AS001 - Personal Care Assistant

Our son is a happy, loving, and affectionate boy who will soon be turning 11 years old. He is autistic and non-verbal, and he communicates his basic needs through a limited selection of specific words. When he is comfortable and in his element, his wonderful personality really shines through.

We are looking to recruit two Personal Assistants to work in tandem to support our son. The primary focus of this role is to help our son engage with the community, build his confidence, and develop his independence.

Our sons absolute favourite activity is swimming. A significant part of this role will involve supporting him in the water, and ensuring he can enjoy his time at the pool safely and happily.

Because our son has no concept of danger, he requires constant, vigilant supervision at all times. While he is generally very content, he can display challenging behaviour when he feels distressed, overwhelmed, or unhappy. We are seeking PAs who are patient, observant, and capable of providing a calm, supportive environment for him.

Key Responsibilities

. 2-to-1 Community Support: Working collaboratively with a second PA to provide a safe, engaging, and structured environment for our son outside the home.

. Swimming Supervision: Accompanying our son in the pool, assisting with the transition through changing rooms, and ensuring his safety and enjoyment in the water.

. Safety Management: Maintaining constant, vigilant supervision at all times to mitigate risks, as our son has no concept of physical or environmental dangers.

. Positive Behaviour Support: Identifying triggers for distress and implementing agreed-upon strategies to support our son through challenging moments with patience and empathy.

. Encouraging Communication: Supporting our son to use his vocabulary to express his needs, and fostering his confidence in social settings.

. Building Independence: Assisting our son in developing life skills and community awareness through consistent, repetitive, and positive reinforcement.

Essential Criteria

. Experience with Neurodiversity: Prior experience supporting autistic individuals, particularly those who are non-verbal or have complex communication needs.

. Water Confidence: Candidates must be strong, confident swimmers who are comfortable and capable of supporting a child in a public pool environment.

. High Level of Vigilance: An intuitive understanding of safety, with the ability to remain focused and proactive in public spaces and near roads.

. Emotional Resilience: A calm, patient, and steady temperament, with the ability to remain composed when navigating episodes of distress or challenging behaviour.

. Teamwork: The ability to work seamlessly as part of a pair, maintaining clear and professional communication with both the co-worker and the family.

Desirable Criteria

. Local Knowledge: Ideally, familiarity with the Glasgow and East Renfrewshire area, specifically local parks, leisure centres, and accessible facilities.

. Driving Licence: A full, clean UK driving licence and access to a vehicle (with appropriate business insurance) to facilitate travel.

. Training: Valid First Aid certificate is preferred

Requirements

• Active PVG Membership
• Right to work check (x1 Photo ID & x2 Proof of Address)
• Subject to references
• Drivers license

If you feel you have the qualities and life skills to enable the person to have a better quality of life. Please send you CV and contact details to finance@engagerenfrewshire.com and quote AS001