Job Description

Live-in Support Worker — Supported Living, Yeovil

St Jude's Care Ltd · Yeovil, Somerset · Live-in

£1,200 per week · 4 weeks on / 2 weeks off (flexible patterns considered)

£4,800 per four-week stint · Around £41,600 a year on the 4-on / 2-off pattern, plus holiday pay

Permanent · Full UK driving licence essential · Vehicle provided

1   Three houses. One job: making the day go right.

We support adults with learning disabilities and autism across three supported living houses in Yeovil. Each tenant has their own routines, likes, and bad days, and their own ideas about how they want to live.

Your job is to help them live that life well. That means getting them to the day centre on time, going round the supermarket with them rather than for them, and helping with a meal, a budget, or a phone call to the GP. It also means spotting the moment a morning is about to go wrong and turning it around before it does.

We already have an established live-in team, and we're looking for one more person to join them. You'll live in the house while you're on shift. It is the tenants' home, and you are part of their week.

2   What a day actually looks like

No two days match, but most include:

• Morning routines. Prompting and supporting with personal care, breakfast and medication, and getting everyone out of the door
• Driving. A lot of it. Day centre, placements, shopping, appointments, activities, family visits. You'll have a vehicle to use and will be behind the wheel most days
• Building independence. Cooking together, managing money, laundry, planning the week. We do things with our tenants, not for them
• Supporting behaviour that challenges. Some of our tenants can become distressed, and that can show up as behaviour that is hard to manage. You'll follow each person's support plan, read the early signs, and stay calm when it matters
• Evenings at home. Tea together, downtime, winding down, getting ready for tomorrow

On average, that works out at around 10 hours of active support a day. Some days are busier. Many are quieter: there are regular days when all the tenants are out at their placements for around six hours, and that time is yours.

3   The pattern

Everything runs in two-week blocks. On our standard pattern, you'll spend two weeks in one house, then two weeks in another, then have two full weeks off.

Why we rotate: every tenant gets to know every member of the live-in team. When you arrive at a house, you are a familiar face, not a stranger. That matters a great deal to people with autism.

Prefer a different pattern? 4 on / 2 off is our ideal, but we're open to other patterns built in two-week blocks. Talk to us.

Your rota is set well in advance, so you can plan your life around it.

4   Living in

• Your own bedroom in every house. You're responsible for keeping it clean and tidy.
• £40 a week towards the house food shop, for meals you cook and eat together with the tenants.
• Your own food, if you want something separate, is down to you.
• No daily commute while you're on a stint.

5   Breaks and downtime

We'd rather be specific than vague.

• You get at least 14 hours of protected break time every week. In practice, it's often nearer 20.
• Much of that comes in long blocks on the days all the tenants are out at placements.
• Your weeks off are genuinely off. Nobody rings you to fill a gap.

6   What we pay

£1,200 a week, every week you're on.

Plus paid holiday, accrued on the hours you work.

Paid training, induction and shadowing. You won't be out of pocket while you learn the houses and the tenants.

7   Who we're looking for

Essential

• A full UK driving licence and confidence driving every day, with passengers who may need support on the journey
• Experience supporting adults with a learning disability and/or autism, in supported living, residential, day services or similar
• Experience with behaviour that challenges. You know how to follow a support plan, de-escalate, and keep people safe without making their home feel like a service
• Someone who thinks on their feet. The day centre has closed early, a tenant has refused to get in the car, a plan has changed. You sort it and tell us what you did
• Proactive, not reactive. You notice what someone could be doing for themselves and help them get there
• Comfortable living in a shared house for two weeks at a time, and moving between houses
• Right to work in the UK, and willing to undergo an enhanced DBS check

Helpful but not essential

• Level 2 or 3 in Health and Social Care
• Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) training
• Certified training in de-escalation or restrictive practice
• Makaton, PECS, or other communication support
• Medication administration experience

8   What we offer

• £1,200 a week. Well above what most live-in roles advertise
• Two full weeks off in every six on our standard pattern, with flexibility if you need it
• Your own room in every house, a vehicle to use, and £40 a week towards shared meals
• Paid holiday, accrued on the hours you work
• Paid training, induction and shadowing in each house before you work there alone
• An established team across three houses. You'll know every tenant and every colleague
• Proper backup. A manager and an out-of-hours on-call line are behind you, day and night. You are never on your own with a decision you shouldn't be making alone
• A family-run company. St Jude's is CQC registered and locally run. You won't be a staff number

9   What this role is not

We'd rather be straight with you than waste your time.

• It isn't a 9-to-5. You're living in someone's home. The day has a shape, not a clock-off time.
• It isn't a care home. It's our tenants' home. You're there to support their life, not to run it.
• It isn't a sit-back role. If you prefer to wait to be told what to do, this won't suit you.
• It isn't for non-drivers. Driving is a core part of every day.
• It isn't for someone who needs to be home every night. Two weeks away at a time is the job. The weeks off are the reward.

10   To apply

Send your CV to Recruitment@stjudescare.co.uk or call 01305 779 888 for an informal chat first. We're happy to talk it through before you decide. 

St Jude's Care Ltd is an equal opportunities employer. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references

Job Details