Substance misuse support worker jobs
Are you looking for a dynamic and rewarding role working for an organisation with the feminist agenda at the core of its ethos? Then Advance Charity could be the career choice for you!
We are looking for a Complex Needs & Outreach Keyworker
Salary: £25,000- £27,000 pro rata
Location: Kent Advance Women’s Centre including co-location at Folkstone Probation Office
Hours: 28 hours per week
Contract: Fixed Term Contract for 12 months
This post is open to female applicants only as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.
Please note: Any offer of employment will be made subject to references, confirmation of the right to work in the UK, and satisfactory enhanced DBS check. This role is also subject to EL1 MOJ Vetting.
About us
Advance is an award-winning and innovative women-only organisation, established in 1998, providing emotional and practical support to women and girls survivors of domestic abuse and supporting women with short-term sentences to reduce offending. We believe in empowering women and girls to lead safe, non-violent, equal lives so that they can flourish and contribute to the community.
We are a community-based organisation who lead in best practice approaches to supporting women in their local community. We achieve this by being available to meet and support women in local settings and at our women’s centres, and by working in close partnership with other agencies. Our values are to listen and support, to empower and respect, collaboration, innovation, and accountability.
About the role:
This is a pilot project for Advance working with women with complex needs related to their involvement with the criminal justice system. As the Complex Needs & Outreach Worker you will provide intensive, trauma-informed support to women experiencing multiple and intersecting vulnerabilities, including homelessness, domestic and sexual violence, mental health challenges, substance misuse, and social exclusion. Working flexibly across outreach and community settings, you will focus on building trusting relationships with women who may be disengaged from or distrustful of services, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs are addressed holistically.
You will be based primarily at Folkestone Probation Office, with up to two days per week spent providing outreach support in the community. This position involves close collaboration with the Folkestone Women's Pod to identify women who require intensive support.
A car may be desirable for this role, though not essential.
About You:
To be successful as the Complex Needs & Outreach Worker you will need the below experience and skills:
You will be highly empathetic, able to listen without judgement, and emotionally resilient when supporting women who have experienced significant trauma and adversity. The role requires tenacity and persistence, maintaining consistent engagement with clients who may have chaotic circumstances or face barriers to accessing support. You will advocate on behalf of clients, coordinate multi-agency responses, and support women to access safe accommodation, health services, safeguarding support, and pathways to recovery and independence.
This role demands a proactive, compassionate professional who can manage complex risk, work autonomously, and remain motivated and resilient while delivering person-centered, strengths-based support to some of the most vulnerable women in the community to enable them to lead safe and fulfilling lives.
How to apply:
Please submit your up-to-date CV with a supporting statement. Please note that only applications made via the job advert on the Advance careers page, and those that include a cover letter will be considered.
· Closing Date for Applications: Sunday 1st February 2026
· Interviews are taking place on: w/c 9th February 2026
*Advance reserves the right to close the advert early, or on the appointment of a candidate.
What we can offer you - Employee Benefits:
- An exceptional 30 days of paid holiday per year (pro rata for part time), PLUS public holidays on top (that's nearly 40 days paid holiday per year!)
- Additional days off to celebrate International Women’s Day, and for religious observance and moving home
- Perkbox - an employee discount platform where you can receive free rewards as well as take advantage of savings on clothes, groceries, travel, leisure and more
- Pension scheme
- Enhanced maternity/adoption provision
- Access to our Employee Assistance Programme
- Employee eye-care scheme
- Clinical supervision for front line staff and first line management roles
- Refer a Friend Scheme - £250 for each referral who passes probation
- Organisation wide away days
- Thorough induction and training
- Career development pathways
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Under the Equality Act 2010, we are required to make any reasonable adjustments. If you have a disability as defined under this act and/or have special needs, please email the Talent Acquisition Team via the Advance website and will aim to make the necessary arrangements to accommodate your needs.
Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunities
We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and actively seek to recruit people from groups underrepresented in our current team. We have policies and processes in place to ensure that all employees are offered an equal opportunity in recruitment and selection, promotion, training, pay and benefits.
Safeguarding
Advance is committed to safeguarding and creating a culture of zero-tolerance of harm and expects all staff, including volunteers to share this commitment. We believe all individuals have the right to live their life free from violence and abuse and the right to feel and be safe. We have a suite of safeguarding policies, procedures and practice guidance, accessible to all staff, which promotes safeguarding and safer working practices across all our services and activities. When we recruit staff, we follow rigorous safer recruitment practices, this involves carrying out pre-employment checks including references, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, and identity checks. We ensure all staff undertake mandatory safeguarding training relevant to their role and responsibilities, to empower them to be competent and feel confident in recognising and responding appropriately to safeguarding issues and promote wellbeing.
Our vision is a world in which women and children lead safe, equal, violence-free lives so that they can flourish and actively contribute to society.



Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Catch22 exists to help build a society where everyone has a good place to live, good people around them, and a fulfilling purpose. We call these our '3Ps'.
We achieve this in two ways. First, we improve lives on the frontline through delivery of public services. Secondly, we use our knowledge to change 'the system', to fix the complex web that can trap and disempower those it was set up to help. With the heart of a charity and the mindset of a business, we are uniquely placed to deliver on this challenging agenda.
Our Young People & Families (YP&F) Operational Hub delivers a wide range of integrated support services designed to help resolve complex difficulties experienced by young people and their families/carers. Support is provided to people who find themselves in a range of circumstances; they may be missing from home or have emotional, housing or substance misuse issues. We also support families where parents/carers are experiencing domestic abuse, substance misuse, emotional issues, homelessness or unemployment. Whatever the situation, we work alongside young people and their carers to find a way of stabilising their lives.
Redthread is a hospital based youth work service, working alongside NHS staff and other professionals in emergency departments. Our experienced, specialist youth workers engage with and support young people, aiming to reduce serious youth violence and exploitation. We often meet young people at a moment of change and work with them to find a positive way forward. We provide long-term, holistic support. We consider every aspect of a young person’s life and build support around them.
Job Description
The Team Leader role has responsibility for the operational oversight of Redthread’s service in Birmingham, which is delivered across two hospital sites: Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Heartlands Hospital. The Team Leader also has oversight of any community work undertaken in the surrounding area. The role is to be part of the wider youth work team within Redthread with a primary focus on youth violence interventions in a health care setting. In this role you will lead the Youth Violence Intervention Programme team at the hospital as well as the teams dedicated Counselling service. The team support young people aged, 11-25 years old, who present to hospital following an incident of violence or for whom them there are concerns around exploitation or extra-familial farm. You will have line management responsibility for the Youth Workers and Counsellor in the team, ensuring the service runs effectively for young people and also working with young people in the hospital as well as supporting them post discharge to ensure they have the support in place that they need and want. Main duties include:
- To recruit, manage, motivate, coach and develop a staff team including carrying out annual appraisals and regular supervision meetings. To manage their health, safety and wellbeing.
- To promote and embed Catch22’s vision and values in local service delivery
- To ensure all service user information, interventions and other data as required by the contract are recorded on the relevant data management system in line with Catch22’s policy.
- To manage operational risk, health and safety, governance and safeguarding issues in line with Catch22, Catch22 and Commissioner policies.
- Carry out regular case file audits as per the Audit Policy and Procedure
- Be responsible for the allocation of referrals and ensure caseload management structures are in place
- Adhere to reporting requirements, deadlines and requests, ensuring all required information is recorded accurately as instructed.
- Hold a small caseload of young people and support in hospital bedside work
Qualifications
- Relevant level 3 or 4 qualification in health & wellbeing, youth provision or similar or demonstrable equivalent experience
Experience
- Significant experience of working with young people with challenging needs.
- Experience of Inter-agency working. Work within/ in partnership with Children’s and Family Services/ Youth Justice Services/ Youth services.
- Experience of delivering training to young people/professionals
- Working with young people in group and one-to-one settings.
- Knowledge of issues around risk and vulnerability amongst young people.
- An awareness of the current issues relating to at risk and vulnerable young people.
- Knowledge of engagement and intervention strategies.
- Knowledge of Children Act/LSCB Procedures and other appropriate youth policies.
- Understanding and experience of Performance Management with regard to practice and target achievement.
- Experience of using recording and data collation systems
Skills & Ability
- Clear risk assessment skills, particularly when working with young people with complex needs.
- Ability to work creatively within agreed management arrangements, and to maintain positive relationships with key partner agencies.
- Ability to manage conflict & negotiation skills.
- Experience and skills to lead a team, setting objectives and priorities, monitoring performance against agreed targets.
- Reviewing skills in enabling staff to reach full potential and achieve targets through individual supervision, annual appraisal and learning development programmes.
- The ability to contribute to ongoing service evaluation and review
- Communicate well in a range of settings, with different people.
- Good organisational skills (for self and others).
- To be able to use a range of leadership styles as appropriate.
- Work effectively in a team.
- Manage conflicting demands.
- To be able to adopt a flexible approach to all aspects of work.
- Problem solving and a “can do” attitude.
- Basic ICT skills.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Attention to detail.
- Understanding of spreadsheets, importance of monitoring and general knowledge of finance
Contract: Permanent
Hours & work pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week including regular weekend and evening working and shift patterns covering hours of 9am - 9pm.
Salary: £36,000
Location: Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham
Screening: Successful admission to post subject to enhanced DBS check and employer Right To Work in the UK check. The post-holder must have right to work in the UK. Catch22 does not currently provide a licence to sponsor visas but please see this register to see those that do.
To Apply: Please provide your CV and cover letter, along with the completion of the screening questions to express your interest in this opportunity. Please note, in the interest of safer recruitment and ensuring that applicants are a right fit for the role, submitted applications must contain a CV, satisfactory responses to the screening questions, and information detailing interest in the role, to be considered for this position.
Closing date: Applications will close at 9am on Friday, 23rd January 2026
We have the right to close applications early if we receive a high number of applications, so we encourage interested applicants to apply early. Catch22 reserve the right to close
Interviews: A first round online interview will be held on Tuesday, 10th February 2026.
AI generated applications are not acceptable and could lead to a disqualification of your current and future applications across Catch22 jobs. In order to ensure that applications are fair, genuine, and representative of the candidate applying, our teams may use a number of tools to identify occurrences where candidates have not given an honest response during the application process.
At Catch22 we value equality, diversity and inclusion. We are wholeheartedly committed to the principle of equality of opportunity, both as an employer and as a provider of services. Diversity and Inclusion is part of what we do every day, working to deliver our vision to build a strong society where everyone has good people around them, a purpose, and a good place to live.
Catch22 is committed to rigorous safeguarding and safer recruitment practices; ensuring that every individual within the organisation has been safely and appropriately checked.
Please note, we will conduct an online search as part of our due dilligence checks for successful candidate(s). This will involve a search of all publicly available information online and in social media.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Catch22 exists to help build a society where everyone has a good place to live, good people around them, and a fulfilling purpose. We call these our '3Ps'.
We achieve this in two ways. First, we improve lives on the frontline through delivery of public services. Secondly, we use our knowledge to change 'the system', to fix the complex web that can trap and disempower those it was set up to help. With the heart of a charity and the mindset of a business, we are uniquely placed to deliver on this challenging agenda.
Our Young People & Families (YP&F) Operational Hub delivers a wide range of integrated support services designed to help resolve complex difficulties experienced by young people and their families/carers. Support is provided to people who find themselves in a range of circumstances; they may be missing from home or have emotional, housing or substance misuse issues. We also support families where parents/carers are experiencing domestic abuse, substance misuse, emotional issues, homelessness or unemployment. Whatever the situation, we work alongside young people and their carers to find a way of stabilising their lives.
Redthread is a hospital based youth work service, working alongside NHS staff and other professionals in emergency departments. Our experienced, specialist youth workers engage with and support young people, aiming to reduce serious youth violence. We often meet young people at a moment of change and work with them to find a positive way forward. We provide long-term, holistic support. We consider every aspect of a young person’s life and build support around them.
Job Description
The Team Leader role has responsibility for the operational oversight of Redthread’s delivery within Croydon University Hospital and any community work undertaken in the surrounding area. The role is to be part of the wider youth work team within Redthread with a primary focus on youth violence interventions in a health care setting. In this role you will lead the Youth Violence Intervention Programme team at the hospital. The team support young people aged, 11-25 years old, who present to hospital following an incident of violence or for whom them there are concerns around exploitation or extra-familial farm. You will have line management responsibility for the Youth Workers in the team, ensuring the service runs effectively for young people and also working with young people in the hospital as well as supporting them post discharge to ensure they have the support in place that they need and want.
Main duties include:
- To recruit, manage, motivate, coach and develop a staff team including carrying out annual appraisals and regular supervision meetings. To manage their health, safety and wellbeing.
- To promote and embed Catch22’s vision and values in local service delivery
- To ensure all service user information, interventions and other data as required by the contract are recorded on the relevant data management system in line with Catch22’s policy.
- To manage operational risk, health and safety, governance and safeguarding issues in line with Catch22, Catch22 and Commissioner policies.
- Carry out regular case file audits as per the Audit Policy and Procedure
- Be responsible for the allocation of referrals and ensure caseload management structures are in place
- Adhere to reporting requirements, deadlines and requests, ensuring all required information is recorded accurately as instructed.
- Hold a small caseload of young people and support them in the hospital and post disharge
Qualifications
- Relevant level 3 or 4 qualification in health & wellbeing, youth provision or similar or demonstrable equivalent experience
Experience
- Significant experience of working with young people with challenging needs.
- Experience of Inter-agency working. Work within/ in partnership with Children’s and Family Services/ Youth Justice Services/ Youth services.
- Experience of delivering training to young people/professionals
- Working with young people in group and one-to-one settings.
- Knowledge of issues around risk and vulnerability amongst young people.
- An awareness of the current issues relating to at risk and vulnerable young people.
- Knowledge of engagement and intervention strategies.
- Knowledge of Children Act/LSCB Procedures and other appropriate youth policies.
- Understanding and experience of Performance Management with regard to practice and target achievement.
- Experience of using recording and data collation systems
- Experience of line management and management of a team
Skills & Ability
- Clear risk assessment skills, particularly when working with young people with complex needs.
- Ability to work creatively within agreed management arrangements, and to maintain positive relationships with key partner agencies.
- Ability to manage conflict & negotiation skills.
- Experience and skills to lead a team, setting objectives and priorities, monitoring performance against agreed targets.
- Reviewing skills in enabling staff to reach full potential and achieve targets through individual supervision, annual appraisal and learning development programmes.
- The ability to contribute to ongoing service evaluation and review
- Communicate well in a range of settings, with different people.
- Good organisational skills (for self and others).
- To be able to use a range of leadership styles as appropriate.
- Work effectively in a team.
- Manage conflicting demands.
- To be able to adopt a flexible approach to all aspects of work.
- Problem solving and a “can do” attitude.
- Basic ICT skills.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Attention to detail.
- Understanding of spreadsheets, importance of monitoring and general knowledge of finance
Additional information
- Contract: Permanent
- Hours & work pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week including regular weekend and evening working and shift patterns covering hours of 9am - 9pm.
- Salary: £38,424
- Location: Croydon University Hospital, London
- Screening: Successful admission to post subject to enhanced DBS check and employer Right To Work in the UK check. The post-holder must have right to work in the UK. Catch22 does not currently provide a licence to sponsor visas but please see this register to see those that do.
- Closing date: Tuesday, 20th January 2026 at 10am. Please note Catch22 reserves the right to close the opportunity before the advertised closing date, without reason. Catch22 reserves the right to close the advert early if we receive a high number of applications. As such, we encourage interested applicants to submit applications at their earliest convenience.
- Interviews: First round interviews will be held online on Wednesday, 28th January 2026.
- AI generated applications are not acceptable and could lead to a disqualification of your current and future applications across Catch22 jobs. In order to ensure that applications are fair, genuine, and representative of the candidate applying, our teams may use a number of tools to identify occurrences where candidates have not given an honest response during the application process.
- At Catch22 we value equality, diversity and inclusion. We are wholeheartedly committed to the principle of equality of opportunity, both as an employer and as a provider of services. Diversity and Inclusion is part of what we do every day, working to deliver our vision to build a strong society where everyone has good people around them, a purpose, and a good place to live.
- Catch22 is committed to rigorous safeguarding and safer recruitment practices; ensuring that every individual within the organisation has been safely and appropriately checked.
- Please note, we will conduct an online search as part of our due dilligence checks for successful candidate(s). This will involve a search of all publicly available information online and in social media.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
About The Connection at St Martin’s
We believe that no one should have to sleep rough on London’s streets, and that everyone should get the support they need to find a place to call home. We get to know every person we work with, understanding what they need to recover, helping them build on their strengths, and supporting them to find their own way home. Help us make London a city where no one sleeps rough on our streets.
London’s diversity is its biggest asset and we strive to ensure our workforce reflects London’s diversity at all levels. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability.
We particularly encourage applications from candidates with lived experience of homelessness who we believe are an essential asset in our sector.
We are committed to being an inclusive employer and welcome the opportunity to consider flexible working arrangements.
About the Role
At The Connection Community, just off Trafalgar Square, we provide a safe and welcoming space where people can find respite from street homelessness, build social connections, and access vital support. Our multi-disciplinary team is dedicated to reducing the harms associated with rough sleeping, fostering inclusion, and empowering individuals to move towards stability and independent living.
As part of our creative and committed team, you’ll play a key role in:
• Building trusting relationships with people facing multiple exclusion.
• Understanding peoples’ needs and providing harm minimisation support.
• Helping individuals take steps towards securing a place to call home.
• Contributing to a pioneering new approach to homelessness support in Westminster.
We see relationships as the key tool for change. As a Community Practitioner you will build relationships of trust and solidarity that will help people to access our comprehensive professional support network, including NHS health services, DWP benefits advisors, migration specialists, and drug and alcohol support teams – all offering their services inside the Community.
Together we are piloting a psychologically-informed, trauma-responsive model with an embedded specialist NHS psychology team. This means you’ll receive high-quality training, 1:1 consultations, and reflective practice to enhance your skills, and to support you and your team to pioneer best practice in homelessness services.
Salary: £36,380
Closing Date: 18th January 2026
Interview Date: 26th January 2026
This is a fixed term contract until 31/12/2026.
Our Benefits
· 30 days holiday plus bank holidays
· Generous training budget, plus an annual personal training budget
· Enhanced Sick Pay Policy
· Enhanced family friendly policies
· Day off for moving house
· Hybrid working (depending on role requirements)
· Pension – 5% Employer, 3% Employee
· Cycle to Work Scheme
· Season Ticket Loan
· Employee Assistance Programme
· Reward Gateway (access to discount vouchers and cashback at the UK’s favourite retailers)
We are a London Living Wage employer
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Women's Refuge Deputy Service Manager (Female Only)
When registering to this job board you will be redirected to the online application form. Please ensure that this is completed in full in order that your application can be reviewed.
Please note, due to the nature of the service, it is an occupational requirement that the post holder is female and the post is therefore exempt from the provisions of the Equality Act 2010 in terms of Schedule 9, Part 1, and Paragraph 1 of the Act.
Job Title: Deputy Service Manager
Location: West London (This location is hidden due to the sensitive nature of the service) Please note that this service has no step free access.
Salary: £30,000
Shift Pattern: 37.5 hours per week Monday to Friday between 09:00 - 17:00. You may be required to work outside these hours dependent on service and resident requirements and you will also be expected to take part in the out of hours on call service.
About the Role
We're hiring a Specialist Women’s Refuge Deputy Service Manager someone who is passionate about supporting women and their children and is committed to their rights and safety. This role offers the opportunity to lead and support a refuge for women and children surviving domestic abuse, many of whom are living with trauma. You'll ensure the team are empowered, with the right tools and resources to deliver a seamless service that supports residents through their healing journey, helping them overcome personal challenges and work towards independence and their goals.
The service spans over 3 buildings and you will help lead a team of support mentors and children and family workers. We’re looking for a solution focused leader who is passionate about the resident group, committed to trauma informed and inclusive practice, and driven to make lasting change. You will ensure full contract and regulatory compliance while leading your team to meet KPIs and service requirements.
Some Key Responsibilities include:
- Line management and leadership, offering guidance and support throughout the employee lifecycle.
- Support the Service Manager in leading the day to day operational delivery of the service.
- Risk Management ownership, ensuring processes and policies are followed.
- Property and housing management, ensuring accommodation standards, timely maintenance and reporting.
- Financial Management, including petty cash and budget management.
- Contract management and Internal auditing, admin, and general other duties as required.
- Striving to ensure excellence and quality in our service delivery.
About You
We're looking for someone who’s driven to provide high quality, person centred support to staff, colleagues, residents and participants, with a passion about supporting women who have faced complex trauma and domestic abuse. You enjoy working as part of a team, communicating well and building professional relationships with people from all backgrounds. You're confident supporting service level enquiries, offering advice on employment matters and resident or participant queries. Most importantly, you're compassionate, supportive and thrive in a fast paced, ever changing environment.
- Due to the nature of the service, it is an occupational requirement that the post holder is female
- Ability to provide high quality support and line management to staff
- Ability to motivate and empower a team to achieve KPI's
- Ability to provide advice, guidance, and support to the team on all aspects of service delivery including resident related queries
- Knowledge of the needs of women experiencing domestic abuse and will have strong leadership and team development skills.
- Understanding and/or experience of working with people of complex backgrounds, ex-offenders, mental health, substance misuse, challenging behaviours
- Willingness and ability to work flexibly to meet service needs
- IT Proficiency, including Microsoft Office, and the ability to navigate and learn new case management systems and other types of organisational software.
- Alignment with our values of Ambition, Empowerment, Inclusivity, and Transparency
Please refer to the JDPS attached for more details on the vacancy and our requirements/key criteria.
What we Offer
- 25 days (Full time equivalent) annual leave, increasing with the length of service
- Employer Pension Contribution
- Eligibility to register with Blue Light Discount Card
- Access to discounted tickets for music events, shows, sports and more
- Reflective Practice regular sessions with a therapist provided by an external provider to support Mental Health and Wellbeing at work
- Training and Development, including access to courses, upskilling, and progression plans
- Employee Assistance Programme, including counselling
- Life Assurance Scheme
- Cycle-to-work scheme
- Annual Staff Awards
- EDI Ambassador programme
About Social Interest Group (SIG)
SIG is a not-for-profit organisation providing thousands of people with good-quality support and care in residential, drop-in centres, community floating support settings, probation settings, and hospitals. We do so across London, Brighton, Bedfordshire, Luton, Kent and Liverpool. Our goal is to transform lives through empowering change.
We believe good care and support improves lives with the vision to create healthier, safer, and more inclusive communities. Join us on our mission to empower independence through trauma-informed solutions and dynamic partnerships that keep people out of prison, out of hospital, and off the streets.
Want to know how we work? Watch our short Theory of Change video to see how we support people towards a brighter future: Theory of Change Further details can be found on our website here: Theory of Change - Social Interest Group - Social Interest Group.
Additional Information
Please note that this job advert may close early due to screening applications on an ongoing basis. We advise applying as soon as possible for your application to be taken into consideration at the early stages.
Please note that as part of our process, we complete an enhanced DBS check, some roles may require further vetting. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact us on the details below.
Unfortunately, we are unable to provide sponsorship, please ensure you have full right to work in the UK prior to applying to our positions.
Additional information on our company policies including Gender Pay, Equality and Diversity, Company Benefits and our Candidate Privacy Policy can be found on our website.
Empowering independence through trauma-informed solutions and dynamic partnerships that keep people out of prison, out of hospital and off the streets
Interviews will be held the w/c 9th February
Come and join us
We’re looking for passionate individuals with personal experience of homelessness, bad housing, which may include other related disadvantages such as substance misuse and mental ill-health; to come and join us and make a difference to the way we do things. If you believe that people should have a say in their own support and that they should be at the front of making meaningful change then this could be the traineeship for you.
About the role
This is a great opportunity to work with a lead provider of homelessness and housing advice and support and gain invaluable experience while being part of an exciting employability programme centred on lived experience. The traineeship lasts up to 12 months, and you will receive personalised training and support to help remove some of the barriers that may have prevented you from getting meaningful employment.
This role will work alongside our community services support teams, based in Weymouth. The main purpose of this will be to learn support skills and how to use your lived experience to actively engage with people recovering from homelessness. To do this you will work alongside members of the support team. You will be supported and guided by the services team leader and senior support worker. A key part of the role will be to support people as they move further into independent living, encouraging them to into learning, social activities and personal development.
You'll support local campaigns and strengthen connections between the lived experience involvement group and the Hub, making sure lived experiences are valued and included.
Role specifics
We are looking for people who are passionate about the opportunity to use their own life experiences to help make positive change for others.
You’ll also need a commitment to equality and a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination and exclusion.
Good communication skills and the ability to make people feel heard will also be essential.
Basic computer skills, e.g. word processing, the internet and email would be useful, but support can be provided.
Above all, we need people with a real desire to develop personally and learn new skills.
Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society.
Benefits
We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.
We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.
About the team
The team in Dorset is well-established and has been providing housing advice and support services within Dorset for over 20 years. With office bases in Bournemouth and Weymouth, we have contracts to deliver Housing First support in the Dorset Council area and offer Legal Aid Advice, including a court desk service at Bournemouth and Weymouth County Courts.
We are active in our communities and strive to understand what housing issues people are experiencing, providing advice and advocacy to individuals and groups to empower them to resolve their situation.
We work across Dorset with partner agencies including Julian House, Lantern, Dorset Council and drug and alcohol services to support individuals to access housing and support and prevent repeat homelessness.
How to Apply
Email and phone number details can be found on the Shelter advert found by clicking 'Redirect to Recruiter' on this page.
To apply you need to submit a copy of your CV and a completed application form (attached), this can be submitted either online, by email or you can submit a paper copy to the Shelter Weymouth, Lynch Lane Offices, Weymouth DT4 9DW. Please don’t worry if your CV has gaps or limited work experience, this is not a problem.
When completing your application form please make sure you give an example for each of the criteria listed in ‘About You’ section. If you need support to create a CV, please contact Katie by phone or send her an email.
We will be holding support sessions at our hub in Dorset and online to give people practical support and advice on how to complete an application, or to pick up a paper application. These sessions will also give you the chance to find out more about the role as well as other opportunities at Shelter Dorset. These will take place on the following date:
Friday 23rd January, 13:30 – 15:30 at Shelter, Lynch Lane Offices & Wellbeing Centre, Lynch Lane, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 9DN
Monday 26th January, 13:30 – 15:30 Via Microsoft Teams: Join the meeting now , Meeting ID: 340 436 596 662 97, Passcode: hJ64fX2N
We operate Fair Chance Recruitment practices and will not ask for any information about convictions during the application process. This role is subject to a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. We are open to and inclusive of applicants with criminal convictions for this role; having a criminal conviction will not prevent us from considering you.
Following the interview stage, we will ask our preferred applicant to disclose any past unspent convictions. The information disclosed will be considered by a panel and a decision will be taken about making an offer.
This role is ring-fenced for those with lived experience of multiple disadvantage.
About Shelter
Home is a human right. It’s our foundation and where we thrive. Yet everyday millions of people are being devastated by the housing emergency.
We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything.
We need ambitious, passionate people to join us. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.
Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. To win this fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, equitable and transparent. We are committed to combating racism both within and outside Shelter. We welcome you on our journey to becoming truly anti-racist.
Safeguarding statement
Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.
Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.


