Trainee Housing Specialist

Job overview
Trainee Housing Specialists will join a newly created Housing Team within Sussex Partnership Trust which looks to embed housing expertise across our adult mental health services. The role is a development opportunity for individuals interested in a career in Housing. Trainee Housing Specialists will be supported by SPFT's Housing Team and a host Local Housing Authority to develop the skills and knowledge through a structured programme of training, professional supervision, and peer support to become a Band 5 Housing Specialist within a 24-month period.
Trainee Housing Specialists will work with SPFT's Housing Team and a host Local Housing Authority to provide housing advice and interventions to people open to adult mental health services. Each Trainee Housing Specialist is assigned a host Local Authority area and accepts housing referrals for service users living in that area.
The role will involve travel across various sites across the host Local Authority area which will include inpatient and community mental health teams, Council Offices, and people's homes. Trainee Housing Specialists are expected to work face to face and virtually with people subject to need, demand, location and communication preference.
Successful applicants will have some knowledge of housing and homelessness legislation, processes, and coupled with experience of providing advice and working with people who experience severe and enduring mental health problems.
Main duties of the job
Trainee Housing Specialists will receive referrals for people using adult mental health services who have a variety of housing needs. With support you will be responsible for delivering specialist housing advice, assistance and interventions for adults using mental health services in a way that prevents or relieves homelessness, or improves poor housing quality. This will be done by completing full housing assessments, creating clear action plans that help address the persons housing needs, and coordinating activity required to secure a positive outcome. You will be expected to manage and prioritise a caseload of people who are in housing need across your designated area alongside contributing to an office hours team duty system in place for referrals across Sussex.
Trainee Housing Specialists will have formal working arrangements with the Local Housing Authority they are attached to. A part of this role will be preparing information on behalf of the Local Housing Authority for individuals who may be homeless or threatened with homelessness. Housing Specialists will act in accordance with mental health and homelessness legislation including statutory Codes of Guidance and policies relevant to their Local Housing Authority.
Working for our organisation
We recognise that working in mental health can be stressful at times so we prioritise staff welfare; providing regular supervision, mentoring, and any other support that our staff need to ensure their wellbeing. We also encourage flexible working.
We know that a positive work/life balance brings about huge health-related benefits, which has a positive impact on the care we provide. Please speak to us about flexible working, for example, partial home-working, part-time hours, or flexible start/finish times. If it works for you and works for the role, we'll do our best to make it happen.
Our vision is to provide outstanding care and treatment; the people that we employ are at the heart of making this vision a reality. If you've got the passion, the belief, the drive and the talent to help us achieve our vision then we would like to hear from you.
To protect the health and safety of our staff/workers, patients, and those attending our sites, we encourage our workforce to get fully vaccinated against COVID.
We will consider applications for those who wish to apply on a secondment basis.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To deliver specialist housing advice, assistance, and interventions to people who use our services in relation to their housing needs which will prevent or relieve homelessness, secure good quality and longer term settled housing solutions, and reduce financial hardship.
Prepare information and support decision makers on formal applications for assistance, on behalf of the Local Housing Authority they are attached to, from persons who may be homeless or threatened with homelessness, acting in accordance with the homelessness legislation, statutory Code of Guidance and the policies of the relevant Local Housing Authority.
To work between local mental health and housing systems to ensure people who use our services and staff receive high quality and timely specialist housing input and access to wider housing teams and referral pathways.
The position will be primarily based within the district they are assigned toin a variety of settings with applicants expected to travel within the district. On occasion this may involve travel outside of the district.
NB: The salary banding on these three posts is pending job evaluation
Person specification
proficiencies
Essential criteria

• Some knowledge and understanding of relevant areas of housing policy and practice including the law relating to local housing authority homelessness duties and the allocation of social housing
• Experience of working in a professional capacity with people who have housing and mental health needs
• Commitment and ability to work towards completing a Level 3 (or equivalent) housing related qualification and undertake a programme of housing professional development under supervision

Desirable criteria

• Good understanding of the role and responsibilities in relation to the safeguarding of vulnerable adults and children
• Experience of partnership working within and across various statutory and non-statutory teams and agencies

Sussex Partnership NHS FT is committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. Our workforce is currently under-represented from Black and Minority, Ethnic and disabled communities and we would welcome applications from these communities.
We regret that we are unable to advise candidates if they have not been shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.
In the event of an excessive number of applicants the Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy earlier than indicated.
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust takes its responsibilities for the safeguarding and protection of children and young people and vulnerable adults very seriously and expects this of all its employees and bank workers. The Trust works with adult and children's social care to ensure that the integrated service has systems in place to equip staff and bank workers with the knowledge and skills to recognize abuse, and take action to safeguard and protect vulnerable adults and children and young people. It is expected that all staff and bank workers familiarise themselves with the appropriate structures and policies and with the Sussex child protection and safeguarding procedures and the Sussex multi-agency policy and procedures for safeguarding vulnerable adults and undertake the relevant essential training and further training appropriate to their role.
Successful candidates are normally offered salaries at the bottom of the relevant salary range. However, where previous or equivalent NHS experience in a similar role can be demonstrated and evidenced, this may be taken into consideration when setting the starting salary.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.