Passenger Assistant

Why should I choose Somerset Council?

Well, for a start, we’re a hugely ambitious council, committed to improving lives for the residents, communities and businesses of Somerset.

And that’s why we’re working so hard to build a sustainable organisation with a culture that rewards, values and recognises our staff, and gives everyone here the opportunity to grow and develop, personally and professionally.

If you’re looking for a place where you work truly matters – where YOU truly matter – we might be just right for you.

Our Yeovil and Glastonbury depots are moving into our new purpose-built depot in Somerton in mid 2023. We are excited to supporting the people of Somerset and building on improvements in our service.

Our peak hours 6.00-10am and 2.30 -6.30 pm Monday to Friday, other opportunities may be available.

We currently have the following vacancies available:

Somerton- 18, 20 and 25 hours Contracts – Term Time Only
Bridgwater – 23 Hour contract – Term Time Only.
Frome – 20 Hour contract – Term Time Only.
Taunton - 20 Hour contract – Term Time Only.

We currently have relief passenger assistant positions available in Taunton, Bridgwater, Frome and Somerton.

What will I be doing?

We’re working to improve the lives of people in Somerset – and you’ll be a key part of that. Your day-to-day work will involve:

• The transportation of service users in a safe and timely manner.
• Completion of daily paperwork.
• Delivering a friendly and reliable service for our service users.
• Working in conjunction with a driver to provide a safe and reliable service.

We support children from all backgrounds with special educational needs and disabilities to and from home / school, Adults with learning disabilities to and from day centres as well as taking people to social care and a variety of appointments – covering routes to help and enhance lives across Somerset.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We offer ongoing support, training, and guidance to help you be the best you can be. This includes a full induction programme and training in passenger care, disability awareness, moving and handling people and wheelchairs, Emergency aid, child protection and behaviour management to ensure you are fully equipped in your role. But it will really help if you have:

• The willingness to work as part of a flexible and committed team.
• Good time keeping skills.
• Patience with a caring nature to support service users on a daily basis.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

What will I be offered in return?

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

Anything else I should know?

From 1 April 2023 the County and District councils in Somerset will be replaced by a new single unitary authority – Somerset Council. It’s an exciting time to join us as we work together with the four district councils to deliver the new council for Somerset.

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact:

Vince– For Taunton positions – Vince.Carey@Somerset.gov.uk or 01823 339263Steve- For Bridgwater positions- Steve.Osborne@Somerset.gov.uk or 07585 983350Lisa – For Somerton positions – Lisa.Bentley@Somerset.gov.uk or 07790 581455Ian – For Frome positions – Ian.Stewart@Somerset.gov.uk or 07775 027422

We recommend applying as soon as possible, depending on the level of response, we anticipate conducting interviews ahead of the closing date.

If you submit your CV or profile in application for this role via Indeed, we will upload your details to our applicant tracking system. Please see our privacy statement here:

https://www.somerset.gov.uk/finance-performance-and-legal/privacy-notice-recruitment-data-privacy-statement/If you have everything you need, just hit the apply button. We can’t wait to hear from you!

DBS information:
A disclosure check is required for this role
Job Reference: SCC04260

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Temporary, Permanent

Salary: £10.79 per hour

Work Location: In person