At a Glance
- Tasks: Support people experiencing homelessness to access healthcare and build confidence in managing their health.
- Company: Groundswell, a values-led organisation focused on health equality.
- Benefits: Join a compassionate team dedicated to making a real difference in people's lives.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for personal growth and community impact.
- Why this job: Be part of a new service that transforms healthcare access for vulnerable communities.
- Qualifications: Passion for tackling health inequalities and strong relationship-building skills.
The predicted salary is between 30000 - 40000 £ per year.
Help transform access to healthcare for people experiencing homelessness in Islington. Thank you for your interest in joining Groundswell. We're looking for someone who believes everyone should be able to access healthcare with dignity, whatever their circumstances. As our new Homeless Health Peer Advocacy (HHPA) Caseworker in Islington, you'll play a key role in establishing an exciting new service that helps people experiencing homelessness get the healthcare they need while bringing local health, housing and homelessness services together around the people who need them most.
Every day you'll build trusted relationships, remove barriers to healthcare and support people to take greater control of their health and wellbeing. Whether you're accompanying someone to a health appointment, helping them understand their treatment, supporting a safe hospital discharge or working alongside local partners to coordinate care, you'll see the difference your work makes.
At Groundswell, we believe lasting change happens through relationships. We work alongside people rather than doing things for them, building confidence, creating opportunities and supporting people to become active participants in their own health. This is an opportunity to help shape a new service from the beginning, working as part of an ambitious partnership that's committed to reducing health inequalities and creating a more joined-up, compassionate system for people experiencing homelessness in Islington.
If you're passionate about tackling health inequalities, enjoy building relationships, and want to be part of a values-led organisation where lived experience is at the heart of everything we do, we'd love to hear from you.
About Groundswell: For 30 years we've worked alongside people with lived experience to develop practical solutions that improve health, reduce inequalities and create opportunities for lasting change. We believe that people who have experienced homelessness are experts in the barriers they face and should play a central role in designing services and shaping the systems that affect them.
Today, Groundswell delivers peer-led services, helping thousands of people each year access healthcare, improve their wellbeing and influence the systems that affect their lives. As Islington HHPA Caseworker, you'll join a supportive organisation that believes lasting change happens through relationships, partnership and involving people with lived experience at all levels.
Our Vision: Our vision is for a society which is fair, inclusive and equal. We need equitable access to a healthier life and a better future for anyone with experience of homelessness.
Our Mission: Our mission is to bring people together to:
- Amplify voices of people with lived experience to create solutions to homelessness and health inequalities.
- Stand in solidarity and champion their rights, to create positive change.
Our Strategy: We co-produced our strategy with staff and volunteers with experience of homelessness. We're proud to have remained true to our values of participation and co-production. Stronger Voices, Healthier Lives, Better Futures, Greater Together. People with experience of homelessness must inform the solutions - because they understand the problems people face. At every stage, we will hear, unite and amplify more voices of people with lived experience to speak out.
Through participation we will build a stronger, more inclusive community to create change - through our organisation, in services, our sectors and wider society, locally and nationally. Homelessness is a health emergency. We will work to end health inequalities for people who have or are experiencing homelessness through advocacy, practical support, information and by influencing people, policy and services.
Everyone deserves a better, more hopeful life and future. Lived experience of homelessness can lead to barriers that impact people's life chances. Recognising the potential in everyone, we will provide more opportunities and support for people with experience of homelessness to progress if, and when, they are ready.
We can't achieve our goals alone - we are more impactful when we pull together. We will become more effective and sustainable, building on our culture of relationships, compassion and transparency, and working closely with partners to learn, share and create change.
How Homeless Health Peer Advocacy Works: HHPA helps people experiencing homelessness overcome the barriers that prevent them accessing healthcare. Many people face significant challenges navigating health services. Appointments can be difficult to book and attend, treatment can be confusing, and previous experiences of stigma, trauma or exclusion can make healthcare feel inaccessible. Without the right support, people often delay seeking help until their health has deteriorated.
HHPA provides practical, person-centred support that helps people access the care they need while building the confidence to manage their own health. Rather than providing one-off interventions, HHPA works alongside people over time, developing trusted relationships, responding flexibly to changing needs and supporting people to become more confident and independent.
The service combines the expertise of skilled Caseworkers with the unique insight of trained volunteer Peer Advocates who have lived experience of homelessness. Together they provide one-to-one advocacy, practical support and health promotion to help people:
- register with healthcare services
- prepare for and attend appointments
- understand treatment and care plans
- navigate hospital admission and discharge
- access wider health and wellbeing services
- make informed decisions about their health
- become increasingly confident in managing their own health.
Alongside one-to-one support, HHPA delivers peer-led health promotion in hostels, day centres, outreach settings and other community spaces. Through informal conversations and group activities, Peer Advocates share accessible information about physical health, mental health and wellbeing, encourage preventative healthcare, identify unmet health needs and help people access support earlier.
These conversations often provide the first step towards engaging with healthcare, creating trusted pathways into ongoing advocacy and reducing the need for crisis intervention. This relational, peer-led approach improves individual health outcomes while strengthening partnerships across health, housing and homelessness services, helping more people access coordinated, person-centred care.
Delivering HHPA in Islington: Groundswell has been commissioned by Islington Council to deliver a new borough-wide Homeless Health Peer Advocacy (HHPA) service. The service supports people who are sleeping rough or living in hostels, supported accommodation and temporary housing to access healthcare earlier, stay engaged with treatment and receive coordinated support across local services.
Working alongside Single Homelessness Project (SHP), Thames Reach, the Islington Health Outreach Team (IHOT), Whittington Health NHS Trust, Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, Islington GP Federation, Change Grow Live, Islington Council and local accommodation providers, the service delivers outreach, in-reach, health advocacy, healthcare accompaniment, hospital discharge support and health promotion for people experiencing homelessness across Islington.
Alongside supporting individuals, the service also strengthens local partnerships, improves referral pathways and identifies opportunities to make the health and homelessness system work better for people experiencing homelessness.
As the Islington HHPA Caseworker, you'll play a key role in establishing this new service and helping it become a trusted part of Islington's health and homelessness system. You'll manage a varied caseload, working alongside people experiencing homelessness to improve access to healthcare, coordinate support and help them achieve the health outcomes that matter to them.
Every day is different, but throughout your work you'll work alongside people, collaborate with local partners and help create a service that enables people to access healthcare with dignity, confidence and choice.
Role Description: Through outreach, health advocacy and partnership working, you'll support people experiencing homelessness to access healthcare, stay engaged with treatment and build the confidence to manage their own health. Alongside direct support, you'll help strengthen partnerships and improve local pathways into care.
Key Responsibilities:
- Outreach and Engagement:
- Undertake outreach with SHP, Thames Reach and the Islington Health Outreach Team (IHOT).
- Deliver in-reach sessions within hostels, supported accommodation and temporary housing.
- Respond to referrals and identify people who would benefit from the service.
- Build trusting relationships through persistent, compassionate engagement.
Islington Homeless Health Peer Advocacy (HHPA) Caseworker in London employer: Groundswell
Groundswell is an exceptional employer dedicated to transforming healthcare access for individuals experiencing homelessness in Islington. With a strong focus on building relationships and empowering those with lived experience, the organisation fosters a supportive work culture that values participation and co-production. Employees benefit from meaningful work that directly impacts the community, alongside opportunities for personal and professional growth within a compassionate and collaborative environment.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Islington Homeless Health Peer Advocacy (HHPA) Caseworker in London
✨Dive into Local Community Groups
Social work thrives on community connections, so get involved in local groups or forums specific to your interests. Whether it’s volunteering at local shelters or joining community action boards, these are great ways to boost your visibility and make direct contacts that could lead to opportunities like the one at Groundswell.
✨Attend Social Work Events and Workshops
Keep an eye out for workshops, seminars, or conferences in social work. These events are fantastic for meeting professionals in the field, learning about emerging trends, and spotting job openings. Plus, you might just bump into someone from Groundswell!
✨Showcase Your Passion and Expertise
Use platforms like Instagram or LinkedIn to share your journey and insights into the social work sector. Whether it’s writing about your experiences or sharing relevant articles, this helps to establish you as an engaged professional. Potential employers, like Groundswell, will notice your enthusiasm!
✨Leverage Your Network
Don’t hesitate to reach out to professors, mentors, or even past colleagues who are in social work. They might have inside knowledge about openings at Groundswell or be able to connect you with someone who’s hiring. Networking is key, especially in a full-time role where relationships matter.
We think you need these skills to ace Islington Homeless Health Peer Advocacy (HHPA) Caseworker in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Social Work:In your cover letter, let us see your passion for social work shine through! Talk about the experiences that made you want to pursue this career—whether it’s volunteering, personal experiences, or academic projects. We want to know why this field matters to you.
Emphasise Relevant Qualifications:Make sure your CV highlights any relevant qualifications, like degrees in social work or certifications like a DBS check. If you've done any workshops or training, don’t forget to include those as well. We're keen to see your commitment to your professional development!
Detail Your Experience with Clients:Since this is a hands-on field, detailing any direct experience you have with clients is crucial. Whether it's internships, volunteer roles, or previous jobs, highlight those experiences in your CV to show us you've got the practical skills necessary for the job!
Tailor Your Application to Groundswell:Before hitting send, make sure to tailor your application specifically to Groundswell! Research our mission and values, and refer to them in your cover letter. This shows us that you understand our work and are genuinely interested in being a part of our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Groundswell
✨Understanding the Role of Empathy
In social work, understanding and demonstrating empathy is key. Be prepared to share personal experiences or scenarios where you effectively showed compassion and support. This helps show that you genuinely care about the well-being of others, which is crucial in social work.
✨Demonstrating Knowledge of Frameworks
Familiarise yourself with the frameworks and models used in social work, such as the Strengths-Based Approach or the Ecological Perspective. Be ready to discuss how these frameworks apply to your work, especially if you can tie them into real-world examples or case studies you've encountered.
✨Showcasing Your Multi-Disciplinary Skills
In a full-time social work role, you'll often collaborate with healthcare professionals, educators, and law enforcement. Be prepared to describe your teamwork experiences and how you've effectively communicated with other disciplines to achieve the best outcomes for clients.
✨Preparing for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that put you in hypothetical social work situations, such as dealing with a crisis or managing a complex case. Think through your thought process for these scenarios beforehand, considering how you'd assess the situation and what steps you'd take, as this demonstrates your critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
