Assistant Support Worker

About the role

This is a full-time, permanent Assistant Support Worker position based at Leyton Green Road, supporting four young people with learning disabilities and complex needs in a small residential home. The role sits at the centre of day-to-day care, attending to the practical, physical, and emotional needs of each young person and acting as an appropriate role model.

You will have a lead role in ensuring the care and welfare of each child, giving guidance and support to young people and their families as part of care planning. The voice of the child is central to this: their wishes, feelings, and opinions are considered in all matters that affect them. The home's aim is to provide a safe, loving environment that allows young people to develop and achieve, leading to as independent a life as possible in the future.

Working 36 hours per week across a rota that covers seven days including bank holidays and weekends, each shift is thoroughly planned prior to and after handover, with detailed tasks allocated to each person on duty using a shift planner.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supporting young people with personal care in a way that maintains their dignity and respect
• Administering medication in line with the home's medication policy
• Encouraging and supporting young people to attend education and engage in home learning
• Assisting with meal planning, preparation, and shopping, taking into account individual choices, preferences, and dietary needs
• Supporting young people to take part in activities and develop independence skills at an appropriate level

To apply, submit your application online including a supporting statement that outlines how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy. Applications may close early if sufficient interest is received, so early submission is encouraged. For an informal conversation about the role, contact David Ballard, Registered Manager, at david.ballard@walthamforest.gov.uk.

About You

Waltham Forest is looking for someone who brings both knowledge of legislation and policy relating to children and young people, and genuine experience of working with children and families with complex and multiple needs. You will be comfortable working with a degree of autonomy, using your own judgement and initiative to provide a consistent, child-focused service.

The ideal candidate will:

• Hold a minimum Level 3 qualification in Children's Residential Care or equivalent, or be willing and able to work towards this within two years of appointment, alongside the required English and Maths qualifications and a relevant NVQ Level 3
• Have knowledge and experience of working with children and young people with learning disabilities and complex needs
• Understand a range of legislation and policy frameworks relating to children and young people, including the Care Act and the Children and Families Act 2014
• Have experience of working in partnership with families from a range of cultures and communities
• Demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, good planning and organisational ability, and sound ICT competence across standard Microsoft applications and specialist systems
• Be able to work flexibly across a rota, balancing competing priorities while meeting deadlines
• Ideally hold a full, clean driving licence and be willing to drive the home's minibus (this is not an essential requirement)

Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and integral to both service delivery and employment. The Council is committed to equality of opportunity, opposing discrimination and intolerance in all forms, and ensuring its workforce reflects the communities it serves. Anonymous shortlisting is used to reduce bias in recruitment.

This post is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, satisfactory employment references, a CIFAS identity check, and a declaration of interests. As this role involves working with children, it is subject to safer recruitment practices. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK.

Waltham Forest's Offer to You

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work. The Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven, and commercially minded — and brings that same ambition to how it supports its staff.

Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London's Good Work Standard employers, an accreditation that reflects its commitment to fair pay and conditions, workplace wellbeing, skills and progression, and diverse and inclusive recruitment. Flexible working arrangements are considered wherever possible, and candidates are encouraged to discuss options during the interview process.

• Good Work Standard accreditation from the Mayor of London
• Anonymous shortlisting to reduce recruitment bias
• Commitment to skills development and career progression
• Flexible working considered on an individual basis
• And more — visit the Council's website to find out about the full range of staff benefits