Specialist Support Worker

We're looking for a compassionate and resilient Specialist Support Worker to join our Mental Health Service located in Southwark. No personal care or experience required, just the right values.

£31,993.56 per annum, working 40 hours per week.

Our benefits include:

• Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
• A generous pension - we will contribute up to 8% and life assurance cover up to 3x Pensionable Salary (T&Cs apply)
• Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
• Fully paid induction programme and further training
• ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme for 24-7 confidential support
• Online wellbeing resources
• Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff's commitment and contribution
• Free DBS

All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

The successful applicant will have experience working closely with a range of services to support individuals to address and/or recover from their dependence on drugs and or alcohol. Or have expertise in supporting customers with complex mental health needs, including dual diagnosis, forensic histories, and personality disorders. 

What you'll do:

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead.

• Building supportive, trusting relationships with customers and creating a positive atmosphere
• Carrying out holistic assessments of new customers which incorporate relevant statutory referral information
• Conducting regular key work sessions that are innovative and engaging in order to achieve Support Plan goals

About you:

• Enjoys social interaction and the company of others, joins in local activities to encourage customer involvement
• Exudes a warm friendly presence and open behaviour
• Prefers working as part of a group or team
• Is fundamentally calm and resilient, does not let emotion adversely affect them or obscure their judgement

What you'll bring:

Essential:

• NVQ Level 3 or equivalent in a relevant area (e.g. substance misuse, addiction, psychology, Health and Social Care).
• Experience building and developing strong professional partnerships with external providers. Good written and oral communication skills

Desirable:

• Knowledgeable in "Recovery" with an excellent understanding of addiction,
• Capable of completing comprehensive assessments, managing a high caseload of complex cases, creating care plans and risk assessments

About us:

• We focus on Excellence and innovation.
• We are Caring and Compassionate.
• We are Inclusive and Trusted.
• We work in Partnership and are One-Team.

Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.