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Personal Support Worker Job Description

What does a Personal Support Worker do?

A Personal Support Worker (PSW) provides compassionate care and support to people who require assistance with their daily activities due to illness, injury, or age-related limitations. PSWs work closely with their clients to help them maintain their independence and improve their quality of life by assisting with tasks such as grooming, bathing, dressing, and feeding. They also provide companionship and emotional support, monitor clients’ health and wellbeing, and can administer medications or medical treatments under the direction of a healthcare professional. PSWs play a vital role in the healthcare system and help to keep vulnerable individuals living safely and comfortably in their own homes.

Our Personal Support Worker job description includes the Personal Support Worker responsibilities, duties, skills, education, qualifications, and experience.

Personal Support Worker Example


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If you need an example job description for a Personal Support Worker download the one below, alternatively we have many other Personal Care job description samples and a job description library with over 3000 job descriptions templates that you can download for free.

What does a Personal Support Worker do?

A Personal Support Worker helps individuals with physical or mental disabilities, or those who are elderly or terminally ill, to live as independently as possible. This may include providing personal care, such as helping with dressing, bathing and eating, as well as providing emotional and practical support. The Personal Support Worker must be compassionate and understanding, as well as having excellent communication and organisational skills. They should also be able to work well as part of a team and be comfortable working with vulnerable people.

Personal Support Worker Role Purpose

The purpose of a Personal Support Worker (PSW) is to provide a high standard of care to vulnerable people in a variety of settings, including residential care homes, hospitals, and in the community. PSWs act as a key point of contact between service users, their families, and other professionals involved in their care. They are responsible for providing physical, emotional, and practical care, as well as promoting independence. They also provide advice and support to service users and their families, helping them to manage their daily lives and make informed decisions.

Personal Support Worker Role

A Personal Support Worker provides individualised care and assistance to people in need, including the elderly, those with physical or mental disabilities, and those recovering from illness or injury. They offer companionship, practical help, emotional support and advice. They may also help with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation and household chores.

Personal Support Worker Duties

  • Provide assistance with daily living activities such as bathing, dressing, grooming, mobility, feeding and personal hygiene
  • Monitor and record patients' condition and report any changes to appropriate medical staff
  • Assist in rehabilitation and therapy programs, providing encouragement and support
  • Assist with housekeeping tasks, shopping and running errands
  • Perform light administrative and clerical tasks
  • Provide companionship and socialization to patients

Personal Support Worker Requirements

  • A valid Personal Support Worker qualification
  • Excellent interpersonal, communication and organisational skills
  • Ability to work independently and manage workloads
  • Ability to work flexible hours

Personal Support Worker Skills

  • Good communication
  • Patience
  • Ability to work with diverse clients
  • Proficient in computer skills
  • Ability to follow instructions

Personal Support Worker Personal Traits

  • Compassionate
  • Reliable
  • Respectful
  • Patient
  • Organised

How to write a Personal Support Worker Job Advert

Use our job advert template to write a job advert for posting on job sites and job boards. Our job advertising templates are carefully created to help you reach your audience and beat the competition to the best talent.

A job description informs the reader about a job, whereas a job advert’s main objective is to sell the job opportunity to attract as many suitable applicants possible. A job advert maybe the first touch-point a candidate has with your company so it is important to create a great impression.

Job Advertisements should enticing, so considering using short, exciting language which get the reader’s attention.

How to write a Personal Support Worker Job Description

To write a job description, we recommend starting with a job description template from our job description library, which contains examples for 800+ positions and professions. Our job description examples include a job summary with duties and responsibilities and skills and requirements, which can be personalised for your job vacancy.

Job Description Advice - Guidance on How to Personalise a Personal Support Worker Job Specification

The hiring process and recruiting new employees to fill your key roles requires a degree of personalisation if you are to attract the best employees in a competitive employment market. The right person for a crucial role or more senior roles will likely have other employers targeting them. As your job description will be the first point of contact, you need to nail your pitch and provide the best possible service.

Job Description Tips - Help on formatting a Personal Support Worker Job Specification

When creating your bespoke description and advert, you should cover and promote these points:

Job title: This should accurately reflect the role and include keywords that top talent might be using to search for jobs.

Job duties: The day to day duties, such as administrative tasks, which vary depending on the company and inform the candidate if they can complete the role.

Technical skills: These are the hard skills required through training, such as proficiency with Microsoft Office.

Soft skills: These include the interpersonal skills and general abilities the right candidates will possess. For example, the competency to prioritise multiple tasks, handle customer queries and customer complaints, work alone, or build a good relationship with coworkers.

The company's culture: Highlighting your company culture and values ensures employees thrive and find outstanding job satisfaction. Candidates that are not the right fit won’t waste their time completing the application process, meaning you can focus on qualified individuals and hire in a more timely manner.

Career progression: Including the career path will entice candidates looking for career growth. 

Training and development programs: Smaller companies may need employees with previous experience or provide educational assistance over internal training offered by larger organisations with more significant resources. 

Employee benefits: Compensation and benefits often fail to appear in job ads and while you may want to hold your cards close to your chest, failing to include them is a mistake. Consider answering common questions, such as working hours and paid leave. Researching the average salary for the role in these early stages will ensure you don’t waste your interviewer’s and the candidate’s time.

Skill gaps: Your company may need to bring in new skills beyond those required to complete the key role and duties. Thinking on an organisational level can be beneficial when contemplating skills diversity.

Legal requirements: Ensure your job advert and description does not ask for inappropriate or discriminatory personal details, such as age, marital status, or religion.

How to Hire a Personal Support Worker

Once you have selected your Job Description download it or convert it to a Job Advert. From here you can post/advertise your job across our network of job boards. If you wish to use the job description for a CV Template click through for advice and Convert to a CV

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