Senior Support Worker

**About the organisation**:operating for nearly 50 years, Access Community Trust is a multi-award winning charity and provider of housing, youth services, health/wellbeing and employability services across Suffolk and Norfolk. Our ambition is to deliver a service driven by passion and enthusiasm that reaches all vulnerable and socially excluded/isolated people without exception.

**Hours**: Part Time Available (20 hours per week)

**Working pattern**: We are operational 7 days a week and some weekend working will be required on a rota basis.

**Pay**: Starting salary of £26,325 per annum FTE (£13.50 per hour)

**Immediate Start Available**

**Principal Responsibilities**:
Supported housing provides specialist support for people who are vulnerable and at risk or who are in need of urgent accommodation. This includes people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and victims of domestic abuse. Individuals are supported to transition into longer-term accommodation and can also get help to access education, employment opportunities and healthcare.

The key responsibilities will require the postholder to work proactively liaise with customers, building a rapport and being the first point of contact. The postholder will work within a team to provide a safe, secure and comfortable environment, helping customers begin to recover from the trauma experienced through homelessness.

**Experience**:
**Person Specification (Essential/Desirable)**:
**Experience**
- Proven experience of being a frontline worker, working in an environment helping vulnerable people/families with issues relating to homelessness, with the ability to demonstrate an empathetic and non-judgemental approach and provide a positive and welcoming first point of contact (D)
- Excellent communication skills (E)
- Understanding around the issues relating to financial hardship, homelessness, mental health and substance misuse (D)
- Applicants must hold a working knowledge of health and safety (within an accommodation environment and within the community) where lone working is applicable (E)

**Qualifications**
- A thorough knowledge of Temporary/Emergency or Supported Housing Accommodation (D)
- A professional qualification in housing, social work, community work or similar area of work (D)
- Significant lived experience within factors which relate to our customers. This can include knowledge of substance misuse, the welfare system, homelessness, long term unemployment, mental health, financial hardship (D)

**Work-Focused Skills**
- Current driving licence and have the use of a car (D)
- Applicants should have excellent inter-personal and communication skills and must be able to work within a multi-disciplinary team (E)
- Applicants should be able to manage their own work, use initiative as appropriate and be open to constantly changing work routines (E)
- Applicants should have good generic IT skills as the role will involve be able to use databases and specialist performance reporting systems (E)
- Experience of working in challenging situations, and being able to find practical solutions (E)

**Application Info**:
As an organisation we recognise the value of lived experience and actively encourage our staff, with support, to use their experiences to support the development of our services and their work. We may ask you to share your lived experience with us at interview stage, if you feel comfortable doing so.

Access Community Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its young people and vulnerable adults using our services and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

**Benefits**:

- Cashback healthcare & dental scheme, with the ability to upgrade and add on dependants
- One month paid sabbatical after five years' continuous service
- 24/7 counselling helpline, including six structured counselling sessions
- Basic holiday entitlement of 28 days (pro-rata for part time working, you may be required to work on bank holidays if your service remains open but will have the equivalent entitlement to use another time)
- Extra leave accrued for length of service, up to a maximum of 5 days after 5 full years' service
- Company sick pay (from 12 months continuous service)
- Access to a wide range of store, leisure and travel discounts
- Cycle2Work scheme
- Company pension with a 3% employer contribution

**Job Types**: Part-time, Permanent

Pay: From £26,325.00 per year

Work Location: In person