Specialist Support Worker

Specialist Support Worker
We\’re looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Support Worker to join our Mental Health Service in Redbridge.
£30,090.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week.
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.
Our benefits include:

• Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
• Free DBS
• Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
• Fully paid induction programme and further training
• ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme for 24-7 confidential support
• Online wellbeing resources
• A generous pension – we will contribute up to 4% and life assurance cover up to £10,000 (T&Cs apply)
• Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff\’s commitment and contribution

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.
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 re-enablement towards self-advocacy, self-management and empowerment, incorporating the principles and practice of recovery, co-production and peer support.
Well House is a crisis house supported accommodation service that supports individuals for between 14 and 28 days as an alternative to requiring hospital admission for their mental health needs. The service works closely in partnership with a multi-disciplinary team in order to meet individual needs, manage risk and support individuals to achieve positive outcomes.
The service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure members of the local community are able to access critical mental health support at all hours. The service receives referrals primarily from a local hospital emergency department and crisis lines, and may receive these referrals at anytime of day or night.
What you\’ll do:
• Building supportive, trusting relationships with customers and creating a positive atmosphere
• Carrying out holistic assessments of new customers 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 enable customer to progress in their recovery
• Ensuring ongoing assessment and management of risks associated with customers within an attitude of \’positive risk taking
• Provide support and access to relevant services to enable customers to continue their recovery and empower customers to self-manage their medication regimes through individual re-enablement programmes and informed 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
• Involving customers in the design, development and delivery of the service
• 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:
• Plans and encourages involvement in local activities.
• Approachable and open behaviour
• Prefers working as part of a group or team
• Is fundamentally calm and emotionally resilient in the face of challenging situations
• Confident in the completion of regular paperwork and is well organised
• Flexible
• Open to feedback and self development
• Thrives on change and enjoys dynamic diverse environments
• Confident in the use of IT systems such as SharePoint and Microsoft Office suite.
• 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 supporting people with their mental health.
• Specialist knowledge relevant to supporting people with a Mental Health diagnosis.
Desirable:
• We welcome and value applicants with lived experience of mental health services in our communities
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 100 services, providing support to thousands of 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 and complex needs, young people and care leavers 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.