Supported Lodgings Support Worker

Looking for a role that truly makes a difference?

Are you passionate about supporting young people and helping them build a pathway towards independence?

Barnardo's Swansea Supported Lodgings Service is looking for a dedicated and motivated Support Worker (Project Worker 1) to join our small, dynamic team on a full-time basis (37 hours per week).

In this rewarding role, you'll be part of a service that provides safe, bespoke accommodation and tailored support to young people within welcoming host households across Swansea. You will be working directly with young people to help them develop the skills and confidence they need to move on to independent living.

Every day will be different — from building trusted relationships and problem‑solving, to empowering young people to achieve positive outcomes in their lives. If you're highly motivated, values‑driven and looking for a role where your work has real impact, this is a fantastic opportunity.

The successful candidate will be required to carry out the following duties (in addition to those on the generic job description):-

• To offer direct support to young people living within a supported lodgings placement.
• To work co-operatively with the supported lodgings coordinator to plan and deliver support to young people.
• To work in partnership with young people to complete regular support plans and to act on these plans to develop skills for their future.
• To liaise with staff members from a range of statutory and voluntary services with regard to young people's needs
• To inform young people of their responsibility when placed in accommodation and to monitor their co-operation with the required standard of behaviour.

You will have: (Essential Criteria)

•  Experience of working with vulnerable young people and an awareness of the factors impacting on their lives (disadvantage, poverty, disability, substance use and misuse, mental health difficulties as well as loss, separation and attachment difficulties) this could be in a voluntary as well as paid setting.
• An understanding of service user support planning, monitoring and reviewing 
• Able to manage a workload and to prioritise competing demands.
• Experience of working within Safeguarding policies and protocols.

The Supported Lodgings service provides safe, supportive, short‑term accommodation for vulnerable young people aged 16 to 21 within ordinary family homes in the community. The service helps young people to develop and maintain the independence and social skills they need to successfully move on to more independent living. It also supports them to make positive use of education, training, employment, and social or recreational opportunities available to them. Above all, the service works alongside young people to help them plan for the next stage of their lives and feel confident in taking those next steps.

Additional Information

You must have the ability to travel independently to meet the requirements of the post.

You must demonstrate in your application that you currently use the skills outlined above, and in the Job Description/Person Specifications, or have used them previously in employment, education, training, volunteering etc.

Although this contract has a permanent status, please be aware that this post is subject to continued funding and therefore should this funding not be extended further, you may be subject to a redundancy consultation or a TUPE arrangement.

Your main office base will be at Children Matter, Swansea, Penlan but you will be expected to work locally and in the wider community.

When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification, Job Description and Additional Information document. This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described.

Pay & Reward Framework

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.  We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people. 

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay. 

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours.  More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application. 

Benefits

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.

Barnardo's require colleagues to be UK residents, based in the UK and to complete their roles from within the UK (with the exception of colleagues providing Barnardo's services in Jersey and colleagues who live in the Republic of Ireland providing services in Northern Ireland)

• Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
• Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata
• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our Buy Your Leave scheme
• A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
• Service related sick pay from day 1
• Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
• Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
• Cycle2work scheme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
• 20% discount at Barnardo's stores
• Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
• Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
• Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer

*T&C's apply based on contract

About Barnardo's

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.