Specialist Support Worker

We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Specialist Support Worker to join our Mental Health Social Care Service in Ealing. £29,555.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week. Want to feel like you're making a difference? You'll feel at home here. Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That's why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren't token gestures - we've thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day. Our benefits include: Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of serviceFree DBS Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway and opportunity to buy a Blue Light CardFully paid induction programme and further trainingILM courses and Apprenticeship ProgrammesCycle to work schemeEmployee Assistance Programme for 24-7 confidential supportOnline wellbeing resourcesA generous pension - we will contribute up to 4% and life assurance cover up to £10,000 (T&Cs apply)Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff's commitment and contribution All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship. For a full job description, please visit our website. Oaklands & St Kilda's is made up of two newly refurbished six-bedroom homes, located close to each other in Ealing, West London. We work with up to 12 young people at a time, providing a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment. Many of the young people joining us are moving on from hospital, stepping down from more intensive placements, or transitioning from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to Adult services. We deliver 24-hour trauma-informed and psychologically informed support. As a Specialist Support Worker, you will take a lead role in supporting young people with more complex mental health presentations - using advanced judgement to identify changes in presentation, contribute to risk planning, and confidently engage with clinical professionals to ensure the right interventions are in place. If you have strong experience in mental health support, are confident working with complexity, and are passionate about empowering young people to move forward positively in life, we would love to hear from you. This is an excellent opportunity for someone ready to step into a more advanced, professionally influential role within a trauma-informed, recovery-focused environment. The Specialist Support Worker role involves early shifts (7:30 - 15:30/8:00 - 16:00) and late shifts (14:00 - 22:00) throughout the week, including some weekends each month. What you'll bring: Essential: Significant experience supporting young people or adults with complex mental health needs, ideally in hospital discharge, step-down or supported accommodation settings. Strong understanding of risk assessment, safety planning and safeguarding, with confidence to escalate concerns appropriately. Proven ability to work autonomously, make sound decisions and remain calm in high-pressure or crisis situations. Confident in supporting young people to develop daily living skills, independence and community integration. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including accurate recording and information sharing with professionals. Desirable: Level 3+ qualification in Health & Social Care, Psychology, Mental Health, or related field, or equivalent professional training. Experience contributing to multi-disciplinary meetings such as ward rounds, discharge planning or CPA reviews. Experience mentoring or supporting the development of less experienced staff. Experience embedding trauma-informed or psychologically informed practices (PIE, DBT-informed work, recovery approaches). Lived experience applied professionally and appropriately in a support setting is welcomed. About us: Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 100 services, providing support to thousands of customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness and complex needs, young people and care leavers and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us. We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values: We focus on Excellence and innovation.We are Caring and Compassionate.We are Inclusive and Trusted.We work in Partnership and are One-Team. Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role. We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date. We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.