Outreach Worker

In addition to the around 40 young people we see every day at our centre, New Horizon’s Outreach service also works with young people on the streets and in the community. The team works pan London to deliver a youth-specific outreach service to young people currently or at risk of rough sleeping. We use our extensive housing expertise to place those young people into accommodation that is appropriate and safe, whilst encouraging them to access the day centre to benefit from the wide range of services we offer.

Please note, the role includes twice weekly street-based outreach shifts, including a requirement for very early mornings (from 5am) and late evenings (until 1am).

Key details

• Contract type and hours: full-time 35 hours a week, fixed-term contract for 12 months.
• Starting salary: £32,136.00 (scale £32,136 - £35,778)
• Location: New Horizon Youth Centre, 68 Chalton Street, London, NW1 1JR
• Application deadline: 9am, Monday 24 August

Key objectives

• To contribute to the delivery of the NHYC street outreach service, delivering a holistic service to young people who are street homeless, enabling them to move on to independence.
• To build and maintain a network of external partnerships with services supporting those impacted by rough sleeping.
• To enable delivery of a trauma-informed service to young people.
• To support delivery of NHYC’s rough sleeping prevention strategy and best practice youth-specific outreach services.

Main tasks and responsibilities

Young people services

• Providing comprehensive support through 1-1 and small group work with young people sleeping rough.
• Working within the Rough Sleeping team to ensure young people receive a high-quality service from the point of registration to move-on.
• Carrying out at least two street-based outreach shifts each week (early morning and late evening required).
• Carrying out housing assessments with young people and referring them into appropriate accommodation.
• Managing a transitional case load of young people and helping them move forward and access appropriate services.
• Working in partnership with the Outreach Team and other external teams, such as commissioned street outreach services, mental health, and substance misuse services.
• Providing expert coaching and guidance to young people and monitoring and evaluating their progress.
• Completing registrations, outcomes assessments, risk assessments and action plans with young people.
• Ensuring that all relevant work is recorded on the New Horizon database system and Chain database.
• Ensuring risk management and assessment procedures are followed.
• Delivering advocacy and referrals to appropriate services, including making internal referrals.
• Contributing to the management and development of the team and day centre, including attending daily handovers, ensuring that Health and Safety issues are addressed at all times, attending Reflective Practice and team meetings.
• Taking a hands-on approach to working with young people.
• Participating in the training and supervision of new staff, volunteers, students and locum workers and actively promoting a learning and development environment.

Networking and Liaisons

• To proactively liaise, communicate and negotiate with internal specialists and external agencies.
• Seeking out and responding to opportunities with external partners who might offer resources, funding, or individual services relevant to young people’s needs e.g., Local Authorities, Social Services, Community Psychiatric Services, DWP, drugs and alcohol support, and other voluntary agencies.
• Promoting and representing New Horizon Youth Centre at relevant forums and meetings.

Information management

• To produce and maintain accurate and useful information in a range of formats in order to promote effective service delivery and evaluation.
• Producing written reports in a variety of formats to meet the requirements of New Horizon, external service providers and funders, e.g., project reviews and assessment reports.
• Inputting and extracting information from client monitoring systems and other accounting and database systems.
• Utilising other relevant software for the production of correspondence and reports.
• Being self-servicing in day-to-day administration and following team and NHYC’s administrative procedures.

Reviewing personal and professional development needs

• To be proactive in reviewing and evaluating own performance and identifying and acting upon areas for improvement.
• Continuously reviewing own working practices in line with feedback and current best practice.
• Taking a proactive approach to supervision and attending clinical supervision, weekly team meetings as well as line management supervision every 4-6 weeks.
• Reviewing and evaluating own performance to identify strengths and areas for development.
• Undertaking development and training opportunities and being responsible for obtaining maximum benefit through review, reflection, and practice.

Other

• To contribute positively and constructively to the development of the teams, service and NHYC.
• Covering for other members of the team where necessary.
• Following NHYC’s policies, procedures and performance expectations in all functions of the post.
• Undertaking as required any other duties compatible with the level and nature of the post and/or reasonably required by the Service Managers, Head of Services or Leadership Team.

Person specification

We are looking for an individual who can demonstrate the following competencies to a high level and want to use these to the full in their work.

Essential experience, skills and knowledge

• Ability to work effectively with young people facing homelessness to identify personal goals and support mechanisms needed for change.
• The skills, ability and confidence to carry out street outreach shifts at least twice weekly, including late evenings and early morning shifts across London.
• Experience of creating and delivering work both 1-1 and in groups which meet the needs of young people.
• Experience of using IT systems (including knowledge of databases) to support the achievement of personal and collective work goals.
• The ability to multitask in a pressured environment.
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with a diverse range of internal stakeholders and external agencies.
• Ability to maintain enthusiasm for a high level of contact with young people on a day-to-day basis and a genuine interest, passion and commitment to help young people to access opportunities leading to independence.
• Ability to hold and manage a transitional case load of young people with multiple complex needs, supporting them into accommodation outcomes and linking them in with specialist support services.
• Understanding of the kinds of challenging behaviour that young people might demonstrate and ability to deliver strategies for dealing with such behaviour.
• A high level of knowledge of health and safety issues in a working environment with particular attention to the context of street-based outreach.
• Experience and knowledge around safeguarding policy and procedures for children and young people.
• A working knowledge of and commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as it applies to a supportive service and in the workplace.
• Willingness and ability to work outside of normal office hours, AM outreach shifts can start at 5am and evening shifts can finish at 1am (within New Horizon’s flexible working hour’s arrangements) and over the Christmas period.
• Willingness to work flexibly in response to changing organisational requirements.
• Willingness to travel across London for street outreach shifts and partnership building.

Desirable experience, skills and knowledge

• Thorough and up-to-date working knowledge of Local and National Government policies and procedures in relation to the client group.
• Relevant organisations and their role/responsibilities in providing support to vulnerable young people.
• Knowledge of the CHAIN database and street-based outreach services.
• Knowledge of housing options for young people sleeping rough.
• Ability to create and maintain external partnerships to support organisational aims and objectives including representation of the organisation at external meetings and events.
• Knowledge of working to performance indicators, including monitoring and reporting on service outputs/outcomes, client tracking, analysing performance information, and identifying corrective action.

Timescales and how to apply

• Closing date for applications: 9am on Monday 24th August 2026
• Shortlisted candidates will be informed: 27th August 2026
• Interviews: Thursday 3rd September 2026

We do not consider incomplete applications. You will be notified if you have not been shortlisted. However, we are unfortunately unable to provide each individual application with feedback. If you have any questions or would like to arrange a call to discuss the role, please feel free to email us at recruitment@nhyouthcentre.org.uk or call 0207 388 5560.