In Gheel, we focus on supporting individuals with autism through their life journey and enabling them to have fulfilling life experiences, while having autonomy and control over their choices and decisions. Gheel Autism Services provides a wide range of services for adults with autism including day and vocational opportunities, outreach support and a variety of supported living options. Across our services we consider how each person thinks, learns, and processes information to develop a personalised plan of support. Considering individuals' strengths and motivations, we enable people to obtain outcomes which are meaningful to them. Our committed practitioners receive regular training, and they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to enable each individual to have positive and meaningful life experiences. All staff are central to changing the culture of supporting people into a more inclusive, independence-focused style of support - where people are encouraged to be partners in, not recipients of the design of the service delivered.
Benefits:
* Access to Educational Support Scheme
* Company pension with company contribution (including income protection and death-in-service benefits)
* Employee Assistance Programme
* Paid Maternity & Paternity Leave (dependent on service)
* Up to 25 days of Annual leave
* Bike to Work scheme
* Training and development (CPD)
* Option to join the Health Service credit union
Social Care Worker / Autism Practitioner Position, Full-time, 1.00 WTE, Permanent Contract, Co. Kildare.
Background on the Transition Model:
The Transition Program is an innovative outreach program where the person receives sessional support in a place of their choosing (home, community, transition office). The Supports are provided in a way which is autism informed, incorporates the New Directions Framework for quality supports and are provided through a casework style of delivery where each person supported is allocated one caseworker from the team. The provision and resources are aimed at delivering bridging support to people in realising the aspirations they have for their lives in areas such as personal development, education, employment, and moving out of the family home. We aim to build an individual's skillset including independence skills, resilience, natural support systems, and self-support strategies so that they can live an independent life. The transition model focuses on the support needs of each individual and allows for flexibility within the supports. We recognise that support needs can fluctuate over time.
Typical Day as a Social Care Worker / Autism Practitioner in Transition Services:
Each day truly is different, this role is suited to someone who enjoys variety within their job and the autonomy to create their own schedule, prioritising their own workload. Typically you will be based in the office and will conduct two to three sessions a day with clients on your caseload. You will either meet these clients in the office or out in the community.
Examples of typical tasks include:
1. Meeting individuals in their college or place of work to support a client with communication with their employer/educators. This may be to assist in resolving recent difficulties experienced by either party, supporting the client in requesting reasonable accommodations or identifying areas where skill building or further supports are required.
2. Meeting an individual in the local community to check in on their week or completing a piece of work on a topic relating to the client's personal goals (examples include social skills, anxiety education, autism education, money management, communication skills, independent living skills, etc.)
3. Supporting an individual in completing an application or seeking further information from relevant external agencies (examples include housing applications, disability allowance applications, CAO applications, grant applications, job applications, etc.)
4. Liaising with families or external agencies in order to help the client reach their personal goals.
Completion of daily reports or other administrative tasks. Time for admin is incorporated into each staff member's weekly workload and caseload size is reflective of required weekly admin time.
Our caseworker positions offer the following benefits and opportunities:
1. You get to manage your own caseload of people supported, you design the weekly schedule of supports.
2. You will receive full training in areas such as autism practice, our low arousal approach, case management, health and safety, and more!
3. You will gain a broad range of experience as you will get to support at least six people as part of your caseload.
4. Systems are all online, you will be provided with your own laptop and phone for work purposes. You will be considered a 'smart worker' who lone works and is out in the community the majority of the time.
5. You will get to take the lead and liaise with various professionals and external agencies such as education providers (colleges, universities, etc), employers, housing agencies, multi-disciplinary teams & professionals, families, and more!
6. You will work 39 hours per week operating on daytime office hours from Monday to Friday.
The people we support have told us that they are looking for applicants who have the following qualities:
1. Patience
2. Encouraging
3. Non-judgemental
4. Good Listening Skills
5. Understanding
6. Supportive
7. Open-Minded
8. Innovative
9. Flexible
Essential Qualifications for Social Care Worker/ Autism Practitioner post:
1. Level 7 award in Social Care/Studies delivered by an Institute of Technology, DIT or National University of Ireland
2. A relevant qualification received outside the State recognised by NARIC as equivalent to the Irish Level 7 award.
3. Relevant third level qualification at degree level i.e. social work, psychology, and/or allied health.
4. Post-graduate qualification in Autism Studies
Essential Criteria for this post:
1. At least one-year recent experience in the social services sector
2. Ability to promote independence - supporting others to learn how - not doing it for them
3. An understanding of the New Directions Model of Service Delivery.
4. A full, clean driver's licence and access to own car for travelling to various locations only (please indicate on cover letter and/or curriculum vitae).
5. You must be eligible for CORU registration.
Desirable Criteria for this post:
1. Experience of supporting individuals with a diagnosis of ASD and knowledge of Autism
2. Experience of case management
3. Experience of creating pathways to education, employment and housing and supporting people along those pathways.
4. Awareness of areas such as mental health, homelessness, addiction, and social disadvantage within the Irish context.
Salary Scale:
Successful candidates will be paid in line with the Gheel Autism Services CLG Social Care Worker pay scale point 1; €35,216 - point 12 LSI; €50,954 per annum based on working a 39-hour week.
To apply for this position please submit your cover letter and up to date CV. Applicants will be shortlisted for interview based on the evidence outlined in their C.V. The closing date for receipt of all completed applications is Wednesday, 1st of January 2025 at 5pm. Late applications will not be accepted. Interviews will take place shortly thereafter. A panel may be formed from which future vacancies may be filled. Garda Vetting is a requirement of the recruitment process. Gheel Autism Services CLG is an inclusive employer and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the recruitment process, please email .
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