Specialist Support worker

We’re looking for 2 kind, compassionate and resilient Specialist Support Workers to join our Mental health service in Ealing
£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 have an exciting future? 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.
Specific details about the service and team. 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      self-advocacy, self-management and empowerment, incorporating the principles and practice of recovery, co-production and peer support.
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: 
- Building supportive, trusting relationships with young people       and creating a positive atmosphere
- Carrying out holistic assessments      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 support young people in their journey     
- Ensuring ongoing assessment and management of risks      within an attitude of ‘positive risk taking
- Supporting young people to access      relevant services      and empower them       to self-manage their medication through      informed consent and decision making
- Undertake support work in partnership with external stakeholders to compliment their interventions
- Developing productive relationships with partner organisations to improve service outcomes
- Demonstrate strong commitment to the functioning of the staff team and to support colleagues in providing a high level of service and safety to customers
- Co-producing      the design, development and delivery of the service with young people
- Adhering to lone working protocols and maintaining high levels of awareness in relation to the health and safety of yourself and colleagues
- Ensuring Look Ahead Health and Safety policies and local protocols are adhered to at all times e.g. fire risk assessments, fire alarm checks etc.
- Being responsible for the handover of key information between shifts
- Provide structured support and guidance to other front line staff in their area of expertise
- To lead groups and activities - offering a range of appropriate therapeutic and recovery focused interactions and activities
- Adhering to all other Look Ahead’s policies and procedures. Engaging in learning and development activity to increase knowledge and skills
- Undertaking any other duties consistent with the grade and nature of the post as assigned by the Team Leader/ Manager
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 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 suite.
- 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.
- 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 leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 120 services, providing support to around 6000 customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. 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 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.
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.