipt of electronic monthly payslips.

        Participating in interdisciplinary meetings between Home Support Area Manager, PHN, other third parties e.g. Physio, Palliative Care Staff, etc to develop Personal Support Plans in conjunction with other care providers;

ensuring smooth personal support plan advancement for service user.

        To attend relevant meetings and training e.g. meetings with Home Support Area Manager, meetings with PHN's, etc.

        Complete all mandatory training requirements on HSEland online, including the following:

        Manual Handling & Patient Safe Lifting

        Introduction to Children's 1st

        Safeguarding vulnerable adults at risk of abuse

        The Fundamentals of GDPR

        AMRIC Hand Hygiene

        HSE Effective Complaints Handling.

        Dementia Enhanced Home Supports

        National Standards for infection prevention and control in community services

        Putting on and taking off PPE in Community Healthcare Settings.

        To undertake any other relevant duties as assigned.

Work Competencies Required:

        Flexible and approachable with a positive attitude, even under pressure.

        Ability to deal with emergencies and difficult situations that may arise.

        Excellent attention to detail with a keen interest in the welfare of service users essential

        Ability to foster positive working relations and be flexible and adaptable in one's approach to work.

        Ability to maintain and foster confidentiality at all times.

        Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team and uphold the values of Clarecare.

        Capable of multi-tasking with high level organisational skills, excellent time management skills and the ability to prioritise.

        Making a positive difference to the elderly and most vulnerable by ensuring dignity, privacy and autonomy are respected and promoted at all times in line with Clarecare expectations

        Are focused on safeguarding those we care for and strives to reach the highest standards in customer service.

        Has the ability to motivate the service user to maximise or achieve independence.

        Must have a genuine regard for the welfare and quality of life of others.

Individual Core Competencies Required:

        Patience                                                                                      Adaptability

        Empathy                                                                                      Integrity

        Reliability                                                                                    Teamwork

        Flexibility                                                                                     Punctual

        Enthusiasm                                                                                 Confidentiality

        Responsible                                                                                Trustworthy & Honest

Desirable:

        A knowledge of the philosophy and ethos of Clarecare.

        Current First Aid Training Certification.

Key Relationships:

        Home Support Service Manager

        Home Support Area Manager's and broader Home Support team

        CEO

        HR/Training Dept. and wider Clarecare team

Other Essential Requirements:

        A positive 'fit to work' medical.

        A positive Garda vetting disclosure through Clarecare and International Police Clearance Certificates (where relevant)

        Two positive written references through Clarecare from your current and most recent employer.

        Work Visa/Work Permit/Right to Work status (where relevant).

        Verification of Identity (current driving licence/passport).

        Use of own vehicle for work purposes, full clean driver's licence and willingness to indemnify Clarecare on your private motor insurance cover re using your car for work purposes.