Locum Support Assistant – Nova Project in Reading

ROLE PROFILE

Job Title: Locum Support Assistant

Based: The Nova Project

Hours: Rotated Shift Pattern including evenings, weekends and bank holidays

Contract: Zero Hour Contract Fixed Term Until 31.03.27

Reporting to: Nova Deputy Manager

Remuneration: £15.41 per hour (including uplift for annual leave entitlement)

This post is restricted to women due to the nature of the role. The Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies.

Job Purpose:

We are looking for a Locum Support Assistant for our female only project, with a variety of hours and shifts available. As a Locum Support Assistant, you will support clients with complex needs, assisting them to gain independent living skills that enable them to move forward with their lives. You will provide services at our Nova project. The Nova project is a specialist service for women, established in 2021 by Reading Borough Council. It provides a home for 10 multiply disadvantaged women in a gender and trauma-informed supported environment. The home is a safe space for female residents to help them begin to recover from the experience of homelessness and to help them rebuild their lives until they are ready to move on. The service operates on a 24/7 basis and at times, lone working will be required. You will need an innovative and dynamic approach and a passion for positive outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Client Support
• Build trusting, trauma informed and recovery focused relationships and enable clients to make empowered and informed choices about their future.
• Maintain a friendly and supportive environment helping individuals with their concerns.
• Assist clients with achieving their goals, such as with practical tasks, which have been documented in their risk assessments and support plans.
• Assertively manage conflict and anti-social behaviour, with a personalised approach, and maintain a balanced approach to risk, as well as being engaging, inspiring, and assisting to improve individuals’ social integration.
• Ensure all support is person centred, trauma informed and treats clients as individuals.
• Supporting and monitoring clients healthcare needs, ensuring contact with healthcare professionals when necessary.
• Working with clients with issues with addiction/substance use.
• Ensuring safety of the residents by following service safeguarding procedures, recognising and acting on any significant risk and escalating appropriately.
• De-escalating by diffusing difficult or unacceptable situations, dealing with the immediate issues, providing crisis intervention when necessary, and completing incident reports.
• Using the lone worker system Peoplesafe whilst on duty.
• Reporting all unresolved issues and concerns to a manager.
• Supporting clients to have a say in how their services are delivered and to provide opportunities for clients to communicate their views to each other and to Launchpad.
• Carry out weekly room checks to ensure clients maintain their licence agreements, creating appropriate goals if needed.
• Comply with all H&S, housing and legal legislation in line with Launchpad policies and procedures.
• Gather feedback from clients to feed into service delivery.
• Raise repairs, maintenance and void works according to Launchpad Policy & Procedures, by carrying out appropriate inspections and tests, and ensuring follow up.

Finance and Administration

• Keep accurate and timely records on case management systems which are of an exceptional quality according to the contract requirements and targets, providing reports as required.
• Ensure all records and files are maintained and held securely and that the confidentiality of information is upheld, including CCTV operations.
• Complete all financial transactions according to Launchpad’s procedures.

General

• Assist in the promotion of awareness of homelessness and the needs of homeless people in the wider community.
• Represent Launchpad at external meetings in a positive, professional manner.
• Observe and work within Launchpad’s Values of Respect, Empower, Integrity and Influence.
• Operate within the framework of policies and procedures within Launchpad.
• Provide a first point of contact and safeguarding to clients at night, responding to any emergencies or incidents that may occur.
• Carrying out regular health & safety checks around the buildings managing the door and monitoring CCTV system, and know how to use all service equipment.
• Attend and participate in shift handover meetings, one-to-one meetings, reflective practice, annual reviews, internal and external meetings, training and development as appropriate.
• Any other duties commensurate with the role.

Person Profile:

• Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours
• Professional, approachable, confident and empathetic manner whilst maintaining appropriate boundaries.
• Ability to motivate, encourage and support customers and work with challenging behaviour.
• Have a positive attitude at all times and be flexible with workload priorities.
• Work in a way which promotes client independence and demonstrates equality of service to all.
• Use safe working practices whilst supporting clients strong communication and inter-personal skills and an ability to remain calm under pressure.
• Willing and able to work as part of a team and be supportive to your colleagues.
• Willing to learn or have an understanding of welfare benefits and Welfare Reform.
• Willing to learn or have an understanding of housing and homelessness legislation, housing law and complex support needs including substance misuse and offender management.
• Confident in using IT to record and report information or willingness to learn new systems.
• Enhanced DBS will be required.

Experience

• Previous experience of providing care or support for vulnerable people, or experience through having used services associated with homelessness such as supported housing, social care, or criminal justice.
• Experience of working as a team in a collaborative way and using own initiative.
• Experience of working in a customer facing environment.
• Experience of enabling and facilitating others to achieve their goals and objectives.
• Proficient in Microsoft Outlook, Word and Teams.