Floating Support Worker

Contract Type: Fixed term contract ending 31/01/2027

Salary: £28,031.56 per annum

Working Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Working Pattern: 5x 7.5 hours, 7‑day rota, 4‑week rolling, alternating weekend, between 0700-2200

Location: The Victoria Project, Cambridge

Role Overview: You will work collaboratively as part of a committed team to deliver an outstanding service and a range of personalised support that puts customers first, empowering them to achieve their goals and aspirations. You will be required to work in the community and visit customers in their own homes. The customers you work with will be facing challenges and may be at risk of becoming homeless.

Key Responsibilities:

• Co‑producing bespoke support plans that enable customers to sustain their own tenancies, involving key stakeholders when appropriate.
• Leading the organisation and delivery of scheduled reviews of support and risk plans or following an incident/significant change in a customer’s circumstances.
• Engaging customers to meet agreed outcomes and develop independent living skills.
• Assisting customers with day‑to‑day support and tenancy‑related matters.
• Identifying and promoting opportunities for employment, education and training and supporting customers to remove barriers to accessing these opportunities.
• Supporting customers who may be living in temporary accommodation to be ‘tenancy ready’ enabling successful move‑on and tenancy sustainment.
• Signposting customers to appropriate external support services, including interventions such as food banks and other community resources.
• Supporting customers to maintain financial independence through budgeting plans and maximising income.
• Assisting customers with sign‑posting for specific debt advice, financial statements and negotiating with third parties where necessary.
• Supporting and monitoring customers’ healthcare needs, proactively encouraging appropriate contact with healthcare professionals.
• Ensuring the safety of our customers by following local safeguarding procedures, recognising and acting on any significant risk, and escalating appropriately.
• Recording and updating clear, factual and accurate strengths‑based customer information on the local or appropriate digital platform.
• Facilitating the referral process into the service and assessing potential new customers.
• Working in partnership with local authority, social and private rented housing to identify suitable accommodation for customers who are living in temporary accommodation or at risk of homelessness, and setting up and maintaining a tenancy either virtually or face‑to‑face.
• Carrying out housing support assessments for vulnerable customers and ensuring they are linked into relevant support and health services as indicated by assessment.
• Providing initial tenancy‑related support, advice and assistance directly to tenants as required to prevent escalation of issues and sustain the tenancy.
• Advising and advocating on behalf of the customers.
• Developing and maintaining local partnerships to provide a holistic range of support for customers, liaising with them to facilitate access to support.
• Recording and updating clear, factual, accurate, strengths‑based customer and statistical information on the local or appropriate digital platform.
• Working flexible hours to meet customer and business needs, which may not include normal office hours.
• Traveling to customers’ homes within an identified geographical area.
• Using the Lone Worker system as and when necessary.
• Ensuring customers are safe at all times – carrying out all duties within Riverside’s policy and procedure framework e.g. health & safety, safeguarding, dignity at work, GDPR, cash handling, etc.
• Delivering the role in line with the Riverside company values – “Our Riverside Way”.
• Participating in team meetings, regular supervisions and reflective practice sessions.
• Undertaking regular training and taking responsibility for own continuous development to enable delivery of the role safely.
• From time to time undertaking additional duties and responsibilities in consultation with the Line Manager.

Qualifications – Essential:

• An understanding of the barriers faced by vulnerable and diverse customer groups and individuals with complex needs.
• An understanding of the current UK Benefit System and working knowledge of Universal Credit.
• Team player with a caring, empathetic, flexible and resilient, can‑do attitude.
• Excellent time management and communication skills.
• The ability to demonstrate initiative and the confidence to make and act on decisions.
• Competent administrative and IT skills and ability to produce reports and other communications.

Qualifications – Desirable:

• Knowledge of Psychological or Trauma Informed approaches to support.
• Experience of working in challenging environments with the ability to plan, prioritise and organise tasks to achieve results.
• Knowledge of current benefit systems.
• Experience of working in a care and support environment.

Benefits:

• Competitive pay & generous pension.
• 25 days holidays plus bank holidays.
• Flexible working options available.
• Investment in learning, personal development and technology.
• A wide range of benefits.

Diversity and Inclusion: We are inclusive. We value diversity in all its forms, foster a workplace where all individuals are respected, empowered, and heard. Our commitment to inclusivity drives our success and enriches the lives of our customers and colleagues.

About Riverside: Riverside is one of the UK’s leading not‑for‑profit social housing and regeneration organisations, owning or managing around 75,000 homes from Irvine to Kent. We are a leading provider of supported housing services, particularly for those affected by homelessness, and our track record of transforming lives and revitalising neighbourhoods dates back over 90 years. We have plans to build over 15,000 affordable homes over the next decade.