Social Work Jobs
Forensic Intensive Recovery Support Team (FIRST) Peer Mentor Advert
Fixed term contract until 31st March 2026 – linked to funding
Full time – 37.5 hours per week
Salary Grade 1.1 - £24,102 per annum
Have you experienced mental health issues? Are you an ex-offender? Would you like to use your experience to help others turn their lives around? We have a paid vacancy for someone to join us as a Peer Mentor and gain experience working with a leading provider of homelessness and housing advice and support while inspiring and motivating others in their own recovery.
About the Peer Mentor Service
Shelter is delivering a Peer Mentor Service in partnership with the Forensic Intensive Recovery Support Team (FIRST) within Birmingham and Solihull’s Mental Health Foundation Trust. The FIRST service is a comprehensive recovery focussed multi-disciplinary team addressing the individual needs of our service users through tailored packages of care. It includes Consultant Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Community Psychiatric Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Support Workers, Peer Mentors, Substance Use workers and Social Workers. Each service user will have an allocated Care Coordinator and Responsible Clinician who monitor, and review care and support needs and interventions.
The Peer Mentor role will engage with clients on the ward and within the community - with a primary focus on supporting clients with their transition away from staying on the ward to living in the community. The Peer Mentor service’s aim is to help people with multiple and complex needs to enhance the support available through the FIRST Pathway.
About Shelter
A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. Yet millions of people across Britain struggle on a daily basis with homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction. So, we are striving for change, with individuals, in communities, across society, and leading the way to a safe home. We need ambitious, best-in-class individuals who are passionate about our cause to join us at this exciting time. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.
At Shelter we are united by our purpose to defend the right to a safe home. Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. We believe that to win that fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement for change. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, fair, equitable and transparent.
We have committed to combat racism both within and outside Shelter and welcome you on our journey to becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.
About the role
As a Peer Mentor, you'll support people with mental health concerns who are looking to create sustainable lives in the community by improving engagement with services with a view to sustaining wellbeing and reducing reoffending. Your own experiences will be invaluable as you engage with and motivate individuals to set goals around their recovery. This will include building a relationship of trust with individuals and understanding the importance of empowering them to make their own choices. Along the way, you will have the opportunity to access personal support to develop new skills and improve your self-confidence to do the job.
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 you
We’re looking for people who have had mental health issues, are ex-offenders or who have been through the criminal justice system. Lived Experience of homelessness and substance use is useful but not essential. You’ll need to have accessed support services, have an understanding of how these experiences have affected you and be able to tap into these experiences to identify gaps in services and barriers to recovery and how things can be improved. You’ll need to have been stable for at least 18 months and be willing to share details of your successful journey with others to help them. You will be looking to go into a career supporting vulnerable adults and this will be a great opportunity to gain experience. Basic computer skills will be needed, as well as the interest to develop and learn new skills.
*Offers of employment are subject to Risk Assessment, Enhanced DBS, Proof of Right to work and two references being satisfactory to Shelter.
*Evidence of/ or willingness to receive the below vaccinations are a requirement of this post:
· Tetanus
· Diphtheria
· Polio
· MMR
Benefits
We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave (pro rata), enhanced family friendly policies, childcare vouchers, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.
Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We're here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.
If anyone would like further information about this position, Shelter in partnership with FIRST will be holding an information session on 29th April at 11.00 am. To register your interest please see details on the job advert on Shelter's website.
Apply to be part of an exciting initiative and be the change you want to see in society.
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.
We're seeking a skilled and dedicated individual to join our team as a Young Person’s Worker. In this role, you will play a vital role in providing support to at-risk young people who are experiencing homelessness.
Your mission: to support and empower young people to develop the lifelong tools they need to lead fulfilling lives outside the confines of traditional services. You will carry a caseload of clients who you will formulate a comprehensive support and safety plan with, which forms part of the ongoing casework, promoting independence and preparing young people for moving into independent accommodation, and employment and education.
About the Role:
As the Young Person's Worker, you will be working within a strengths and recovery framework embedded within a trauma informed approach to ensure client needs and aspirations are at the centre of the support planning process. You will be the lead worker overseeing the support and development of the young person’s needs and aspirations. You will guide and signpost the young person to the relevant statutory and non statutory services and will be key in motivating and coaching the young person to develop independent living skills.
About you:
- You bring experience working with young people in the community and in accommodation services.
- Your toolkit includes practical skills in motivation and coaching young people
- Your approach is creative, analytical, trauma-informed and rooted in a strengths and recovery model.
- You can creatively inspire opportunities for our young people to thrive and to develop to their highest potential.
- A non-judgmental approach to working with complex needs young people and to promote a strengths-based approach and an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion.
- Strong team-working and interpersonal skills, maintaining a collaborative approach to supporting young people achieve the outcomes and goals we support them to set for themselves.
About us:
Single Homeless Project is a London-wide charity. Our vision is of a society where everyone has a place to call home and the chance to live a fulfilling life.
We help single Londoners by preventing homelessness, providing support and accommodation, promoting wellbeing, enhancing opportunity, and being a voice for change. From supporting people in crisis to helping people take the final steps towards independence and employment, we make a difference to 10,000 lives every year across all 32 boroughs.
We offer you more than a job; we offer you a chance to be part of a compassionate, driven team that's committed to making a real difference in people's lives. You'll have the opportunity to lead, co-create, and inspire change while enjoying a collaborative, growth-oriented environment.
Join us in creating a brighter, more hopeful future for individuals in need.
Important info:
Closing Date: Thursday 2nd May @ midnight
Interview Date: Monday 13th May or Tuesday 14th May
This post will require an Enhanced DBS check to be processed for the successful applicant.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
The Hammersmith and Fulham service comprises of one high support hostel and two medium support hostels, housing 24 people experiencing mental ill health who may also have other complex support needs including substance use and offending behaviour or who may present with behaviours which can challenge.
About the role:
The primary role of the project is to enable clients to understand their emotional and mental health needs and manage these effectively. The Project Worker will also support clients to develop their living skills, develop & manage relationships, build social networks and access education, training or employment, by completing comprehensive needs and risk assessments with clients and identifying short-term objectives.
The projects provide support 24 hours a day and are staffed by a Night Concierge and Project Workers, this requires regular weekend working. All work undertaken will be in line with planned support. Staff are responsible for making sure that clients are actively involved in the process and that the support offered is full and holistic.
About you:
- Demonstrable experience of working with people experiencing mental health problems and other complex needs.
- A demonstrable understanding of Mental Health Legislation and how it can be applied.
- A good understanding of safeguarding issues and the ability to undertake comprehensive risk assessments related to this.
- A working knowledge of Housing Management as applied to a residential setting, and an understanding of the rights and responsibilities associated with various forms of tenure including excluded licenses.
- A demonstrable understanding of the Recovery Model, and the ability to engage and motivate people to move towards independence and inclusion.
- A proven ability to work in partnership with external stakeholders, particularly community mental health services and/or substance use services.
- A proven ability to create and deliver SMART action plans with clients through high quality risk and needs assessment.
- A level of numeracy sufficient to carry out tasks such as budgeting with clients, calculating benefit entitlements and monitoring rent payment.
About us:
Single Homeless Project is a London-wide charity. Our vision is of a society where everyone has a place to call home and the chance to live a fulfilling life.
We help single Londoners by preventing homelessness, providing support and accommodation, promoting wellbeing, enhancing opportunity, and being a voice for change. From supporting people in crisis to helping people take the final steps towards independence and employment, we make a difference to 10,000 lives every year across all 32 boroughs.
We offer you more than a job; we offer you a chance to be part of a compassionate, driven team that's committed to making a real difference in people's lives. You'll have the opportunity to lead, co-create, and inspire change while enjoying a collaborative, growth-oriented environment.
Join us in creating a brighter, more hopeful future for individuals in need.
Important info:
Closing Date: Sunday 28th April at midnight
Interview Date: Wednesday 8th May via Microsoft Teams
This post will require an Enhanced DBS check to be processed for the successful applicant.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Location: Across London
Closing date: 6 May 2024
Interview dates: 21-23 May 2024
Whether your empathy towards homeless people has its roots in personal experience or your compassionate nature and determination to help, when you join Thames Reach on our 12-month Traineeship programme, you’ll be making a difference and taking the first steps towards a great career.
About us…
Thames Reach runs projects and services that help to end homelessness in London. We work directly with homeless people on the streets and in hostels. We work to prevent vulnerable people from becoming homeless. We help formerly homeless people get their lives back on track and help people find work and access training and volunteering opportunities.
Is our mission easy? No, but we never give up on people. Last year we helped more than 10,000 people.
Is our work rewarding? Yes, in every sense. We’re listed as one of the top 100 Best Workplaces in the UK. There’s no better place to develop or transfer your skills and build a fulfilling career.
About this role…
Every role at Thames Reach is about ensuring that the users of our services find and sustain a decent home, develop supportive relationships and lead fulfilling lives. On our structured Traineeship scheme, you’ll gain first-hand experience and on-the-job training in what we do. You’ll be expected to work full time on a rota basis. Our placements involve a range of working patterns such as shifts, including evenings and weekends, night work in our fast-paced Rapid Response Outreach team and Monday to Friday 9-5 roles.
The key features are:
• A thorough induction, followed by two six-month placements at our projects, one of which will be hostel-based.
• With supervision and training from experienced staff to help our clients to get off and stay off the street with access to appropriate services.
• Learning about and assisting with necessary administration and record-keeping.
The kind of thing we’re looking for:
• Compassion, determination and a desire to play your part in ending street homelessness.
• Good basic admin and IT skills.
• Good team working skills
• The resilience and commitment to work in a challenging, ever-changing environment.
• An understanding of street homelessness and its impact on people’s lives – applicants who have experienced homelessness are particularly encouraged to apply.
What you can expect…
• A generous pension contribution - we contribute 6.5% to your pension when you contribute 1.5%.
• A range of other benefits including generous holiday allowance – 24 days per year, wellbeing support, cycle to work and season ticket loans.
• High quality on-the-job training with the opportunity to develop the skills needed for a career in our front-line services.
• Potential job prospects – although this is not guaranteed, many of our trainees have gained permanent employment at Thames Reach or in related organisations following completion of the programme.
• Application Support Sessions – we encourage applicants to attend one of these before applying.
Please note that we cannot guarantee location of placements for successful intakes.
Thames Reach welcomes applications from people with transferable skills and fresh perspectives.
We are committed to achieving a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We value, respect, and celebrate diversity. We welcome and encourage applicants from all sections of the community regardless of their history of homelessness, sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or religious belief.
For full information and to apply visit our website via the apply button.
Thames Reach is committed to safeguarding. Applicants must be willing to undergo pre-employment screening appropriate to the post, including, but not limited to checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. Having a criminal record will not exclude you from applying but you will be asked to provide further details as most posts are considered exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.