Part time Vocational Support Worker

Eaglestone West, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England
MK6

Do you have previous experience in the food service industry and looking for a change? If so, join Chadwick Lodge as a Vocational Support Worker and change the lives of people with a range of Mental health conditions.

As the Vocational Support Worker, you will be responsible for supporting the day to day running of the silver lining café/shop which is run by service users. You will be involved in working alongside our service users and providing training, support and supervision for service users to ensure skill development and satisfaction in their role.

Working 16 hours a week, you will co-produce with the vocational lead, service users, menus for the café, support and develop food-based events including initiatives to build awareness and contribute to positive wellbeing through the café's menu as well as contributing to training courses for service users and projects.

Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will be supported regionally and will have access to a variety of training and online courses to support your career development and growth.

• Planning menus, sourcing ingredients in line with the café ethos.
• Developing and leading the production of food products for sale in the café.
• Ensuring a professional level of customer service is always delivered by all café staff.
• Developing and managing relationships with customers, workers, and suppliers to ensure the efficient running of the café and to create a warm and welcoming environment.
• Coordinating the café workers to ensure the café is adequately staffed.
• Facilitating cooking courses for workers.
• Providing individual training support for café workers and provide an induction for all new café workers.
• Working collaboratively with patients/service users to identify and work towards their recovery-focused goals.
• Maintaining adequate records, entering details in the service user healthcare records.

• Experience in a similar environment & Mental Health.
• Verbal and written communication skills.
• Level 3 food hygiene certificate or willing to work towards.
• Previous experience in the food service industry.
• The ability to support a team with varying talents and skills and work on own initiative.
• Experience of supervising staff.
• Strong interest in, or knowledge of special dietary requirements and wholesome food.
• Be able to support, mentor and encourage workers to develop new skills and confidence and prepare for the workplace.

Location: Chadwick Drive (off Saxon Street), Eaglestone, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK6 5LS

You will be working at Chadwick Lodge and Eaglestone View, a medium and low secure services providing specialist treatment programmes for service users who have been detained under the Mental Health Act (1983) and have a history of offending behaviour.

The service offers a broad spectrum of evidence-based therapeutic interventions, involving service users at every stage. The hospital's consultant-led multidisciplinary team has a wealth of clinical and research experience in forensic psychiatry. All programmes are designed to reduce the risk of re-offending and to maximise the potential and enhance the quality of life of each service user.

Chadwick Lodge secure services care for service users with complex and enduring mental illness who need to achieve stability in order to benefit from multidisciplinary interventions, helping them move on to community settings whenever possible.

• Annual salary of £11,356 (16 hours a week).
• The equivalent of 33 days annual leave (inc Bank Holidays) - plus your birthday off!
• Free meals and parking.
• Wellbeing support and activities to help you maintain a great work-life balance.
• Career development and training to help you achieve your career goals.
• Pension contribution to secure your future.
• Life Assurance for added peace of mind.
• Enhanced Maternity Package so you can truly enjoy this special time.

There is also a range of other benefits including retail discounts, special offers and much more.

You will be working for an established, stable and agile company with over 8,000 employees and a unique approach to the delivery of care. With a network of over 90 services across England and Wales covering Mental Health, Neurological, Learning Disabilities & Autism, Children & Education, there is opportunity for you to grow and move.