Support Worker for young people Leaving Care aged 18 - 25

  ABOUT THE ROLE

Elliot Leigh Supported Living provides semi-independent supported accommodation across East and North-East London for young adults aged 18–25 who are leaving the care system. Our residents are at a pivotal moment in their lives — transitioning from care into adulthood — and they need more than just a roof over their heads.

As a Support Worker you will hold a caseload of around 10–12 residents, walking alongside each of them through that transition: managing a tenancy, navigating employment, handling money, and knowing that someone is in their corner. You will work from our East London office and visit residents in their homes, all within a manageable travel radius — this is a Monday-to-Friday daytime role, not a shift or rota post.

This is not a passive role. It demands energy, creativity and a genuine commitment to working in partnership with young adults who have often experienced significant trauma, instability and disappointment. But it also offers something rare: the chance to be the person who helps someone turn their life around.

  PAY, HOURS AND BENEFITS

✓  £32,000 salary for candidates with 12 months’ relevant experience and a Level 3 qualification. Have the experience but not the Level 3? Start on £27,000, we fund the qualification, and you move to £32,000 on completion.

✓  Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm — flexible start and finish times will be considered; no evenings, weekends or bank holidays

✓  25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, rising to 30 days in line with length of service

✓  4% employer pension contribution

✓  Enhanced DBS and Update Service subscription funded by us *subject to qualifying criteria

✓  Funded Level 3 Diploma in Health & Social Care or Housing, with paid study time, if you don’t already hold one

✓  A clear career ladder: Support Worker → Senior Support Worker → Team Leader, with published pay points

✓  Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 confidential support

✓  Monthly supervision and reflective practice sessions, plus a structured four-week induction

✓  A small, inclusive team where your voice shapes how we work

✓  A company dedicated to the continuous professional development of its team members

  WHAT YOU’LL DO

•    Support residents to develop and sustain independent living skills — budgeting, cooking, cleaning, tenancy management

•    Deliver structured keywork sessions and co-produce individual support plans with each resident

•    Help residents into education, employment and training — CV writing, job applications, college enrolment

•    Keep accurate, timely records on our digital case management system — keywork notes, risk assessments, support plans

•    Liaise with local authority leaving care teams, social workers, personal advisers and other professionals

•    Support residents to manage their mental health, wellbeing and personal challenges in a trauma-informed way

•    Accompany residents to appointments with external agencies — GP, Job Centre, local authority

•    Respond calmly and professionally to conflict, emotional distress or challenging behaviour

•    Work with the wider team to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all residents

•    Contribute to team meetings, supervision and your own continuing professional development

  WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Essential:

•    At least 12 months’ relevant experience supporting young people or young adults in a care, supported housing, youth work or semi-independent living setting

•    A genuine understanding of the challenges care leavers face in the move to independent living

•    Working knowledge of safeguarding and trauma-informed practice

•    Strong written and verbal communication — you will produce keywork records, risk assessments and support plans to a professional standard

•    Confident IT skills and the ability to use a digital case management system

•    Enhanced DBS (Adults Workforce) on the Update Service, or willingness to apply; current safeguarding certificate, or willingness to complete on appointment

•    Right to work in the UK

For the £32,000 rate:

•    Level 3 (or above) in Health & Social Care, Housing or a related discipline, alongside the 12 months’ experience above

Desirable:

•    Experience supporting young adults into education, employment or training

•    Knowledge of the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000, Care Act 2014 and Pathway Planning

•    Experience with complex needs, mental health or substance use

Not quite one year’s experience yet? Ask about our Trainee Support Worker route: a 12–18 month funded Level 3 apprenticeship on £27,000, with a guaranteed move to the Support Worker scale on completion.

  WHAT MAKES A GREAT ELSL SUPPORT WORKER

•    Treats every young adult as a capable individual — not a case to be managed

•    Understands that independence is built gradually, and shows up with patience and consistency

•    Holds clear professional boundaries while staying warm and approachable

•    Is solution-focused and creative enough to find a new way in when the obvious route isn’t working

•    Is a confident advocate for residents with external agencies and professionals

•    Takes ownership of their own development and reflective practice

  HOW TO APPLY

For an informal chat about the role before applying, contact Chloe Crieghton, Service Manager, on the same address. Interviews are held in person at our East London office and include a short written exercise and time with a current resident representative.

Closing date: rolling — we interview as suitable applications arrive and will close the advert once the post is filled.

Safer recruitment: all appointments are subject to an Enhanced DBS Disclosure (Adults Workforce), satisfactory references covering the last three years and completion of our Safer Recruitment process. Elliot Leigh Supported Living is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all residents. We welcome applications from people with lived experience of the care system.