Support worker jobs in Oxford, oxfordshire

Join a team that's making a real difference.

Adfam is the leading national charity tackling the effects of alcohol, drug use or gambling on family members and friends. We improve life for thousands of people. One way we do this is by empowering families and friends to get the support they need.

We want anyone affected by someone else's drug or alcohol use or gambling problem to have the chance to benefit from healthy relationships, be part of a loving and supportive family and enjoy mental and physical wellbeing.

This role offers the opportunity to be part of a successful national remote service, offering support via the phone or Zoom to affected adults in the UK. We are looking to recruit experienced Family Support professionals to provide these virtual support sessions to individual family members and sometimes groups. We are offering a number of roles at 15-20 hours per week, across 3-5 days, including Wednesday and at least 2 evenings per week (Mon-Wed).

Experience in supporting family members affected by someone else’s substance use is essential, as is experience with assessing and managing risk. Ideally, you would also have experience of working to support parents with their parenting and / or those experiencing domestic abuse. We offer fixed hours part time contracts within a friendly and supportive team. Whilst based at home and requiring the ability to work autonomously, Adfam prides ourselves on our supportive team ethos and working culture. 

• Salary: £30,000 pro rata
• 6.5% contributory pension scheme
• Contract: One year with likely extension

This is a remote working position based at home.

Please note, although counselling skills and qualifications are welcome and valuable as part of a skillset for this role, these are not counselling roles. This is professional support work and requires additional experience or skills in substance use, social work, complex family work or a related field. The role requires directive and facilitative guidance and input. If you are a counsellor looking for typical counselling work, please do not apply for this role. Thank you.

Closing date: Sunday 19th April

Application packs can be downloaded from our website. Alternatively, please email us to request one.

Adfam actively welcomes applications from all sections of society.

About You:

You are a reliable, compassionate and calm individual who is committed to supporting vulnerable people. You are able to work independently during night shifts while remaining a supportive member of the wider team.

You communicate well, build positive relationships with residents and colleagues, and handle challenging situations in a professional and respectful manner. You are organised, attentive to detail and comfortable completing records, handovers and routine checks.

Most importantly, you are motivated to create a safe, welcoming environment and to support residents in developing confidence and independent living skills.

Main Purpose Of The Job:

This role is responsible for delivering a safe and supportive service to all residents living at O’Hanlon House during the night. The post holder needs to work alongside the day and night teams to ensure the effective delivery of high quality care, support and housing management according to Homeless Oxfordshire Policies and Procedures.

Main Areas Of Responsibility:

• Ensure the effective delivery of high quality care, support and housing management according to Homeless Oxfordshire policies and procedures.

• To be a supportive and effective part of the team working as part of a rota including nights and weekends. Maintain positive relationships with clients, relatives, carers, professionals, commissioners, contractors and the local community.

• Maintain a safe, clean and welcoming environment.

• To support and encourage clients to care for themselves and develop independent living skills.

• To assess and manage risk for individuals and in the service, making use of emergency services as required.

• Report any safeguarding concerns without delay in line with the charity’s policies and procedures.

• Comply with the charity’s health and safety standards.

• Manage challenging situations in line with procedures and to ensure the safety of yourself and others.

• Actively ensure security of the building through regular checks and monitoring of CCTV system.

• To carry out designated cleaning and laundry duties (and any other housekeeping tasks).

• To participate in handovers at the beginning and end of shifts, ensuring that information is properly recorded and passed on where appropriate and relevant and in a timely fashion.

• Ensure that IT systems are updated as required and concise record keeping is completed promptly.

• Ensure clients are aware of and support them to maximise their opportunity to be involved in Client Participation.

• To participate in the induction of and support new team members.

• To undertake any other duties that can be reasonably required to meet the operational needs of Homeless Oxfordshire.

• To undertake such other duties, training and/or hours of work as may be reasonably required, and which are consistent with the general level of responsibility of this position.

• To ensure that Homeless Oxfordshire’s Equal Opportunities Policies are complied promoted in carrying out duties of the post.

About Us:

We are an open door for people experiencing homelessness whose lives have been shaped by trauma and disadvantage; providing safety, stability and support when it is needed most. We deliver this support across Oxfordshire by providing a range of accommodation with access to high quality support, offering a safe and welcoming space for people to take control of their own lives. We are an accredited Oxford Living Wage employer, and benefits to the role include: annual leave starting at 26 days (excluding bank holidays), flexible working, enhanced benefits with qualifying service, retail discounts with our Homeless Oxfordshire Benefits Hub, and life assurance up to four times your salary and a £250 bonus if you successfully refer a someone as a new colleague through our Employee Referral Scheme as a thanks from us!

Open To: People wanting to work weekends. This role is a shift and rota'd role that includes weekends, bank holidays, early and late days.

What’s Next: Have a look at the job description to find out more about the role and apply on our website. Please be aware that this role is subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure check and will be undertaken for the successful candidate .

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we identify a suitable candidate before the advertised closing date.

Harris Hill is supporting a leading national charity seeking a Kinship Navigator to deliver intensive, one-to-one support to family and friend carers raising children in challenging circumstances.

This is a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, research-led programme designed to improve outcomes for vulnerable families. You’ll work directly in the Oxfordshire community and in family homes, supporting kinship carers to navigate complex systems including social care, education and health.

Key responsibilities:

• Provide tailored 1:1 support to a caseload of families over a structured 6-month programme  
• Complete needs assessments, support plans and regular reviews
• Facilitate local peer support groups
• Work closely with local authorities and partner agencies
• Maintain accurate case records and contribute to programme evaluation

About you (essential):

• Experience supporting vulnerable families or carers in a community or statutory setting (Knowledge of policy, guidance and support available for Kinship carers highly desirable)
• Strong case management and organisational skills
• Ability to maintain high-quality case records and accurate data collection is critical
• Confident working with multi-agency professionals
• Knowledge of safeguarding and trauma-informed approaches
• Able to build trust and manage a varied caseload
• Professional, empathetic and resilient when supporting families.

What’s on offer:

• Based in Oxfordshire (community-based with some remote working)

Co-located within local authority hubs and spaces with some remote working and frequent community and home visits, and occasional travel to head office in London.

• 14 month Fixed Term contract (until to August 2027)
• 28 hours per week (4 days a week) (0.8FTE)
• £29,000 FTE (£23,200 pro-rata)
• Generous annual leave + bank holidays (pro rata)
• Strong training and development support
• Opportunity to contribute to a high-impact, evidence-based programme

APPLY ASAP: Please apply today, the charity is keen to interview and hire quickly, due to the programme timelines. A short notice period (up to 1 month) is highly desirable.

Apply today for the full job pack and more information!

As leading charity recruitment specialists and a certified B Corp™, Harris Hill is committed to high and ever-improving standards of equitable and inclusive recruitment. We actively welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexuality and other protected characteristics.