ROLES OF STAFF

This page is to help you understand the roles different people within Infinity Alliance Play. and how you can progress in your role

Career Progression

01 Key Worker

Where everybody starts at infinity. Working in our homes but also working doing outreach in the local community and in standalones.

02 Senior Key Worker

Key worker capable of training newer key workers that enter the organisation. This person would have usually been here for more than a year.

03 Manager

The manager is who all of the below professionals communicate with and they are responsible for checking and ensuring that all of Infinity's legal and intrinsic requirements are being met. Young people care plans are being followed and most importantly things are being evidenced and logged appropriately. They are also responsible for shift patterns, recruitment, supervision and a multitude of other things.

04 Section Manager

These individuals manages other areas of Infinity such as the entire children’s home section, or the elderly care section, or the scrums units, or the semi independent units.

Your Role and Duty as a Keyworker.

Qualifications

NVQ Level 2 is essential in youth development, healthcare or similar subjects
Applicants with relevant experience and a commitment to obtain NVQ 3 will be considered.

Knowledge and Experience

Several years of experience in care work with Young people or vulnerable people is essential. .
Report Writing
First Aid
Food Hygiene
Health and Safety certificates
Safeguarding and protection of vulnerable adults is desirable
Carry out risk assessment related to your key client
Basic Computer skills essential.

Personal Skills and Abilities

Sound practical skills in youth support and good housekeeping or willingness to learn and improve those skills.
Enjoy teamwork.
Excellent communication skills and interpersonal Skills
Able to show respect, protect the privacy and uphold residents’ and fellow workers’ dignity in everyday practice.

Personal Qualities

A compassionate nature, with a desire to make help people achieve better for themselves.
Empathetic toward those from different backgrounds and circumstances.
Willing to take initiative.
Flexible, cooperative and approachable.
You should feel able to uphold the ethos of the Infinity Alliance and enjoy participating in a diverse range of the community’s activities.

Job description

Main Areas of Responsibility

Keyworker duties

Act as key point of contact for the resident and their family, friends and other health and social care providers and Local Authority Personnel as appropriate.
Contribute to assessing their needs and preferences.
Support the development and implementation of their support plans.
Contribute to reviewing support plans and attend review meetings.
Support young people to make and maintain appointments, and elements of independent living for example: budgeting, education, employment etc.
Maintain records, write reports and keep appropriate logs of activity and incidents.
Monitor and review the service provided and make adjustments where necessary to meet changing needs in consultation with line managers, and service managers.
Facilitate young people moving in and out of placements

Provide support with reference to individual support/pathway plans

To support residents to engage in activities of daily life that promotes a sense of purpose, belonging, and achievement.
To engage in conversations to help maintain residents’ sense of identity; upholding dignity at all times.
To support residents to meet their spiritual and cultural needs and identity.

Teamwork, Communication, Health and Safety

Maintain effective communication within your team and others, promoting team working and healthy working relations.
Participate in creating a homely environment through supporting and joining meals, tea breaks and celebrations.
Keep the environment of the home clean and presentable , and support residents to do the same
Make daily entries in the records logs (computer based) and report observations about the health and well-being of individual residents to the appropriate senior person
Contribute to the support team’s knowledge and awareness of the changing needs of residents at the daily handovers and attend house meetings.
Consult and follow written care and support plan procedures.
Follow Health and Safety policies and procedures at all time.

Training

To take part in training and vocational courses as required.

DBS/Disclosure

As the role involves working in an environment with vulnerable people a DBS criminal records check or disclosure will be required before work can commence.

Other requirements

A degree of flexibility is needed. You may occasionally need to perform work not specifically referred to above to support the workers and residents. The need to do such duties will be reasonable and as agreed between the post holder and the manager.

Person Specification

To learn more about the role of the key worker, who we work with, the services we offer young people and the difference between care and support...

Click Below!

Learn More

MANAGERS ROLE

Unit Managers role

This document details the roles and responsibility of unit managers. These roles can be carried out in tandem with upper-level managers or at times with lower-level team members or by the unit managers themselves solely. The roles have been broken down into categorise to make it easier to understand and digest. This documents for some roles to be carried out requires other previously created documents to fulfil those roles which is detailed in the parts you would need them if not attached to this document please do request and save in a folder on the unit computers called managers folder. For your understanding I am attaching a hierarchal structure, so you know where you fit in for now.

Staffing Heirachy

Directors

Dwayne, Tanya (Active)

Joan, Teisha

The Directors, Actively steer the business in the right direction and develop it as a whole while keeping oversight of the entire organisation. Different directors specialise in different areas of the Infinity Alliance as a whole

Service Managers

Michaela, Savanah, Dominique, Quinn & Sam

Service managers (Each play a different essential role in the organisation outside of management, but can be contacted for support as they have the access and clearance to access whatever is needed in an emergency)

Unit Managers

This is you and this roles doc.

General Key workers

the general workforce and people who you may work with on your team

Bank & Probationary staff.

Staff who we use on odd occasions and staff soon to join the work force but is on a probationary level. They may need extra oversight and management.

Agency staff

staff we get as we are using an agency for some reason or another, they may require an induction and additional support while on shift

Your role and duty as a keyworker.

Moving in

When young people are moving into a unit take the initial meeting with the social worker, young person and parents, carers, family if needed, ensure you make the young person feel at ease and welcome by speaking on their level and selling the unit, its staff, and its equipment letting them know that we aren’t here as prison guards or prison wardens but as people genuinely trying to help and support them. We are not trying to catch them out. It’s important that we let them know that the rules created was not made by us or even for them specifically but by social services as a guideline so some can change if they want to fit their unique circumstances and there can be variations and exceptions to some like their curfew etc it does have to be approved by social workers first and that goes for many things. There are others which are not negotiable such as if we cannot get a hold of them having to report them missing, if we se drugs us having to take it as we could get in a lot of trouble if we do not. let them know that though we are all about fun teaching and good experience here we do like that people take care of our home and they have a three-strike system if they break some of the major rules such as breaking and damaging or smoking and creating hazards.

While doing this please also support the social worker by showing them we are well versed in our protocols and procedures and ability to keep their young people or child safe. What these people need to know is that their child would be well looked after and well taken care of and that’s shown in how you present speak and actions you take while being there, e.g. giving the way you may maximise on opportunities or phrase things when taken action such as “oh I didn’t know if you were in a rush or had the ability to bring yourself things such as flannel, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste so I went out and got some form you” this shows that you are able to anticipate the young persons needs and cater for them in advance before they impact the young person negatively. Its important you also make the social worker feel included when selling the unit such as speaking about us looking after them and making their life easier not just the child. Bare in mind however that each social worker and young person is different and so is the situation the young person may arrive in so be flexible and learn to read the room and adjust accordingly. This is similar for parents too, this initial meeting can at times have great impact on how the relationships with everyone involved and the organisation are moving forward. So be very good at it.

Also please read the room after a 7-hour journey with a young person it may not be the right day and time to the initial meeting or to sit there waffling on as people are exhausted and may have to do that 7-hour journey to get back home. So therefore, adapt to that and present alternatives, take down the young persons key details as well as the social workers contact info and EDT and book a placement meeting for the next day or next few days. This is part of supporting the young people and social workers, we can finalise rules and regulations later when everybody has slept. As long as the young person knows the basics, where to go if there is a fire, what we will have to do if they go missing, do not smoke or light fires in our house, no drugs.

Please ensure you complete the checklist in the formal moving in meeting (see comprehensive moving in checklist list) Formal e.g., contracts, Physical e.g., toothbrush, sheets, flannel, soap, allocation e.g., rooms wardrobe, TV, fire tv, and kitchen space, and organisational e.g., key working days and times, key working codex, independent skills, young people hub, App.

Moving out

Ensure that any items that young people leave are documented and sent to them asking if they would like to pick them up or whether we should get rid of them,

Archive the young persons folder

Evaluate any damage or repairs needed to the room such as paint etc and book the repair men to come in and fix it.

Clear rubbish or debris and clean room

Clean and clear kitchen cupboards that young person used.

Clean and clear the fridge in the room and wardrobe in the room, if wardrobe or drawers are damaged repair, if possible, get rid of and order another one if not repairable.

Re-buy essentials for the room and set up such as towels, toothbrush fire tv and ensure the room is ready for new young person to move right in.

While with us

Ensure there is an overall key working schedule happening for staff factoring in all young people hours in that.

Ensure staff is following the key working codex and see each task in it through such as doctor’s dentist opticians.

Ensuring each young person in the home has a key working schedule

Ensuring all young people in the house has an independent skills checklist and its being filled out weekly.

Having weekly house meeting with staff

Having fortnightly house meeting with young people.

Ensuring Young person’s folders are accurate and up to date by checking them when on shift. (Please see list of things that needs to be in each young person’s folder.

Ensuring there is a digital folder saved on the desktop for each young person in the house that is being updated.

Ensuring that past young people are put in a young people archive folder on the desk stop.

Ensuring Documents such as logs, key working forms, handover forms, young people reports and chronology are all filed away properly in a format of year, month, date

Plan quarterly activities for the young people.

Take important meetings such as LAC reviews and TACS, and CIC meetings feedback on behalf of the young person representing and advocating for both the young person and the organisation.

Highlight to upper management if you feel a young person has committed an offence warranting a strike or a removal from service.

Managing staff

Ensuring that staff are taught the ways of each unit, how to do an effective handover(see handover form), what are the things they need to do while on shift (see list of things), how to effectively save documents (see documents guide in unit), the rules and regulations that are in place in the role (see staff folder 2 and 3), how and when to follow protocols such as reporting young people missing, how and where to go to get assistance if needed while on shift (see group chat description and contact info inside and outside the unit) what to do if you are locked out of the home, what to do if you are locked out of the office (show code location) Ensure staff are aware of procedures in the house such as noise levels after 10pm and guests times, as well as policies on drugs.

Playing a part in staff improvement and support by taking responsibility of your own unit and ensure the staff is performing at the level and standard that the organisation and your self would deem acceptable while being supportive and empathic or sensitive to people’s situations and circumstances.

Highlight any issues or flaws in the organisation and or provision of service overall and present or implement solutions that may rectify that.

Deal with shift changes and shift cancelation but first asking other staff members in your team or asking the greater team to cover and if not then passing it o n above to the core team if you are unable to do it.

Ensure all staff are reading and utilising the information they’ve been given such as staff folder 1 to 3, guides and protocols and procedures and test them with that.

Test staff knowledge to ensure they are still aware of how things are supposed to be done.

Refer staff for disciplinary or P.I.P plans if there is a view of underperforming.Train people under you to be the next potential manager when you move upwards.Overtime you may be asked to do supervision with staff (see supervision list)

Weekend checklist for managers

Has report been filled out by staff and sent to group.
Has the reports been edited and sent back to me.
Has reports been sent to social worker.

Repairs and maintenance

Ensure there is always an active unit phone, house phone, computer, internet connection, tv game console and other essential equipment in your unit unless not there for other reasons.

Doing weekly house check in support of Sam or in place of Sam.

Highlighting any repairs that needs doing and working with Savanah or other members of upper management to have the issue rectified.

Have detailed understanding of where essential things such as stop cocks for gas and water, breaker switches are located in the unit and how to turn them off.

Check through the unit essentials checklist and order them online using established company card or procedure. This is stuff such as sponges, scours, dish soap, clothes soap, tissue, etc

Ensure that seasonal checks are done such as heating system before winter in case radiators are not working, or windows and other relevant things during summer.

Creating a Stationary checklist and ensuring they are being bought every quarter which includes ink for printers and paper.

Paperwork

Check each young persons folder is up to date.
Check each young person has a mentoring schedule and forms are being done according to that.
Check chronology of each young person to ensure that staff has updated it with significant events
Call staff and check if anything out of the ordinary happened happened
Check office pass code is still in cupboard.
Check receipts are done and saved correctly before new petty cash comes
Check on any young people expenses has been sent to Kay.
Check on ink, paper and stationery.
Check staff are using skills assessment weekly by checking key working.
Ensure young people all have the move in things they should have received. (checklist to follow)
Ensure mentoring forms reflect key working codex.
Check logs for each day of the month.
Check all sent reports are saved and filed.
Check key working forms are filled
Check handover sheets are filled.
Check rooms are ready for young people and what they have and were given.
Check young people sign in and filled out filed

Wider Role.

Oversee young people moving in, and initial care plans
Oversee young people key working as per your case load
Train staff members every two weeks and test their knowledge
Ensure all unit resources are present and young people are not in need or missing things promised such as soaps, clothes airers, TVs, fire TV.
Ensure that rooms in the unit are ready for young people move in.
Do rota for unit between staff members
Ensure quality assurance is appropriately dealt with. E.g. suggestion boxes etc
Ensure safe havens are operational

Petty cash and finance approval

Do receipts by having Staff submit them to you.
Calculate total. Figure out how much was given in the last pay cycle (usually two weeks) and how much is left of that amount. Once you know that then all receipts should add up to what was spent. If it isn’t then there is a problem that must be rectified as we either have too much or too little. This cannot happen. Once it is rectified more cash can be transferred.
File the receipts in a house folder e.g. dover in a monthly paper sleeve.