Our work is based on developing and maintaining people’s independence, having a real presence in their local community. We aim to provide the standard of service and support we would choose for ourselves or those close to us. We are registered with the Care Quality Commission as a residential and domiciliary care provider and only support adults with learning disabilities. We work in the London boroughs of Lewisham, Southwark, Greenwich, Sutton, Croydon and the nearby surrounding areas.
Our services include registered care, supported living, residential respite care, outreach support, training and employment for people with learning disabilities. We are led by a volunteer Board of Trustees and our work is guided by a Shadow Board composed of our staff and adults with learning disabilities who use our services.
We support people with learning disabilities in small shared houses with 24-hour staffing. These can be registered care homes or supported living settings. We work with adults of all ages, supporting young people leaving home, people with complex health and care needs, people with challenging behaviours and pre-independence training towards increased independence. We’re experienced in working with people with learning disabilities who develop dementia and we provide end-of-life care, working in partnership with palliative care teams. Several of our houses are adapted for use by people with physical disabilities. Other services are expert in supporting adults with autistic spectrum conditions. In all services, we support people to develop skills and achieve their full potential.
We offer support to develop employment skills, including supported employment in Pretty Little Cupcakes, a social enterprise operating from a coffee and cake shop in Penge High Street and support to access open employment. People also attend our popular cupcakes workshops where they are supported to make and decorate cakes. We also offer ipad workshops for people with learning disabilities where people can learn about the range of things they can do on a tablet computer.
We are proud of the support we provide to adults with learning disabilities, bringing greater independence and involvement in community activities. We believe in providing support in an individualized way that focuses on the abilities of each person, looking to find the positives and finding out what they can achieve rather than what they cannot. If you feel you can support adults who have learning disabilities – and may have some physical and/or mental health needs – then PLUS could be the place for you.
You will be based in our services in Lewisham, Southwark, Greenwich or Sutton and will work to support service users to live as independently as possible. Duties include promoting & safeguarding the well-being of service users; supporting them to achieve their maximum degree of independence through an increase in skills in a range of areas. This includes supporting education, social, leisure and employment activities appropriate to the age of the service user; encouraging them in all activities including personal care & hygiene, including bathing, grooming etc as well as administering medication. There is even the chance to support them whilst on holiday!!
We are looking primarily for full time staff who can work a 38 hour week on a shift basis, which includes weekends and bank holidays and a requirement to sleep in at the service at least once a week. This is not just a job, so you must be able to demonstrate a real commitment to supporting vulnerable adults as well as being physically capable of pushing wheelchairs and supporting service users who may be physically dependent. Whilst previous relevant experience and a Diploma in Health & Social Care would be desirable, it is more important to have a supportive attitude and be willing to help each individual to maximise their lives. In return we offer opportunities for professional development and real job satisfaction. We can help you to develop your professional skills and knowledge and progress toward recognised qualifications whilst providing a truly worthwhile service.
Service users are at the heart of PLUS, and Training and Development is driven by their needs. PLUS Training and Development supports the operation of a Person Centred Planning (PCP) approach.
In supporting adults with learning disabilities to tell us what they want, we ask certain questions:
We aim to support and empower our teams to deliver the best care for service users. We do this because we believe this enables better communication between service users and supporters and encourages a deeper commitment to care.
PLUS encourages support workers to achieve practical experience of techniques and communication skills, involving the service user, their family and friends. This helps provide a much richer picture of the service user, their life and aspirations and the best ways to support them.
PLUS supports and funds Pretty Little Cupcakes, a social enterprise shop and coffee bar in Penge High Street which offers the best in cupcakes and coffee to the public. The shop is the core of PLUS’s employment training service and offers employment training for adults with learning disabilities to make and decorate cakes and to serve the public. Pretty Little Cupcakes provides part-time paid employment for people who have come through our training placements.
Cake making workshops are also run on the premises and these are highly popular. PLUS provides a basic level of staff support and some people bring their own support staff to help them get the most out of the sessions.
Why not pay us a visit? Pretty Little Cupcakes 23 High Street, Penge, London SE20 7HJ
020 8778 5504 | Facebook
Our Board members are all volunteers. They have overall responsibility for the organisation, its finances and service delivery. They are professionals in care, law, finance, and marketing and some are relatives of people with learning disabilities.
The Board’s officers are:
If you would like to get in touch with us, please contact our head office at: 6 Belmont Hill, Lewisham, London, SE13 5BD | Tel: 020 8297 1250
All of our services are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (www.cqc.org.uk). You may view the inspection reports for any of our services by clicking the links below: