Community Housing Support Worker - Shap

Job Title: Service Manager

Responsible to: Managing a caseload of 5 tenants

Responsible for: N/A

Hours of Work: 37.5 Hrs per Week – initially on a 9-5 basis but hours will change to a rota of a mix of earlies and lates (between 10am to 8pm 7days a week) in line with growth of service.

Location: YMCA Together – initially based form the Leeds street office 

Salary and benefits: £27,111 per annum

• 33 days annual leave including bank holidays per annum
• Paid Medicash support
• Birthday Day off
• Spiritual Day off
• Charity day of your choice
• Well-being Hours
• Cycle To Work Scheme
• Refer a Friend Scheme
• Company Pension Scheme 4%
• Funded Training Opportunities

Shortlisting/Interview/Assessment Dates:

• Shortlisting 21st May 2024
• Interview/Assessment Day 28th May 2024

YMCA Together has been voted No1 Charity to work for by our employees in 2022. YMCA is a registered charity and company Limited by Guarantee. We were founded in 1846 and so we build on a long history of providing a place for people experiencing challenging times in their lives.

YMCA Together is a truly value driven organisation.

Our vision is that everyone should feel safe, understood, empowered and positive for their future. We meet our vision by working within our values of Strength, Humility, Respect, Empathy and Kindness. These SHREK values run through all that we do from recruitment to how we work alongside people in our services to our partnership approach with other providers.

Our clear vision and values come together to help us in our mission to inspire and support people to change their lives by instilling hope, valuing the person and maximising potential.

Job Purpose

This service will provide support to vulnerable young people (age 18-25) who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness or rough sleeping with medium to high support needs. As a Support Worker you will be focused around facilitating recovery, self-development and preparing for independent living. The aim of the support is to ensure that young people are supported and empowered to make positive choices about their life and to develop the tools required to live a life free from homelessness.

As a Support Worker you be expected to have specific skills and experience of working with young people and engage them using range of tools, language and platforms that are familiar to young people e.g. technology, social media etc. As a Support Worker you will recognise that the people that we support have often experienced trauma and will work in a way which understands this. You will work alongside our Assistant Psychologist for people that require it. You will manage a caseload of 5 people with the emphasis being on intense 121 support that will enable everyone to meet their goals successfully. 

Hours of work

The post holder will initially be working Monday to Friday, but this will move to a rota of earlies, lates and some weekend working as the service develops. 

Driving License

Due to the nature of this role, you will need to have a current, valid driving license.

Duties and responsibilities

• Carry out new service user welcomes, inducting into their new properties and identifying immediate support needs. 
• Ensure that service users have a full understanding of their rights and responsibilities during their stay.  
• Support service users to achieve their goals and targets as defined/ agreed within their support plans and empower them to reach their aims . 
• Manage, update, and communicate service users risk assessments in line with YMCA Together policy and procedure. 
• Ensure service users shape their own support and understand the purpose of the support provided. 
• Hold planned key-work sessions as well as ad hoc support each week with service users using a person-centred reflective approach. 
• Assess support needs and plan support around individual need. Regularly review and develop mutually agreed support plans with service users and any other professional involved in the support of those individuals e.g., Social Workers, CPNs, Probation Officers 
• Up to date records must be kept on both support planning systems MainStay and DAVE. 
• Conduct monthly/quarterly risk assessments of service users keeping all relevant parties informed of updates/changes. 
• Support all service users with future tenancy planning ensuing that everyone has the skills to live independently away from a supported housing pathway. 
• Motivate and challenge service users so they realise their goals. 
• Liaise between service users and external agencies regarding the provision of specialised support when appropriate. 
• Encourage involvement and participation among service users in the running and shaping of the wider service provided by planning and attending regular service user meetings and forums. 
• Deal promptly with all complaints and protection from abuse disclosures. 
• Demonstrate creativity in overcoming obstacles and a commitment to working with and providing support to vulnerable people. 

  Health and Safety

• Always ensure the safety of yourself and others on the premises in which you work or are visiting following the lone working processes.
• To report, log and communicate all incidents to the appropriate people.
• To adhere to all risk management protocols.

Teamwork

• To share information and expertise with the team, covering absence, and working together to provide a high-quality service.
• To contribute to the formulation of policy and procedures in relation to support services.
• Attend to all enquiries and pass messages onto relevant people.
• Develop excellent and robust relationships, protocols, contacts and service level agreements with referring agencies, statutory services, and wider stakeholder.
• To attend and participate in regular team meetings to ensure good communication.

 General

• Undertake own administrative services.
• Uphold and develop YMCA Together Equal opportunities and Diversity policy of anti-discriminatory practices across all services.
• Adhere to Protection from abuse policy.
• Report and log all safeguarding incidents.
• Observe and ensure compliance with the professional boundaries and data protection policy.

Relationships

The post holder will be required to have contact with a variety of people during the course of their work. The context of this contact will vary from formal ‘Key working’ to informal networking and relationship building with the Local Authority and other relevant agencies.

Annual appraisal and regular work review with line managers is an operational requirement, as is attendance at weekly support team meetings.

It is recognised that the organisation is operating in a dynamic environment and as such this job description may be varied in consultation with the post holder to reflect evolving needs of the business and changing nature of the job.

Person Specification – Community Housing Support Worker

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualification or working experience in homelessness, Tenancy management and supporting vulnerable people.

Desirable

• A recognised qualification in substance misuse or mental health
• Qualification in welfare rights
• IT qualification such as CLAIT, ECDL, ITQ.

Experience

Essential

• At least 1 years’ experience of working with vulnerable adults and a working knowledge of Resettlement, support planning, welfare rights, benefits advice, mental health issues, offending, drug and alcohol misuse, harm reduction, working with partner agencies and safeguarding.

Desirable

• Knowledge of support planning and models of change
• Experience of co coordinating three-way meetings
• Experience of directly working with young people. 

Knowledge 

Essential

• A working knowledge of providing intensive support to vulnerable client groups.
• A working knowledge of Health & Safety issues
• A clear understanding of complex needs support issues such as mental health, homelessness, substance misuse and offending
• Knowledge of safeguarding protocols
• Understanding of how to work alongside behaviours that we may find challenging.

Desirable

• Knowledge of health interventions
• Knowledge of welfare rights
• Knowledge of the Cognitive Analytical Therapy (CAT) framework
• Knowledge of health intervention and harm reduction.

Skills

Essential

• Computer literate, competent in working with Microsoft word, outlook, windows.
• The ability to conduct comprehensive and accurate risk assessments.
• To provide effective and consistent support planning with the people we support
• Excellent IT, communication, interpersonal, interviewing and assessment skills.
• Excellent administration skills and the ability to accurately and concisely record information and write reports.
• Plan and deliver workshops and training sessions to residents, staff and partner agencies.
• Demonstrate creativity in overcoming obstacles and a commitment to working with and providing support to vulnerable people.
• Ability and willingness to work unsupervised.

Desirable

• Analytical, data collation and reporting skills

Behaviour/Attributes

Essential

• Committed to improving the lives of people with complex needs.
• Committed to own personal development and CPD planning.
• Creative and dynamic approach with the ability to “think outside of the box” when providing solutions.
• Energetic, highly motivated with a reputation of being held in high regard by peers.
• Excellent interpersonal/ communication skills
• Excellent negotiation/ mediation skills
• Committed to own career development.
• Ability to work within & have commitment to YMCA ethos, philosophy and SHREK values, Strength, Humility, Respect, Empathy and Kindness
• Energetic, dynamic and self-motivated

If you would like to apply for this role please click here APPLY NOW

To download a copy of our application form, please click HERE

If you would like to apply not directly through the website, please email your completed application form to recruitment@ymcatogether.org.uk