Waking nights support worker jobs

Job Details

As a support worker you enable people with learning disabilities to live safe, fulfilling, and dignified lives in supported accommodation or their own home.  We have positions available across a variety of services in Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Camden, Islington, Southwark and Hammersmith & Fulham.

In each of our services we support approximately 5-10 people. We support people with a range of support needs from low to high; with old age/ dementia, profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD), autism/mental health.  We also operate outreach services for people who live more independently. We work on a rota which includes working some weekends, early and late shifts. If you prefer to work nights, we also have some services with waking night shifts.

We currently only have vacancies in services where manual handling is an intrinsic and regular part of the job.

Download our job details which gives further information about the job, the benefits of working for LDN London, our locations, and the skills and knowledge we look for in a support worker.

Sessional work

If you don’t want to commit to a contract with you can opt for sessional work where you can decide when and where you work, you will also have the option of accepting or declining any work offered by LDN London.

How to apply

Please take the time to read the job details before applying.

To apply please submit your up to date CV to the address provided on our website.  please use the link provided below.

To be successful in this process you must uphold the values and standards we expect in the workplace, including being open and honest throughout and treating the people we support and our staff with dignity and respect. Any failure may lead to the withdrawal of any offer of employment or work.

Closing date: 4:30pm on Monday 4th May 2026 

Note: all successful applicants will be DBS checked and must be able to provide employment or professional references covering the last three years.

LDN London is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion and welcomes applications from all groups.

We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Waking Night Support Worker to join our Mental Health Social Care Service in Lambeth. No personal care or experience required, just the right values.

£30,784.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week.

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

Our benefits include:

• Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
• Free DBS
• Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
• Fully paid induction programme and further training

All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

What you'll do:
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

• Deliver all aspects of support to enable a customer with complex needs to develop independent living skills as appropriate to their individual needs.
• Support customers to undertake all domestic tasks wherever possible, including practical assistance where they have not yet developed the skills, to ensure customers enjoy a high quality of accommodation.
• Undertake support planning and risk management.
• Deliver robust medication support informed by external partners and in compliance with our Medication Policy & Procedure
• Undertake a case load of customers with key work responsibilities.
• Maintain solid knowledge of relevant referral partnerships and specialist support agencies.
• Working together with family, primary and secondary health agencies to reduce risks and increase independence.

What you'll bring:

Essential:

• NVQ Level 2 or equivalent or experience within charity/social care sector or mental health.
• At least 1 years' experience of support work with people with mental health related support needs.

Desirable:

• Experience of working with vulnerable people.

About us:

We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:

• We focus on Excellence and innovation.
• We are Caring and Compassionate.
• We are Inclusive and Trusted.
• We work in Partnership and are One-Team.

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.

Who are Plus Services?

Plus is one of the most respected Learning Disability and Autism Charities in London with a proud history stretching back more than 30 years.  We have an amazing team that is dedicated to supporting people to live their best possible lives and we have literally changed people’s worlds with the support we have provided.

Our Client Group is quite varied and during the recruitment process you would be specifically recruited to work with those that your personality, skills and experience would fit best with.  Some have really challenging behaviour, but unless you had the capability to best serve those people you would be assigned to a different group.  So, there is no need to worry about being out of your depth.

We also provide industry leading training and on-going support, so rest assured you will be ready for anything the job throws at you.  I cannot promise you it will be easy, but I can promise you it will be worth it.  And when you go home you will know you have made a massive difference and the world is a slightly better place as a result of your efforts.

Who are you?

You are a caring, compassionate and capable individual?  You could be either already working within Social Care or are thinking about joining the sector.  We recognise everyone, regardless of their personal history, talents, abilities and unique personal qualities

What does matter is you must care and you must want to enhance the lives of the people who we support and rely on us.

You will need to be comfortable spending large amounts of your day one-to-one with the Service Users, there is no leaping from client to client here with 15 minute blocks.  You will need to be happy supporting people to learn new skills and become independent.  And you will need to thrive on taking people out into the big wide world, expanding their horizons, bringing a smile to their faces and adding a spring in to their step.

To be considered for the role you will need to be able to:

• Do your share of weekend shifts, sleep-ins, waking nights and bank holidays.
• Be physically fit and able to move freely and physically and to support service users who may be physically dependent.
• Have a supportive attitude and want to help individuals to maximise their lives.
• You must be able to support people with Learning Disabilities who have different ways of expressing themselves
• Be eligible to work in the UK

In return we offer opportunities for professional development and real job satisfaction.  We can help you to develop your professional skills and knowledge and progress toward recognised qualifications such as Diploma in Adult & Social Care levels 3/4/5.

We are reviewing applications on a regular basis as part of our ongoing recruitment process and we are committed to ensuring all candidates are treated fairly

Available positions:

Full time Support Worker (38 Hrs per week)
Locations: Lewisham, Southwark, Greenwich or Sutton

Pay: £29,245
Holidays: 28 days per Annum 

Part time Support Worker 
Locations: Lewisham, Southwark, Greenwich or Sutton

Pay: £29,245 pro-rata
Holidays: 28 days per Annum (Pro Rata)

Bank Support Worker (zero hours contact)

Location: Lewisham, Southwark, Greenwich or Sutton

Salary:  £14.90 per hour.

Holidays: Based on hours accrued

Our benefits package includes:
• Pension contribution scheme

• Fully funded Learning and Development

• Company employee assistance programme service

• Sleep in allowance

This is a service commissioned by Liverpool City Council to deliver Children's residential support in line with statutory requirements, utilising therapeutic approaches.

The service provides a nurturing environment within our high-quality home, supporting the needs of children who have experienced trauma, neglect, rejection, and whose basic needs have not been met.

Our home offers children a safe space to enjoy themselves with activities such as karaoke, pamper, movie and games nights alongside encouraging them to enjoy a wide range of community based activities.

Children also benefit from having the opportunity to enjoy an annual holiday/short break. 

We support our children to learn independence skills e.g. cooking meals, baking, budgeting, completing domestic tasks etc.

In line with Barnardo's Equality, Diversity & Inclusion values, we promote awareness and acceptance in a variety of forms, including monthly theme nights.

On top of that, Saturday is takeaway night, so you even get a night off from cooking!

The support we provide today is vital in sustaining our children in the next chapter of their lives. You would play a huge part in this exciting role, making a real impact to changing the lives of our children.

The home provides a truly therapeutically focussed environment that can meet the needs of children who require support to manage their behaviours safely, develop their resilience and prepare them for the demands of future life with their own families or within other settings.

As a Senior Residential Children & Young People Worker you will, on a rota basis, undertake the following:

• 3 on 4 off pattern across the year, with rotas completed at least one month in advance.
• Sleep ins - approximately 2 per month with an additional payment of approximately £68/sleep,
• Waking nights (approximately 2 per month)
• Opportunities to complete additional hours at an enhanced rate of pay.
• Some weekend working, on a rota basis
• Some bank holiday working – enhanced rates of pay for bank holiday working.

Designated days off are given following sleep ins and waking nights to promote wellbeing and recovery.

Your role:

• Engage with and support children in all aspects of their lives, attending to their practical, physical, and emotional needs, whilst safeguarding each young person at all times.
• Support allocated keyworkers to ensure all information pertinent to the child's everyday life is completed and collated, to demonstrate the journey of the child whilst residing at the home.
• Provide practice based supervision to our As & When (bank) workers, liaising with managers to ensure continuity of care, Continued Professional Development and regulatory compliance.
• On a rota basis you will support the management team to provide out of hours on call cover, for which you will receive an additional payment.
• On a rota basis, you will also share the responsibility (alongside other SRCYW) of being allocated as shift leader; ensuring each day is purposeful and coordinated, enhancing opportunities for positive achievements and outcomes for the children.
• Support children to engage in education and enhance their social opportunities by accessing hobbies & activities in the home and in the community.

If you have residential experience, are passionate about making improved changes to childhoods and can show understanding, tenacity, consistency of care and the ability to engage with a wide range of children – this may be the opportunity for you!

For a full description of the role, please refer to the Job description & Person specification.

What you'll get from us

In addition to the extensive organisational benefits identified below, you will receive:

• A full induction within our trauma informed charity,
• Ongoing comprehensive training package,
• Be part of a team supported by a Therapeutic Co-ordinator and also receive reflective group/individual sessions with our consultant psychotherapist,
• Monthly practice focussed supervision,
• On successfully passing probation, enrolment on a fully funded residential Diploma (if not already held)

Quote from a young person who previously lived in the home:

“…You've all really helped me become the person I am today. The amount of love you all put in, you all wanted the best for me. I'm going to miss the team of great people I have had around me”

Pay & Reward Framework

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.  We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people. 

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay. 

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours.  More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application. 

Benefits

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.

• Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
• Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata
• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our Buy Your Leave scheme
• A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
• Service related sick pay from day 1
• Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
• Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
• Cycle2work scheme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
• 20% discount at Barnardo's stores
• Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
• Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
• Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer

*T&C's apply based on contract

About Barnardo's

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

Our basis and values

About the role:

At Single Homeless Project (SHP), we’re driven by the belief that everyone deserves a place to call home and the chance to build a life that feels fulfilling and hopeful. In our Hammersmith and Fulham service, we provide that opportunity through one high-support hostel and two medium-support hostels, where 24 Londoners are rebuilding their lives while managing their mental health and other complex challenges such as substance use or past offending. This is a place where progress is measured not just in milestones but in moments of courage, connection and growth - and where your work has the power to change the direction of someone’s story.

As a Project Worker, you’ll play a leading role in helping clients understand and manage their emotional and mental health needs, while developing the confidence and skills to live independently. Through meaningful one-to-one work, you’ll carry out detailed needs and risk assessments, identify achievable short-term goals, and help clients strengthen relationships, expand social networks and access training, education or employment. Every day will bring new opportunities to inspire change - whether supporting a resident to manage a difficult day, celebrating progress towards recovery or working alongside a dedicated team to keep our 24-hour service running smoothly, including on weekends.

This is more than a job, it’s a chance to grow your career in a place that values your ideas, invests in your development and champions innovation in homelessness support. At SHP, you’ll be part of a tenacious, forward-thinking team determined to do what works, to go further, and to make London a place where everyone can thrive.

Please note that this role involves shift work, including a combination of early shifts (8:00 AM – 3:30 PM) and late shifts (2:30 PM – 10:00 PM), with shifts scheduled every other weekend.

About you:

• You bring real experience of working alongside people facing mental health challenges and complex needs, and you see their strengths long before their struggles.
• You understand mental health legislation and safeguarding, using that knowledge not just to protect, but to empower.
• You know how to get to the heart of someone’s needs, assess risk with confidence, and build action plans that lead to real change.
• You’re switched on to what it takes to work in a busy residential service, from managing tenancies to making sure everyone feels at home.
• You believe recovery is always possible - you know how to spark motivation, nurture independence and help people move towards the lives they want.
• You thrive on collaboration, working hand-in-hand with partners like community mental health and substance use services to make progress that lasts.

About us:

We’re London’s leading homelessness charity – and we get things done.

In a city where hundreds are forced into homelessness every day, our work has never been more needed or more challenging. And we’re not shying away. We’re rolling up our sleeves to make change and helping over 10,000 Londoners every year. We prevent homelessness, provide safe places to live and give people the opportunity to rebuild their lives and transform their futures. And we never give up. 

We’re here for Londoners wherever they are on their journey. We start with trust, building relationships that help people feel safe, supported, and ready to move forward. Every day, we put people first in everything we do, challenging injustice and barriers that keep people from the safety, stability and opportunity they deserve. We stand alongside people as they rebuild and shape a future that feels their own. 

Joining Single Homeless Project means joining a team that’s bold, compassionate and determined to do better for the people we support and for each other. You’ll work alongside colleagues with lived experience, in a space that’s trans-inclusive, disability-friendly, and actively striving to be anti-oppressive and equitable. 

We’re not perfect, but we’re real. We listen. We learn. And we push forward, together. Because this isn’t just a job. It’s a chance to lead with empathy, spark change, and help build a London where no one is left behind.

Important info:

Closing Date: Sunday 26th April at midnight 

Interview Date: Thursday 7th or Friday 8th May at our service in Hammersmith & Fulham

Please note shortlisted candidates will be required to complete a short psychometric test before being confirmed for interview. 

This post will require an Enhanced DBS check to be processed (by SHP) for the successful applicant. 

Please note applications are reviewed for AI use in application questions. Applications requiring sponsorship or with insufficient right to work will not be accepted or progressed.