At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a team to provide essential housing support for adults with mental illness.
- Company: Join Rethink Mental Illness, a leader in mental health support.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, generous leave, and wellbeing support.
- Other info: Diverse and inclusive workplace with excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in people's lives while developing your leadership skills.
- Qualifications: Experience in housing support and strong communication skills required.
Location
Taunton and Yeovil
Role
Full-time – 35 hours per week – Monday – Friday (No weekends and no Bank Holiday working). Access to a car and Full UK Driving Licence is required for this role.
About the Service
Eastleigh Court and the Yeovil Intensive Housing Management Service provide essential supported housing for adults with mental illness, offering safe, stable accommodation and structured support to help residents build independence. Eastleigh Court consists of 20 shared rooms across four houses with on‑site staff, while Yeovil provides 34 self‑contained flats supported through a floating support team. The services focus on intensive housing support, developing daily living skills, promoting stability, and helping individuals progress toward independent living, typically within two years, while signposting residents to additional services for wider needs.
You will work across both services (Yeovil and Eastleigh Court – Taunton) supporting the teams in co‑ordination with the Service Manager.
What you will do and achieve as a Housing Team Leader
As Housing Team Leader, you will provide strong leadership and guidance to ensure the delivery of responsive, high‑quality, and service‑user‑focused housing and floating support services. You will work closely with the Service Manager to ensure the effective and compliant management of our housing operations, supporting the team to achieve positive outcomes for all service users.
- Lead and manage the staff team, assigning tasks, monitoring performance, and ensuring service objectives are met.
- Coach and mentor colleagues, providing individual and group supervision and supporting professional development.
- Support recruitment, including interviewing, onboarding, and inducting new staff and volunteers.
- Oversee day‑to‑day operations across 54 Taunton and Yeovil properties, ensuring safe and high‑quality service delivery.
- Deliver effective housing management, including tenancy sign‑ups, move‑ins, compliance, and property re‑lets.
- Carry out property inspections, identify repairs, and coordinate maintenance action.
- Manage rent processes, including arrears monitoring, tenant support, and following rent banking procedures.
- Respond to anti‑social behaviour, investigating reports and implementing warning procedures.
- Work with partners and agencies to enhance support for tenants and improve outcomes.
- Provide intensive housing management to tenants with complex needs and mental ill health, promoting independence and tenancy sustainment.
- Assess risks and needs, using person‑centred approaches to support tenants effectively.
- Maintain accurate data and reporting, ensuring compliance with organisational systems (e.g., HIVE).
- Drive service quality, identifying improvements, supporting innovation, and ensuring the team are updated on service developments.
- Ensure adequate staffing levels and contribute to a positive, high‑performing team culture.
Essential Experience, Skills Required For This Role
- I have experience of providing support to people with a mental illness in a comparable role, preferably in a housing environment.
- I have excellent administration, organisation and planning skills.
- I am competent in the use of IT systems including Microsoft applications, email and internet.
- I have a good understanding of tenancy/housing management practice, lettings procedures, relevant legislation and current issues within the housing sector.
- I have a good understanding of Welfare Benefits, Housing Benefit and Universal Credit.
- I have a good understanding of health and safety and risk management.
- I am experienced in providing a first‑class customer service and I can communicate effectively at different levels, face‑to‑face, written word and over the telephone.
- I exercise good judgment and look positively for solutions rather than obstacles.
- Ability to motivate people and achieve positive outcomes.
- I have excellent communication and literacy skills, able to produce clear, concise reports, correspondence and notes.
- I enjoy working in a fast‑paced busy environment.
- I am committed to collaborative working internally with colleagues and externally with partners to ensure a quality service is delivered.
- I am comfortable with lone working.
- I have my own transport.
Why Work With Rethink Mental Illness?
At Rethink Mental Illness, we believe that when you feel supported, you can make the biggest difference. That’s why we offer a range of benefits to help you thrive:
Benefits
- Inclusive Culture: Join staff networks that champion diversity and inclusion.
- Wellbeing Support: Access our Wellbeing Hub, Employee Assistance Programme, and the Unmind mental health app.
- Recognition & Rewards: Enjoy discounts, cashback offers, and celebrate achievements through our PULSE platform.
- Flexible Working & Generous Leave: Starting at 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays and your birthday off), with options to buy or sell extra days.
- Learning & Development: Grow your career with structured onboarding and training opportunities.
- Financial & Family Support: Contributory pension scheme, enhanced family leave, and travel benefits like season ticket loans and cycle‑to‑work schemes.
- Referral Bonus: Earn up to £300 for introducing someone to our team.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
Diversity is important to us, and we appreciate difference through difference, inclusiveness and belonging. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world, our society and the diverse communities we’re working with. By including everyone, we are able to draw on the unique experiences and expertise of our people to help shape and enrich our workplace and improve our services. One way we are doing is through our valued staff networks which play a critical and highly valued role in keeping us focused on creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged employer. We recognise and support staff networks and support groups for our ethnically diverse and LGBTQIA+ colleagues. We are also proud to have been awarded Disability Confident Employer status and are a signatory to the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter.
We aim for our workforce to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve; for those who work for us to feel heard, valued and feel they belong; and for our work to help tackle wider mental health inequalities. We therefore actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including applicants with lived experience of mental illness, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and any other gender identity not expressed here (LGBTQIA+); people who are neurodiverse, have a health condition, or a disability or hidden disability and people from an ethnically diverse background – regardless of your age, religious or spiritual belief, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, political view or socio‑economic status.
Becoming a truly anti‑racist organisation
We have an ambition of becoming a truly anti‑racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider – and in our efforts to influence policy and wider societal factors impacting on mental health set out in our anti‑racist statement. We have designed a multi‑year anti‑racist programme of work contained in our Race Equality Action Plan which demonstrates our intention to hold ourselves accountable and be judged on our progress on becoming a truly anti‑racist organisation.
#J-18808-LjbffrHousing Team Leader employer: Rethink Mental Illness
At Rethink Mental Illness, we pride ourselves on fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment where every employee can thrive. Our commitment to employee wellbeing is reflected in our comprehensive benefits package, including access to a Wellbeing Hub, flexible working arrangements, and generous leave policies. With a strong focus on professional development and a culture that values diversity, we empower our team members to make a meaningful impact in the lives of those they serve within the North East Prisons.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Housing Team Leader
✨Dive into Local Community Groups
Social work thrives on community connections, so get involved in local groups or forums specific to your interests. Whether it’s volunteering at local shelters or joining community action boards, these are great ways to boost your visibility and make direct contacts that could lead to opportunities like the one at Rethink Mental Illness.
✨Attend Social Work Events and Workshops
Keep an eye out for workshops, seminars, or conferences in social work. These events are fantastic for meeting professionals in the field, learning about emerging trends, and spotting job openings. Plus, you might just bump into someone from Rethink Mental Illness!
✨Showcase Your Passion and Expertise
Use platforms like Instagram or LinkedIn to share your journey and insights into the social work sector. Whether it’s writing about your experiences or sharing relevant articles, this helps to establish you as an engaged professional. Potential employers, like Rethink Mental Illness, will notice your enthusiasm!
✨Leverage Your Network
Don’t hesitate to reach out to professors, mentors, or even past colleagues who are in social work. They might have inside knowledge about openings at Rethink Mental Illness or be able to connect you with someone who’s hiring. Networking is key, especially in a full-time role where relationships matter.
We think you need these skills to ace Housing Team Leader
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Social Work:In your cover letter, let us see your passion for social work shine through! Talk about the experiences that made you want to pursue this career—whether it’s volunteering, personal experiences, or academic projects. We want to know why this field matters to you.
Emphasise Relevant Qualifications:Make sure your CV highlights any relevant qualifications, like degrees in social work or certifications like a DBS check. If you've done any workshops or training, don’t forget to include those as well. We're keen to see your commitment to your professional development!
Detail Your Experience with Clients:Since this is a hands-on field, detailing any direct experience you have with clients is crucial. Whether it's internships, volunteer roles, or previous jobs, highlight those experiences in your CV to show us you've got the practical skills necessary for the job!
Tailor Your Application to Rethink Mental Illness:Before hitting send, make sure to tailor your application specifically to Rethink Mental Illness! Research our mission and values, and refer to them in your cover letter. This shows us that you understand our work and are genuinely interested in being a part of our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Rethink Mental Illness
✨Understanding the Role of Empathy
In social work, understanding and demonstrating empathy is key. Be prepared to share personal experiences or scenarios where you effectively showed compassion and support. This helps show that you genuinely care about the well-being of others, which is crucial in social work.
✨Demonstrating Knowledge of Frameworks
Familiarise yourself with the frameworks and models used in social work, such as the Strengths-Based Approach or the Ecological Perspective. Be ready to discuss how these frameworks apply to your work, especially if you can tie them into real-world examples or case studies you've encountered.
✨Showcasing Your Multi-Disciplinary Skills
In a full-time social work role, you'll often collaborate with healthcare professionals, educators, and law enforcement. Be prepared to describe your teamwork experiences and how you've effectively communicated with other disciplines to achieve the best outcomes for clients.
✨Preparing for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that put you in hypothetical social work situations, such as dealing with a crisis or managing a complex case. Think through your thought process for these scenarios beforehand, considering how you'd assess the situation and what steps you'd take, as this demonstrates your critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
