Panel Co-ordinator

What's this job all about?

About us:

At PSS, we’ve got an important job to do; and that’s to help people make the most of their lives. Whether you’re working directly with the people who use our services, or behind the scenes in one of our offices, every day you’ll be helping to make other people feel happier, healthier and more supported.

We’re a social enterprise or, as we like to call it – a ‘business with a heart’. This means that all the money we make goes back into finding new ways to help people. Our aim is simple; we want to help people change their lives for the better – no matter what life throws at them. We’ve got offices across Merseyside, Wales, Manchester and the Midlands, where we’re making our stamp.

What you’ll do

You’ll help our Shared Lives panels run smoothly across PSS’s Shared Lives schemes. You’ll organise meetings, support panel members, and help us keep the panel process fair, consistent, and well organised.

Shared Lives carers are assessed before they can be approved to provide support. Their approval is also reviewed. The panel gives these assessments an independent check and helps us make sure the process is thorough. This helps keep Shared Lives safe and effective for the people we support.

What is a panel?

When a person applies to be a carer, the final stage of the process is to meet with the panel. It’s a bit like an interview, but not quite. The panel is usually made up of PSS team members, people we support, other Shared Lives carers and people from outside organisations including social workers. A current carer can also go back to panel for a review, if there are some things about their arrangement that needs to be discussed.

To do this job well, you’re going to need:

• Great communication skills;
• Be brilliant at organising and help things run smoothly;
• A standard DBS;
• A big heart, open mind, determination, professionalism and a genuine personality.

Your trusty candidate pack will help you get a feel for what it’s like to work with us, find out what we’re looking for, explain the recruitment process and help you decide whether you can see yourself as a part of our amazing team. Each section is crammed with hints and tips to help you make a great application, so please take the time to give it a good read.

What’s Shared Lives all about?

Alex is 29 and from Staffordshire. He works as a shop assistant in a local DIY shop. He’s a Man City fan, loves going out for a pint on a Friday night and is secretly a fan of watching Love Island – not that he’d tell that to his mates! He lives with his mum and dad at the moment, but feels it’s high time he moved out. Alex has a learning disability, which means he needs a little help around the house with things like making his lunch for work, ironing and looking after his finances. He’d love to move somewhere where he knows he’ll still get the help he needs, but can also have his independence.

Sarah is 45 and lives in Wolverhampton with her 18-year-old son, David, and their dog Bruno. After being on her feet all day working in a care home, she loves nothing more than putting her achy feet up, relaxing on the couch with a glass of wine and some trashy TV (she’s well and truly caught up with the Kardashians!) She likes her job, but wishes she could work for herself and have more freedom. David is off to university soon, and she’s worried she’ll be lonely without him to look after.

Notice anything?

These two are a perfect match, right?!

Shared Lives is a different type of adult placement that supports people who need a bit of extra support with daily things like cooking, cleaning, ironing and getting out and about to the shops. Each Shared Lives placement is built around the individual person, their hopes and dreams and who’ll be a good fit for them to live with. There’s lots of different types of people using Shared Lives. It could be someone with a learning disability, mental health needs or people moving on from a different type of care. Our big-hearted Shared Lives team work very hard indeed to make sure people are well matched, that both carers and people using the service feel supported and – most of all – that everyone is happy.

Thanks to PSS Shared Lives, Alex now stays with Sarah, in her house, where she supports him to make his ham sandwiches for work and get his uniform ironed and ready for a Monday morning and also have a break from home and do things on his own. Alex loves taking Bruno for a walk, and he’s still close to his mates at Sarah’s. He got his independence and gives Sarah a hand too!

Shared Lives carers are people who, like Sarah, have a spare room in their home and some spare room in their heart too. Sarah gets paid to be Alex’s temporary carer, but he’s become much more than someone she cares for professionally – he’s become part of her family.

What's in it for you?

• 24/7 remote GP advice*
• Non-repayable grant fund for teammates in serious financial difficulty
  
• Free counselling 24/7, 365 days per year*
• Cancer guidance and support*
• 360 wellbeing reports*
• 1-2-1 lifestyle coaching*
• Personal training*
• Nutritional consultations*
• Cycle2Work Scheme
• Charity Worker discounts
• Refer-a-friend bonus
• Access to your monthly pay early
• Blue Light Card eligibility
  
• Online physiotherapy*
• Gym membership discounts
• Financial guidance by Salary Finance
• PSS Savings Club
• Annual public transport season ticket loan (not a footy season ticket loan, but still pretty good!)
• Medicash membership
• CCSC Sports and Leisure membership
• Family-friendly leave
• The chance to join Costco and buy industrial sized packets of Malteasers (and a canoe...)
• ... and loads more stuff that we're updating all the time!

*Provided through Unum Help@Hand app

More about PSS perks

Important things to read before you apply

How to apply 

We use a system called Applied to do blind recruitment. Blind recruitment means that the only thing we know about you when you apply for a role with us, is what your skills are, and whether or not you can do the job. The team that's hiring you won't know any of your personal details or your background until much later in the process. That means that none of your personal information can sway the decision. which means we focus on your skills and what you can bring to the role, rather than who you are or where you've been before. 

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