SHSCT_Dementia Navigator Support Worker Band 3

Advertised role location: Edenderry House
Official document: Job Description / Personnel Specification (docx)
Dementia support worker
Band 3
Dementia support worker
Band 3

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE
Dementia Support Worker

BAND

HOURS OF WORK

3

37.5hrs

DIRECTORATE

Mental Health and Disability, Memory Services

INITIAL LOCATION

Edenderry house, Portadown

REPORTS TO

Locality Manager

ACCOUNTABLE TO

Head of Service

FLEXIBLE WORKING PROVISIONS AVAILABLE

Fixed working pattern, Flexi-time, Compressed/elongated hours, Average hours working patterns, Term-time working

JOB SUMMARY
To provide high-quality, person-centred support to individuals living with dementia and their families, promoting independence, wellbeing, social inclusion, and quality of life. The post holder will support individuals to maximise their cognitive, emotional, and functional abilities while ensuring care is delivered with dignity, compassion, and respect.

KEY DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES

The Dementia Support Worker is accountable to their line manager and works under the professional guidance and direction of the Dementia Navigator, supporting the delivery of agreed intervention and support while adhering to professional standards, organisational policies, and best practice in dementia care.

Collaborate with service users, families, carers, and voluntary/community organisations to support individuals living with dementia to maximise independence, achieve personal goals, and maintain their quality of life.

Provide individualised support to people living with dementia in accordance with assessed needs, care plans, and personal goals.

Promote independence by encouraging individuals to maintain existing skills and participate in meaningful daily activities.

Support service users to develop strategies that compensate for memory and cognitive difficulties.

Assist individuals to engage in activities that promote cognitive stimulation, confidence, and wellbeing.

Ensure care and support are delivered in a manner that respects dignity, choice, privacy, and personal preferences.

Develop positive, trusting, and supportive relationships with clients and carers, promoting wellbeing, confidence, and engagement while maintaining professional boundaries at all times.

Communicate effectively with individuals who may experience communication, cognitive, or behavioural difficulties. Adapt communication styles to meet the needs of people with dementia and ensure information is accessible and understandable.

Advocate for the needs and wishes of service users.

Plan, organise, and co-facilitate activity and educational group sessions under the guidance of the Dementia Navigator, ensuring activities are meaningful, inclusive, and tailored to the needs of participants.

Encourage active participation in group programmes that support memory rehabilitation, social connection, confidence-building, and emotional wellbeing.

Monitor attendance, engagement, and outcomes of group sessions, providing feedback to the Dementia Navigator and multidisciplinary team to support ongoing service development and evaluation.

Contribute to the evaluation of service outcomes by gathering feedback from service users, carers, and colleagues, helping to identify areas of good practice and opportunities for improvement.

Support the implementation of service developments arising from reviews, audits, and organisational priorities.

Understand and contribute to a range of work procedures and practices relevant to dementia care and memory rehabilitation, including completing basic risk assessments, supporting carers' assessments, recording interventions and outcomes, preparing reports, and contributing to person-centred care and support plans under the guidance of the Dementia Navigator.

Support clients and carers to access appropriate services, benefits, resources, and community supports, providing information, guidance, and signposting to help maximise independence, wellbeing, and quality of life.

Support and enable clients to maintain and develop daily living skills, promoting independence, confidence, and wellbeing wherever possible.

Identify and report any changes in a person's condition, risks, or support needs to the Dementia Navigator and appropriate professionals. Escalate concerns regarding risk, safeguarding, or deterioration in health to appropriate professionals.

Maintain accurate and timely records in line with organisational policies and professional standards.

Actively participate in mandatory and additional training opportunities identified through supervision and service needs, ensuring knowledge and practice remain up to date and aligned with current standards and evidence-based approaches.

Participate in supervision, training, and professional development activities to maintain knowledge and skills in dementia care and rehabilitation.

Take responsibility for own continuing professional development, maintaining and enhancing knowledge and skills relevant to the role, with support and guidance from the professional supervisor.

Develop and maintain IT skills required to meet the needs of the service, including the use of electronic patient records, clinical information systems, databases, and Microsoft Office applications.

RAISING CONCERNS - RESPONSIBILITIES
The post holder will promote and support effective team working, fostering a culture of openness and transparency.

The post holder will ensure that they take all concerns raised with them seriously and act in accordance with the Trust’s ‘Your Right to Raise a Concern (Whistleblowing)’ policy and their professional code of conduct, where applicable.

PERSONAL AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES (PPI)

Involve patients, clients, carers and the wider community where relevant, in developing, planning, delivering and evaluating our services in a meaningful and effective way, as part of the Trust’s ongoing commitment to Personal Public Involvement (PPI) and Co-Production. Further information is available at engage.hscni.net

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
The post holder will be required to:
Ensure the Trust’s policy on equality of opportunity is promoted through their own actions and those of any staff for whom they have responsibility.

Co-operate fully with the implementation of the Trust's Health and Safety arrangements, reporting any accidents/incidents/equipment defects to their manager, and maintaining a clean, uncluttered and safe environment for patients/clients, members of the public and staff.

Adhere at all times to all Trust policies/codes of conduct, including for example:
Smoke Free policy
IT Security Policy and Code of Conduct
standards of attendance, appearance and behaviour


Contribute to ensuring the highest standards of environmental cleanliness within your designated area of work.


Co-operate fully with regard to Trust policies and procedures relating to infection prevention and control.


All employees of the Trust are legally responsible for all records held, created or used as part of their business within the Trust including patients/clients, corporate and administrative records whether paper-based or electronic and also including emails. All such records are public records and are accessible to the general public, with limited exceptions, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Employees are required to be conversant with the Trust’s policy and procedures on records management and to seek advice if in doubt.

Take responsibility for their own ongoing learning and development, in order to maximise their potential and continue to meet the demands of the post.

Represent the Trust’s commitment to providing the highest possible standard of service to patients/clients and members of the public, by treating all those with whom they come into contact in the course of work, in a pleasant, courteous and respectful manner.

This Job Description will be subject to review in the light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.


It is a standard condition that all Trust staff may be required to serve at any location within the Trust's area, as needs of the service demand.

PERSONNEL SPECIFICATION


JOB TITLE / BAND: Dementia Support Worker Band 3

DEPARTMENT / DIRECTORATE: Mental Health and Disability

HOURS: 37.5 hrs

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

SECTION 1: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will initially be measured at shortlisting stage although may also be further explored during the interview/selection stage. You should therefore make it clear on your application form whether or not you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. The stage in the process when the criteria will be measured is stated below.

Factor
Criteria
Ideally no more than 6-8 criteria in this section
Method of Assessment

Qualifications/ Registration


2 years experience working in a caring role in a mental health environment.
OR
4 GCSEs (Grade A-C) including English and Maths or NVQ level 2 in a care related subject
Be registered or eligible to Register with Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC)


Shortlisting by Application Form

Other


Hold a current full driving licence which is valid for use in the UK and have access to a car on appointment. This criteria will be waived in the case of applicants whose disability prohibits driving but who have access to a form of transport approved by the Trust which will permit them to carry out the duties of the post.


Shortlisting by Application Form

SECTION 2: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will be measured during the interview/ selection stage:

Skills / Abilities / Knowledge
Experience of working with people living with dementia, cognitive impairment, older adults, or individuals with complex support needs.


Knowledge of dementia and the impact this can have on patients and carers


Good communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with people living with dementia, their families, carers, and members of the multidisciplinary team.
Interview

DESIRABLE CRITERIA

SECTION 3: these will ONLY be used where it is necessary to introduce additional job related criteria to ensure files are manageable. You should therefore make it clear on your application form how you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted.

Factor
Criteria
Method of Assessment

Experience / Qualifications


Ability to use Encompass, Teams, Microsoft office, Outlook, Excel
Qualifications gained in the area of mental health

Evidence of training in dementia care, safeguarding, and person-centred practice.


Shortlisting by Application Form

Notes to applicants:
You must clearly demonstrate on your application form under each question, how you meet the required criteria as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. You should clearly demonstrate this for both the essential and desirable criteria.
Shortlisting will be carried out on the basis of the essential criteria set out in Section 1 below, using the information provided by you on your application form. Please note the Trust reserves the right to use any desirable criteria outlined in Section 3 at shortlisting. You must clearly demonstrate on your application form how you meet the desirable criteria.
Proof of qualifications and/or professional registration will be required if an offer of employment is made – if you are unable to provide this, the offer may be withdrawn.

As part of the Recruitment & Selection process it may be necessary for the Trust to carry out an Enhanced Disclosure Check through Access NI before any appointment to this post can be confirmed.

THE TRUST IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER

Successful applicants:
may be required to attend for a Health Assessment
can expect to be placed at the minimum point of the pay scale, although a higher starting salary, within the range of the pay band may be available if the person appointed has experience relevant & equivalent to the post. If the successful candidate is an existing HSC employee moving to a higher band, AfC Pay on Promotion will apply.
are able to request Flexible Working from the 1st day of their employment. A number of flexible working provisions are offered by all HSC Organisations including Full-time working, Fixed working patterns, Part-time working, Flexi-time, Compressed/elongated hours, Average hours working patterns, Term-time working, Job-share or Homeworking for some or all of the working pattern, depending on the role being undertaken. Successful applicants are encouraged to discuss with their manager what Flexible Working provisions may be available in the role they are taking up, prior to commencing employment, to help them achieve a positive Work/Life Balance.