Disability Support Worker

Job Title: Support Worker
Organisation: Disability Services - Genesis Healthcare Ireland
Location: Midlands and South East region - Tullamore, Carlow, Portlaw
Reporting to: Head of Disability Services
Contract: Permanent, Full-Time

Company Overview and Role: Genesis Healthcare Ireland is committed to delivering high-quality, person-centred residential care for older persons and adults with intellectual disabilities. Our organisation is committed to providing compassionate, person-centred care that enables the people we support to live with dignity, choice and purpose. Our disability services are built on the household model - small, ordinary homes in ordinary communities, designed to universal design principles, where people are supported to live the life they choose rather than the life a building or a rota dictates

The Support Worker provides direct, practical support to adults with intellectual disabilities in their own home and in their community, working under the guidance of the Social Care Leader and alongside Social Care Workers and nursing colleagues. The postholder spends more time with the people supported than anyone else. The warmth, patience and reliability brought to ordinary daily life is what makes the difference between a house and a home. This role carries significant responsibility for the wellbeing and experiences of vulnerable people.

Key Responsibilities

Direct support

• Provide support with daily living, personal care, household tasks, cooking, shopping and money management, always in the way the person prefers and at their pace.
• Support each person to do things for themselves wherever they can, rather than doing things for them.
• Work to each person’s personal plan and support the goals set out in it.
• Support participation in education, training, employment, volunteering, leisure and community life.
• Support health needs, including attending appointments and administering medication where trained and authorised to do so.
• Support each person to maintain relationships with family, friends and partners.

Communication and rights

• Communicate in the way that works best for each person, including through augmentative and alternative communication where used.
• Support each person to make choices about their own day, home and life, and respect the choice they make.
• Support each person to raise a concern or complaint and to access independent advocacy.
• Treat the house as the person’s home at all times, respecting privacy, possessions and personal space.

Safety, safeguarding and records

• Report any safeguarding concern immediately in line with Genesis policy and the national policy on safeguarding vulnerable persons at risk of abuse. Every member of staff has a personal duty to report; it is never someone else’s responsibility.
• Apply positive behaviour support plans consistently and as written, and report any concern that a plan is not working.
• Apply restrictive practice only as authorised, record it every time, and never extend it informally.
• Report incidents, accidents and near misses promptly, and tell the person in charge of the shift about any change in a person’s health, mood or behaviour.
• Maintain accurate, respectful daily records, written in language you would be content for the person or their family to read.
• Safeguard personal possessions and personal money and account for them properly.
• Speak to the Social Care Leader or Person in Charge if anything about the support being given causes concern. Raising a concern is always welcomed and no member of staff will be penalised for doing so.

Development

• Complete all mandatory training and updates, and attend in-service training as arranged.
• Take part in supervision and team meetings.
• Observe confidentiality of all information and comply with data protection obligations.

Qualifications:

QQI Level 5 major award in Healthcare Support, Social Care or a related field, or a commitment to complete one within an agreed timeframe with Genesis support.

No previous experience in disability services is required; full training and support are provided.

Previous experience of supporting adults with intellectual disabilities, whether through employment, placement, volunteering or family life.

Experience of supporting people with complex needs or behaviours of concern.

Essential Knowledge & Desirable Experience

Availability to work across all shifts, including nights and weekends, as rostered.

Full, clean driving licence, enabling support with community access.

Awareness of safeguarding responsibilities and of how to report a concern.

Awareness of rights-based, person-centred practice.

Key Relationships

• Persons in Charge (PICs)
• Clinical Nurse Managers
• Staff Teams
• Head Of Operations
• External Regulators (e.g., HIQA as required)

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From €40,000.00 per year

Work Location: In person