Support planner jobs

Do you want to work with a leading advocacy charity organisation supporting those in need?

Do you have experience of working or volunteering in welfare, support or health and social care and are looking for a new challenge?

Are you keen to make a difference to people who want to be heard?

Then come and join us here at VoiceAbility.

We are looking for a new Advocate to join our team in Sunderland on a 6-month fixed term contract. We are seeking applicants who have transferable skills, a willingness to learn and a desire to help those in need of support. You should have the capacity to be able to travel across region of Sunderland and also travel to areas outside such as Gateshead, Newcastle and Durham. 

About us

VoiceAbility is an independent charity and one of the UK’s largest providers of advocacy and involvement services. We deliver a wide range of service contracts funded by local authorities, health trusts and other voluntary and private sector organisations.

We’ve been supporting people to have their say in decisions about their health, care, and wellbeing for over 40 years. We make sure people are heard when it matters most.  For more information on what Advocacy is and the services offered then please visit our website.

About the role

We have an exciting opportunity for an Advocate to join our team covering Sunderland. Your role will require you to travel to locations such as clients’ homes, hospitals, care homes and within community settings across the area to meet with clients and professionals. You will be home based for administration; therefore, access to your own transportation and a suitable home internet connection is essential. 

This is a part-time role for 21 hours per week, applicants who do not hold the IAP or IAQ qualification will start on £24,500 per annum pro-rata.

About you

Desirably you will have some experience of working in advocacy, or providing welfare, supporting, or caring for Adults or young people who have support needs, ideally for those with a variety of communication needs, mental ill health, physical health issues, or barriers to accessing education and support.

Preferably, you should have worked or volunteered in health, social care, welfare, support services, education or young person’s services, or advice and guidance.

How will you make a difference?

You will be responsible for ensuring the individual’s wishes, feelings, beliefs, needs, and values are met to create positive outcomes for the people you support.

You will support people to speak up for themselves and grow in confidence, equip them to understand and exercise their rights and options, and will assist them in the decision-making process relating to their care, treatment, and support.

You will work resourcefully and collaboratively with the individuals you support.  You’ll be creative in your approach to empower our clients by ensuring you meaningfully explain people’s options and rights to them.  You’ll support individuals to fully participate in decisions affecting them and will make sure they have their voices heard. 

Professional Development?

You will have plenty of opportunities to enhance your professional abilities and you will make a real difference every day.

Benefits:

· 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time colleagues) rising to 30 days upon 5 years’ service 

· 5% employer pension & minimum 3% employee contribution 

· Salary sacrifices pension scheme 

· Separate Life Assurance Cover (equivalent of two times your annual salary) 

· Staff discount scheme including retail discounts, entertainment, holidays, gym membership etc 

· 24/7 Employee Assistance programme 

· Access to remote counselling service 

· Paid Disability Leave 

· Paid compassionate Leave 

· Home Working Allowance  

Support with continuous professional development 

Access to Clifton Strengths Coaching for development  

Personal Development Plans 

 How are staff supported to work remotely? 

VoiceAbility has a small number of offices. Employees including Team Leaders are homebased for Administration and meetings will be held online as well as in person in the relevant community. 

When you need to travel for work, expenses will be paid (mileage or public transport costs).  

VoiceAbility offers the usual regular manager one to ones, Staff forums and communities of practice depending on role. Team meetings with a mix of virtual and in person approach. 

 Equality and Diversity

VoiceAbility believes in fostering an inclusive workplace which welcomes, values and celebrates the diversity of its staff and partners, treats all on a basis of equality and encourages all to meet their maximum potential.

VoiceAbility are a Disability Confident employer, any applicant that identifies themselves as having a disability and can demonstrate that they meet all the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview. If you need to apply in a different way, please contact HR for further options.

How to apply

To apply for this role please sign up for a recruitment account bon our website. Follow the instructions to create your account, upload your CV, and complete our short application form.

Important Dates:

Closing date for applications; Midnight on 31 May 2025 however, VoiceAbility reserve the right to withdraw this vacancy before this date.

Interview Date; Friday 6 June 2025

Don’t forget to read the person specification so you can tell us about yourself and how your skills, abilities and experiences match the criteria outlined in the person specification.

Hint: you can use work, personal and/or voluntary experiences, and examples to tell us why you should be our next Advocate.

Job Purpose

This role sits within our crisis alternative service, Safe Space, which is a core and out of hours service providing a safe and welcoming space for people who are feeling distressed and experiencing crisis. Our aim of the service is to keep individuals well in the community and prevent readmission into hospital. The service operates 365 days a year from 14:00-22:00pm across all of our boroughs.

Staff within the service will provide person-centred, practical and emotional support, face to face or via telephone or virtual on a one-to-one basis to individuals experiencing mental health crisis or preventing crisis.

The objectives of the service include:

• To improve the mental wellbeing of people experiencing mental health and social crisis in HFEH.
• To proactively work with keeping people well in the community to reduce re-admitters into hospitals by working with WL NHS teams (e.g. discharge, LPS, CATT, MINT and SPA)
• To provide a true alternative to A&E via a non-clinical drop-in service to support clients
• To provide support to clients accessing the service- for instance: signposting, de-escalation and crisis recovery planning.
• To contribute to an improvement in individual mental wellbeing.
• To remain a source of independent support for all clients.
• To treat service users with respect, dignity and personalised support
• To raise awareness of mental health services available with the goal to improve long term mental health and reduce social isolation
• To increase self-management skills of those accessing the service
• To reduce the use of police, ambulance and statutory mental health services whilst experiencing crisis via a drop-in service.
• To reduce the use of statutory crisis services by people experiencing mental ill health without positive outcomes for the individual.

The Role

The role of the support workers will be to support the rest of the team in delivering interventions on a one-to-one. The role will also involve triaging and assessing all clients accessing the service, signposting and delivering collaborative self-management plans with clients to improve mental wellbeing.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing a person centred and recovery orientated approach in all aspects of the roles and responsibilities.
• Promoting people’ rights and responsibilities
• Considering each person as an individual
• Working collaboratively with clients to understand their needs and developing flexible and realistic crisis support packages/person centred plans
• Understanding of safety planning
• Experience with de-escalation, recognising and mitigating risks.
• Experience of working with challenging behaviour
• Listening to clients and encouraging positive steps towards self-management of crisis and recovery
• Good time keeping skills – Essential
• To attend all mandatory training including safeguarding and GDPR
• To work autonomously in a fast-paced environment and under pressure
• Providing advice, information, practical and emotional support to clients
• Proactively recognising the indicators of deteriorating mental health and facilitate appropriate action, whilst liaising with relevant agencies e.g. CATT, Emergency Duty Teams, CMHTS, etc
• Engaging with clients to show empathy, inspire hope and promote recovery
• Establishing supportive, empowering and respectful relationships with clients and carers/ family
• Maintaining accurate records, detailing interventions
• Ensuring that outcomes, outputs and impact are recorded
• Providing administrative support to the team
• Attend reflective practice, clinical supervision, peer supervision and line management supervision
• Create and maintain good working relationships with partner agencies
• Follow workplans and actively participate in training and development
• Provide and manage resources for clients and staff

Person Specification

• Minimum of 1 year working in mental health services and with clients experiencing mental health distress and crisis
• Experience of managing challenging behaviour and dealing with clients with complex needs
• Experience of managing safeguarding risks and understanding legal requirements for safeguarding adults and children
• Evidence of continual professional development
• Understanding of the Recovery Model in mental health
• Understanding of the principles of trauma informed care
• Understanding of suicide prevention and safety planning
• Understanding of the relationship between mental health and social issues and how these issues may impact on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
• Understanding of relevant legislation and policies
• Experience of working with vulnerable individuals
• Creative and flexible approach to working with individuals
• Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner and de-escalate challenging situations
• Awareness of issues in mental health service provision
• A good understanding of mental health conditions
• Experience of working with vulnerable individuals
• Creative and flexible approach to working with individuals
• Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner and de-escalate challenging situations
• Ability to prioritise and manage workload
• Ability to involve clients and carers in all aspects of work
• Empathy and non-judgemental approach
• Good communication skills
• Capacity to work within an agreed shift pattern
• Experience of delivering information and advice (housing, benefits, debt etc)
• Experience of non-clinical, therapeutic interventions like psychoeducation
• Good IT skills including Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint, with proven ability to input and extract information and produce reports
• Car driver with sole ownership of a vehicle and willingness to travel to locations would be desirable.
• Ability to work out of hours and on weekends

Night Support Worker – Young People

This is an exciting opportunity for a Night Support Worker to work as part of a team covering the night shift hours delivering an assessment, support and move on service to vulnerable clients in supported accommodation in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.

Position: Night Young People Support Worker

Location: County Durham

Contract: Full time, Permanent

Hours: 37.5 hours a week

Salary: £24,136 Per Annum Plus Pension & Other Benefits

Closing Date:  Sunday 18th May 2025

About the Role

As a Night Support Worker, you will work under the direction, guidance and support of a Service Manager and an Assistant Area Director you will work as part of a team covering the night shift hours delivering an assessment, support and move on service to vulnerable clients in supported accommodation.

The accommodation service is based in Bishop Auckland County Durham. You will ensure that the accommodation is properly maintained during the night shift and support the client to sustain their tenancy and participate in positive and successful move on. The aim of the service is to ensure that every client leaves with the skills and resilience to be confident and self-determining in their lives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Ensure the safety and wellbeing of clients, including safeguarding and emergency procedures, and contribute to a safe environment for all.

• Lead on risk and needs assessments and create SMART support plans tailored to individual clients.

• Provide flexible, creative, and person-centred support, encouraging client involvement in decisions and community activities.

• Work collaboratively with external agencies to support client wellbeing, ensuring compliance with data protection protocols.

• Support client access to education, training, employment, and volunteering opportunities aligned with their aspirations.

• Promote client voice and participation through initiatives like residents' meetings.

• Contribute to preparing accommodation for new clients, supporting transitions and maintaining a welcoming environment.

• Maintain accurate records, support volunteer engagement, participate in rota duties, and carry out additional responsibilities as required.

About You

We are looking for someone who:

• Experience working with young people or those affected by homelessness.

• Understanding of asset-based approaches, safeguarding procedures, and support planning including risk assessments.

• Strong commitment to equality, diversity, and treating all individuals with dignity and respect.

• Knowledge of health and safety principles and a commitment to maintaining a safe environment for all.

• Good literacy, numeracy, and IT skills to support effective communication and record-keeping.

• Ability to work collaboratively and maintain clear professional boundaries in a team setting.

• Reflective and committed to continuous personal and professional development.

• Alignment with the values and ethos the charity.

In return for working here, you will receive:

• A comprehensive training package tailored to your needs and role

• Flexible working model for suitable roles.

• 26 days annual leave rising to 30 after five years of service.

• Family-friendly leave policies including - maternity, adoption and parental leave and Carers leave.

• Auto-enrolment to pension scheme employer from day 1 with employer contribution up to 7% and increasing with service

• Employee Assistance Programme and access to the app – 24/7 GP appointments, prescription service, health checks and nutrition advice.

• Discount vouchers including gym, retail, food & drink, travel, electricals and more.

• Cash benefit plan for you and your partner (living with you) and children under 18 including covering Dental, Optical, Hospital Stays, Scans and More

• Death in service (4x Base salary)

• Legal Advice line

About the Organisation

The charity delivers a wide range of support and housing services for young people and adults at risk of homelessness. They specialise in the provision of services that prevent homelessness, increase the resilience of those they work with and energise opportunities for employment, education, training and volunteering in the communities they work within. The organisation reaches from Newcastle to London, Greater Manchester to Sheffield and Kent.

You may have experience in areas such as: Support Worker, Peer Support, Project Manager, Care Caseworker, Youth Project Coordinator, Youth Caseworker, Care Worker, Health Care Assistant, Support Worker, Nurses, Social Care Worker, Care Assistant, Wellbeing Worker etc. #INDSCP

PLEASE NOTE: This role is being advertised by NFP People on behalf of the organisation

Do you have the vision, expertise and person-centred values to be able to make a real difference to the lives of people with mental health support needs in the North Tyneside region? We have an exciting role for a proactive mental health recovery practitioner with leadership skills at our supported living service.

You will have relevant experience of working with people with mental health needs within a person centred, recovery focused framework and will demonstrate knowledge of mental health needs/conditions, recovery principles and helpful interventions. You will have skills in promoting independence, tenancy sustainment and positive risk management.

You will work with service users, their families, housing and other agencies to assess needs and to plan a successful transition into the service, creating the foundations for greater independence and personal fulfillment. You will ensure that individuals are enabled to make progress in their personal recovery journey and to attain goals relating to their mental health & wellbeing, independence, maintenance of their tenancy, quality of life and community connections. This will be achieved through co-producing outcome-based support plans which build on strengths and assets and promote meaningful occupation, resilience and capacity for self-management.

You will promote a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere and ensure that staff are skilled in promoting recovery and positive engagement, with relationships based on respect and unconditional positive regard. You will ensure that that there is a strong commitment to equality and diversity. You will be committed to community asset-based approaches and be able to collaborate creatively with community partners and lead on partnership working with statutory mental health services and voluntary agencies.

You will ensure that our services are delivered effectively in accordance with assessed needs, contract requirements, service specification quality standards, and desired outcomes. 

• This is a leadership role at the service and involves line management and deployment of the staff team
• You will represent the organisation and promote the service to referrers and potential service users
• This is a role where you will be at the service, overseeing and co-ordinating all aspects of service delivery
• You will liaise with and develop a positive relationship with the housing provider, be responsible for regular reporting and compliance for all aspects of property management
• Assessment, support planning and positive risk management, monthly key working sessions tailored to the individual to deliver and oversee
• Mentoring, supervising and supporting staff including staff development and training
• Organising person-centred reviews 
• Enabling pathways to independence and move on as appropriate
• Building positive partnerships with all stakeholders

Vacancy Reference Number: 71901

Applications for this role must be submitted via the Creative Support website using the above vacancy reference number

Full training is provided, as is the opportunity to work towards QCF Diploma in Health and Social Care. Benefits of working with Creative Support include a probationary bonus, pension contributions, 33 days Annual Leave and company paid enhanced DBS.

We are a passionate, inclusive, and anti-racist organization - Stonewall Diversity Champion, Disability Confident Employer who have recently received Investors in People Gold award.

Applications are reviewed as they are received, we do not provide feedback for unsuccessful applications. We can only accept applications from candidates who are located in and eligible to work within the UK.

Job Purpose

• This role sits within our crisis alternative service, Safe Space, which is a core and out of hours service providing a safe and welcoming space for people who are feeling distressed and experiencing crisis. Our aim of the service is to keep individuals well in the community and prevent readmission into hospital. The service operates 365 days a year from 14:00-22:00pm across all our boroughs.
• Staff within the service will provide person-centred, practical and emotional support, face to face or via telephone or virtual on a one-to-one basis to individuals experiencing mental health crisis or preventing crisis.
• The objectives of the service include:
• To improve the mental wellbeing of people experiencing mental health and social crisis in HFEH.
• To proactively work with keeping people well in the community to reduce re-admitters into hospitals by working with WL NHS teams (e.g. discharge, LPS, CATT, MINT and SPA)
• To provide a true alternative to A&E via a non-clinical drop-in service to support clients
• To provide support to clients accessing the service- for instance: signposting, de-escalation and crisis recovery planning.
• To contribute to an improvement in individual mental wellbeing.
• To remain a source of independent support for all clients.
• To treat service users with respect, dignity and personalised support
• To raise awareness of mental health services available with the goal to improve long term mental health and reduce social isolation
• To increase self-management skills of those accessing the service
• To reduce the use of police, ambulance and statutory mental health services whilst experiencing crisis via a drop-in service.
• To reduce the use of statutory crisis services by people experiencing mental ill health without positive outcomes for the individual.

The Role

The role of the senior support worker is to support the team manager with the smooth running of the allocated site and staff; supporting development and rest of the team including volunteer recruiting, induction (training and development) and supervision. Senior support worker will also lead in delivering interventions on a one-to-one. The role will also involve triaging and assessing all clients accessing the service, signposting and delivering collaborative self-management plans with clients to improve mental wellbeing. The role will include deputising for the team manager where applicable including debriefing and providing support to the team.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing a person centred and recovery orientated approach in all aspects of the roles and responsibilities.
• Understanding of risk and risk management
• Understanding safeguarding adults and children processes and legal requirements
• Working closely with re-admitters and clients being discharged through the drop-in service on a weekly basis
• Responsible for keeping allocated site to a high standard and reporting any health and safety concerns
• To work autonomously in a fast-paced environment and under pressure
• To attend all mandatory training including safeguarding and GDPR.
• Good time keeping skills - Essential
• To attend and contribute at weekly team meetings
• This role will be considered a key worker role
• Understanding of safety planning and de-escalation
• Experience of working with challenging behaviour
• Working collaboratively with clients to understand their needs and developing flexible and realistic crisis support packages/person centred plans
• Promoting people’ rights and responsibilities
• Considering each person as an individual
• Listening to clients and encouraging positive steps towards self-management of crisis and recovery
• Providing advice, information, practical and emotional support to clients
• Proactively recognising the indicators of deteriorating mental health and facilitate appropriate action, whilst liaising with relevant agencies e.g. CATT, Emergency Duty Teams, CMHTS, etc
• Engaging with clients to show empathy, inspire hope and promote recovery
• Establishing supportive, empowering and respectful relationships with clients and carers/ family
• Maintaining accurate records, detailing interventions
• Ensuring that outcomes, outputs and impact are recorded
• Understanding CQC standards and NICE guidelines around mental health
• Providing administrative support to the team
• Overseeing and provide shadowing to new staff members and volunteers
• Attend reflective practice, peer debriefing and line management supervision
• Maintaining good working relationships with partner agencies
• Actively participate in training and development
• Provide guidance to support workers and volunteers
• To work with team managers and assist with reporting and monitoring
•  

Person Specification

• Minimum of 1 year working in mental health services and with clients experiencing mental health distress and crisis
• Experience of contributing to multi-disciplinary teams
• Experience of de-escalation
• Experience of managing challenging behaviour and dealing with clients with complex needs
• Evidence of continual professional development
• Understanding of the Recovery Model in mental health
• Understanding of the principles of trauma informed care
• Understanding of suicide prevention and safety planning
• Experience of managing safeguarding risks and understanding legal requirements for safeguarding adults and children
• Understanding of how to report and mitigate risks
• Understanding of the relationship between mental health and social issues and how these issues may impact on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
• Understanding of relevant legislation and policies
• Understanding safeguarding adults and children processes and legal requirements
• Awareness of issues in mental health service provision
• Experience of working with vulnerable individuals
• Creative and flexible approach to working with individuals
• Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner and de-escalate challenging situations
• Ability to prioritise and manage workload
• Ability to involve clients and carers in all aspects of work
• Empathy and non-judgemental approach
• Good communication skills
• Capacity to work within an agreed shift pattern
• Experience of delivering information and advice (housing, benefits, debt etc)
• Experience of non-clinical, therapeutic interventions like psychoeducation
• Good IT skills including Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint, with proven ability to input and extract information and produce reports
• Understanding of different databases such as Views, Salesforce and NHS
• Car driver with sole ownership of a vehicle and ability to travel to multiple locations (e.g. NHS sites and community sites) would be essential.
• Ability to work out of hours and on weekends at multiple locations including NHS sites and community sites

IPSEA training to Level 2 is required for this role.  Further training and qualifications will be offered and supported.

This role is to support SENDIASS - The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Services and to lead on Youth Facilitator role.

Centre 404 is a leading charity based in North London with an excellent reputation for providing high quality services to children and adults with learning disabilities and their families. This role will be part of our Children, Young People, Families and Engagement service that works with family carers of children and adults who have a learning disability and offers advice, training, support and events throughout the year.

This is an ideal opportunity for an effective and confident individual to bring SEND expertise to the team within a supportive and collaborative environment.

The role will involve providing impartial information, advice and support to parents of children and young people, and young people themselves, who have Special Educational Needs and/or a disability so they can make appropriate, informed decisions about their education - in line with the SEND Code of Practice (2015) and relevant legislation.

You will obtain and process referrals and provide support and expertise at all points along the SEN journey for service users and their families.  You will partner with a range of other organisations; local and national, voluntary and community and will variably act as advocate, mediator, facilitator and supporter in the best interests of the children, young people and parents within the service

Knowledge of local authority processes, national policies and legislation and relevant SEND issues will be essential to this role alongside organisational expertise and a real desire to engage with users in order to create and deliver a range of events and activities as part of the sider Supporting Families team.

This is a potentially hugely rewarding role for an individual with significant experience of the SEND Code of Practice offering challenge, autonomy and opportunities for development within a growing organisation.

SCIE Vision 

We are committed to building a society which enables people who draw on social care to live fulfilling lives. 

At the SCIE, we are driven by our values: 

·       Progressive – always learning and developing. 

·       Inclusive – working together for equality, diversity, and fairness. 

·       Credible – evidence-based, robust, and reliable. 

·       Transparent – open and honest. 

The role:

A great opportunity for you to join our small, friendly team and make a real difference to people’s lives by:

Coordinating and bringing together the day-to-day planning, monitoring and tracking of assigned workstreams, to report as per SCIE’s agreed Governance process for the DHSC Programme. 

With a proven ability to draw on and shape, sustain and lead on Programme Management you will coordinate activity that requires collaboration with a range of different stakeholders, creating appropriately robust but flexible processes and structures.

Working closely with responsible Programme Head and Programme Director to support a proactive approach to organisation, problem-solving and innovation. 

What we are looking for:  

Example as below  

• Understanding of project and budget reporting, with the ability to prioritise effectively. 

• Ability to build positive relationships with colleagues and external partners.

• Good oral and written communication skills.   

• Strong planner with good attention to detail, communication, time management and analytical skills.   

• Proven ability to analyse qualitative and quantitative data to report on variances in performance of KPIs. 

• A proactive approach to organisation, problem-solving and innovation. 

• Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion 

• Understanding of Social Care Practice

• Experience of leading programmes

• Experience of leading teams

• Experience of using ICT effectively

What we offer in return: 

We offer excellent staff benefits including a competitive salary and homeworking allowance. We provide an employer pension contribution above the statutory minimum, an award-winning employee assistance programme, and an attractive holiday package which rises with length of service. Benefits of working for SCIE can be found here Work for the Social Care Institute for Excellence - SCIE  

If you would like to access the application form in a different format or if would like any assistance that might help improve your experience while completing the application, please contact us. 

Job Introduction

• Location: Fairlight, East Sussex
• Annual Salary: £38,227
• Hours per week: Full time (37.5 hours) 
• Training Provided: Opportunity to complete NVQ/QCF Diploma Level 5
• Required: Full UK driving licence and access to a car/vehicle. 
• Sponsorship is not available for this position

Affinity Trust helps people live meaningful lives on their own terms.

As a Registered Support  Manager, you will play a key role in supporting adults with learning disabilities at our registered care home in Fairlight, East Sussex, to live life the way they choose.
 

How will I make a difference?

• You will empower your teams to support people to live their lives their way with creativity, patience and empathy
• You will be a role model to your team, building a culture of belonging.
• You will be willing to work flexibly to meet the organisation's needs, with regular presence at locations and on-call support on a rota basis.
   

What do I need?

• Previous experience managing support for people with learning disabilities and complex needs as a registered manager
• You will have a strong practical understanding of CQC/SCI Regulations and reporting requirements, and be willing to undertake CQC registration as required.
• You will be able to plan, monitor and evaluate continuous improvement initiatives
• You will be confident in using Microsoft Office programmes such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and SharePoint
• You will be willing and able to participate in the on-call support rota
• You will be a driver with access to you own vehicle.
   

What benefits will I have?

We have a range of benefits that you can mix and match to suit you, such as:

• Care Friends - our employee referral and reward app. You’ll receive points which can be exchanged for extra money. 
• Wagestream – an app that gives you access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it, access to coaching, vouchers, discounts, cashback and more.  
• Blue light card – we will reimburse your Blue Light Card membership which provides discounts in your favourite shops and restaurants.
• Simply Health - Fully funded health cash plans giving you access to a 24-hour GP, money back on prescriptions, dental treatment, opticians and access to many more health benefits.
• Vivup – spread the cost of home and electronics items, or a bike to cycle to work through fixed salary reductions throughout the year. 
• Buy and sell annual leave – transfer windows open twice a year. 
• Pension and Life Assurance - you’ll be enrolled into our Scottish Widows pension scheme and Life Assurance scheme. 

If you want to empower people to live the life they choose … Apply today.
 

If you are offered a role with us, you will need to complete an enhanced DBS check. We will submit your application and pay for your check. 

We reserve the right to close this advert early if sufficient applications are received.

We’re committed to being Disability Confident and we guarantee to interview all applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.
 
 

Job Title: Family Support Worker (12 months FTC)

Salary: £30,944 - £31,004 per annum

Team: Family Support Team     

Hours: 37.5 hours per annum

Location: Christopher’s

About Shooting Star Children’s Hospices

We have an exciting opportunity for a family support to join our Family Support Team at Shooting Star Children’s Hospices.

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices provides specialist care and support to families who have a baby, child or young person with a life-limiting condition, or whose child has died. Rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, we support families across Surrey, north-west London and south-west London from diagnosis to end of life and throughout bereavement with a range of nursing, practical, emotional and medical care.

About the role

Family Support Workers (FSW) are the frontline of our psychosocial care. Each FSW holds a caseload of end-of-life and bereaved families. They get to know their families, and check-in regularly with phone calls and home visits and can provide enhanced emotional support where required through more regular contact and interventions. Our FSWs inform families about the different psychosocial care and many services they can access at Shooting Star, assess their needs and make recommendations to our specialist psychosocial MDT. They work hard to support families of different ethnicities and families living in poverty, so that our service is as equitable as possible.

Our FSWs work closely with our Therapists, Counsellors, Social Workers, Transition Team and our Care Events Team. Weekly specialist psychosocial MDT meetings bring the team together to think of ways to help families in crisis. The work is varied and creative, taking place at the hospices, in family homes and hospitals, allowing the support to be where the families need it. Our Family Support Workers are hugely appreciated by the families we support.

The ambition of our strategy is to ensure every family affected by a life-limiting condition, or the sudden death of a child, has access to the specialist care that they need. Day to day duties are:

• Being part of the duty rota over both sites monitoring 3 email inboxes and answering the Family Support Line.
• Supporting the events team with admin tasks and attending various events
• Providing on the spot emotional support, sometimes in a crisis where a calm and empathic response is required.
• Support the in-house team with families staying at Christopher’s for assessed nights and end of life care.
• Attend various sites over the course of a week, hospice, hospital, family homes. Planning your own diary effectively.
• Building connections with families from different backgrounds, delivering culturally competent care.
• Acting as an ambassador for Shooting Star’s Specialist Bereavement Service, supporting other care team members with their learning and delivery of the bereavement pathway, and continually seeking ways to improve quality.

About you

This role requires experience of working with children and families who have experienced hardship, presenting with complex needs. You should have a calm positive manner, be consistent in your approach, and convey empathy whilst maintaining professional boundaries.

Please see the attached job description for more information about this opportunity at Shooting Star Children’s Hospices.

What we offer

In return you will receive a competitive salary along with a range of benefits, which include: 

Pension scheme

• NHS Pension Scheme (for eligible employees) or our stakeholder pension scheme, with up to 7% employer contributions
  
  Annual leave

• 27 days plus Bank Holidays rising with length of service
• 2 weeks paid sabbatical leave after 5, 10 and 15 years’ service
  
  Contractual benefits

• Generous sick pay scheme
• Enhanced maternity, adoption, and paternity leave pay
• Flexible working arrangements
• Death in service benefits
• Reimbursed professional membership fees
• Eye care
• Employee referral scheme
• Blue Light discount card
  
  Health and wellbeing

• Employee Assistance Programme
• Occupational Health
• Mindfulness sessions
• Cycle to work scheme
• Mental Health First Aiders
• Nutritionally balanced meals at Christopher’s (free for employees) and free fruit at our Hampton site

Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all our staff to share this commitment. Also, we are committed to equal opportunities and consider all applicants to be in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Employment is subject to receipt of satisfactory references and an ehanced DBS check.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Shooting Star Children’s Hospice is committed to inclusion and diversity in everything we do. We know that getting things right is critical for us to live our organisation’s values: Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Diversity and Excellence.

We are always trying to improve our way of working to be more inclusive and equal. Our vision is for Shooting Star Children’s Hospice to be a place where people of all backgrounds, groups and communities feel welcomed to work and volunteer.

Closing Date: 15/05/2025

Interview Date: TBC

MiD Mediation and Counselling is looking for an experienced and dynamic Executive Director to be responsible for leadership and management of this busy charity that runs mediation and counselling for families that have separated or divorced. 

Relationship breakdown or separation can be painful and distressing for all concerned.  The charity plays a vital role in supporting families when they are going through some of the most challenging and stressful times in their life and we can help make a difference and find a positive way forward for these families. The organisation offers family and neighbourhood mediation and counselling for adults and children aged 4-18 as well as family therapy. 

Key responsibilities of the role include:

Overseeing and leading the admin team, mediators and counsellors

Generating income to support the charity

Reporting to the Board of Trustees, funders and Legal Aid Board

Budget management

We are looking for someone who is committed to helping adults and children involved in a family breakdown and the successful candidate will need extensive experience of income generation, marketing, organisational and people management plus a strong track record of strategic leadership and planning.

MiD has been running for over 35 years and is affiliated to National Family Mediation and the Family Mediation Council and holds a Legal Aid Agency contract for publicly funded family mediation.

This role is office based in Hampton Hill.

Carers First is a charity that works directly with, and for unpaid carers, providing personalised information, advice and tailored support making it easier for those caring for someone else to continue living their lives to the fullest.

We have a committed, dedicated staff team and you could be just the person we are looking for to join us to make that valuable difference in carer’s lives. We live and work through our values in all that we achieve by being positive, collaborative and ambitious and we have clear plans to scale our reach, support and impact for carers.

About this role

As a Carer Support Adviser your responsibilities would include:

• Managing conversations with carers to identify need
• Providing information, advice, and wellbeing support
• Running wellbeing groups and pro-active identification of carers through partnership working.

About you

• Experience of working with adults either in a 1:1 or group setting

• A working knowledge of health and social care particularly in relation to adults

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

• A high standard of written skills is needed in order to help the carer identify their support needs and to complete statutory assessments

We are looking for passionate people who are committed to the overall aims and objectives of the Charity. Carers First is committed to providing a supportive, vibrant, diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.

Carers First Can Offer You  

In return for your contribution, we have an amazing package of staff benefits including 26 days annual leave entitlement which increases with length of service, flexible working options, paid carers leave, access to our work-place pension, staff discount scheme, employee assistance programme and a Benenden Healthcare package. 

Whatever you are aiming to achieve in your career, we are here to encourage, help and support you grow, through our excellent training and development programmes.

How to apply

To apply for our exciting opportunity and make a real difference to the lives of carers, please download our Candidate Pack and click on the ‘Apply Now’ button to begin your application.

Applications can only be assessed if they clearly state how you meet each of the requirements in the Personal Specification.

Appointments are subject to Carers First receiving an appropriate disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service that we consider acceptable.

Interview Process

Following shortlisting, successful candidates will be contacted directly and invited to interview - Date to be confirmed.

Carers First is an Equal Opportunities Employer   

Positive      Collaborative      Ambitious

This is an important and interesting role with Vision North Somerset.  You will get to be hands on with our service users who are visually and/or hearing impaired. You will work with our amazing volunteers, both current and new, training them and managing them to provide services to help reduce social isolation and to build confidence.  You will also manage our Peer Support Service which currently includes telephone support groups and a befriending service.  There are 4 HUBS around the county that meet monthly and we hope to develop more.

Our day centre service is currently open three days per-week offering respite, food and somewhere safe to be for anyone facing street homelessness. It provides advocacy and casework services to those who are vulnerably housed or homeless, supporting them to address their individual crisis and the underlying causes. We also provide a small year round night shelter provision. 

APAP works in close partnership with a number of key agencies locally including drug and alcohol teams, street outreach services, local authority housing teams and the wider VCS. We are a gateway service in the community through which our clients can access a range of support. 

The Community Fundraising and Partnerships Coordinator will be responsible for developing and nurturing relationships within the local community to support APAP’s fundraising efforts, including schools, local businesses, faith and community groups. A key feature of this role will be developing increased year-round community engagement and fundraising, leading into the planning and delivery of at least one annual fundraising campaign. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to engage directly with stakeholders to build strong partnerships, whilst contributing strategically to the growth of the charity's fundraising efforts.