Hostel support worker jobs

Job Title: Support worker

Location: London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Salary: £30,784.00 per annum 

Hours: Hours: 40 hours per week, including weekends

Contract: Permanent

PRHA is a great place to work – Our award-winning teams work together to improve the lives of our residents and make a real contribution to ending homelessness. As an IIP Gold standard employer, we value our staff and commit to develop their skills and support them in their important work.

We have an exciting opportunity for Support Workers within two of our specialist services. We are looking for self-starters with a passion for sparking change in people’s lives. You will have the necessary skillset to empower people and support residents to achieve their goals.

PRHA hostels guarantee a fast-paced, challenging and dynamic environment where no two days are ever the same. We are seeking motivated and energetic individuals to join our teams and help our residents to change their lives for the better.

We are looking for:

Competencies

• Knowledge, empathy, understanding and proven ability to work creatively and engage homeless people whose alcohol/ drug misuse/ mental health/ complex trauma has had significant effect on their physical and mental health, social and coping skills .
• Ability to assess needs, risks (within a framework of positive risk taking) and develop user led support plans.
• Awareness of and ability to identify and address health and care issues with partners, especially substance misuse, mental health, dementia etc.
• Ability to respond to challenging behaviour in a safe way.
• Ability to develop successful professional relationships, working collaboratively with external and internal partners , sharing expertise and learning from colleagues in health, social care,probation and voluntary sector etc
• Knowledge of and commitment to service user involvement, self empowerment, equalities, diversity andservice improvement
• Basic understanding of the principals of delivering support within a Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) and commitment to working within this model
• Robust knowledge and practical application of adult safeguarding requirements.
• Knowledge and understanding of Healthand Safety in a hostel setting, including dealing with emergencies and working alone.
• A good listener and communicator at all levels, including people with communication difficulties
• A good standard of literacy, numeracy, computer skills and the ability to write accurate and succinct reports.
• Proven ability both to work within a team and use initiative to problem solve.
• Excellent time management skills
• Willingness and ability to support personal care where the service user is at risk
• Ability to implement policies and procedures,standing orders and financial regulations

What we offer

We offer our staff a generous benefits package, which includes:

• Pension Scheme – We offer a group stakeholder pension scheme with 3% employer's contribution, employee contribution is 5%
• Holidays - Employees receive up to 22 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising with long service
• Medical – we provide a “Cash Back" Scheme for a range of services such as dental, physio, chiropody, health& wellbeing
• Training Programmes – We provide comprehensive training to our employees to enable them to grow in their career and achieve their professional aspirations.
• Season Ticket Loans – We offer interest-free season ticket loans after successful probation
• Life Assurance - Upon death whilst in service, a Death in Service payment may be made according to the scheme rules. The payment covers 3 times of the employee’s annual salary.

How to apply

Please read the full Job Description & Person Specification which can be found on our website. To apply, please send your CV and Supporting Statement outlining your interest in working for PRHA and explaining how you meet the criteria set out in the Job Description & Person Specification. Please send your CV and Supporting Statement by clicking the Apply Now button. Furthermore, applications with no attached personal statement explaining how you meet the job description will not be considered.

It is required for this post that the successful candidates will have to complete an enhanced DBS disclosure check.

Would you like to join an effective and encouraging team that helps people who are homeless find housing? You will be making a tangible difference every day. 

HOPE worldwide provides a compassionate, person-centred housing service ‘Two Step’ that helps people find and sustain accommodation in the private rented sector and in supported housing. 

The team spirit, opportunities for staff development, and the way that staff live out Christian values were instrumental in HOPE worldwide being awarded Investors in People Gold Accreditation.

The nature of the work will require someone who is resilient, quick to learn and is a good team player. Full training and regular support will be provided. 

Relevant experience is desirable but not essential.

Salary: £29,000 – £32,000 per annum

Working hours: Full-time (37.5 hours per week - hybrid role: can work up to 2 days from home by arrangement)

Annual leave and benefits: 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays, 5% pension contribution, Employee Assistance Programme.

Requirements - this job is for you if you:

• Have good written and oral communication skills in English and can liaise with external agencies in a professional manner 
• Can communicate compassionately and build trust to help people navigate challenging circumstances
• Have good IT literacy and organisational skills
• Can take initiative as a member of a team
• Can work under emotional pressure and respond to stressful situations professionally and with integrity

What will you do in the role?

• Assess client needs and suitability for accommodation in the private rented sector and/or supported housing via in-person meetings 
• Provide advice, guidance and support over the phone, in person, and via email to clients and stakeholders
• Arrange viewings of suitable properties with clients and liaise with agents and landlords
• Make referrals to hostels and supported housing
• Assist clients to access grants and with benefit claims
• Support clients with issues such as rent payments, liaising with landlords and dealing with neighbours
• Update client records and referrers using our CRM system, In-Form.
• Work with the team to keep improving the service

Desirable Experience and skills:

At HOPE worldwide, we value both lived and learnt experience. The following skills and experience would be helpful but if you don't have them, rest assured that we value attitude and willingness to learn, not just experience and skills:

• Working within a team of professional staff
• Successfully building relationships with a variety of stakeholders
• Experience of working with a charity/third sector organisation
• Working or serving within an organisation with a Christian ethos
• Supporting people to resolve issues with benefit claims
• Personal experience of overcoming homelessness or disadvantage
• Supporting people to access or sustain accommodation 

Equal Opportunities:

HOPE worldwide is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to ensuring that our workplace is free from discrimination within the framework of the Equality Act 2010.

We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds. Candidates will require Right to Work in the UK.

Please note that our office is in Angel, Islington and is up two flights of stairs with no lift. The requirements of job applicants and existing members of staff who have a disability will be reviewed to ensure that, wherever possible, reasonable adjustments are made to enable them to enter into or remain in employment with us. 

DBS checks:

Due to the nature of the role, a criminal record check is required before a final job offer is made.

How to apply:

Please submit a CV and cover letter outlining your motivation, skills and experience.

We know that there will be strong candidates who will not fit all the criteria, or who have important skills we have not mentioned. If that is you, please do not hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to in-person interviews at HOPE worldwide’s office in Islington.

We look forward to hearing from you!

CARIS Families is a small charity that supports homeless families living in hostel accommodation in Camden and Hackney.We run play and learning activities for children aged 0-16 from within 4 hostels in these boroughs, as well as a school holiday day trip programme and an Essentials Bank to ease family hardship.Our services for children aim to reduce the stress on children and parents of living in overcrowded, insecure accommodation, and to put back some of the vital childhood experiences that homeless accommodation deprives children of. 

We are currently looking for a trainee playworker who is looking to build a career working with children to join our dedicated frontline play team.You do not need to have any formal experience of playwork, but you do need to be passionate about working with children and supporting them to achieve their potential, and to be able to demonstrate this through previous work or volunteering experience.

This is an exciting opportunity for the right candidate, offering a rare entry-level role which alongside providing plenty of on-the-job training, will also fully sponsor their training towards the Level 2 Diploma in Playwork following successful completion of the probationary period.

Our new Playworker will: 

Role Description 

• Help to deliver our hostel-based Kids Club’s play session for 0-16 year olds during term time in the London Borough of Camden

• Help to deliver our School Holiday programme during school holidays (in Camden, Hackney and the wider London area) 

• Support the running of our term-time Essential Bank programme, providing free household goods to families in hostels 

• Provide a warm and welcoming experience for children & their families attending CARIS Families’ services

• Engage with children in their play and learning experiences, through staff-led activities and supporting child-led play. 

Person Specification 

We are looking for someone at the start of their career (or a career-changer) who is: 

• Experienced in working or volunteering within a play-based setting, with children between the ages of 0-16.

• Enthusiastic about supporting children in their free play and facilitating adult-led activities that stretch and stimulate children in their development 

• Passionate about improving opportunities for disadvantaged children 

• Understanding of the varied needs of children and their families 

• Good communicators, comfortable with working with a wide range of service users and professionals 

• Able to work well as part of a team.

Salary: £14 per hour 

Contract: 12 months initially, with a three month probation period, and the possibility of extension beyond 12 months subject to funding.Training for the Level 2 diploma will commence after successful completion of the probation period.

Hours:12 hours across three days a week in term time (40 weeks a year), Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.Please note on Kids Club days the working day ends at 6pm.One day a week (8 hrs) in school holidays (12 weeks a year), days variable.25 days per year Annual Leave (pro rata) with an additional week off over Christmas. 

Your pay will be equalized out across the 12 months of the year so you receive a consistent salary each month.