We're Looking for More Than Just an Experienced Support Worker
New Venture Care is looking for an exceptional Senior Support Worker to take a key operational role within one of our adult supported living services.
This position is for someone who takes ownership.
Someone who walks into a service and notices what needs doing.
Someone who doesn't wait to be chased.
Someone who can lead a shift, maintain standards, support colleagues, identify concerns early and help ensure the service operates safely, professionally and consistently.
You will work closely with the management team and play an important role in making sure the home is organised, compliant and, most importantly, providing genuinely excellent support to the people who live there.
If you're an experienced Support Worker who is ready to step up, or an existing Senior who wants more responsibility and the opportunity to make a real impact; we would love to hear from you.
The Package
£15 per hour
40 guaranteed contracted hours per week
- Permanent contract
- Predominantly daytime working
- Every other weekend
- Some occasional/ad-hoc night working when required
- Paid annual leave
- Workplace pension
- Ongoing professional development
- Regular supervision and management support
- Training and development opportunities
- Clear progression opportunities
- Opportunity to develop towards Team Leader/Deputy Manager positions
What We Need From Our Senior
Your role will go beyond delivering day-to-day support.
You will help management ensure the service is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
You will be expected to take responsibility for standards during your shifts and act as a positive role model for the wider staff team.
Leadership & Staff Standards
You will:
- Lead shifts and provide direction to Support Workers
- Allocate responsibilities and ensure required tasks are completed
- Set the standard for professionalism, punctuality and quality of care
- Support and coach less experienced members of staff
- Challenge poor practice appropriately
- Identify staff performance concerns and escalate these to management
- Support new staff during induction and shadow shifts
- Ensure effective handovers take place
- Promote a positive, accountable and solution-focused culture within the service
If something isn't right, we expect our Senior Support Worker to notice it, address what they can and escalate what requires management oversight.
Quality & Compliance
You will help ensure the service remains inspection-ready and operates to a consistently high standard.
Responsibilities will include:
- Checking daily records and support documentation
- Ensuring care and support plans are followed
- Checking MAR charts and medication records
- Supporting medication audits and identifying discrepancies
- Ensuring incidents, accidents and safeguarding concerns are recorded and escalated appropriately
- Monitoring completion of cleaning and environmental checks
- Checking that health and safety requirements are followed
- Ensuring required daily, weekly and monthly checks are completed
- Identifying gaps in documentation and ensuring these are addressed
- Supporting internal audits and quality-assurance processes
- Maintaining confidentiality and accurate records
- Helping ensure policies and procedures are followed consistently
You don't need to know everything but you must have the initiative to find out, take action and follow things through.
Supporting the People Who Live in the Service
Excellent paperwork means nothing without excellent support.
You will work directly with the people we support and ensure they remain at the centre of everything we do.
This may include:
- Promoting independence and daily living skills
- Supporting personal care where required
- Medication support
- Supporting appointments
- Shopping, budgeting and meal preparation
- Supporting individuals to access their community
- Supporting emotional wellbeing
- Promoting meaningful activities and relationships
- Supporting individuals to maintain their homes
- Encouraging choice, control and independence
- Completing key-working sessions
- Supporting individuals to work towards their agreed outcomes
You will also help ensure that key-working actually achieves something.
We want meaningful goals, clear actions and evidence of progress not paperwork completed simply because it is due.
House Standards
We expect our supported living services to be environments that people are proud to call home.
As a Senior Support Worker, you will help ensure:
- The environment is clean, safe and well maintained
- Staff complete required household responsibilities
- Maintenance issues are reported promptly
- Food hygiene and infection-control standards are maintained
- Cleaning schedules are followed
- Health and safety checks are completed
- Residents are appropriately supported to maintain their own living environments
- Staff promote independence rather than automatically doing everything for people
Communication & Multi-Agency Working
You may also communicate professionally with:
- Families
- Social Workers
- Local Authorities
- GPs
- Community Mental Health Teams
- Pharmacies
- District Nurses
- Other healthcare professionals
- Housing providers
- Advocates
- Other professionals involved in an individual's support
You must therefore be confident communicating professionally by telephone, email and in person.
The Person We're Looking For
Experience in health and social care is essential for this position.
We're particularly interested in applicants who have worked within:
- Supported living
- Learning disabilities
- Mental health services
- Autism services
- Complex needs
- Residential adult social care
Previous Senior Support Worker or shift-leading experience is highly desirable.
You should be someone who:
- Takes ownership
- Has excellent attention to detail
- Is highly organised
- Can prioritise effectively
- Leads by example
- Remains calm under pressure
- Communicates confidently
- Can professionally challenge poor practice
- Understands professional boundaries
- Can motivate other staff
- Is confident with electronic care records
- Understands safeguarding
- Has strong medication knowledge
- Can recognise and report risk
- Follows tasks through to completion
- Is comfortable being accountable for the standard of a shift
We particularly value people who bring solutions, not just problems.
Essential Requirements
To be considered, you should have:
- At least 2 years' experience working within adult health and social care
- Good understanding of safeguarding adults
- Experience administering medication
- Experience completing care/support documentation
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- Confidence using electronic recording systems
- Ability to lead and organise a shift
- Flexibility to work every other weekend
- Flexibility to undertake occasional night shifts where operationally required
- Right to work in the UK
- Willingness to undertake an Enhanced DBS check
A Level 3 qualification in Health & Social Care, or equivalent, is strongly preferred.
Applicants already working towards Level 3 may also be considered where they can demonstrate substantial relevant experience.
Working Pattern
This is a permanent 40-hour-per-week position.
The role will be predominantly daytime based, because we want our Senior Support Worker present when they can have the greatest operational impact.
You will also:
- Work every other weekend
- Participate in the rota
- Provide occasional/ad-hoc night cover where reasonably required by the service
This is not a Monday-to-Friday office position.
You will be part of the operational team and therefore need sufficient flexibility to understand what is happening across the service.
Career Progression
We're looking for someone who wants to grow with us.
For the right person, this role can provide a pathway towards:
Senior Support Worker → Team Leader → Deputy Manager → Registered Manager
Progression will be based on performance, capability, leadership and the contribution you make to the service.
This Role Will Suit You If...
You're the person on shift who notices when the medication count doesn't look right.
You check whether something has actually been completed rather than simply assuming it has.
You notice when someone's behaviour changes.
You follow up the maintenance issue that was reported last week.
You remind colleagues about outstanding documentation.
You don't walk past something because "it's not my job."
And when management isn't physically in the building, standards don't drop.
If that sounds like you, we'd genuinely like to hear from you.
Apply
If you are an experienced care professional ready for greater responsibility and want to play an important role in developing an outstanding supported living service, please apply with your CV.
Pay: From £15.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company pension
- Paid training
Application question(s):
- What experience do you have working within supported living?
- Have you previously worked as a Senior Support Worker, Team Leader or shift leader?
- Do you hold a Level 3 qualification in Health & Social Care or equivalent?
- Are you able to work 40 hours per week?
Experience:
- Senior carer: 2 years (preferred)
Work Location: In person
