AddressAbout Us
SPLENDID is a specific disability organisation that delivers both residential and community disability related supporting services including in-home support, community participation etc. SPLENDID models draw extensively from psychological theory (attachment, behaviourism, social learning theories). The focus of SPLENDID is to work with external ally supports implementing life and behavioural support strategies in order for clients to develop core skills required for them to promote their quality of life. SPLENDID values active engagement with clients, consistency, teamwork and professionalism.
Role Purpose
Therapeutic Support Officers provide therapeutic and daily care to people with a disability who have come to a Therapeutic Residential Service due to behaviours of concern. Therapeutic Support Officers under the guidance of allied health and other professionals support residents to develop therapeutic and life skills. So that once exited, they can make adaptive and constructive contribution to the community.
Therapeutic Support Officer provide residents with leadership, advice, support and guidance. Therapeutic Support Officers also serve as a positive role model, demonstrating how to act and interact with others both at the unit and in the community.
Being a Therapeutic Support Officer provides a great sense of purpose. That is you are there to help residents to address underlying issues resulting them entering Therapeutic Residential Service. You are responsible for the day-to-day support and monitoring of the development of resident’s living and behavioural coping skills of in the unit as well as in the community. The work includes facilitate and supporting them to participate in community activities; grocery shopping, attending programs, recreational activities, medical appointments while consistently implementing therapeutic strategies and documenting residents’ progression (e.g., shift-note, incident report). At times, the role also involves you to effectively responding to incidents, collating and providing information, being part of a care team and preparing a variety of resident related reports.
From an organisational progression perspective, when relevant experience and qualification are met this role could effectively prepare you to undertake either managerial position (i.e., unit manager) or clinical position (e.g., Behaviour Support Practitioner or Provisional Psychologist) with in the service or its affiliation. For more details, please contact recruiting officer.
Key Accountabilities
Operating at entry level, you will:
1. Engage resident and able to develop and maintain professional therapeutic relationship with them.
2. Directly support residents wellbeing, including support with transport, daily household activities, preparation and assistance with meals, personal care, and social, recreational and community experiences that enhance quality of life, based on resident’s plan goals.
3. Manage and assist as part of a team incidents related to behaviours of concerns and implementing behaviour support strategies according to legislative requirements
4. Understand resident’s needs, preferences and interests and respond to resident and their families and others in their lives.
5. Under general direction, implement a range of resident support plans, including behaviour support plans.
6. Provide information, feedback and reports, including recording charts and completing routine tasks utilising internal systems including computer software applications.
7. Provide information to colleagues on routine matters relating to resident needs and general house matters.
8. Keep accurate and complete records of your work activities in accordance with legislative requirements and the service records, information security and privacy policies and requirements.
9. Take reasonable care for your own health and safety and for that of others in the workplace by working in accordance with legislative requirements and internal occupational health and safety (OHS) policies and procedures.
Operating at higher level, you will perform all the above together with increasing involvement to:
1. Contribute to the day-to-day running of the therapeutic residential unit and help maintain residential operation.
2. Utilise well-developed communication skills to identify resident’s needs, liaise with other service providers, stakeholders and significant others.
3. Administer medication treatments and therapies according to prescribed protocols or otherwise, seek appropriate medical assistance
4. Applying knowledge of resident’s need, preferences and interests to develop, implement, monitor and review resident’s support plans, with oversight from senior staff and allied health professionals.
5. Develop planned activities in line with service policies and guidelines.
6. Advocate on behalf of residents for increased access to, and inclusion in, community and recreational services.
7. Work towards establishing links with community resources, facilitating inclusions of residents into the community.
8. Contribute to developing programs for resident and to longer-term community housing plans in consultation with more senior staff.
9. Share observations relating to work process improvements with unit manager or more senior staff.
10. Liaise with family members, medical services, and external community services to help residents meeting their quality of life.
Key Selection Criteria
Knowledge and skills:
1. Ability to establish and maintain stakeholder relationship: responds to resident’s needs; keeps the resident or stakeholder (e.g., family, external supporting professionals) up to date with issues and developments; promptly follows through on inquiries, requests and complaints; takes responsibility for correcting problems promptly and without becoming defensive or engaging in unprofessional conducts (e.g., direct or indirect aggression or hostility).
2. Verbal communication: clearly explains information and listens to feedback; speaks clearly and concisely and keeps people interested when speaking; uses a polite and considerate manner when dealing with others.
3. Interpersonal skills: polite and considerate in dealing with others; aware of people’s moods and temperament and able to handle challenging situations (e.g., incident) with balanced professionalism and compassion.
4. Self-management: accepts responsibilities for own actions; focuses on the most important goals; has a realistic and balanced view of own strengths and weaknesses; recognises own feelings and personal prejudices and understands why they occur.
Personal qualities:
5. Residents focus: listens to service users; actively seeks to meet service users’ needs; seeks ways to improve services; committed to delivering high quality outcomes for service users and their stakeholders.
6. Integrity: committed to professionalism and resident-centred care; operates in a manner that is consistent with the organisations code of conduct; inspires trust by treating all individuals fairly.
7. Initiative and accountability: proactive and self-starting; seizes opportunities and acts upon them; takes responsibility for own actions.
8. Teamwork: cooperates and works well with others in pursuit of team goals, collaborates and shares information, shows consideration, concern and respect for other feelings and ideas, accommodates and works well with the different working styles of others, encourages resolution of conflict within the group.
Qualifications
- A Level 2 First Aid Certificate is required.
- A current Employee Working with Children Check (WWCC) card is required and will need to be provided prior to commencement of employment by the applicant. Currency will need to be maintained by the employee for the period of employment.
- A full driver’s licence is required as some positions and shifts may be required to drive residents to appointments and other locations.
- Depending on the nature of their employment, starters may require to undertaken professional indemnity insurance.
- All new starters are required to complete a mandatory induction program prior to commencement of duties. This relates to Therapeutic Support Officers.
Educational Qualifications:
- For individual with more than two years (full time equivalent) of disability support work experience, a Certificate IV in Disability Work or the Advanced Certificate in Residential and Community Services; OR
- Tertiary qualifications (completed or currently in progression) in allied health or social sciences. These included but not limited to Psychology, Occupational Therapist and Social Work.
Values and Behaviours
SPLENDID employees are required to demonstrate commitment to:
- responsiveness, integrity, impartiality, accountability, respect, leadership and human rights.
- committed to good record keeping and requires all staff to routinely create and keep full and accurate records of their work-related activities, transactions and decisions, using authorised systems.
- values an inclusive workplace that embraces diversity and strongly encourages applications from Aboriginal people, people with disability, people from the LGBTQI+ community, and people from culturally diverse backgrounds.
Pre-Employment Checks
All appointments require reference checks, national criminal records checks and pre-employment misconduct screening. Some positions also require a Working with Children Check and screening through the Disability Worker Screening List.
Applicants who have lived overseas in one country for 12 months or longer in the last ten years must provide an international police check from the relevant overseas police agency. Applicants can obtain a check through an organisation providing international police checks via an internet search.
Pre-employment checks may include checking whether an applicant’s name is on the Disability Worker Screening List. This incorporates:
- the Disability Worker Exclusion List which includes names of persons unsuitable for employment as a disability Support worker in a disability residential service provided, funded or registered by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.
- the National Disability Insurance Scheme Quality and Safeguards Commission which has compliance and enforcement actions, including banning orders
COVID-19 Vaccination
The Service strongly recommends (but does not mandate) that employees maintain their COVID-19 vaccination status.
Further information
For enquiries regarding the position please contact recruiting officer via email at *****@splendid.com.au
Job Types: Part-time, Subcontract, Casual
Salary: $60,000.00 – $75,000.00 per year
Expected hours: 15 – 37 per week
Experience:
- Disability Support Work: 2 years (Preferred)
Licence/Certification:
- First Aid Certification (Preferred)
- Working with Children Check (Preferred)
- Driver Licence (Preferred)
Work Authorisation:
- Australia (Preferred)
Work Location: In person
