Care worker

Care Worker (full time – 37 hours per week) 

Are you passionate about making a real difference in people's lives?  

The Horticultural Skills Unit (HSU) is looking for a caring, enthusiastic and green fingered Care Worker to join our small, friendly and supportive team. We provide a vibrant, person-centred service for adults with learning disabilities, offering training and work experience in horticulture and other practical skills. We are open Monday to Thursday, 8.45am to 4:15pm, Friday, 8.45am – 3.45pm 

Horticultural Skills Unit, Hepscott Park, Morpeth, NE61 6QA  
 Salary: £27,274 - £29,071  

 Permanent | Full time (37 hours per week)  

Closing date: 28/09/2026 

About the Role  

As a Care Worker, you will play an important role in promoting the wellbeing, confidence and independence of the people we support. Your responsibilities will include:  

• Supporting individuals with growing plants in greenhouses and gardens and with selling plants to our customers.
• Helping people access and enjoy opportunities within their local community.
• Promoting independence, creating opportunities for personal development, and facilitating positive interactions between those who use the service and members of the public.
• Acting as a keyworker and maintaining accurate, professional records.

Why Work at the HSU?  

The HSU at Hepscott Park is long established (1985) and well known within the Morpeth area. We are next door to the very popular Garden Café. We are a small service with a family atmosphere and with strong links to the wider community. If you like flowers, vegetables, gardens, the outdoors and helping people, then this job could be for you. We would love you to have horticultural skills and qualifications, but if you don’t, some of our best horticulturalists are home grown, learning their skills on the job. 

You will support people to take part in a wide range of horticultural and other practical work, including:  

• Growing plants from seeds and cuttings in potting shed, greenhouses and polytunnels and selling our plants to our customers
• Growing vegetables and soft fruit in our allotment area.
• Planting and maintaining our gardens and managing our small wild woodland
• Making things with wood in our small workshop, making kindling
• Social events including summer fair, cricket, BBQs and Christmas wreath workshops

• Cooking with our home grown produce.
• Visiting gardens and other places of interest

The HSU is all about co-production – working together with people. Every morning, in a short meeting, everyone chooses the work they are going to do that day. Every year, the people who use our service help shape what we do, and we encourage staff to bring their own interests, skills and ideas.  

Who We're Looking For  

We're looking for someone who:  

•  Has a good standard of education, with strong literacy and numeracy skills. 
•  Has a positive, flexible attitude and a genuine passion for supporting others. 
• Can work effectively as part of a team and build positive relationships. 
•  Is willing to undertake training and uphold the highest standards of care. 
• Has a passion for growing plants, with some working knowledge and experience of horticulture, particularly glasshouse work, and is happy to work outdoors and in a wide range of horticultural settings (desirable but not essential). 
• Has DIY / woodworking skills (desirable but not essential)
• Holds a full driving licence and can drive the HSU people carrier (desirable but not essential). 

What Our Team Says:  

"The HSU is a wonderful place to work. It’s more than just a job. No two days are the same. I wish I had known about this job years ago!."  

Current Care Worker  

Interested?  

To find out more or arrange an informal visit, we'd love to hear from you. Contact Tess Patterson (01670) 623911 or 07966326740 
If you are not familiar the service provided by the HSU at Hepscott Park we would recommend a visit. Come and see for yourself what makes the HSU such a rewarding place to work.  

Why choose us?

Northumberland County Council’s (NCC) vision is ‘Land of Great Opportunities’, for current and future generations. We believe there is no better place to live and work. 

We have some outstanding benefits and perks to offer you, including:

• 26 days annual leave plus public/bank holidays, rising to 31 days after 5 years of service (pro rata for part-time employees) 
• Automatic enrolment into the Local Government Pension Scheme
• A collaborative, supportive and forward-thinking environment where your leadership will have a lasting impact.
• Employee Wellbeing support for mental and Physical Health

Stay connected with us on social media to keep up to date with Northumberland County Council’s latest job opportunities.

Facebook: NCC Jobs Group 

LinkedIn: Northumberland County Council Jobs

Additional Information

For guidance on completing your application and for information about our Equality and Diversity principles, please see the attached guidance notes.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format, please see the alternative methods below. This information will be treated as confidential and will only be used to check that you meet the essential requirements of the post.

Alternative application format:

British Sign Language: northumberlandcc-cs.signvideo.net

For those with speech difficulties or hearing loss: Text relay service dial 018001 01670 623930