Support Worker

We are recruiting a new member of our team to work with clients who have experienced homelessness, supporting them in sustaining residencies and with their journey towards independent living.

Self Help Community Housing Association have been operating for over 40 years and work with people with a range of support needs: this can include substance abuse; mental health; physical health; criminal offending; debt and money management. We are part of Bristol City Council’s commissioned homeless prevention services working closely with other agencies on a regular basis.

**What do we offer?**
- A hybrid, flexible model of working.
- Annual leave starting at 29 days paid leave inclusive of bank holidays.
- Pension Contribution of 3% employer contribution and 5% employee.
- Life cover for 3 times your salary
- A thorough induction, probationary period and opportunity to professionally develop.
- Excellent training package to ensure you have the skills and knowledge to build your career including membership of the CIH to progress your housing career.
- A work laptop and phone.
- Employee Assistance Helpline

**Primary Tasks**
- Manage a caseload of individuals who have experienced homelessness.

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- Proactively engage clients with the association’s services and meet the conditions of their support and housing agreements
- Encourage and enable clients to access external support agencies.
- To have basic IT skills and be able to use a computer in day to day working.
- Ensure all records and file notes are up to date, accessible to colleagues and meet the requirements of data protection and confidentiality.
- To recognise any possible safeguarding issues and to act and report appropriately.
- Complete and monitor needs assessments ensuring that they are client focused.
- To ensure prompt and appropriate responses to client enquiries.
- Assist clients in moving into new properties and establishing themselves in their home.
- Work in partnership with housing management and maintenance.
- Establish productive working relationships with external organisations and colleagues.
- Contribute to the administration and organisation of the offices.
- Provide a diverse and culturally sensitive service for all clients in line with the organisation’s equal opportunities policies.

This job description is not an exhaustive list of all of the duties and responsibilities that may be required as may be required from time to time to enable service delivery.

**PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POST REQUIRES AN ENHANCED DBS.**

PERSON SPECIFICATION

EXPERIENCE

**Essential**
- Supporting vulnerable groups & individuals within the homeless sector.
- Experience of providing tenancy support.
- Tenant/Client Participation.
- Developing and maintaining Support plans with clients
- Inter-agency and partnership working
- Experience of working within a target focused environment

**Desirable**
- Working in a supported housing setting.
- Support individuals with needs in relation to homelessness, substance abuse, mental ill health, welfare rights, tenancy management, criminal activity and life skills.
- Rent Arrears or debt counseling.
- Working within a psychologically informed environment.

SKILLS

**Essential**
- Excellent written and verbal communication.
- Excellent IT skills
- Assessing the risks and needs of vulnerable adults.
- Collaboration
- The ability to provide respectful, non-judgemental support.
- Time and caseload management.
- Listening, reflecting and problem solving.
- Respond to emergency situations in a professional manner.
- Ability to motivate and work with challenging individuals.
- Work with performance indicators and deliver targeted outcomes.

QUALIFICATIONS

**Essential**
- Good standard of verbal and written communication.

**Desirable**
- Housing, Care or Support related qualification or equivalent experience

KNOWLEDGE

**Essential**
- Professional boundaries.
- Adult and Child safeguarding
- Understanding of signs of abusive behavior and how to manage disclosure
- Welfare benefits.
- Risk Assessments.
- Current good practice in supported housing

**Desirable**
- Support agencies in Bristol area.
- Housing legislation
- Health and safety legislation
- Best practice in supported housing

ATTITUDE

**Essential**
- Reliable
- Proactive and solution focused
- Resilient and determined
- Commitment to promoting personal responsibility
- Awareness of own strengths and weaknesses
- Willing to takes on challenges with a flexible attitude
- Self-motivated
- Flexible and responsive to change
- Commitment to diversity and equal opportunities

GENERAL

**Essential**
- Current clean driving license.
- Ability to work under pressure.
- Commitment to continual professional development and training.
- Any job offer will depend on a satisfactory DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) Barred List Disclosure Check. Due to the type of position this will be an enhanced check.

Additional Information

**Annual leave**: 29 days, which includes 8 d