September 2013
Dear Applicant
JOB INFORMATION and APPLICATION PACK
I am delighted to hear that you are considering making an application for
employment with Turning Point Scotland. Turning Point Scotland’s workers
make a significant and positive difference to the lives of the people we support
and I hope that you will want to join one of our teams.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any queries regarding
the post.
I look forward to receiving your completed Application Form by no later than
Tuesday 1st October 2013 at 5pm.
Unfortunately it is not possible for us to respond individually to all applicants
and if you have not received an invitation to an interview within the next 4
weeks, you should assume that you have not been shortlisted on this
occasion. Should there be any unforeseen delay in progressing to the
interview stage, I will let you know.
Regards
Aldo Marrone
Service Manager
Inverclyde
T
F
E
4 Argyle Street
Greenock PA15 1XA
01475 729124
01475 724352
[email protected]
W
www.turningpointscotland.com
Relief Working Arrangements at Turning Point Scotland
Turning Point Scotland operates a List of Approved Relief Workers who may be contacted by
services when there is a need to engage additional workers in order to provide the required
support to someone who uses our services. Relief Workers are primarily deployed to cover
periods of leave, or sickness absence and to provide additional support during periods of
peak activity etc
When there is suitable work available within a service, a manager will contact Relief Workers
offer them a shift/series of shifts. As a Relief Worker you will be well-placed to fit your work
around your existing work or other commitments and you will be under no pressure or
obligation to accept work from us if it does not suit you to do so. Once work is offered and
accepted by you however, there is an expectation that you will make every effort to attend to
undertake that shift. Your reliability in this regard is very important to our services and to the
people we support who will be expecting you.
Relief Workers submit a Time Sheet to claim payment for the hours they have worked and are
paid on a monthly basis. You will accrue some entitlement to paid holidays and you will be
reimbursed for all reasonable expenses incurred in the course of your work for us.
You will be required to undertake a programme of basic training which is primarily designed to
enable you to operate safely, but also to meet the organisation’s obligations to you in terms of
health & safety legislation.
Relief Working at Turning Point Scotland will not normally be suitable for people who have
full-time posts with other agencies.
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HAVE YOUR SAY!
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Introduction
At the Learning Disability Forum
that Turning Point Scotland (TPS)
holds every 3 months, we had
been trying for quite some time to
put together a ‘charter’ that clearly
set out what the people we
support could expect from TPS as
an organisation and also what they
could expect from their support
team. For all sorts of reasons, this
became quite a struggle; we did
however sign up for the ‘Charter
for Involvement’ rolled out by ARC
Scotland, which covered many of
the organisational commitments
we wanted to outline. Capturing
the expectations of the people we
support proved to be a bit more of
a challenge but our TPS Connects
Conference seemed to offer an
ideal opportunity to do just that.
We held a workshop called ‘Have Your Say’ which was attended by
about 15 of the people we support; the only question that was asked
was ‘if there was anything you wanted TPS or your staff team to know
about how to support you better, what would it be’; the following are
the responses we got.
Not all of the comments made will be relevant to everyone we
support, but we gave a commitment to make all our staff aware of the
points raised in this workshop and what this might mean in practice.
We also said we would put this information on to a leaflet which we
would hand to people who are applying for work at TPS; this would
help the applicant clearly understand our standards and expectations
and help them to decide whether or not to pursue their application.
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Thanks to every one of the people we support who participated in the
workshop; everyone added something to the list below which makes
it all the more important and relevant. Thanks also to Andrew
Ramsay who captured not just the detail of what was said, but the
spirit in which it was said too.
Peter Jung
Operations Manager
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People who laugh with me – This means you need to leave
your troubles behind when you come on shift! I know this will be hard
at times, but it can be unpleasant for me if I have to spend my time in
my house worrying about your mood.
Staff spending time with me, not to seem as though they
are rushing away – I know you are busy, but when people rush to
get things done it makes me feel like a burden; staff who take their
time make me feel important and that is a good feeling.
Staff to stay with TPS
longer/too many different
staff members – I have had
loads of people in my life to date
and I know that some people are
only here until a better offer
comes along. Each time someone
leaves, it means I have to learn
how to work with a new person
and I sometimes wonder why I
should bother if the chances of
them staying are slim.
Reassurance from staff
when I am under stress –
Sometimes it is more important for
me to get emotional support,
particularly if I have been ill or if I
have had a difficult time with my
parents etc. At these times,
making sure my house is clean or
my washing is done is not as
important as you sitting down to
listening to me.
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Respect my wishes and doing things that I want to do –
never underestimate the power you have over me but remember, in
order to do your job well, you should be person centred and listen to
the decisions and choices I make and support me to do them. This
means, if I have asked to see a movie and you have had a bad day,
don’t try and talk me out of going just because it doesn’t suit you to
go.
Having someone there as a
companion – For you, this is a job,
but for me, it’s my life. Don’t think of
your support to me as a series of tasks;
it should be so much more. I am a
person just like you and just like you, I
like to be around people I get on well
with.
Staff to spend time listening to
me and understanding what I
mean – It can sometimes be difficult to
understand what I say and it might take
some time for you to get used to the
way I communicate. Please be patient
and try not to rush me or speak on my
behalf as I find this frustrating.
Stick up for my views and
wishes – There may be times when
you are the only person who knows
what my views and wishes might be
and at these times, I need you to stick
up for what these are;’ this won’t be just
about the easy decisions either!
Remember, don't use your influence to
put across your own ideas – always
check with me or the rest of my team
first.
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Change the time that staff support me to the times that I
want and need them to be there – this might mean that your
managers will have to change the times you are working; this is what
being person centred is all about. Generally this will not happen very
often, but when it does, I need you to be flexible and work with me.
Show respect to everyone – this is not just about the language
you use (although that is important) but is about the things you do
when you are supporting me. It is not respectful for you to spend time
on your mobile phone or working with your ear phones in when you’re
supporting me, or to talk about me to others or to have conversations
with other people and not include me. These things make me feel
invisible and devalued; it makes it easier for me to show you value
and respect when you show me the same!
Keyworker – I want this to be my decision; this might mean that I
want to change my Keyworker from time to time and this should be
accepted.
Not to be patronised – I am a grown up and so would like to be
treated as one! There may be times when I might take a bit more time
to get things done, but involve me as much as you can; you don’t
have to do everything for me!
Interviews, introductions and probation – I want to be
involved employing my own staff team; this will mean I have my say
in getting the right people to support me and my views will be
considered when confirming staff in post.
Your place of work is my home – You might think of my house
as your place of work, but always remember it is my home – not just
bricks and mortar but a place where I live, a sanctuary where I should
be made to feel safe and valued. Don’t take my house or the property
within it for granted and don’t think of my house as an extension of
your own home.
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Most of all remember ‘Nothing about me without me!’ –
This means giving me a full explanation on changes to my support or
support team, involving me when you are planning reviews and
‘what’s working’ meetings. I might also need you to advocate on my
behalf or stand up for me when I can’t do it myself.
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