Team Leader

Purpose:

To assess and manage cases with a degree of complexity and risk, taking action to coordinate resources (including staff deployment) and support to maintain or improve the wellbeing of customers. To provide and promote person-centred care and support to vulnerable customers who require differing levels of support to meet a range of complex social and health needs. To lead, manage, and supervise a team, providing care and support to enable people to achieve their maximum level of independence through appropriate physical, emotional and psychological support including intimate personal care, support with basic health needs, practical tasks, appropriate communication, and community involvement.

To ensure the effective and efficient management of a high-quality service which:

• Is responsive to the changing needs of customers
• Meets all Health and Safety requirements
• Operates within all company Policies and Procedures
• Meets all required CQC standards
• Provides a supportive and rewarding environment to the company’s employees
• Delivers care and support in line with the company’s values

Key Tasks and Responsibilities:

Practical Assistance

• Provide an environment and ensure care practices that encourage people to be independent and to exercise choice and control over the support they receive.
• Support colleagues to develop communication systems, skills, and techniques that support effective communication and ensure customers can communicate in their preferred way, e.g., communication passport, makaton, British Sign Language, accessible information.
• Demonstrate excellent practice in all areas of care and support, including how to maximise the independence and functional ability of customers to enhance their quality of life, and develop and maintain life skills.
• Encourage and support community involvement, ensuring people gain fair access and maximum benefit from all available services, community facilities and resources.
• Provide assistance and support with household and domestic tasks, e.g., laundry, shopping, cleaning, and support customers with financial transactions such as paying bills, to manage their finances and personal affects.
• Ensure company statutory and non-statutory responsibilities are fulfilled.
• Carry out regular customer reviews including where appropriate attending case conferences and Multidisciplinary Team meetings.
• Support, mentor, and coach colleagues, apprentices, or volunteers.
• Ensure that the service meets all health, safety, and social care standards, e.g., water temperature, fire safety, medication, financial, care plans, customer surveys and feedback, and CQC requirements.
• Support Service Reviews, Family Forums, and production of an Annual report.

Personal Assistance

• Organise or provide appropriate, intimate personal care, which respects the privacy and dignity of the person, for people with a wide range of illnesses and disabilities, when required.
• Support, organise, and provide practical support to customers which safeguards their human rights at all times and ensures that the care and support provided protects people and ensures their safety and well-being.
• Organise and work as part of a team to provide practical, emotional, and flexible care and support, geared to the needs and goals of the individual, as identified within their Care Plan.
• Conduct standard assessments for individual customers to provide them with opportunities to lead as independent a life as possible within their local community and to ensure the safety of customers and employees.
• Organise and support people with the administration of their medication, and check the competence of colleagues in line with SCAS policy and procedures.
• Organise and delegate care tasks to ensure customers are provided with the appropriate care and support to the prescribed quality, safety, and hygiene standards.
• Use and operate a range of tools and equipment associated with the provision of care and support to vulnerable customers, e.g., but not limited to hoists, bath aids, and wheelchairs.
• Work with other professionals, e.g., physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists to ensure the health, safety, and comfort of customers and to maximise their potential to be independent.
• Respect people’s culture, beliefs, and preferences in all aspects of their daily life and within the care service that is delivered through, for example, menu planning and food preparation, personal care routines, and religious practices.

Assessment

• Organise the team as they carry out support needs assessments and then develop and record individual Care Plans.
• Gather, collate, monitor and review individual Care Plans - evaluate and provide feedback on their effectiveness and ensure that feedback from colleagues is used to develop further Care Plans for customers.
• Organise and provide the care and support provided to customers including the monitoring of the health and social well-being of customers, record and report any changes and ensure support plans are revised as required.
• Organise and manage care of customers to ensure customers are connected to practitioners or services that are able to meet their needs and ensure behavioral changes and social rehabilitation of customers is undertaken.
• Prepare and present reports of a statutory and non-statutory nature.
• Organise and ensure clear records of actions and decisions are maintained.

Records and Reports

• Coordinate the team and service recording in files and other records, and ensure they are all accurate, legible, complete, up to date and stored in the correct manner, with regard for confidentiality and SCAS processes.
• Comply with data protection principles and respect the privacy of personal and customer information.
• Support people’s right to complain and advocate on their behalf when appropriate.
• Coordinate any response to complaints using information gathered from complaints and comments to improve and further develop the service.

Professional Contacts and Relationships

• Establish and maintain the trust and confidence of customers, their family, and carers.
• Lead a team, within a multi-agency framework, to ensure that the aims and objectives of the service and the needs of the customer are identified, assessed, and met.
• Support the Service Manager in managing colleagues and contributing towards their development through regular supervision, annual appraisals, identification of learning and development needs, and observation of work practice.
• Communicate messages from company-wide briefings, Hub meetings, etc., and convene regular team meetings to share/exchange information.
• Coordinate the effective induction of new colleagues using SCAS workplace induction processes and assess their work practice to nationally recognised induction standards.
• Organise the team and service involvement in partnership work with other professionals including attendance at multi-disciplinary meetings, and promote the functioning of inter-professional teamwork.
• Work independently and be able to make sound judgments in relation to emergency situations and customer requirements.

Working Environment Context

• Work flexibly on a rota basis, including weekends, bank holidays, night shifts, and sleep-ins.
• Ensure the service has appropriate staff cover, maintains approved staffing levels, and staffing availability is best used across the Hub.
• Ensure the health, safety, and security of the workplace for all in accordance with legislation and SCAS policies and procedures.

Professional Context

• Under the guidance of the Service Manager, organise and coordinate the learning and development of colleagues.
• Participate in and contribute to in-service learning and development opportunities identified for both professional and personal development within the job role.
• Deliver learning and development to colleagues in SCAS in line with service requirements and professional expertise.

Other duties

• Carry out duties with full regard to the Company’s Equal Opportunities Policy, and all other Company Policies.
• Comply with the Company’s Health and Safety policy, rules and regulations and with Health and Safety legislation.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent