Unit Manager Jobs in Leatherhead, Surrey

We're looking for a Housing & Income Officer to join our Landlord services team located at our Head Office moving to Caledonian Road this year.

£32,000.00 per annum, working 35 hours per week. Benefits include 25 days Annual Leave, pension schemes, staff discounts, healthcare and career progression.

Want to feel valued? You'll feel at home here.

and innovative care and support business known for its life-changing services is looking for a dedicated and target driven Income and Housing Officer who can maximise the organisation's rental income collection, effectively manage rent arrears and deal with other breaches of the occupancy agreement.

Managing a patch of 400+ units across our services you will ensure that challenging rent collection targets are met but also that everything is done to avoid eviction. Your personal qualities are as important in this role as your work experience.

Working alongside Operational Colleagues, the Income and Housing Officer will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of generic Housing Management services across their patch with the main focus on Income Collection and some ASB management. You will be expected to meet tight KPI's increasing rent collection and carry out rent arrears actions at all stages from the initial warning letters to the eviction stage.

In order to effectively deliver the services listed above to their patch, the Income and Housing Officer will need to work closely with Contract Managers and Support Workers working within our projects to empower and enable them to carry out their responsibilities. Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills are a pre-requisite to the role. The post holder will be extremely flexible and have the ability to effectively manage multiple projects at one time.

Fixed term contract of 6-9 months

Needs to be able to travel, some homeworking but priority is out on site visiting customers in their homes and having a presence in the community.

This role requires a valid Right to Work for the UK as Look Ahead are not a sponsoring organisation.

What you'll do:

Take responsibility for maximising rent collection across a defined patch of Look Ahead's portfolio of properties ensuring that rent collection targets are met and tenancies sustained
Advise operational teams on their support related arrears management activities, including holding local surgeries with tenants and staff, taking direct control of higher level and more complex arrears cases
Proactively monitor all current and former accounts within the defined patch and make recommendations to the Housing Manager for appropriate former accounts to be written off or referred to Look Ahead's debt collection agency
Ensure that the rent collection function is carried out both sensitively and in a timely fashion so as to avoid the build up of excessive arrears and record all case details accurately.
Ensure that all sign ups within the defined patch are done accurately on the correct type of tenancy and at the correct rent and service charge levels.
Prepare files and documents for legal action and present cases in County Court hearings for possession claims, money judgements

For the full list please see our website.

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead

About you:

An understanding of the needs of customers who have experienced homelessness and who may also have support needs.
Excellent time management skills to systematically monitor arrears and complete other tasks in a logical and systematic way.
Excellent communication skills and experience of dealing with vulnerable people in a sensitive , friendly and clear manner.
An understanding of how to effectively deal with breaches of occupancy such as anti-social behaviour and abandonment. .
The ability to communicate clearly with non -housing management staff and explain cases in a non technical way.
A logical approach to problem solving and a willingness to deal with problems quickly and efficiently.
A willingness to "go the extra mile" when working with our customers

What you'll bring:

Essential:

Experience of monitoring rent accounts and managing rent arrears
Experience of using computerised rent systems to monitor arrears and record information
Extensive knowledge of welfare benefits ,especially housing benefit
Experience of liaising with housing benefit departments ,the DWP and other external agencies

About us:

Look Ahead is a dynamic, leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. As an organisation we deliver over 110 services, providing support to around 7000 customers each year. We work across mental health, homelessness, young people and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.

Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.

ROLE PURPOSE

This position involves identifying and prioritising potential donors capable of making significant contributions to help us deliver a range of projects aimed at enhancing the student experience and supporting the local community. By providing the Development and Fundraising Team with tailored and insightful research, this role will enhance the prospect funding pipeline and facilitate the cultivation of a diverse pools of donors, including individuals, grant-making trusts, and companies. This role will also manage a well-structured stewardship program for donors. Responsibilities include promptly acknowledging donations, creating personalised impact reports, and overseeing bi-annual events which recognise and celebrate their support.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

· To maintain and develop the University’s database of fundraising prospects through proactive identification, analysis, and segmentation, (individual and aggregate) record updating, and original research, including the identification of new prospects.

·  To prepare prospect profiles (which may include wealth ratings), and work with relationship managers to devise appropriate tailored cultivation and solicitation plans, enabling appropriately targeted fundraising asks.

·  To develop and manage reporting in the database across fundraising portfolios to help ensure prospects are strategically moving along the prospect pipeline towards major gift solicitation • To produce and provide due-diligence reports on prospective donors as part of the University’s gift acceptance procedures.

· To deliver an annual donor recognition event to acknowledge and celebrate the support of the University’s most generous supporters.

· To organise smaller bespoke events for higher level donors to the university, for example, site visits to project sites and/or opportunities to meet student beneficiaries.

· To write insightful and impactful bespoke reports for donors supporting the University, ensuring reports demonstrate the positive impact of support and encourage repeat gift solicitation from the fundraising team.

· To keep abreast of regulations, including the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) ensuring that all prospect research and cultivation is compliant and understood by fundraisers.

· To undertake any other duties as appropriate within their competence, as required by their Head of Unit from time to time.

CONTEXT

The primary purpose of the Development team is to secure philanthropic income to support the delivery of the University’s Being Westminster 2022-2029 strategy. The Development team forms part of the Global Recruitment, Admissions, Marketing and Communications (GRAMC) directorate. The team also works closely with the Business Engagement Directorate to deliver an integrated approach to the University’s relationships with its key external stakeholders. The Development team collaborates with the Alumni Relations team to inspire and engage the University of Westminster’s vibrant, global community of alumni and supporters to build lifelong and mutually beneficial relationships with the institution.

DIMENSIONS

· The role has no budgetary responsibility.

· This role will be expected to manage a varied workload with limited, direct supervision.

· The post holder will be expected to support key GRAMC activity which may include some unsocial working hours.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

·  Educated to degree level.

·  Membership in a relevant professional body (e.g. CASE)

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

· Experience researching potential funders/prospects or investors using a range of sources and analysing and synthesising findings.

· Familiarity with a range of tools and information sources useful to prospect research

· Strong working knowledge of fundraising and understanding of the fundraising and gift management process.

· Experience of working with CRM systems

· Experience in working with large and complex sets of data; analyzing and communicating key findings in an understandable way

· Experience in handling confidential data with tact and discretion, with good practical knowledge of the Data Protection Act

· To understand individual health and safety responsibilities and an awareness of the risks in the work environment, together with their potential impact on both individual work and that of others.

· Experience in delivering events that recognize and acknowledge key stakeholders thoughtfully and creatively.

 Desirable

· Experience working within a Development and Alumni Relations/Advancement function within a UK HEI

· Experience of The Raiser’s Edge

· Thorough knowledge of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)

APTITUDES, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

Essential

· Excellent interpersonal, networking, and verbal communication skills and proven credibility in engaging senior internal and external stakeholders, clients, and donors

· Strong writing skills and the ability to write compelling and insightful reports that demonstrate impact.

· Ability to work well under pressure and to successfully manage several projects simultaneously, to deadline.

· MS Office proficiency and experience with Excel spreadsheets

· Excellent organizational skills, methodical approach, and attention to detail

· High attention to detail

· Fully committed to contributing to a stimulating learning and working environment that is supportive and fair, based on mutual respect and trust, and in which harassment and discrimination are neither tolerated nor acceptable.

· A proven record of working cooperatively and flexibly as part of a team.

· Commitment to the role of philanthropy within a university setting

· Resilient and tenacious

· Self-starter, able to act on own initiative.

· The post holder will be expected to work unsocial hours on occasion.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for this vacancy, please visit our vacancies page where you will be able to download our application form template. You will then be requested to complete a quick registration before being able to upload the completed application form and any supporting documentation.

Applications should include:

· A concise statement in support (ideally no longer than two pages), addressing the criteria in the Person Specification and motivation for applying.

· You may also include an up-to-date curriculum vitae;

· names and contact details of two referees (although referees will only be approached at the offer stage).

The deadline for receipt of applications is midnight on 8 June 2024.

Interviews will take place on 19 June 2024.

An appointment will be made subject to proof of eligibility to work in the UK and satisfactory references being obtained.

At the University of Westminster, diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity are at the core of how we engage with students, colleagues, applicants, visitors and all our stakeholders.

We are fully committed to enabling a supportive and safe learning and working environment which is equitable, diverse and inclusive, is based on mutual respect and trust, and in which harassment and discrimination are neither tolerated nor acceptable.

The University has adopted Smart Working principles to support and further our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion aims of being an inclusive, collaborative and flexible employer. Further details of Smart Working can be discussed at interview stage.

OUR BENEFITS

The University offers a range of well-being and work-life balance benefits to recognise and reward the essential contribution our colleagues make to success and growth. Our benefits are inclusive for colleagues of all backgrounds including LGBTQ+ colleagues, disabled colleagues, pregnant colleagues, parents, and carers, as well as colleagues of all genders, ages, ethnicities, nationalities, religions and beliefs, and marriage and civil partnership status.

· 35 days annual leave per year, plus bank/national holidays and University of Westminster closure days (pro-rata for part-time staff).

· A generous occupational pension scheme.

· Annual incremental progression and/or cost of living reviews.

· Generous maternity, paternity, and adoption leave.

· Flexible working and smart working.

· Learning and development opportunities.

· Free membership rates for a wide range of sporting facilities, including gyms at Regent Street and Harrow campuses, as well as the Chiswick Sports Ground.

· Employee assistance programme.

· The opportunity to participate in other attractive employee benefit schemes such as Cycle to Work, Eye Care Vouchers, Season Ticket Loans, and Give As You Earn.

We are seeking a Head of IT to lead the technical delivery in support of our IT strategy. This is a new role and will be our first standalone IT member of staff. You will shape the IT support and infrastructure for the charity, deliver an excellent day to day service, manage the relationship with our Managed Service Provider (MSP), take responsibility for cyber security and training and, alongside project teams, support the implementation of new technology to the service.

You will have strong people skills and be able to form effective working relationships with colleagues across the charity in order to deliver an excellent IT service. You will have a hands-on approach and enjoy working in partnership with a range of people. You will also have good knowledge and experience of IT infrastructure including Azure.

London’s Air Ambulance Charity continues to develop a supportive and enabling environment that gets the best out of our people. We promote a culture of progression and professional advancement offering a range of learning and development opportunities. In addition, we offer flexible working options, wellbeing packages and family friendly employment policies.

The role is offered on a full time, permanent basis. LAA offers a hybrid working arrangement, with time spent at our offices and at home.

If you think this role is for you, apply today or contact us for an informal discussion.

We pride ourselves on our dedication to being an employer that values diversity, we firmly believe that each team member can provide a unique perspective and valuable contribution to the lives of the people we serve, applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

Based in our Welcome Area, this role is central to our Community Support provision, where the post-holder will be our community's first point of contact, responsible for greeting service users and supporting them with general enquiries and referrals. 

They will be expected to register and monitor users in our database, organise appointments, and manage our various communication channels, such as emails, helpline, and IRMO broadcast lists. Supported by a team of volunteers, they will manage community enquiries, ensuring IRMO is always a welcoming environment for the community. They will collaborate closely with other operational areas to ensure service users receive relevant, up-to-date information.

We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Support Worker to join our Assessment Centre service in Kensington and Chelsea.

£27,352.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week. Benefits include 25 days Annual Leave, pension schemes, staff discounts, healthcare and career progression.

Want to feel like you're making a difference? You'll feel at home here.

132 Assessment Centre is for single homeless men and women that have links within the borough. The accommodation provides 6 separate self-contained units with on suite bedrooms, and 1 bedroomed flat. The scheme is staffed 24 hours, with Night Support Workers and Concierge cover during the evenings.

The aim of the project is to assess the individual over a 12-week period with the aim of identifying their support and housing needs. In that period, we will provide a bed for the customer to assist staff to carry out a detailed assessment to ensure that the recommendation for move on into alternative housing is captured correctly to assist move on for the individual into more suitable accommodation which is correct reflective of their needs based on our assessment/recommendation.

The service operates a model of personalised approach in order to address a wide range of presenting complex needs, which could range from mild learning difficulties, substance use (alcohol and drugs), offending, mental health, dual diagnoses, etc. We work closely with outside agencies in order to ensure that the individual is linked into getting the correct support whilst they remain at the assessment centre.
A major part of the Assessment Support Workers role is putting in the foundation with our customers around basic living skills and preparing the individual to be ready to move into alternative supported accommodation.

This role requires a valid Right to Work for the UK as Look Ahead are not a sponsoring organisation.

What you'll do:

Undertake initial and continuous assessment of needs including support needs and daily living skills. This would include potential risks and an assessment of the customers independent living skills as a whole.
The initial and co-produced assessment will incorporate models of co-production, observation, and person-centred planning. This is with a view that it is solution focused as to provide a framework for progression towards independent living.
Liaise with partner agencies regarding the assessment process seeking advice and guidance as to specialist input and clinical input as part of multi-disciplinary assessment process.
Create support/ action plans for providing appropriate services based on the assessment and reflecting the services and resources available.
Empower customers to be part of the local community and active participants in the local community as part of a Recovery Capital model.
Liaise with partner agencies regarding making referrals where an unmet need has been identified via the multi-agency assessment.
Ensure that referrals are chased proactively so that properties which can be used to house those in need are filled as efficiently as possible.
Undertake key-working responsibilities for a caseload assigned by the Team Leader/Manager
Support customers to undertake all domestic tasks as past of the assessment of daily living skills, including practical assistance where they have not yet developed the skills, to ensure customers enjoy a high quality of accommodation.
Develop and maintain links with all key agencies and service providers in the local community.
Empower customers to ensure they receive the service and benefits they are entitled to, including assessment and support of budgeting and debt management to garner their tenancy readiness.
Undertake all administrative work and keep accurate and comprehensive tenant/customer records to professional standards.
Adhere to Look Ahead's Policies and Procedures
Engage in learning and development activity to increase knowledge and skills.
Provide day-to-day instruction of domestic staff/Personal Support Assistants where appropriate.
Undertake any other duties consistent with the grade and nature of the post as may be reasonably assigned.
This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead.

About you:

Exudes a warm friendly presence and open behaviour.
Prefers working as part of a group or team.
Is fundamentally calm and resilient, does not let emotion adversely affect them or obscure their judgement.
Flexible.
Open to feedback and self development.
Has a practical and logical mind and is naturally well organised.
Thrives on change and enjoys dynamic diverse environments.
Is confident with high levels of self-esteem.
Is respectful, articulate and sensitive in style of communication.
Is motivated towards excellence and improvement of personal performance with a can do attitude.
Enjoys social interaction and the company of others, joins in local activities to encourage customer involvement.
Ability to cope positively with challenging and diverse behaviour.
What you'll bring:

Essential:
NVQ Level 2 or equivalent or experience within charity/social care sector

About us:

Look Ahead is a dynamic, leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. As an organisation we deliver over 110 services, providing support to around 7000 customers each year. We work across mental health, homelessness, young people and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.

We're looking for three kind, compassionate and resilient Support Worker to join our Mental Health service in Ealing.

£27,352.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week. Benefits include 25 days Annual Leave, pension schemes, staff discounts, healthcare and career progression.

Want to feel valued? You'll feel at home here.

Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That's why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren't token gestures - we've thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.

Oaklands & St Kilda is a pair of 6 unit supported accommodation mental health rehab services working with young people between the ages of 18-25 who may have experienced a mental health related hospital admission to gain and develop skills for future independent living. The service will support individuals transitioning from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to Adult services.

The service forms part of a pair of services supporting up to 12 individuals at any one time across the sites, providing a welcoming and supportive environment for young people across London on a spot purchase basis.

Support workers will manage a number of young people to help them to identify, plan and achieve their goals, develop relationships meaningful to them and achieve greater independence by providing a flexible and individually tailored support package.

This role consists of consists of day time working patterns including early shifts from 8am and late shifts from 2pm. Shifts are 8 hours long and 5 days a week.

This role requires a valid Right to Work for the UK as Look Ahead are not a sponsoring organisation.

What you'll do:

- Building supportive, trusting relationships with young people and creating a positive atmosphere
- Working proactively with other members of the team to handle the service caseload and administrative responsibilities
- Conducting key work sessions as required, that are innovative and engaging in order to achieve Support Plan goals
- Co-producing ongoing assessment and management of risks in collaboration with young people with an attitude of 'positive risk taking'
- Providing support with daily living activities, including practical assistance to support young peoples to independent living e.g. budgeting, cooking, establishing a night time routine
- Supporting young people to maintain a healthy environment and where appropriate assisting them to clean their accommodation and maintain good personal hygiene
- Assisting in the recording and reporting of customer incidents
- Managing referrals, completing assessments and obtaining and maintaining all relevant paperwork
- Developing productive relationships with partner organisations to improve service outcomes
- Adhering to lone working protocols and maintaining high levels of awareness in relation to the health and safety of yourself and colleagues
- Involving young people in the design, development and delivery of the service
- Encouraging and enabling tenants to pay their rent and avoid personal debt

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead

About you:

Ability to advocate for young people in different professional and community spaces
- Values working collaboratively with young people to ensure the service best meets their needs.
- An understanding of peoples' contexts and how this might be impacting them their lives and mental health
- Cultural awareness and respect for the many different ways a person might make sense of their experiences and distress.
- We welcome applications from people with lived experience of some of the challenges that this service aims to support with for example, mental health difficulties.
- Plans and encourages involvement in local activities.
- Approachable and open behaviour
- Recognises the value of both 1:1 working with young people and the importance of working working as part of a group or team

What you'll bring:

Essential:

- Up to NVQ Level 2/3 or equivalent or experience supporting young people or people experiencing mental health challenges.

Desirable:

- Experience working in complex mental health environments

About us:

Look Ahead is a dynamic, leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. As an organisation we deliver over 110 services, providing support to around 7000 customers each year. We work across mental health, homelessness, young people and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.

Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.

Please see our website for full job description.

We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Waking Night Support Worker to join our Oaklands & St Kilda Service.

£27,352.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week. Benefits include 25 days Annual Leave, pension schemes, staff discounts, healthcare and career progression.

Want to feel like you're making a difference? You'll feel at home here.

Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That's why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren't token gestures - we've thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.

About the Role:

Oaklands & St Kilda is a pair of 6-unit supported accommodation mental health rehab services working with young people between the ages of 18-25 who may have experienced a mental health related hospital admission to gain and develop skills for future independent living. The service will support individuals transitioning from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to Adult services.

The service forms part of a pair of services supporting up to 12 individuals at any one time across the sites, providing a welcoming and supportive environment for young people across London on a spot purchase basis.

Support workers will manage a number of young people to help them to identify, plan and achieve their goals, develop relationships meaningful to them and achieve greater independence by providing a flexible and individually tailored support package.

This is a Waking Night role working to support young people throughout the night at the service. This role completed 10 hour shifts 4 days a week across all days of the week.

This role requires a valid Right to Work for the UK as Look Ahead are not a sponsoring organisation.

What you'll do:

Building supportive, trusting relationships with young people and creating a positive atmosphere#
Working proactively with other members of the team to handle the service caseload and administrative responsibilities
Conducting key work sessions as required, that are innovative and engaging in order to achieve Support Plan goals
Co-producing ongoing assessment and management of risks in collaboration with young people with an attitude of 'positive risk taking'
Providing support with daily living activities, including practical assistance to support young people s to independent living e.g. budgeting, cooking, establishing a night time routine
Supporting young people to maintain a healthy environment and where appropriate assisting them to clean their accommodation and maintain good personal hygiene

For full details, please visit our website

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead

About you:

Ability to advocate for young people in different professional and community spaces
Values working collaboratively with young people to ensure the service best meets their needs.
An understanding of peoples' contexts and how this might be impacting them their lives and mental health
Cultural awareness and respect for the many different ways a person might make sense of their experiences and distress.
We welcome applications from people with lived experience of some of the challenges that this service aims to support with for example, mental health difficulties.
Plans and encourages involvement in local activities.
Approachable and open behaviour
Recognises the value of both 1:1 working with young people and the importance of working working as part of a group or team
Confident in the completion of regular paperwork and is well organised
Flexible
Open to feedback and self development
Recognises the likelihood that the service will be a dynamic diverse environment and considers the impact of changes
Confident in the use of IT systems such as SharePoint and Microsoft Office
Is respectful, articulate and sensitive in style of communication
Ability to cope positively with challenging and diverse behaviours

What you'll bring:

Essential:

Up to NVQ Level 2/3 or equivalent or experience supporting young people or people experiencing mental health challenges.

Desirable:

Experience working in complex mental health environments

About us:

Look Ahead is a dynamic, leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. As an organisation we deliver over 110 services, providing support to around 7000 customers each year. We work across mental health, homelessness, young people and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us. Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role. We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date. We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.

We're looking for two kind, compassionate and resilient Specialist Support Workers to join our Young People & Mental Health service in Ealing. No personal care or experience is required, just the right values.

£28,500.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week. Benefits include 25 days Annual Leave, pension schemes, staff discounts, healthcare and career progression.

Want to feel like you're making a difference? You'll feel at home here.

Specialist Support Workers within Look Ahead are required to have either an extra dimension of experience or a higher qualification level as determined relevant for the particular post. Specialist Support Workers provide information, social inclusion and vocational opportunities to support people to recover and stay well; exercise choice and control in their care and lives; and participate on an equal footing in the community. Support is also provided to develop a model of re-enablement towards self-advocacy, self-management and empowerment, incorporating the principles and practice of recovery, co-production and peer support.

Oaklands & St Kilda is a pair of 6 unit supported accommodation mental health rehab services working with young people between the ages of 18-25 who may have experienced a mental health related hospital admission to gain and develop skills for future independent living. The service will support individuals transitioning from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to Adult services.

The service forms part of a pair of services supporting up to 12 individuals at any one time across the sites, providing a welcoming and supportive environment for young people across london on a spot purchase basis.

Specialist Support workers will manage a caseload of customers to help them to identify, plan and achieve their goals, develop relationships meaningful to them and achieve greater independence by providing a flexible and individually tailored support package.

Consists of working 5 days a week across all days, 8 hours shifts starting at either 8am or 2pm.

This role requires a valid Right to Work for the UK as Look Ahead are not a sponsoring organisation.

What you'll do:

Building supportive, trusting relationships with customers and creating a positive atmosphere
Carrying out holistic assessments of new customers which incorporate relevant statutory referral information
Conducting regular key work sessions that are innovative and engaging in order to achieve Support Plan goals
Create support plans for providing appropriate services based on on-going assessment and reflecting the services and resources available to enable customer to progress in their recovery
Ensuring ongoing assessment and management of risks associated with customers within an attitude of 'positive risk taking
Provide support and access to relevant services to enable customers to continue their recovery and empower customers to self-manage their medication regimes through individual re-enablement programmes and informed decision making
Undertake support work in partnership with external stakeholders to compliment their interventions

For the full list please see our website.

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead

About you:

Plans and encourages involvement in local activities.
Approachable and open behaviour
Prefers working as part of a group or team
Is fundamentally calm and emotionally resilient in the face of challenging situations
Confident in the completion of regular paperwork and is well organised
Flexible
Open to feedback and self development
Thrives on change and enjoys dynamic diverse environments
Confident in the use of IT systems such as SharePoint and Microsoft Office suite.
Is respectful, articulate and sensitive in style of communication
Is essentially customer-focused
Is motivated towards excellence and improvement of personal performance with a can do attitude
Ability to cope positively with challenging and diverse behaviours

What you'll bring:

Essential:

Up to NVQ Level 2/3 or equivalent or experience supporting young people or people experiencing mental health challenges.
Specialist knowledge relevant to supporting young people with a Mental Health diagnosis.

Desirable:

Experience of working in a complex mental health environment
Demonstrable experience of trauma-informed practice

About us:

Look Ahead is a dynamic, leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. As an organisation we deliver over 110 services, providing support to around 7000 customers each year. We work across mental health, homelessness, young people and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.

Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.