Passenger Assistant

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) operate a range of home to school and adults services transport routes across the County.

As part of our team, you will enable vulnerable people to achieve the best possible personal outcomes. You will do this by providing a reliable and consistent, safe transport service.

We're looking for people with an outward looking, caring and professional approach. The ideal person will naturally go above and beyond; acknowledging that our passengers value a friendly face and someone who is thoughtful and considerate.

About The Job

We are looking for Passenger Assistants to join our School Transport team based across the county.

Salary Range: £ 11.59 - £13.21 per hour. If you are on a casual contract your annual leave will be included in the hourly pay.

Work Location: Your base location is Drayton Depot (near Chichester) however, the work will be carried out across multiple locations surrounding. You wont be required to visit the base location every working day.

Contract: We have both Permanent Term Time Only contracts and Casual contracts available. Please indicate in your application which type of contract you would like to be considered for and specify the number of hours you would be available to work each week. Our available contracts range from 0 to 30 hours.

At WSCC, we promote flexible working, and a casual contract is a perfect fit for that! What is a casual contract? A casual contract allows us, as the employer, to offer work as and when it becomes available. It does not always guarantee hours, so you are given the option to accept or deny assignments as determined by us.

What is term time only working? A term time only contract is for our staff who are employed to work only during periods when schools are open. Your pay is calculated on an annual basis and then you are paid over twelve equal monthly instalments.

What you will be doing:

As a Passenger Assistant you will travel to and from schools and other venues, in minibuses, cars and taxis. You will ensure the safe transport of vulnerable adults and school children with special needs.

You will provide a safe, secure and happy environment for passengers, while in transit between destinations. You will also ensure that the passengers safely board and alight from the vehicles and that they are delivered to their venue in a safe way.

Your day-to-day tasks will include:

• Interpreting situations and events as they arise to solve straightforward problems concerning the wellbeing of the passenger or smooth running of the journey.
• Fastening seat belts.
• Attaching booster seats and ensure that passengers are properly seated.
• Working in conjunction with the driver and any other passenger assistants in the vehicle.
• Ensuring that all equipment, such as wheelchairs, are carefully stowed and secured when in transit.
• Working collaboratively and convey messages between the school and the pupil's parents about their health and wellbeing.

Experience and Skills

Key Skills:

• Very good communication skills, in order to communicate effectively with adults and children with special needs, their carers, family members and teachers.
• High levels of patience and sensitivity, able to deal effectively with adults and children with either medical or behavioural needs, calmly and with care for their wellbeing.
• Basic literacy and numeracy skills.
• Able to understand and communicate in basic non-verbal signals -such as an adult unable to speak pointing to something they want.
• A basic understanding of Makaton in order to communicate with those passengers with learning difficulties.

Qualifications and/or experience:

• Previous experience working with, or caring for, children or adults, in some capacity, including voluntary work, paid work or through family commitments.
• Knowledge of how to operate and secure items such as booster seats, wheel chairs and similar devices.
• Basic first aid training.
• Knowledge of how to operate and secure items such as booster seats, wheel chairs and similar devices.
• Basic first aid training

Rewards and Benefits

Our values and support for one another is intrinsic to everything we do and will be a key priority within the assessment for this post. We care hugely about wellbeing, allowing time for a good laugh, and developing our team to be the best they can be. Alongside this, we also offer the below benefits.

Further Information

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please visit our featured School transport jobs site. For issues or queries regarding your application please contact or call .

Struggling to apply? Book onto a Computer Buddy Session in a library near you to get help navigating our application form.

To apply, upload your CV and complete the application explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV.

We will review applications on a rolling basis therefore, you will be contacted within 2 weeks of your application.

Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references and health check.

For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran's Guaranteed Interview Scheme, this can be found on our application help page.