Personal Assistant (5310)

Personal Assistant required in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

During term time and school holidays

Thursday/Saturday and Sunday - on a flexible rota

£14.21 per hour

Job reference: 5310

If you have previously applied for this position and have been unsuccessful, we kindly request that you do not reapply for this role.

Must have the right to work in the UK to apply for this role, sponsorship not available.

Although this job description is correct at present, it may change from time to time after negotiation with the post holder.

Job purpose

The main purpose of this role is to provide an extra pair of hands to help manage our busy household's needs and to support our daughter in gaining confidence while accessing the community.

About the role

We are a family of six with a household we try to keep quiet, calm and well regulated. We have four children, our eldest (19, M) has ASD and our youngest (8, M) has Autism, ADHD and PDA. This role specifically involves supporting our two middle children: our 12-year-old daughter who has ASD and learning difficulties and our 10-year-old son who has AuDHD and learning difficulties. We are a home of animal lovers with five cats, so a PA who is comfortable around pets is essential! As parents, we value a gentle, patient approach and are looking for someone who can slot into our routine and provide a stable, supportive presence for our children.

The successful candidate will be directly responsible to us as parents. We expect a high standard of professional conduct, characterised by patience, reliability and absolute discretion. Regarding privacy, we have a strict confidentiality policy, no information, photos or videos regarding the children or our household are to be shared on social media/sharing platforms or with third parties.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Personal care for our daughter
• Supporting our daughter with mobility.
• Emotional support for our son through play
• Taking our daughter out on walks/shopping
• Taking our daughter out to swimming, and in the future our son as well
• Light housework, i.e. tidying up after the children, or occasional household duties
• Supporting the parents if taking more than one child out
• Preparing snacks or drinks for the children
• Reading, playing, sensory activities and interactive gaming

Personal Specification

(refer to these when submitting your application)

• A valid driving licence in order to drive our automatic wheelchair accessible vehicle (training will be provided by the parents on the use of associated equipment e.g. harnesses)
• Experience with children with additional needs
• Physically able to support our daughter with mobility
• Training in supporting people with ASD, ADHD and PDA
• The ability to work independently after the candidate is confident in their duties
• Friendly, reliable and flexible

Summary terms and conditions

• Hours, days and times of work:
  • Shifts are 9am until 5pm on Thursday/Saturday and Sunday (with flexibility to switch between Thursdays and Saturdays)
  • The hours of work will be between the above noted days, on a flexible agreed rota-basis.
  • The hours of support will be during term time and school holidays.
• Annual leave: The annual holiday entitlement for this position will be equivalent to the work normally done during 5.6 weeks (statutory entitlement).
• Expenses: You will be reimbursed for prior agreed expenses incurred as part of the role.
• Sick pay: I do not operate a private sick pay scheme but provided you meet the eligibility criteria, you may be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).
• Pension: I do not operate a private pension scheme, but I will fulfil my statutory obligations via the NEST pension scheme.

The post is subject to the following

• Background check: A satisfactory Enhanced with Barred List Disclosure and Barring Service check is required for this position (this will not be at the applicant's financial expense).
• o If you have been convicted of a criminal offence, please send these details to SIL in a separate email or in a sealed envelope together with a stamped addressed envelope. This will not be shared unless you are shortlisted for the post.
• References: If successful, you will be required to provide details of two referees, one of which must be your current or most recent employer, or character references if you have not been employed
• Trial period: This post is subject to a probationary period of 3 months.