Staff for learning disability and autism services
Autistic people and people with a learning disability live in every kind of service: supported living, care homes, shared homes and family homes. The right support worker is patient and consistent, and notices what someone is telling them without words.
We recruit support workers, seniors and managers for learning disability and autism services, and check their training against what your service asks for.
How these services are regulated
There is no separate regulator for learning disability and autism services. The regulator depends on the kind of service: a supported living service in England registers with the CQC for personal care, and a residential service for accommodation with personal care. The other nations follow their own registration types.
In England, the Health and Care Act 2022 requires CQC-registered providers to make sure their staff receive training on learning disability and autism that is appropriate to their role. The government’s preferred training for this is the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism.
- England
- Care Quality Commission, for personal care or for accommodation with personal care.
- Scotland
- Care Inspectorate, for the type of service provided.
- Wales
- Care Inspectorate Wales, as a care home service or domiciliary support service.
- Northern Ireland
- RQIA, as a residential care home, nursing home or domiciliary care agency.
Learning disability and autism cover at a glance
What we usually agree with a learning disability or autism service before the first shift.
- Duties
- Support with daily living and personal care, communication, activities, health appointments, medicines and building independence.
- Shifts
- Long days, earlies and lates, waking nights and sleep-ins, often one-to-one or two-to-one.
- Checks
- The adults’ criminal record check for the nation, or the children’s check for services for young people, references, and training in the service’s approach to behaviour support.
- Pay basis
- Hourly, with any rate for one-to-one or two-to-one support agreed in advance.
- Qualifications
- Learning disability and autism training appropriate to the role, which is a legal requirement for CQC-registered services in England, plus care qualifications and nation registration as for other care roles.
Roles these services usually need
Most learning disability and autism services are staffed by support workers and seniors. Residential services for younger people also need residential childcare workers.
- Support worker Helps people live independently in supported living, and learning disability and mental health services.
- Senior support worker Leads a support team on shift, guides colleagues and keeps support plans current.
- Care assistant Personal care and everyday support in care homes, nursing homes and respite services.
- Residential childcare worker Cares for children and young people living in children’s homes.
- Deputy manager Second in charge of a care service, leading the team when the manager is not there.
- Registered manager Runs a care service and is registered with the regulator as the manager responsible for it.
Checks for learning disability and autism staff
For these services we add the following to our standard screening:
- learning disability and autism training appropriate to the role, and whether the worker has completed the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training
- training in positive behaviour support and in reducing restrictive practice, and any physical intervention approach your service uses
- experience with the communication approaches the people you support use
- references that speak to the worker’s patience and consistency with people who find change hard
Learning disability and autism shift patterns
Consistency matters more than almost anything else in these services, so we try to fill a rota with a small number of regular faces, whatever the pattern.
- Early to or
- Late to
- Long day to
- Waking night or to or
- Sleep-in to A worker sleeps at the service and gets up if someone needs help. The service sets the hours and says what happens if the night is disturbed.
Temporary cover and permanent hiring for these services
Temporary cover
A new face can unsettle someone who relies on routine. We keep a small, regular group of workers for each service where we can, and we share the person’s support plan headlines with the worker before their first shift, with your permission.
Permanent hiring
For permanent posts we ask candidates to describe times they have supported someone through distress, and what they learned. The best answers are specific and humble, and those are the candidates we put forward.
Questions from learning disability and autism services
Can you send support workers with positive behaviour support experience?
Yes, where we have them. We ask about positive behaviour support in every interview, and your booking can make it essential.
Have your staff done the Oliver McGowan training?
We record whether each worker has completed it and at which tier, and include that on their profile. Tell us if it is essential for your shifts.
Can you supply two workers for a two-to-one shift?
Yes, when we have two suitable workers free for the same times. We try to pair people who have worked together before.
Staff for your learning disability or autism service
Call to talk about the people you support and the shifts you need, or send the vacancy in writing.