Job Title: Home Support Worker
(Subject to funding and successful completion of probation)
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 people who are experiencing difficulties, 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 (IADLs) that can help a person live at home if they are ill, frail or disabled. 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 is in need of such care and personal assistance.
Role: To provide practical Home Support (IADLs) 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.
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.
Job 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. S/he will link with other relevant Departments/Services within Clarecare as relevant and also liaise with (PHN) Public Health Nurses and other Health Support Professionals, where relevant, as part of the role.
Hours of Work: This is a part-time permanent role (subject to receipt of continued funding from HSE as Service Provider and successful completion of 12 months probationary period). Due to the nature of Home Support Services for Older People in the Community and HSE's Service Provider terms of business (i.e. HSE as Service Provider offers hours for service users to Clarecare and other similar Home Support Agencies); we are unable to ascertain at any given time, the volume of business being offered/provided by HSE as Service Provider and therefore, are unable to offer regular work hours to the Home Support Worker. However, as per The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018, at the end of an initial 12 months continuous service (probationary period) with Clarecare, Home Support Workers may apply to be placed on a fixed band of hours that include the average hours worked by them in the previous 12 months period.
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 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 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.