At a Glance
- Tasks: Support adults with learning disabilities to gain independence and learn new skills.
- Company: Outward, a respected provider of care services in London.
- Benefits: 25 days annual leave, health benefits, and professional development opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in people's lives while building your career.
- Qualifications: Understanding of safeguarding and risk management; experience in care is a plus.
- Other info: Join a diverse team committed to empowering individuals and promoting inclusion.
The predicted salary is between 30000 - 42000 £ per year.
About Outward
For 50 years, Outward has been providing high-quality support and care services to vulnerable people across London, predominantly in North and East London. Established by families seeking alternatives to institutional care, we’ve grown into a respected provider of person-centred support for adults with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs and complex needs. We support over 1,000 people across nine boroughs, guided by our core values: engage, enable and empower, and we work in partnership with individuals and their families to promote choice, control and inclusion.
Outward is proud to be an accredited Living Wage Employer. This means we are committed to paying the Real Living Wage – not just the government minimum or national living wage – to our frontline Support Workers and other eligible staff. We recognise the value of the work our teams do, and we are committed to ensuring fair pay that reflects the true cost of living. The Real Living Wage is updated annually by the Living Wage Foundation, and Outward remains committed to aligning our pay accordingly.
About the Role
We are looking for a proactive and passionate Community Outreach Officer to join our dedicated team. Outreach is a community-based service designed to support adults with learning disabilities to maintain or gain independence by supporting people to learn new skills, find new social activities, deal with housing matters, get support around money management, benefit applications and paying bills as well maintaining or achieving a healthy lifestyle. This role offers a unique opportunity to combine direct support responsibilities with service coordination and expanding professional networks with other professionals.
As a Community Outreach Officer, you will play a key role in empowering the people we support to live independent and fulfilling lives. You’ll provide high-quality support, while also coordinating day to day elements of your individual service delivery such as support planning, key working, rota session times. You will work closely with the Deputy or Team Manager and play an active role in ensuring our services are person-centred, well-led, and delivered with Outward’s core values of engage, enable, and empower.
Your Responsibilities
The role of an Outreach Support Worker can vary from a ‘Life Coach’ style of support, to more hands-on practical support where some individuals will never be able to achieve independence in certain areas. We signpost, prompt, encourage, challenge and actively assist people to make and reach their goals. This is not a prescriptive or exhaustive list, and is provided for illustrative purposes only, but the tasks completed by Outreach workers could easily include active assistance with the following:
- Claiming benefits – helps with filling out forms, providing advice, contact with DWP services
- Budgeting – preparing and monitoring a budget plan / diary
- Employment – encouragement to apply for jobs, assistance with completing CV, application forms, etc.
- Meaningful activities – encouraging the customer to think of options, finding and presenting opportunities, encouraging and monitoring participation
- Identifying and actioning issues around Safeguarding
- Tenancy at risk – help to seek legal advice, contact with landlord to delay / stop legal action, support customer through court process
- Health – promoting a good diet and exercise, linking with GP and specialist services
- Attending Appointments and providing detailed written feedback afterward
- Household chores, cooking and shopping - prompting and encouraging customer to undertake these chores, skill-sharing and supervision on a limited (and reducing) basis to encourage self-reliance
- Accessing community resources – accompanying to appointments and activities on a limited (and reducing) basis to encourage self-reliance, signposting and sourcing options.
An HRFS worker may find the best way to support on any of the above needs is to refer and support the person to access local services (e.g. CAB, Jobcentre, and GP).
But not normally:
- any aspect of hands-on personal care (Though prompting and encouragement required)
- supervision / prompting of medication on a regular basis
- solely general social contact / befriending
- holding and distributing customer finances
- formal counselling
- cooking / cleaning for the customer (and with the customer on a limited and reducing basis only)
Essential Criteria (examples)
- Good understanding of safeguarding and risk management in a care/support setting
- Knowledge of health and safety issues within supported housing or care environments
- Understanding of confidentiality, GDPR, and data protection principles
- Staff must have access to a smartphone capable of receiving SMS messages and installing authentication apps for secure systems access
- Right to Work in the UK. Please note: Outward will not provide visa sponsorship.
Desirable Criteria (examples)
- NVQ Level 2 or 3 in Health and Social Care (or equivalent)
- Additional training in PBS, safeguarding, or housing-related legislation
How to Apply
The above is not an exhaustive list of requirements for the role. If you think you are who we are looking for, please submit a CV and statement detailing how you feel your experiences meets the requirements of the role by referring to the Job Responsibilities and the Person Specification. There is no specific closing date for this advert. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a sufficient number of suitable applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. It would be great to hear from you.
We value everything our staff do for the people we support, so we provide a great benefits package:
- 25 days Annual Leave excluding Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time)
- Comprehensive Learning & Development Programme
- Cycle-to-Work Scheme
- Death in Service Benefit
- Health Assured – Employee Assistance Programme
- Eye care Vouchers
- Flu Jab Reimbursement
- Pension Scheme
- Purchase Additional Annual Leave
- Refer-a-Friend Scheme
Diversity and Safeguarding at Outward:
We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Outward applies its Equal Opportunities Policy at all stages of recruitment and selection. Shortlisting, interviewing and selection is carried out without regard to gender, sexual orientation, marital status, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, age or trade union membership.
As an employer, who aspire to become Disability Confident Committed, we aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview. Please indicate clearly at the beginning of your supporting statement if you have a disability (as defined by the Equality Act 2010), and you wish to be considered for an Offer Of an Interview (OOI). Please note that the OOI is available to disabled candidates only. Regrettably, any false declaration of disability in order to secure an interview will impact on your overall application.
Outward is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of adults at risk and expects all staff to share this commitment. If the post you apply for involves working with or having access to adults at risk and/or their records, we will require a DBS for successful candidates.
Community Outreach Officer - Care & Support NE London employer: Outward
Contact Detail:
Outward Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Community Outreach Officer - Care & Support NE London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the community and professionals in the care sector. Attend local events or workshops to meet potential colleagues and learn about opportunities that might not be advertised.
✨Tip Number 2
Show your passion! When you get the chance to chat with someone from Outward, let your enthusiasm for supporting vulnerable people shine through. Share personal stories or experiences that highlight your commitment to empowering others.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by researching Outward’s values and services. Think about how your skills align with their mission to engage, enable, and empower individuals. This will help you stand out as a candidate who truly gets what they’re about.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining the team and making a difference in the community.
We think you need these skills to ace Community Outreach Officer - Care & Support NE London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion: When writing your application, let your enthusiasm for supporting vulnerable people shine through. We want to see how passionate you are about making a difference in the community!
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experiences that align with the role of Community Outreach Officer. We love seeing how your skills can empower others, so don’t hold back on those examples!
Be Clear and Concise: In your statement, get straight to the point! Clearly outline how your experiences meet the job responsibilities. We appreciate straightforwardness, so keep it simple and impactful.
Apply Early!: There’s no specific closing date, but we might close the vacancy early if we find the right fit. So, don’t wait around – submit your application through our website as soon as you can!
How to prepare for a job interview at Outward
✨Know Your Stuff
Before the interview, make sure you understand Outward's core values: engage, enable, and empower. Familiarise yourself with their mission and the specific responsibilities of a Community Outreach Officer. This will help you demonstrate your alignment with their goals and show that you're genuinely interested in the role.
✨Showcase Relevant Experience
Prepare examples from your past experiences that highlight your skills in supporting individuals with learning disabilities or complex needs. Think about times when you've helped someone achieve independence or overcome challenges, as these stories will resonate well with the interviewers.
✨Ask Thoughtful Questions
Interviews are a two-way street! Prepare some insightful questions about the role, team dynamics, or how Outward measures success in their outreach efforts. This shows that you're not just interested in the job, but also in how you can contribute to the organisation's mission.
✨Be Yourself
Authenticity goes a long way in interviews. Be honest about your motivations for applying and your passion for supporting vulnerable individuals. Let your personality shine through, as Outward is looking for someone who fits well within their team culture and shares their commitment to making a difference.