Working in social care is incredibly rewarding, but it’s not for everyone.

Take our short quiz to find out whether you’re suited to life as a carer.

  • Patience

    Many of our service users need help with day-to-day activities like shopping, cooking and personal wellbeing. Our carers are there to help them manage these activities whilst teaching them the skills they need to live independently.

    Question

    How would you feel about helping someone improve their life skills?

  • Support

    Young people and adults with mental health conditions or learning disabilities often need support with medical appointments, housing options and claiming benefits. Part of a carer’s role is to advocate on their behalf to ensure they get the medical and financial support they’re entitled to.

    Question

    How confident are you speaking up in meetings and appointments?

  • Decision making

    Caring for people with complex needs often requires you to make decisions and act quickly and professionally.

    Question

    Would you say you’re a quick thinker in challenging situations?

  • Flexibility

    As a carer, your role will sometimes involve staying overnight or working flexible hours to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the person you’re caring for.

    Question

    Are you able to be flexible with your working hours and adapt to the changing needs of the service user?

  • Fitness

    Caring for people with complex needs can be great fun, and we get involved with as many physical activities as we can.

    Question

    Are you a hands-on person who likes to get active and enjoy the outdoors?

  • Adaptability

    It’s important that all our service users are looked after in a consistent and professional way in accordance with their personalised care plan even when their behaviour is challenging.

    Question

    Do you have the attention to detail and professionalism needed to ensure the rules are followed, even in a difficult environment?

Great! We think you’d be suited to a career in complex care.

Want to know more?

A career in care could be for you, but you might want to find out more.

Discover more about life as a carer or read about our businesses.

Question  of 

Waking Night Support Worker

  • Plymouth, Devon
  • Permanent
  • Up to £12.10 per hour
  • Carer for Imogen
Or

Job Overview

Imogen is looking for a night owl, a support worker, who can stay awake all night. You might like crime documentaries or movies but whichever it is, you must have the capacity to stay awake all night and respond if needed.

Essential for this role: Hold a full UK drivers licence and have your own car

Hours: 16 hrs (8h per night) (1am to 9am)

Date Applications Close: 07/01/2025

Reference: VA/KL

So, you read the first bit, well here is the lowdown. Imogen is beginning to turn day into night, she is having a bit of a hard time, and this is due to previous trauma. Imogen has spent time in long-term healthcare institutions, and she is having difficulty moving on from this. She is currently living in her own home with a small, dedicated team around her.

The team know her very well and are working a number of different shifts with her but what Imogen really needs is a dedicated waking night support worker who can be a safe pair of hands during the night. Someone who can respond when her safety might be at risk but also someone who can just sit and watch several episodes of a crime documentary.

You will need to be someone who is very resilient, Imogen needs consistency, not someone who will give up on her when things get tricky. Imogen is very bright; she can be funny and inquisitive, and she loves to mend and fix things. Unfortunately, at the moment, she is drinking much more alcohol than is good for her and this is causing her some problems. As a waking night worker, you will have to support Imogen when she is under the influence of alcohol this is why it is important that you are someone who can keep calm, someone who can shrug things off and not take it personally if Imogen becomes argumentative.

She needs you to be in control, but she also needs you to be kind and have some understanding of how her life experiences have impacted on her. We understand it might sound like a tough gig, but we offer full training and support, you will be joining an organisation that is outstanding in its field and you really will be making a difference.

Ideally you will:

  • Be able to be awake all night
  • Be able to hold firm boundaries
  • Be kind but not passive
  • Work well as part of a small team
  • Be a calm person, even if the environment around you is chaotic
  • A quick decision maker
  • Understand the principles of inclusion
  • Be flexible in your approach

Benefits:

  • We reward our staff with competitive salaries
  • We offer an Award Winning Pension Scheme
  • We have a company sick pay scheme
  • Excellent annual leave allowance, including top up pay
  • Critical Illness cover, reassurance when you need it the most
  • Life Insurance, reassurance for your family when they need it the most
  • A really good mandatory induction
  • Ongoing high quality training
  • Career development opportunities
  • A real chance to make a difference to someone's life

We are committed to recruiting candidates who share our commitment to safeguarding, and therefore we apply robust recruitment and selection procedures to ensure that the people selected are right for the job, and that all candidates are appropriately screened prior to appointment, including obtaining references and DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) clearance. A DBS check will be requested in the event of the individual being offered a position with Beyond Limits, the cost of which will be to the employee, however, this will be returned after successful completion of probation period (6 months).