Support worker jobs in Devon

The Support Worker will join Womankind’s staff team based in central Bristol,
providing trauma‑informed, practical and emotional support to young women
aged 16–18 affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence so that they can
access counselling at Womankind. They will also provide emotional and
signposting support to women accessing Womankind’s Waiting Well Service.
They will be responsible for coordinating referrals, delivering welfare calls and
carrying out triage assessments, supporting safe transitions into service with
Womankind, liaising closely with partner agencies to ensure warm handovers and
clear referral pathways. The Support Worker will contribute to high‑quality, safe
service delivery by maintaining accurate records, responding appropriately to
safeguarding concerns, and upholding Womankind’s values and commitment to
empowering women.
We are committed to better representing the women we support and therefore
are particularly keen to invite applications from global majority groups, or those
considered to be from marginalised communities. We also encourage applications
from people with lived experience of mental health issues, and/or domestic
abuse, sexual abuse and violence.

The post/role is only open to female applicants and is exempt under Schedule 9 Part 1 Equalities Act 2010. Sec.25(2)(d) of the Race Relations Act 1997 apply.

Job Role: Support Worker – Criminal Justice

Salary: £20,960 per year (full time equivalent £26,200)

Hours: 30 hours per week

Contract type: Permanent

Location: Taunton - with travel across Somerset

Additional information:

• Valid driver's license and access to a car for business purposes
• Participation in an out-of-hours on-call rota
• This role is based at our Taunton office, with regular travel required within a 30-mile radius across Somerset

About Julian House:

Julian House is a charity dedicated to making a difference to the lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in society. We run several projects and every year we help thousands of people out of homelessness, into employment, away from domestic abuse, and more.

If you’d like a real sense of job satisfaction, great career prospects and a competitive benefits package, you could be who we’re looking for!

About the Role:

As a Support Worker within our Criminal Justice Service, you’ll be a steady, positive presence for people leaving prison who’ve recently experienced homelessness. Many clients are navigating trauma, mental ill‑health, substance use, domestic abuse and ongoing involvement with the justice system.

You’ll be responsible for managing referrals, completing needs/risk assessments, and providing tailored support that empowers clients to maintain their accommodation and make positive life changes. You’ll work closely with key partners such as the National Probation Service, Police, and other support agencies to create effective, multi-agency support plans.

Day to day, you’ll help with benefit claims and budgeting, coach the skills for safe, stable tenancies and ensure accommodation meets high health & safety standards. You’ll also keep clear, timely records and contribute to reporting for partners and funders, playing a vital role in the wider success of the service.

Ready to make a real difference every day? Apply now.

What you’ll be doing:

• Build positive and effective working relationships and agreements with external agencies which will include working closely with criminal justice services
• Complete needs and risk assessments for clients leading to the delivery of support plans which meet individual client needs
• Give clients advice and information to provide an enabling service so that they can access appropriate services and accommodation
• Ensure all new clients moving into the service understand their rights, responsibilities and the conditions of their licence agreement

Please note: Job descriptions are not exhaustive, and the successful candidate may occasionally be asked to take on other duties that align with the key responsibilities outlined.

What we’re looking for:

• A valid UK driving licence and access to own vehicle – business insurance will be required for roles involving travel for work
• Experience working with vulnerable adults and/or people with complex needs and challenging behaviours

There are many great reasons to join our team!

• Access to our Rewards Platform, which includes an Employee Assistance Programme and Health Cash Plan
• 27 days annual leave, including an extra day off for your birthday, plus bank holidays - increasing up to 30 days after 4 years of continuous employment (pro rata for part-time staff)
• 30% staff discount at Julian House charity shop
• A generous and competitive pension scheme
• A supportive culture where staff feedback is highly valued and regular supervisions with line managers are conducted
• Great opportunities for career development and free monthly training sessions from experienced facilitators
• For all the fantastic and valuable work, you’ll be doing, you’ll be eligible for the Blue Light Card which offers amazing discounts on thousands of brands
• Reflective Practice sessions from objective, external facilitators

Our Ethos

As an Equal Opportunities employer, we have an Equality and Diversity Action plan in place showing our commitment in ensuring continuous improvement in creating an inclusive culture. We also have a committed group of Inclusion & Diversity champions who meet monthly to ensure progress is being made. We invite applications from people from all backgrounds and cultures, especially minority groups that are underrepresented in the workplace. We also welcome applications from those with lived experience. We embrace flexibility and are proud to be a Disability Confident and Mindful employer, as well as an Armed Forces Covenant Supporter.

If you have any special access requirements or other support needs throughout the application process (including the interview), please contact us so that we can let you know how we can support you.

DBS Checks

We welcome applications from people with lived experience. All applicants working with our clients will be expected to undertake an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. A criminal conviction will not necessarily prevent you from becoming an employee; the decision will depend on the type of offence and its relevance to the role.

If you would like to discuss any convictions you may have, please contact the person named in the advert. All information will be dealt with according to our Data Protection Policy.

Please note: We reserve the right to close our vacancies once the perfect candidate has been found. We recommend submitting your application as soon as possible so that you don’t miss out!