To assist with a variety of tasks which will enable/assist the employer/person who needs care and support to live their personal and social life according to their wishes and interests.
Hours of work:
This position is for 6-8 hours per week. We will agree working times on a fortnightly basis and hours may change slightly week on week. We can discuss this at interviews. Availability on Thursdays is a must.
Rate of pay:
£12.60 per hour plus holiday pay.
About the employer:
I'm a writer and lecturer who uses the arts as a therapeutic tool in various settings. I love being outdoors, doing creative things, and playing with my two year old.
My little one will be a big part of this role too. He loves music, dancing, reading, and exploring. He is lots of fun!
I'm an ambulatory powerchair user with multiple diagnoses, but predominantly need help managing my limited mobility whilst parenting, and managing fatigue, pain, and dysautonomia through support in day-to-day life.
Main duties:
Social duties, for example, supporting me to participate in play and enrichment activities with my two year old. I may need support keeping him safe, for example in a playground if he wants to climb, or by a lake if we are on a walk; and specific practical support like getting my wheelchair in and out of the car using ramps, pushing his pushchair, getting him in and out of a high chair in a cafe, or being an extra pair of hands while I'm driving my chair and looking after him. Sometimes, I may need help to navigate my chair over tricky terrain, with a little push to assist the motor, or moving it manually whilst I briefly stand or sit nearby. I may also need assistance with using public transport with my little one.
Domestic duties, for example, support with grocery shopping, cleaning, changing linen, laundry, and gardening.
Personal Care, for example help remembering to eat and drink, occasional help with bathing and dressing in irregular periods when I am very unwell and/or my partner is out of town.
These duties may vary from day to day.
Type of person that I am looking for:
I am looking for someone honest, reliable, punctual, and non-judgemental. We are a queer multi-racial household.
I need someone who can build good relationships based on trust and mutual respect, and who will be able to communicate clearly with me. I value direct and compassionate communication.
I would love you to have fun with my little one but to be there to support me, respecting that much of this work is about facilitating my parenting, not trying to replace it.
You will be fun, comfortable with little children, flexible, adaptable, easy going, with an understanding of equality and diversity, and a good sense of humour.
Specific requirements: ability to get a wheelchair in and out of a car using ramps and lift a two year old.
The successful candidate will need to undergo and enhanced DBS check through Leeds City Council.
What you can expect to receive:
I hope that this will be a fun role, mostly involving play and enrichment with me and my little one.
I will put formal feedback and check-in structures in place to support you to feel respected and comfortable in this role, and to ensure communication is open and reciprocal.
Training can be available where necessary, including in Moving and Handling.
Skills, qualifications and experience
Essential:
Confidentiality
Good at building relationships
Excellent Communicator
Sensitive and kind
Preferred
Some experience with children
Some experience assisting a wheelchair user
I look forward to hearing from you!
Leeds DP and PA Support Hub are a Leeds City Council team supporting individuals in receipt of the Direct Payment package.
Our Independent Living Teams support disabled people of all ages to take control of any help they need with personal care, daily living tasks and getting out and about in their community. This includes supporting people to recruit, manage and pay their own support workers, usually called Personal Assistants (PAs). Employing PAs enables our customers to choose who they want to provide their support and how and when the support is provided, to suit their and their families' lifestyles.
Our customers include individual disabled and older people, parents with disabled children and carers of disabled adults.
Leeds CIL provides a full payroll service to individual employers of Personal Assistants. Their dedicated team of Finance Support Workers currently support over 1,000 individual employers to pay their PAs every month.