About Devon Carers

The UK economy saves over £198 BILLION every year because of the work that unpaid Carers do day in and day out. In Devon this saving is £1.5 billion, which represents a saving of £2854 per minute.

BUT WHO SUPPORTS THOSE CARERS?

You can.

Here at Devon Carers, we support over 27,000 unpaid carers, ensuring their health and wellbeing is taken care of.

Devon Carers is a service delivered by Westbank and is one of the largest and most successful carer’s services in the UK. Westbank is a well-established charity based in Exminster that aims to promote and improve the health and wellbeing of people in the local community, across Devon and beyond. 

We are looking for people with caring values, who maybe want a new career challenge or to get a foothold in a new career in adult social care.

If you are somebody who sees themselves as respectful, compassionate and able to contribute and make a difference to people's lives, then we have opportunities for you. Come and join our dedicated, committed and fantastic teams.

About the role

No two days are the same for a Carers Support Officer: the work we do is hugely varied. Here is a taster of what your role will include:

• Conversations with unpaid carers, identifying and supporting their needs (with reference to the Care Act 2014);
• Promoting preventative strategies; developing carers own strengths and skills, EMPOWERING them to make informed choices;
• Delivering 1:1 support for unpaid carers in line with their action/ support plans;
• Working collaboratively with the locality team, completing work within service delivery timescales;
• Promoting the rights and wellbeing of unpaid carers across Devon.

The Person

Personal qualities:

• Do you have excellent rapport building skills, especially over the phone, from that very first point of contact?
• Are you empathetic and emotionally intelligent?
• Are you able to draw information out of people; drill down to the essence of what they are really saying; and analyse.
• Are you confident holding challenging conversations?
• Do you have excellent communication skills? Can you demonstrate that you are articulate and can vary your approach depending on who you are talking to?
• Are you an active listener? Can you structure, plan and control a conversation without being the one who is doing all the talking?
• Do you have excellent administrative and organisational skills, with a keen eye for detail?

Previous experience:

• Experience of working in Health & Social Care, or a related field;
• Experience of providing one-to-one advice or support in a similar/relevant role;
• Knowledge/understanding of unpaid carers and their issues;
• Experience of working flexibly, from office/home and able to organise and prioritise work;
• Experience of gathering, recording and updating confidential information accurately in accordance with GDPR, Equality and Diversity regulations;
• Ability to work as a member of a professional team to meet shared objectives;
• Ability to develop and maintain constructive relationships with service users and professionals from other agencies and share information appropriately
• Ability to use on-line databases, standard office packages including MS Office and Teams.
• Understanding of the Care Act 2014 is desirable, but a willingness to learn and understand about the Act is what really matters.

Additional information can be found in the Job Description.

DO I NEED EXPERIENCE IN THE ADULT SOCIAL CARE SECTOR?

Ideally - yes, but if you can bring all of the above personal qualities to the table, we’ll give you the tools to learn and develop in the role. We can deliver a full program of training to ensure you’re able to flourish in the role – all you need to do is demonstrate that you have the ability and essential skills we are looking for.

The rewards

As well as a competitive salary and enhanced annual leave allowance (33 days per year, inclusive of Bank Holidays). You’ll get a foot in the door to a rewarding career in the care sector and you’ll be making a difference DAILY.

Here’s a quote from one of our unpaid carers…

“You just made my year because you listened to me”. Imagine having that impact on someone; having the ability to change someone’s outlook and quality of life, just by acknowledging, giving credit and listening to them. This is why we do what we do.

Rate of pay: £19,987.97 pro-rata per annum (£24,651.83 FTE)

Hours per week: 30 hrs per week (Mon -Thurs 9:00 – 17:00)

Location: Hybrid - Clyst Honiton office/Home

Contract: Fixed term until 30/04/2025         

TO APPLY:

To apply, please submit an up to date CV and cover letter outlining how you meet the person specifications and why you believe you are suitable for the role and email it to [email protected] Please ensure you cover/explain any gasp in employment in your cover letter. We will not be able to consider your application without a covering letter so please ensure you submit one to avoid disappointment.

Our charity is committed to supporting inclusion and diversity in everything we do, so we encourage all candidates who meet the requirements to submit their application.

Westbank is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is, therefore, subject to an Enhanced DBS check.

It is a criminal offence for people who are barred from working in Regulated Activity (under the Safeguarding and Vulnerable Groups Act 2006) to apply for roles that require them to work unsupervised with that particular group (adults at risk/children).

In relation to any disability, should you have any particular requirements in order to attend an interview, please e-mail [email protected].

Closing date: 9:00 am on Monday, 20^th of May 2024

Face-to-face interviews will be held: Wednesday, 29^th of May 2024

About Westbank:

Westbank is an award-winning, Devon-based registered charity established in 1986 and became a company limited by guarantee in 2007. The organisation was originally set up to provide practical and emotional support to people in the villages along with west bank of the River Exe. The organisation now works with communities and individuals across Devon.