Carer Support Officer

North Ayrshire Carers Gateway Carer Support Officer

Location:Kilwinning and other localities in North Ayrshire as required

Contract: Part Time, 17.5 hours per week, including some occasional weekend and evening work (plenty notice is given beforehand)

Salary: £12,111 per annum+ 5% employer pension contribution

21 HSC are proud to announce that we have been exclusively retained on behalf of Unity to recruit a Carers Gateway Carer Officer.

Unity is a highly regarded and long-established charity that provides a range of services to support vulnerable and disadvantaged people across the West of Scotland. In North Ayrshire, they have supported unpaid carers for more than 20 years and have been contracted by the local Health and Social Care Partnership to introduce a vastly enhanced service. The new North Ayrshire Carers Gateway model will help more people, in more places and in more ways than ever before.

Carer Support Officers work to identify and support unpaid carers within a designated locality of North Ayrshire. They help carers to identify their needs and put in place a package of support to achieve personal outcomes, triaging them to specialist support within the Carers Gateway service and other organisations as required. Carer Support Officers manage local case load, maintaining and evaluating Gateway support plans so that carers receive consistently high quality and ongoing support which adjusts to meet their changing needs. The Carer Support Officer maintains a high profile for the Gateway service in their locality through partnership working, networking and by maintaining a visible presence in the area.

Key Roles and Responsibilities:

• Responsible for proactive identification of carers within the locality.
• Responsible for responding to all enquiries and referrals for carers in the locality, providing carers with both emotional and practical support.
• Responsible for ensuring that all carers needs are met by utilising the appropriate Gateway assessment tool to identify and prioritise needs.
• Responsible for triaging carers to the required services as identified through their needs assessment and monitoring progress towards the agreed outcomes.
• Responsible for ensuring that all carers are offered an Adult Carers Support Plan during their initial engagement with the Gateway service and, when this is not progressed, is revisited with the carer periodically.
• Responsible for liaising with HSCP officer and social work teams as required.
• Responsible for liaising with local partner organisations to support carer identification. This may include, but is not limited to, NHS Ayrshire & Arran and other health services, community spaces such as libraries, employment services and other third sector and community groups.
• Responsible for establishing peer support groups within the locality and supporting them towards becoming self-sustaining.
• Responsible for promoting the Gateway service within the locality. This will include local networking, developing partnerships and working with the Marketing Coordinator to produce plans and resources for raising the Gateways visibility within the locality.
• Provide guidance on Carers rights and entitlements: liaising with the Gateway Welfare and Benefits specialist as required.
• Attend CPP Localities meetings as a Carers Representative and encourage local carers to attend too.
• Promote the short breaks service to all identified carers and support them to make an application as required.
• Ensure Carers Gateway processes are followed at all times and electronic case management records are updated and reviewed regularly.
• Prepare monthly status reports and undertake other monitoring and evaluation as required.
• Maintain a sound knowledge of the National and Local Carers Strategy and any changes to benefit entitlements for carers.
• Any other appropriate tasks as directed by the Localities Coordinator.

• It is essential to have standard grade general level or equivalent in a minimum of four subjects one of which should be English.
• It is desirable to have an SVQ in Social Care or equivalent qualification.
• It is essential to have a driving licence and access to a car for business use.
• It is essential to have previous work experience with unpaid carers, lived experience or relatable voluntary experience.
• It is essential to understand Carers Rights, Benefits and Local Strategy.
• It is essential to have experience of managing a Caseload, good note taking and follow up.

To Apply

To apply for this role, please click apply and send an up-to-date CV in support of your application in the first instance. For more information about the position available and a detailed job description and person specification, please contact Danielle Frame/Sean Carruthers at 21 HSC. Suitable applicants will be contacted asap with a view to securing a formal interview with the Senior Management Team and North Ayrshire HSCP. Short-listed applicants will be invited for an initial face to face/teams interview with one of our recruitment team.

21 HSC Limited is an equal opportunities employer.