Social and Healthcare Assistant – would you like to use your professional skills in a new way?

New children are moving into Søhuset, and therefore we are expanding our staff group.

Do you want to bring your health care knowledge into play in a specialized area? And are you motivated by working closely with children and young people, where care, relationships, health, well-being and development go hand in hand?

Then you might be our new colleague at Søhuset.

At Søhuset children and young people from 0–18 years with significant physical and cognitive impairments live. They need extensive support for care, well-being and development – around the clock.

As a social and health care assistant you will be part of the daily staffing and of the children’s everyday life in the same way as your colleagues. Your health care background becomes part of the joint task solution rather than a separate health care function. At the same time you will play an important role in our medication management.

We need different professional perspectives to understand each child and decide how best to support the child’s everyday life. Here your insights into health, observation, changes in the child’s condition, medicine, nutrition, sleep, personal care and physical well-being can contribute to our shared understanding.

At the same time you must be willing to move beyond the classical health care role. At Søhuset your work also concerns relationships, communication, activities and development – and getting to know each child’s small signals really well.

Daily life at Søhuset For us, care, welfare and development go hand in hand.

A large part of the children communicate without spoken language and we need to be curious about their signals and try to understand what their behavior tells us. Some have extensive physical impairments, epilepsy or need help with almost all everyday activities. Others may react outwardly or self-harm when their surroundings or demands become too difficult to handle.

A typical workday can include, for example

• Care and welfare: You support the children in personal care, meals and other everyday activities with attention to the child’s health, well-being, relationships and participation opportunities.
• Observation and health: You observe the child’s overall condition and respond to changes. Your health care perspective becomes an important part of the knowledge we share about the child.
• Medications and health care tasks: Medication management and other health care tasks are a natural part of the daily routine for several of the children.
• Relationship and communication: You learn the child’s individual signals and work with relationship, presence and communication – also when the child has limited or no spoken language.
• Activities and development: You participate in play, outings, sensory activities and other parts of the children’s daily life based on each child’s needs and development level.
• Professional collaboration: You participate in team meetings, staff meetings and supervision where we share observations, set goals and decide together on the professional direction for the individual child.

At Søhuset we typically have 6 staff members around 8 children and young people. You will often have a particular focus on 1–2 children at a time. This enables you to be close to the individual child, build strong relationships and tailor support to the child’s needs and daily form.

Sometimes the pace is fast, and other times you must be able to be in the slow pace and wait for a small initiative or signal from a child. It requires presence, patience and the ability to adapt to the individual child.

You will become part of a professional community We work from a shared professional direction with, among other things, neuropedagogy and Low Arousal as a starting point.

That does not mean that we all have to see things the same way. On the contrary, we need different observations and professional perspectives when we are trying to understand a child and figure out what works.

In team meetings we examine the child’s needs, set goals and decide together on the professional direction. We also use supervision, documentation and ongoing sparring in daily practice to examine our work.

As a social and health care assistant we hope you will help us make others wiser about what you see through your professional lens. In return you must be curious about the pedagogical and other professional perspectives your colleagues bring with them.

We do not expect you to know everything from the start. But we expect you to be curious, reflective about your own practice and eager to learn.

We offer A workplace with a complex target group, where your health care education can be used in a daily life that includes much more than classical health and care tasks.

You will have experienced colleagues with different competencies and opportunities for sparring and supervision. At the same time you will have the opportunity to bring your professional background into a staff group where pedagogy today plays a major role.

You will be part of a safe and supportive community where we support each other in the tasks and share responsibility in everyday life. As a new colleague you will be welcomed warmly and receive time, support and sparring to settle well into the job.

We also offer

• A thorough introductory program
• Training in moving, pedagogical approaches and methods including conflict management
• Mentor system and supervision so you have someone to spar with
• Opportunity to develop your competencies within a specialized area.

“It is important that newcomers are well received and given time to settle into the house, and that there is follow-up on how things are going – that they are taken under the wing. It is not expected that you know everything after one week.”

• Educator, Søhuset

We are seeking a social and health care assistant who…

• are trained as a social and health care assistant and want to work with children and young people with significant and lasting impairments
• have strong competencies in medication management and health care documentation and can take responsibility for conveying health care knowledge to colleagues
• are professionally attentive and can observe and respond to changes in the individual child
• see care and welfare as an important part of the job – and at the same time want relationships, activities and development
• are curious about what lies behind a child’s reactions and behavior, and can remain calm when a child is having a tough time
• want to learn about neuropedagogy and Low Arousal and bring their own professional background into the shared professional reflection
• thrive in a close collegial collaboration and communicate clearly and professionally with colleagues, parents and partners
• have a driving license

You do not need to have experience from the special sector or with children. The most important is that you have a desire for the target group and are curious about how your health care background can be used in a daily life where care, relationships, health and development go hand in hand.

Your working hours are also part of the job Søhuset is the children’s home, and therefore we are here around the clock – every day of the year.

You must therefore be able to work rotating shifts and be prepared for both day, evening and weekend work every other weekend.

In return you get a job where you get to know the children very well. That close familiarity also means that over time you learn their individual signals, reactions and needs – and can notice even small changes.

About Søhuset Søhuset is one of the Region Nordjylland’s special children’s homes. Here live children and young people with various and complex physical and cognitive impairments.

Currently there are 6 resident children at Søhuset, and 5 children come for respite care. The children have different needs for support in daily life – some need support for most things, others for almost everything.

We work closely in a multidisciplinary team with one common goal: to give the children and young people a safe, predictable and developmental everyday life.

The children and young people may have autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and attachment disorders. Several have little or no verbal language, so we also work with alternative and augmentative communication.

Everyone needs an individually tailored, recognizable and structured everyday life. Our professional work is based on the professional relationship, neuropedagogy and Low Arousal.

Want to know more? You are welcome to contact department head Lise Vestergaard Larsen at phone 2244 6028 (weekdays 8:00–15:00).

You can read more about Special Children’s Homes on our website specialbornehjem.rn.dk and Make a career (rn.dk)

Come inside the everyday life at the Special Children’s Homes on Facebook: Special Children's Homes, Special Sector, Region Nordjylland and on Instagram: Special Children’s Homes, Special Sector, Region Nordjylland (@specialboernehjemmene)

The practical This is a permanent and a temporary position averaging between 30–37 hours per week, depending on how many hours you want, with start December 1 or as soon as possible.

The position includes rotating hours – day and evening – as well as weekend shifts every other weekend. Night work may occur during holidays or illness.

• Application deadline: November 2
• Employment: December 1 or as soon as possible
• Employment interviews: interviews will be held continuously and no later than November 11
• Upon hire, child and criminal background checks will be obtained.

Salary and employment terms in accordance with the collective agreement for social and health care personnel concluded with FOA.