Rough Sleeper Accommodation Project Worker

Job Title: Rough Sleeper Accommodation Project Worker

Responsible to: Service Manager

Responsible for: N/A

Hours of Work: 37.5 Hrs per Week

Location: YMCA Together – Alt Bank House

Salary and benefits:

£27,111

• 33 days annual leave including bank holidays per annum
• Paid Medicash support
• Birthday 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 and Interview Dates:

• Shortlisting will take place on the 28th of February
• Interviews to take place 4th March

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

The post holder will be managing referrals and placements for the YMCA Together Rough Sleeper Accommodation Project providing pathways from homelessness to greater independence. This service will operate with a “Therapeutic approach” prioritising Rough Sleepers, or those with a history of rough sleeping currently in emergency accommodation for tenancies.

The post holder will offer an assertive, creative approach which aims to break the cycle of repeated tenancy failure.  The post holder will deliver person centred support, facilitating pathways to appropriate wrap around services so our tenants’ immediate needs are met and focused support to manage a tenancy and settling into the local community.

Duties and Responsibilities

Staff will be responsible for managing a caseload of maximum of 10 clients and will have the primary role of providing and co coordinating support interventions and multi-agency activity that prepares the client for resettlement and independent living. It is the staff member’s responsibility to ensure a smooth transition from the street or service into independent accommodation.  Once accommodated providing ongoing floating support and referrals to wrap around services to ensure ongoing independence and sustainment of accommodation.

The post holder will use Cognitive Analytic Therapy Skills (CAT) as a framework for understanding and working with client and colleagues in managing psychological and relational aspects of mental health, personality disturbance and risky behaviours. CAT will be used for planning and assessing effectiveness of a variety of interventions and risk management.

The post holder will be responsible for providing housing management and support services to client with complex needs to enable them to maintain tenancies/ licences and resettle to appropriate accommodation in the community.

The team will develop and maintain relationships with private accredited landlords and housing associations and deliver structured, co-ordinated programmes to meet the individual needs of complex clients.

The staff member will work closely with delivery partners and providers across Knowsley to ensure we meet project targets and referrals and placements are dealt with appropriately.

Support planning

• Provide a high level of direct support to support clients to sustain tenancies.
• Creatively support and engage clients that have a wide range of complex and challenging support needs.
• Support clients to achieve their goals and targets as defined/ agreed within their support plans and support contracts.
• Manage, update and communicate clients risk assessments in line with YMCA Together policy and procedure.
• Work closely with other Temporary Accommodation providers, Housing Solutions, Whitechapel, Outreach and Rough Sleeper Services.

Move on & Tenancies

• Establish positive working relationships with clients, support move on from Alt Bank House, providing guidance, assistance and support around managing their tenancy.
• Develop personalised creative plans for each individual ensuring that support is tailored to what works for the specific individual.
• Ensure clients shape their own support plans.
• Liaise with accommodation providers and private landlords to ensure they have the best opportunity to sustain their tenancy.
• Inspect prospective resettlement accommodation with client and communicate with landlords.
• Liaise with accommodation providers where appropriate to negotiate move in dates, repairs, decoration, deposits, advance rates, connection of utilities and furnishing prior to move in.
• Ongoing support after move on to assist clients in maintaining their accommodation.
• Demonstrate creativity in overcoming obstacles and a commitment to working and providing support to vulnerable people.
• Be able to travel and meet clients at and near properties for support and to maintain oversight of how they are managing their tenancies.

Resident Involvement and engagement

• Encourage involvement and participation from clients in the project, act as an advocate for clients to ensure that their voices are heard.
• Provide safe, welcoming support with excellent standards and an ethos of service delivery that encourages clients to engage.
• Encourage clients to take ownership of their support planning to work towards independent accommodation.

Multi Agency Working

• Promote and encourage pathways to independent living, help prevent health deterioration, hospital admissions, offending behaviours and substance misuse.
• Provide information on harm reduction and health interventions to decrease the use of crisis/ emergency services.
• Encourage those with mental health issues to access services that are available to them through community health teams and care programme approach.

Reporting/ Monitoring

• Monitor positive feedback from client and external agencies.
• Ensure completion of Support plans, risk assessments and data added to Mainstay and recording systems.
• Monitor housing benefit accounts to ensure any issues are identified and actioned in a timely manner.

Health and Safety

• Liaise with all emergency services.
• Ensure at all times the safety of yourself and others on the premises in which you work.
• Conduct Health and Safety checks as required.
• Report, log and communicate all incidents to the appropriate people.
• Adhere to property visits, welfare check, handover, incident process.
• Ensure adherence to YMCA Together policy and procedure.

Internal relationships

• Excellent communication with the RSAP team and other colleagues.
• To be committed to learning and personal development both as an individual and as part of a team.
• Sharing information and expertise with the ABH team, covering absence, and working together to provide a high quality service.
• Attend team meetings and Reflective practice as required.

External relationships

• Develop excellent working relationships with the projects team and multi disciplinary team and ensure successful delivery of outcomes.
• Develop excellent and robust relationships, protocols, contacts and service level agreements with referring agencies, statutory services and wider stakeholders
• Develop and maintain relationships with accommodation providers.
• Attend meetings with the core partnership group and the wider programme as required to develop the service model, to assist with systems change and ensure all the KPI’s and outcomes of the programme are met.

General

• Uphold and develop YMCA Together Equal Opportunities policy of anti-discrimination across all services.
• Ensure compliance with Code of conduct, including professional boundaries and confidentiality at all times.
• Deal promptly with all complaints.
• Report all safeguarding incidents.
• Familiarise yourself with and ensure compliance with all YMCA Together policies and procedures.
• Conduct Mainstay assessments and related tasks with homeless individuals.
• Prepare for and attend supervision and annual appraisal with your line manager taking direction as appropriate and contributing to the development of both yourself and the programme.

It is recognised that the association 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.

The post holder will be expected to carry out other duties consistent with the responsibilities of the post and may be requested from time to time, they will be expected to demonstrate flexibility in all areas of their work. They will be expected to carry out some out of hours duties such as emergencies and meetings called at short notice.

Scope and limits of authority

Work within agreed policies recommending changes where necessary and co operate with all other staff to ensure the best interests of YMCA Together are always a prime consideration.

Person Specification – RSAP Worker

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualification or working experience in homelessness, mental health or offending.
• Driving licence with access to a vehicle.

Desirable

• Qualification in substance misuse, mental health, criminal Justice, health
• Qualification in IT

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working with complex service users with a history of mental health, offending, homelessness and substance misuse
• Experience of partnership working
• Experience of creative support planning and target setting
• Experience of working in a hostel/ resettlement or move on service
• Experience of working with Housing Associations and private landlords

Desirable

• Experience of working within a psychologically informed environment (PIE)
• Experience of working with entrenched Rough Sleepers and harm reduction
• Experience of working within an accredited bond scheme

Knowledge

Essential

• A working knowledge of Health & Safety
• A working knowledge of resettlement and move on services
• A clear understanding and specific knowledge of complex needs support issues such as homelessness, mental health, substance misuse and offending
• Knowledge of Safeguarding protocols
• Knowledge of “Outcomes Star”

Desirable

• Knowledge of the Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) framework
• Knowledge of health intervention and harm reduction services

Skills

Essential

• Computer literate, competent in working with Microsoft word, outlook, windows
• The ability to plan and facilitate workshops
• Commitment to multi agency working and best practice
• Ability to develop and deliver a high quality person centred approach

Desirable

• Analytical, data collation and reporting skills

Behaviour/Attributes

Essential

• Committed to improving the lives of people with complex needs
• Ability to work within the YMCA’s ethos, philosophy and SHREK values, strength, humility, respect, empathy and kindness
• Committed to own personal development and CPD planning
• Creative and dynamic approach with the ability to “think outside of the box” when providing solutions
• Excellent interpersonal/ communication skills
• Excellent negotiation/ mediation skills
• Energetic, highly motivated with a reputation of being held in high regard by their peers
• Commitment to own career development – reliable

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