Accommodation Support Officer

RSR Justice is a market leading recruitment business dedicated to providing top quality candidates and services to the offender rehabilitation and supervision work sectors.

RSR are currently recruiting for an Accommodation Support Officer.

Our client, a charity dedicated to providing residential accommodation for vulnerable men, is urgently seeking staff to join their current team at HMP Elmley. You’ll work with a caseload of adult males within a custodial or community environment. In partnership with probation practitioners, you’ll complete initial assessments to understand their specific needs, and then create tailored accommodation plans to meet this through an agreed number of interventions. This will include ensuring that the participants are aware of any decisions that affect them, plus informing them of their rights within the process. We need your excellent interpersonal skills to create and maintain effective professional relationships with both our participants and external stakeholders. We’re looking for an excellent role model who can encourage positive changes in attitudes and behaviour.

Location: HMP Elmley

Contract: Permanent, Full Time

Work hours: Full time, 37 hours per week

Salary: £23,088 per annum starting salary

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Work in close partnership with probation practitioners in order to understand and respond to the specific and diverse housing needs of the participants.
• Engage with actual and potential referral agencies, authorities and organisations including statutory and third sector agencies and where appropriate the community in order to facilitate relevant referrals to programmes / activities / services as required.
• Carry out timely initial face to face housing assessments taking account of risk situation and need in order to facilitate any appropriate actions and outcomes
• Construct an effective accommodation plan based on an initial assessment of the participants needs and abilities delivered through an agreed number of interventions based on participant need. The progress and outcomes delivered should be responsive, accurate and timely and recorded using the Authority case management system to ensure probation practitioners are aware of any contact and progress.
• Actively and collaboratively engage with participants in decisions that affect them, informing them of their procedural and representational rights, ensuring they have input in shaping the nature of services delivered to them through involvement activities ranging from providing information, requesting feedback, consulting, to facilitating participation by participants.
• Identify and maintain focus on achievement of the desired outcomes for participants from the service being delivered. Where this includes employment and rehabilitation this must include liaison with the relevant interventions’ functions.
• Develop effective stakeholder relationships with appropriate external groups, agencies and authorities in order to support participants housing needs and support requirements
• To adhere at all times to probation and prison information security requirements and rules and to adhere to GDPR and information security requirements.
• To attend any meetings (internal and external) as required and directed by either the Senior Accommodation Support Officer or Accommodation Support Team Manager
• Meet individual performance targets and contribute towards meeting team performance targets in respect of the service.

Person Specification

• Experience of group work
• Experience of working with a variety of people who have experienced a range of social/personal difficulties.
• Be able to evidence experience of supporting resettlement activity within homelessness services
• Knowledge and experience of the work of the Criminal Justice System.
• Knowledge of Homelessness Legislation
• Highly effective interpersonal and communication skills both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to work respectfully, cooperatively and flexibly with others both on a 1:1
• basis and as part of a team.
• Ability to plan and conduct structured meetings with individuals or groups.
• Ability to contribute to the assessment and management of risk.
• Confident with the ability to exercise authority and reinforce boundaries in an appropriate manner.
• Good organisational and administration skills and the ability to meet deadlines.
• Ability to work independently
• Experience of delivering support services to complex and vulnerable groups
• Be free from any criminal conviction, which would conflict with the responsibilities of the post.
• Be able to deal with information on a confidential basis.
• To work flexibly across the region, covering multiple offices and to work up to four unsocial shifts (including Saturdays) per week

You will require a DBS check for this role. We are able to process a DBS Check for you for you which is a requirement for this position.

Due to the high volume of applications received, if you do not hear from us within 7 working days, I am afraid your application has been unsuccessful.

RSR Justice is member of the Red Snapper Group.

The Red Snapper Group acts as an employment agency (permanent) and as an employment business (temporary) - a free and confidential service to candidates.

The Red Snapper Recruitment Group is an equal opportunities employer.