Support Practitioner Homeless Service

Ymcatogether; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A community support organization in the United Kingdom is seeking a compassionate Support Worker dedicated to providing assistance to individuals experiencing homelessness. The role involves creating safe, empowering environments and supporting clients through crisis periods using a trauma-informed approach. Ideal candidates will have experience in community projects and strong communication skills. The position offers opportunities for personal and professional growth within a supportive team culture.

Benefits

Opportunities for professional growth

Supportive work environment

Training for role and personal development

Qualifications

• Background in charity or community projects, especially in homeless services.
• Basic understanding of welfare benefits and housing law.
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries while showing empathy.

Responsibilities

• Assist clients in a trauma-informed manner.
• Carry out risk assessments and support plans for new residents.
• Respond to referrals promptly and communicate with external agencies.

Skills

Experience in charity or community projects

Excellent communication skills

Empathy and respect

Strong time management

Education

NVQ/L2 in Health and Social Care or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

Outlook

Job description

Hours: 38.4 hrs per week, averaging out at 37.5 over the year, Mix of early, late and weekend shifts on a rolling rota, including weekends and bank holidays

Job Type: Permanent/Fixed Term

Shortlisting; TBC

Interview: TBC

Why this role would be great for you

As a Support Worker at YMCA Together, you will be an empathetic and caring individual dedicated to providing unconditional support to those experiencing homelessness and the effects of past traumatic incidents. Your role will involve creating a safe environment that empowers residents to make positive changes in their lives.

Everyone goes through periods of crisis at some point, and some individuals require additional support to navigate these challenging times. Your responsibility will be to assist our clients in a trauma-informed manner, enabling them to progress, whether that means following a recovery pathway or transitioning to more independent living. You will work as part of a team to achieve these goals alongside the person you are supporting, ensuring you always work with a person‑centred approach.

What your week may look like

• Welcoming new residents in line with the service’s policies and procedures, carrying out risk assessments and support plans
• Ensuring the basic needs of residents are met, including good quality accommodation and facilities, healthy food, advice and guidance and activities
• Maintaining excellent relationships with our key referrers, responding to referrals promptly and communicating daily with external agencies on behalf of the residents
• Work alongside the people in our services to ensure they are getting the best out of their stay
• Holding daily activities in service and encouraging participation, and ensuring involvement from the residents
• Carrying out the immediate support needs of residents as appropriate, providing crisis intervention where necessary and working with services
• Ensuring all health and safety and maintenance issues are raised promptly
• Participating in team meetings, supervision and reflective practice, encouraging open, honest and transparent feedback where continuous improvement is encouraged.
• Being flexible and responsive to the changing needs of the service, ensuring our SHREK values runs through all of the work that you do
• Promoting a supportive and inclusive culture within the service, valuing people and their diversity.

What can we offer you

Working with YMCA Together comes will a whole host of benefits. We hope that people will find deep personal fulfilment and purpose by working with alongside people in our services. Our teams are compassionate and supportive, fostering a strong sense of community. With opportunities for professional growth, YMCA together offers training to support your role and personal development. For a full list of benefits see here: Careers Page | YMCA Together

The skills we are looking for

• EXPERIENCE – Ideally, you will have a background of working within a charity, community project and/or previous involvement in homeless service or working with women with complex behaviours. You will know about supporting people with challenging and complex behaviours, including substance misuse and Mental Health, within a 24-hour residential support service
• KNOWLEDGE – A basic understanding of relevant and appropriate legislation, including welfare benefits and housing law. An understanding of health and safety requirements in the workplace
• COMMUNICATION – Excellent communication, fostering a respectful, collaborative and professional approach to the people who you work alongside, ensuring confidentiality at all times
• EMPATHY and RESPECT – The ability to empower people to make positive changes, showing empathy whilst maintaining professional boundaries
• COMMITMENT – The ability to work in an innovative and solutions-focused way, including reflecting and learning as you go, and a willingness to flex and adapt approaches as needed
• ORGANISATION – Strong time management and the ability to manage to prioritise tasks
• COMPUTER LITERACY – You will be IT literate and have experience of working with multiple software programs such as Microsoft Office and Outlook.

What is a nice to have

• NVQ/L2 in Health and Social Care or equivalent
• Experience of working within a psychologically informed working environment
• Knowledge of housing management and IT databases
• Awareness of benefits and how they work including Universal Credit and other welfare systems

Even if you don’t feel that you have all of the relevant skills and “nice to haves” we would still like to hear from you and invite you to fill out our application form.

YMCA Together is an equal opportunities employer, values diversity and is strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, regardless of age, disability, gender, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation.