Communicator Guide for Dual sensory Loss
Do you have an interest in and passion inDeafblindness and working with people who have sensory impairments? If you are interested, then why not join our sensory team!
We are looking for a Communicator Guide tojoin our highly reputable, countywide Sensory Team in adult social care inNorth Yorkshire, predominantly working in the East of the county, in Scarborough,Ryedale and Whitby areas. Deafblindness, or dual sensory loss, is acombination of sight and hearing loss. It affects an individuals ability tocommunicate, access information and get around. So, whether you are looking foryour first step on the career ladder or have a wealth of experience and arelooking for something new, we want to hear from you!
What one of our Communicator Guides thinks - Ilove being a Communicator Guide because you get the opportunity to build upgood relationships with people and always leave them feeling you have made adifference.
Main duties of the job
What you will do:
* Provide support to Deafblind people, promoting wellbeing, independence,choice and control.
* Support people with social contact and access to services.
* Support people with communication and information in a way that isaccessible.
* Work in ways which maintain personal dignity as well as maximisingindividual potential.
About you:
You will have some experience of sight loss,of British Sign Language, and communication methods, and will have worked in asupporting role with people previously.You will need a commitment to undertake further training to developfurther skills in working with Deafblind people.
You will have excellent communication skillsand the ability to work in close partnership with other teams and agencies,including other social care teams, voluntary agencies, the NHS and families/carers.
About us
In return, we can offer you:
* The opportunity to develop knowledge, experience and skills with aleading care provider
* A programme of professional support, supervision and training
* The opportunity to work as part of a safe culture of support andlearning, where respect is treated as paramount.
* A variety of competitive employee benefits including generous leaveentitlement, market leading pension scheme, access to range of salary sacrificeschemes and discounts
* Travel expenses will be reimbursed
* The opportunity to play a key part in the development of our services
Job responsibilities
Job Context
The Sensory Team is a countywideservice comprising a number of professional roles. As a Communicator Guide for Dual SensoryLoss, you will work with adults with care and support needs with a combinationof sensory needs e.g. who are deaf, deafened, deafblind or who have sight loss.
An enhanced DBS is required for thispost. This role involves spoken communications, so a confident use of Englishlanguage is required.
Job Purpose
To promote the independence ofdeafblind adults who are deaf, deafened, deafblind and who have vision lossincluding key tasks of:
* Access to communication
* Access to information
* Mobility
Operational Management
* Ensure deafblind people are able tomake best use of community facilities, including banks.
* Support deafblind people in accessingpaid and/or voluntary employment opportunities, where appropriate.
* Enable deafblind people to accessappropriate health care.
* Assist deafblind people to manage their correspondence and other written information, assist with letter writing,filling out bills/cheques and making telephone calls.
* Act as professional support todeafblind people, providing access to news, information and other services ofthe persons choosing.
* Assist deafblind people in activitiesof daily living to enable skills development to achieve independence.
* Ensure deafblind people haveopportunities to contribute to the community in which they live (e.g. participationin user groups, exercising political rights etc).
* Support deafblind people in managing aclean and safe home environment, liaising with other services where necessary
* Support deafblind people in accessinguniversal and other services e.g. Reablement and other statutory processes e.g.through safeguarding processes.
* Participate in assessments of needwith deafblind peopleasallocated by your line the manager, alongside other suitably qualified staffand where indicated, to undertake assessments of need with carers.
* Where adultsor carers fall withineligibility criteria, support the development of creative and innovativepackages of support with those peopleandor carers to achieve the identified outcomes.
* Provide professional support andadvice to peopleand carers on how their needscould be partly or wholly met by access to universal and other non-careservices.
* Providing access to reablement andintermediate care services for the given client group, including joint workingwhere this is appropriate, in line with agreed pathways.
* Provide training and support topersonal assistants where this option is taken by an adult with care andsupport needs.
* Undertake re-assessments and reviewsas required by your line manager.
* Assist in proactively working towardsthe increased uptake of direct payments and other service developmentinitiatives including (but not limited to) reablement, personalisation,individual budgets, self-assessment and self-directed care.
Communications
* Work with your line manager and othercolleagues in Sensory services to contribute to the development of communitiesto enable the empowerment of deafblind people.
* Liaise with local, universal and otherservices to promote vulnerable peoples access to them.
* Have effective use of goodcommunication skills which may include BSL, deafblind finger spelling, the blockalphabet, clear speech and other means of receptive and expressivecommunication as required to meet the persons needs.
* Provide day-to-day advice and supportto colleagues as agreed with your line manager.
Partnership / Corporate Working
* Participate in training, developmentaland project activity including multi-disciplinary and multi-agency activity asagreed with your line manager.
* Act as a Champion for deafblindness withinHealth and Adult Services and in the wider Council, acting as a resource forawareness training for colleagues where required.
Systems and Information
* Maintain clear, concise and timely recordsof cases, care pathways and actions in line with the Directorates policies onfile maintenance.
* Assist in the timely and accuratecollection of client data and performance data using the appropriate IT systemsand processes. You will ensure that you utilise the current systems in relationto case recording, financial monitoring, ICT.
Person Specification
Experience
* An understanding of the issues affecting people with a dual sensory loss, including the barriers experienced by people in accessing everyday life chances
* Good working knowledge, understanding and application of community care legislation and regulations.
* Knowledge and understanding of social care policy developments and good practice at a local and national level, and specifically how these apply to deafblind people.
* Experience of working with people with a sensory impairment including facilitating access to information, communication and/or community facilities
* Experience of undertaking social care assessments
* Experience of working in a supporting role
* Experience of inter-agency collaboration in practice.
* Experience of working positively in a changing environment.
* Knowledge of statutory requirements, including requirements in respect of carers, equality and anti-discrimination legislation, maintaining a safe working environment, data protection and confidentiality.
* Knowledge and understanding of how Equality and Diversity, Dignity and Respect and Human Rights will apply to this role.
* Experience of working with people with a Dual Sensory Loss
* Experience of undertaking assessments with people with a sensory loss
* Experience of contributing to the safeguarding of vulnerable adults and/or children
Qualifications
* British Sign Language skills at minimum Level 1 on appointment with a requirement to undertake and achieve BSL Signature Level 2 within 2 years of appointment and level 3 within 4 years of appointment
* Signature CDC2 Level 2 Certificate Communication with Deafblind People (Manual), or a commitment to undertake the training within 6 months of appointment.
Occupational Skills
* Excellent communication and presentation skills written, verbal, sign language etc.
* The ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.
* Resilience skills. Works productively in a pressurised environment and supports others to do so. Ability to act calmly during difficult circumstances and recovers quickly from setbacks.
* Effective time management and planning skills, meets deadlines
* Effective written communication skills communicates effectively in writing to produce documents in a range of formats and styles to suit a range of audiences. Excellent case recording and report writing skills.
* Decision making skills can make decisions within own area of responsibility which may involve considering risks.
* Ability to monitor quality and service standards.
* Good IT skills including use of email, intranet, internet, word, excel and inputting data.
* Flexibility and adaptability.
* Problem solving skills uses creativity and innovation to generate solutions to problems.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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