Advertised role location: Eden View, 3-5 Hugomont Drive, Ballymen
Official document: Band 4_RSCW_JD_EV_Sept2025 (docx)
Residential Social Care Worker
Band 4
Job Description

Residential Social Care Worker
Band 4
Job Description


The Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT) is responsible for the delivery of safe and effective health and social care (HSC) services to the population of the Northern Trust area in Northern Ireland.
We provide compassionate care with our community in our community. In order to do this we require the commitment of a highly skilled and professional workforce that meets the need of the service.
The diagram below outlines our values and our objectives which support the delivery of compassionate care within our community.

The below diagram details the values and associated behaviours that we expect staff working within Health and Social Care (HSC) to display at all times;

HSC Value
 What does this mean?
 What does this look like in practice? - Behaviours

Working Together

We work together for the best outcome for people we care for and support. We work across Health and Social Care and with other external organisations and agencies, recognising that leadership is the responsibility of all.
 

I work with others and value everyone’s contribution
I treat people with respect and dignity
I work as part of a team looking for opportunities to support and help people in both my own and other teams
I actively engage people on issues that affect them
I look for feedback and examples of good practice, aiming to improve where possible

 Compassion

We are sensitive, caring, respectful and understanding towards those we care for and support and our colleagues. We listen carefully to others to better understand and take action to help them and ourselves.
 

I am sensitive to the different needs and feelings of others and treat people with kindness
I learn from others by listening carefully to them
I look after my own health and well-being so that I can care for and support others

 
Excellence

We commit to being the best we can be in our work, aiming to improve and develop services to achieve positive changes. We deliver safe, high-quality, compassionate care and support.
I put the people I care for and support at the centre of all I do to make a difference
I take responsibility for my decisions and actions
I commit to best practice and sharing learning, while continually learning and developing
I try to improve by asking ‘could we do this better?’

Openness & Honesty

We are open and honest with each other and act with integrity and candour.

I am open and honest in order to develop trusting relationships
I ask someone for help when needed
I speak up if I have concerns
I challenge inappropriate or unacceptable behaviour and practice


JOB DESCRIPTION
JOB TITLE: Residential Social Care Worker

BAND: 4

DIRECTORATE/DIVISION: Children and Young People’s Services - Children with a Disability

INITIAL LOCATION: Eden View, Hugomont Drive, Ballymena

REPORTS TO: Residential Team Leader/ Deputy Team Leader

ACCOUNTABLE TO: Director of Children and Young People’s Services

FLEXIBLE WORKING PROVISIONS: Full Time Working

JOB SUMMARY:

The Residential Social Care Worker will undertake allocated duties of care under the supervision of the Residential Team Leader/ Deputy Team Leader/ Shift Coordinator. This will be within a residential home and/ or residential short breaks service for young people with severe learning disabilities, behaviours that challenge and/ or complex health care needs, as part of the overall network of services in accordance with statutory responsibility and Trust policy.
The post holder will be responsible for maintaining the ethos of the unit, which will be non-judgemental, caring and supportive; takes account of the child’s family of origin; and enable children/ young people to reach their full potential.

KEY RESULT AREAS / MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:

Have an understanding of how to respond and report robustly and effectively to disclosures and concerns of abuse, as defined by the SBNI core policies and procedures. Ensuring any safeguarding disclosures/ concerns are reported to the Residential Team Leader/ Deputy Team Leader/ Shift Coordinator as appropriate;

Have an awareness of policies and procedures in respect of Child Abuse Investigation and Joint Protocol procedure;

Support the young people by undertaking their general supervision and be involved in their educational work and leisure activities within the home/ service and in the wider community;

Assist with the supervision of the young people’s clothing, furnishings and household equipment and undertake household and domestic duties, which are appropriate to their care needs;

Accompany the young people, when required, on leisure activities, holidays, outings and visits including attendance at appropriate church services;

Undertake duties in connection with the proper receipt, recording and safe custody of public and Trust fund monies from the home/ service;

To be alert to any signs of distress or abuse and to ensure that the young people are supported and protected and to report as necessary through the line management;

Promote or undertake personal care duties in the case of young people with a disability where required. This will include feeding, toileting, managing complex health care needs and the administration of medication as per individual care plans.

Undertake training and implement communication aids including i.e. Makaton, PECS, social stories;

Promote and implement a Positive Behaviour Support model and child centred approach, working in conjunction with the Children’s Learning Disability Therapeutic Service and related multi-disciplinary professionals- (as per policy and management);

Ensure adherence to regional Therapeutic Model is maintained;

Participate in and contribute to Reflective Forum, multi-disciplinary meetings focused on ongoing behaviour assessment and implementation of care plans;

Provide support to enhance the quality of life for the young people, which maximises opportunity for choice and self-determination;

Ensure appropriate records are maintained, particularly those detailing observations and / or assessment of each young person in accordance with statutory requirements agreed and policies and procedures;
Transport young people to/ from school, on activities, outings etc. either in Trust transport or staff member’s own car;

Undertake the role as co-worker for the young people and complete work on an individual basis in accordance with co-working arrangements;

Keep in contact with parents / carers, educational providers and other professional staff regarding needs of the young people;

Establish contact with local community groups/ services which would facilitate the involvement of the young people in outside activities promoting community integration and social inclusion;

Contribute to the daily life of the home and development of independence and daily living skills through engaging with the young person in activities such as housework, maintenance of clothing, cooking and promoting and/ or assisting with personal care and overall health needs;

Undertake direct work with the young people and their families in the community. This may include group work, outreach and facilitate/ observation of family time arrangements;

Contribute to, and participate in, reviews, staff meetings, in-service training, supervision and individual programmes of care in respect of the young people;

Contribute to transition planning process and implementation;

Under the direction of the Residential Team Leader/ Deputy Team Leader ensure that good standards are maintained in relation to finances;

Ensure personal accountability in accordance with NISCC Standards of Conduct and Practice;

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Employees of the Trust will be required to promote and support the mission and vision of the service for which they are responsible and:-
At all times provide a caring service and to treat those with whom they come into contact in a courteous and respectful manner

At all times demonstrate practice the HSC values of Working Together, Excellence, Openness & Honesty and Compassion

Carry out their duties and responsibilities in a manner which assures patient and client safety

Comply with all instructions in regard to Infection Prevention and Control

Demonstrate their commitment by their regular attendance and the efficient completion of all tasks allocated to them

Comply with the Trust’s Smoke Free Policy

Carry out their duties and responsibilities in compliance with health and safety policy and statutory regulations

Adhere to equal opportunities policy throughout the course of their employment

Ensure the ongoing confidence of the public in service provision

Adhere to the Code of Conduct for HSC Employees which aims to guide staff, managers and employers in the work that they do and the decisions and choices they have to make. Professional staff are expected to follow the code of conduct for their own professions as well as this code.

The post holder will promote and support effective team working, fostering a culture of openness and transparency. The post holder will ensure that they take all concerns raised with them seriously and act in accordance with the NHSCT Raising Concerns Policy and their professional code of conduct, where applicable.


RECORDS MANAGEMENT
All employees of the Northern Health & Social Care Trust are legally responsible for all records held, created or used as part of their business within the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, including patient/client, corporate and administrative records whether paper based or electronic and also including e-mails. All such records are public records and are accessible to the general public, with limited exceptions, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Environment Regulations 2004, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Employees are required to be conversant and to comply with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust policies on Information Governance including (for example) the ICT Security Policy, Data Quality and Data Protection Policy and Records Management Policy and to seek advice if in doubt.

SALARY
£26,530 - £29,114 per annum (pro-rata for part-time)

HOURS
Full-time hours of duty are 37½ hours per week, exclusive of meal times. Unsociable hours will be necessary – this will include evenings, waken nights, weekends and bank holidays on a rota basis. On-call availability may also be required.


MEDICAL
Appointment will be subject to a successful pre-employment health assessment.

HOLIDAYS
27 days each year; 29 days after 5 years’ service; 33 days after 10 years’ service and 10 statutory and public holidays.


PENSION
The post-holder can participate in the Health Social Care Pension Scheme.

NORTHERN TRUST BENEFITS
You can explore the benefits on offer to you in the Northern Trust by clicking here

PROBATIONARY PERIOD
You will serve a probationary period of normally six months.

WAITING LIST

A waiting list will be compiled for similar permanent/temporary, full/part time and bank posts which may arise within Eden View over the next 12 months.

PAY PROTECTION
Legacy Trust Staff who apply for a promotion after 1 April 2011 should be aware that they will lose their legacy protection arrangements and will be entitled to pay protection in accordance with circular HSS (JNF)(1) 2011. This circular will also apply to legacy staff who are currently in receipt of protection and who move post on promotion.

Completed application forms should be returned to the BSO Recruitment and Selection Shared Services Centre, Rosewood Villa, Longstone Hospital, 73 Loughgall Road, Armagh BT61 7PR on or before the closing date as stated in the advertisement.

Canvassing, either directly or indirectly, will be an absolute disqualification.

We will review this Job Description and it may include any other duties and responsibilities we determine in consultation with the jobholder. We do not intend it to be rigid and inflexible but rather to provide guidelines within which the jobholder works.

Sept 2025































PERSONNEL SPECIFICATION

Title of Post: Residential Social Care Worker
Band of Post: 4
Notes to applicants:
You must clearly demonstrate on your application form under each question, how you meet the required criteria as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. You should clearly demonstrate this for both the essential and desirable criteria.
Shortlisting will be carried out on the basis of the essential criteria set out in Section 1 below, using the information provided by you on your application form.
Proof of qualifications and/or professional registration will be required if an offer of employment is made – if you are unable to provide this, the offer may be withdrawn.
Volunteering experience may be considered appropriate in particular for roles within the context of direct patient/client care.
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA


SECTION 1: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will initially be measured at shortlisting stage although may also be further explored during the interview/selection stage. You should therefore make it clear on your application form whether or not you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. The stage in the process when the criteria will be measured is stated below.

Factor
Criteria

Method of Assessment

Qualifications/ Registration/ Experience
4 GCSEs (Grades A-C) - two of which must include Maths and English, (or equivalent) plus have a minimum of 2 years’ experience working in a care setting with service users with a learning disability or behaviours that challenge.

OR

NVQ Level 3 in a care related subject (or equivalent) plus have a minimum of 1 years’ experience working in a care setting with service users with a learning disability or behaviours that challenge.

OR

A minimum of 5 years’ experience working in a care setting with service users with a learning disability or behaviours that challenge.

Shortlisting by Application Form






Other
Hold a current full driving licence which is valid for use in the UK and have access to a car on appointment. This criteria will be waived in the case of applicants whose disability prohibits driving but who have access to a form of transport approved by the Trust which will permit them to carry out the duties of the post.

Must successfully complete and maintain the home/ service identified therapeutic care intervention training i.e.Safety Intervention and/ or Positive Behaviour Support training within 3 months of appointment

By date of appointment be listed or have application in progress to be listed on the NISCC Register of Social Care Workers (Part 2) and maintain registration throughout employment.

Shortlisting by Application Form

SECTION 2: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will be measured during the interview/ selection stage:

Skills / Abilities
Evidence of ability to work within a team
Effective communication skills including i.e. Makaton, PECS, social stories
Evidence of ability to work with young people with a disability and prioritise their needs
Evidence of knowledge of the Positive Behaviour Support Model
Evidence of strong value base
Evidence of high level of resilience and sustainability
Evidence of commitment to working with young people with a disability
Ability to work under stressful and demanding conditions.

Interview

Knowledge
Demonstrate an understanding of all aspects of the role of the post and job description
Knowledge of current issues relating to young people in care with a disability
Demonstrate an understanding of issues of confidentiality
Knowledge of current issues relating to young people with a disability and behaviours that challenge
Demonstrate an understanding of issues of confidentiality
The post holder is required to have a knowledge and experience of Safeguarding of young people.
Interview

Value Based Recruitment
Value Based Recruitment is a process adopted by the Northern Trust to attract and select employees on the basis that their individual values and behaviours align with those of the Trust.
It focuses on the ‘how’ and ‘why’ people do what they do.
Candidates who are short-listed for interview will need to demonstrate at interview that they have the required knowledge, skills, competencies and values to be effective in this new role.
In answering the value based questions you have the opportunity to share examples of when you have demonstrated values relevant to the Northern Trust.
Criminal Offences, Investigations and Charges
Having a criminal record will not necessarily debar you from working with the Trust.  This will depend on the nature of the position, together with the circumstances and background of your offences or other information contained on a disclosure certificate.  If you require further information or a copy of the policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders, please contact the Trust Human Resources Department.
As part of the Recruitment & Selection process it may be necessary for the Trust to carry out an Enhanced Disclosure Check through Access NI before any appointment to this post can be confirmed.
THE NHSCT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER
Successful applicants:
may be required to attend for a Health Assessment
can expect to be placed at the minimum point of the pay scale, although a higher starting salary, within the range  of the pay band may be available if the person appointed has experience relevant & equivalent to the post.  If the successful candidate is an existing HSC employee moving to a higher band, AfC Pay on Promotion will apply.
have the right to request Flexible Working from the 1st day of their employment. A number of flexible working provisions are offered by all HSC Organisations including Full-time working, Fixed working patterns, Part-time working, Flexi-time, Compressed/elongated hours, Average hours working patterns, Term-time working, Job-share or Homeworking for some or all of the working pattern, depending on the role being undertaken. Successful applicants are encouraged to discuss with their manager what Flexible Working provisions may be available in the role they are taking up, prior to commencing employment, to help them achieve a positive Work/Life Balance.
Sept 2025