Has anyone worked as a support worker for adults with Learning Disabilities…?

[Blossom4538]

Interested in your experience!

I've been doing it for several months now and I love it!

I am so desperate to get this job! It’s part time, a worthwhile cause close to my heart and perfect. No experience, but have children with SEN/Learning Disabilities and am a carer for my Mum too!

Not me but my friend did this. She loved it for a while but then the company who she was working for became part of a bigger care group and it became awful for her as they were constantly changing up staff rotas (meaning that the bonds she made with her patients were constantly being broken upsetting everyone) and they also began accepting higher needs and violent clients without giving staff the training or staff ratios they needed to handle them.

Please look into the group you want to work with, make sure you have a good understanding of how many regular clients you will be supporting, what their needs are etc. And make sure you have a full understanding of the staffing set up and retention levels.

Good signs are places with high staff retention, high staff to client ratio (so each support worker really gets to know the people theyre supporting) and consistent rotas that allow you to build strong and consistent relationships with the people you care for.

I second all that. If you find the right organisation to work for, it's a lovely, fulfilling job. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Hi i have started working as a part-time council-run short term respite support worker for adults with learning disabilities, usually in 1:1 basis. I am really new and as the primary carer of young children, I find the needs of service users & people I work with is different every time & short notice of rota more challenging and stressful than the work itself. I hope it gets better after summer holidays it gets a bit easier. As I do not have previous experience, I think the job itself is generally rewarding and not too difficult or aversive. Hope that helps.

Good luck! It can be lovely.
i think that looking after people who have severe learning disabilities and challenging behaviour can be really difficult and sadly staff are sometimes put into difficult situations without the right training and support. So watch out for that.
Also remember the ethos that you are there to help them do as much as possible for themselves rather than do things for them.

I hope you’re successful and enjoy the work, if not there are loads of other opportunities for similar work so don’t be disheartened

I work in this area. The company I work for has 100 different services over the S and Midlands usually caring for anything between 3 and 15 adults. We have people on 10hr-37.5hr contracts so there is something for everyone (and bank hours too so there's always extra if needed). We have a comprehensive training programme, and ongoing CPD so newcomers to social care are well supported. At my particular setting people have had a range of careers prior to this (and sometimes no defined career, just life experience) - we have an ex window fitter, we have a medical student who does bank during uni breaks, we have an ex teacher, as well as people who have been in the care industry their whole working life.
No denying it can be challenging in many ways, but no two days are the same!

I did until last month for ten years I loved it only moved on to something else still related but different
It's challenging there will be days which are not great, days when short staffed but the good days outweighs these.

The most important thing is to get to know your service users, take an interest, it will take time to gain trust and a good relationship. Be observant to their communication needs-non verbal queues. Read their positive behaviour plans and their care plans. Remember they are individuals and as a support worker you are there to support them to live the life of their choosing- we support not do things for them.

To be honest another reason I have moved on is because twelve years of working constant weekends and 14 hour shifts 55 plus hours a week wore me out. Missed out on the kids, get over tired. Catalyst was being in high dependancy with sepsis in April as so run down. Don't be me- care companies will always demand more of you. If you are knackered you won't be your best.

I nearly died and I had to make a change. I miss them dearly and I still work the odd shift on bank which I love

Yes! Worked for a local day center.Lovely job. But was minimum wage, zero hours co tract and would give shifts very last minute so made it difficult to plan to it life. But that was just the place I worked. It gave me experience to move on to a ‘better’ contract in the nhs x