Benefits to you:
- Refer a Friend Scheme
- Health Cash plan
- Blue Light Card eligibility
- 25 days holiday + Bank Holidays FTE, increasing with length of service up to a maximum of 30 days
- Option to purchase additional leave (up to 10 days per annum)
- Flexible working
- Career development
- 50% discount on nursery fees
- Enhanced Maternity
- Day camps discounts: 1 week free and 1 week at 50% per child per annum
- Campsite and activities discounts at YMCA Fairthorne Manor: campsite, river hire, activities, day camps
- 30% discount on food in Cafes: Fairthorne, Eastleigh and Andover
- Wellbeing assistance programme
- Cycle to work scheme
- Good quality resources and a modern environment
- A welcoming, caring and supportive culture
Job Purpose
Buddies are paired 1:1 with a child with special needs, which may include physical disabilities, learning difficulties, sight or hearing impairment or emotional or behavioural difficulties. Buddies may also support leaders within a group where there are several children who do not require individual attention but collectively may need additional supervision.
Duties and Responsibilities
- To work with a designated child as a 1:1 carer to ensure that they can engage with a group of nondisabled peers and participate in the activities on offer.
- Actively engaging children/young people, providing encouragement and support.
- Being a welcoming and caring individual and an inspirational role model.
- Working with and respecting others in a large and diverse team.
- To support and champion the child ensuring that their individual needs are identified, acknowledged and met.
- To ensure good communication is maintained with parents, carers and colleagues. Specifically, this will involve providing a daily written handover report.
- Depending on the individual the role may require aspects of personal and intimate care or giving/witnessing the giving of medication.
- The role may require aspects of manual handling and behaviour management
- To report all concerns with regards to Safeguarding and Health and Safety to your line manager.
- At the end of each day, you will be required to complete a handover to parents/carers or to ensure that your child is handed over to a transport escort with appropriate notes and feedback for parents.
Person Specification & Key Competencies
Qualifications/Experience
Essential:
- Experience of care/1:1 support work for children with disabilities
- Good knowledge of safeguarding
- Behavioural management experience
Desirable:
- Minimum level 3 Childcare qualification
- Experience working with children with special needs aged 4 months – 5 years
- Paediatric First Aid
- Willingness to perform personal care
The YMCA are huge advocates of personal and professional development. When you work with us, you also benefit from:
- Access to 26 online professional development modules.
- Inspiring opportunities to work in different settings and share practice.
Successful applicant will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure via Disclosure and Barring Service.
We are an equal opportunities charity with commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion in the workplace. A copy of this policy will be made available on request.
Please apply now for this rewarding position and be part of an amazing charity who continues to support and achieve wonderful things within the community.
Apply now
Please apply now for this rewarding position and be part of an amazing charity that continues to support and achieve wonderful things within the community.
The successful applicant must undertake an Enhanced Disclosure via Disclosure and Barring Service.
We are an equal opportunities charity with a commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion in the workplace. A copy of this policy will be made available on request.
