Community Outreach Officer - Waltham Forest, London

Contract: Full Time/ Permanent

Hours: 38 hours per week

Salary: £29,334 per annum

Location: Waltham Forest, London.

For 50 years, Outward has been providing high-quality support and care services to vulnerable people across London, predominantly in North 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. Outward is proud to be an accredited Living Wage Employer.

Responsibilities:

• Provide direct, person-centred support.
• Build supportive, trusting relationships with the people we support.
• Encourage independence in daily living skills (e.g., travel, shopping, personal care).
• Use well-informed approaches such as structure, predictability, and clear communication.
• Support individuals to access community services, activities, and social groups safely.
• Encourage participation in meaningful activities (sports, hobbies, volunteering).
• Assist with public transport use, route-planning, and confidence-building.
• Help reduce social isolation by promoting community involvement.
• Carry out key working responsibilities including developing personalised support plans based on strengths, needs, and goals.
• Use positive behaviour support (PBS) strategies to help individuals manage anxiety, sensory challenges, and emotional regulation.
• Recognise triggers and implement proactive, non-restrictive interventions.
• Ensure safe environments in the home and community.
• Follow safeguarding policies to protect vulnerable adults and children.
• Identify and report safeguarding concerns promptly.
• Work alongside parents, carers, social workers, therapists, schools, and healthcare providers.
• Share information appropriately and contribute to multi-disciplinary reviews.
• Help families access local resources and support services.
• Record progress of support, incidents, and outcomes.
• Work flexibly across different boroughs, including evenings and weekends.

Qualifications:

• Strong understanding of autism as a neurodevelopmental difference.
• Awareness of the autism spectrum’s diversity.
• Knowledge of safeguarding procedures and responsibilities.
• Understanding of person-centred, trauma-informed, and PBS approaches.
• Awareness of co-occurring conditions (e.g., ADHD, learning disabilities, anxiety).
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to adapt communication methods.
• Ability to build trust and rapport with autistic individuals and their families.
• Strong observation skills to recognise stress, sensory overload, or unmet needs.
• Problem-solving and creative thinking.
• Ability to work independently in community or outreach settings.
• Good record-keeping, report writing, and basic IT skills.

Essential Criteria:

• Good understanding of autism as a spectrum condition.
• Ability to work in a person-centred way.
• Commitment to identifying and supporting strengths, abilities, and interests.
• Willingness to adapt communication styles and allow additional processing time.
• Ability to respond with empathy, consistency, and proactive support.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team.
• Ability to lone work and use own initiative.
• Understanding of safeguarding procedures, duty of care, confidentiality, and information sharing.
• Ability to work collaboratively with families and multidisciplinary professionals.
• Understanding of confidentiality, GDPR, and data protection principles.
• Staff must have access to a smartphone capable of receiving SMS messages.
• Right to Work in the UK.

Please note: Outward will not provide visa sponsorship.

Desirable Criteria:

• NVQ Level 2 or 3 in Health and Social Care (or equivalent).
• CPI trained (Breakaway techniques).

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 your experiences meet 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.

Benefits:

• 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 aspiring 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.

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.