Waking Night Support Worker

We’re looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Waking Night Support Worker to join our Mental Health Service in Slough.

£18,720.00 per annum, working 30 hours per week. Benefits include 25 days Annual Leave (FTE), 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.

Hope House provides support for 16 customers over 2 sites. The first site is a 10-bed supported housing unit and the second consists of 6 independent living flats. The supported housing unit has staff present 24 hours 7 days per week (with sleep- ins). Our customers residing in the independent living flats receive floating support during day-time hours. 

The team at Hope House is comprised of 1 Contract Manager, 1 Team Leader, 4 Support Workers, 2 Waking Night Support Workers. 

We have a current vacancy for a Waking Night Support Worker. This is a 9-month Fixed Term Contract secondment cover with the possibility of extension to a permanent contract depending on the current employee's secondment.

This is a great opportunity for a Waking Night Support Worker wanting to gain exceptional experience within the mental health field, based on the solid working relationship with Specialist Community Mental Health Team (SCMHT). We have recently implemented training directly from SCMHT to support staff with understanding Mental Health diagnosis and Managing Crisis with our customers in-house. 

The shift pattern for this role involves a rolling rota, meaning some weekend and bank holiday work will be required.

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: 

• Undertake key-working responsibilities for a caseload assigned by the Team Leader/ Manager
• Undertake initial and continuous assessment of needs and potential risks and agree levels of support and actions
• Create support/action plans for providing appropriate services based on the assessment and reflecting the services and resources available
• 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
• 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 
• Undertake all administrative work and keep accurate and comprehensive tenant/customer records to professional standards
• Encourage and enable tenants to pay their rent and to ensure that rent accounts are managed effectively in conjunction with the Housing Management team
• Ensure that referrals are chased proactively so that properties which can be used to house those in need are filled as efficiently as possible

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:

• Enjoys social interaction and the company of others, joins in local activities to encourage customer involvement
• Approachable 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
• Has a practical and logical mind and is naturally well organised and flexible
• Open to feedback and self-development
• 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 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 in the social care/charity sector

Desirable: Experience working in mental health

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.