Support Assistant

Job Title: Support Assistant
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary: £28,155.84 per annum
Working Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Working Pattern: Shift rota
Location: Honor Lea, Lewisham

If you share our values and are excited about making a significant impact at Riverside, please ensure you attach a current CV and covering letter. At Riverside we recruit to potential not just on skills and experience, so we encourage you to apply even if you don\’t meet all the essential criteria on the job description.

The difference you will make as a Support Assistant

You will be key in the day-to-day running of one of our supported housing services. The priority in your role includes the safety and wellbeing of everyone in our accommodation, including our customers.

Some of your responsibilities will include:

• Engaging with customers daily to build their trust and encourage them to take part in various activities within the service and wider community.
• Working with customers to raise their awareness of local services and facilities to ensure they have access to training, education, and work.
• Carry out support planning and risk assessments for high need customers with the support of a Support Officer.
• Working with the Specialist Support Officer to arrange and facilitate group sessions or activities.
• Collaborating with relevant community agencies to ensure customers receive appropriate advice and support.
• Ensuring that key performance targets are met and that all customer records are up to date.

About you

We are looking for someone who believes in working together as part of a team, who shares our values and who is friendly, engaged and committed to achieving great outcomes for our customers.

We are looking for someone with:

• Experience of working with vulnerable people with a range of needs in a support capacity
• A genuine passion for working with people and be able to travel
• Good communication skills and the ability to engage with and respect the needs of vulnerable people
• Excellent team working skills with a creative flair and ability to think outside of the box
• Housing sector knowledge including housing benefit applications
• Strong IT and social media skills to manage and maintain administration and recording systems

Why Riverside?

One Housing Group is now part of Riverside. At Riverside, we’re a housing association with a difference – enhancing the everyday for all our customers. For 90 years, we’ve been revitalising neighbourhoods and supporting communities by providing the homes they need to live full, fulfilling and rewarding lives.

We have a portfolio of over 75,000 affordable residential and retirement homes across the UK. Our work ranges from homelessness services to social care, employment support to retirement living, and we need the best people on board to help us.

Working with us, you’ll enjoy:

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

Our Homelessness and Prevention team is friendly, and we love what we do. We are passionate about the high-quality support we provide. Working in care can be demanding, but our colleagues are always kind and compassionate no matter what challenges they encounter. As part of our team you will be doing work you can be proud of, ensuring the safety and happiness of our customers in their home

Diversity and Inclusion at Riverside:

We are inclusive. At Riverside, we value diversity in all its forms. We 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.

Riverside is a Disability Confident Employer and operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for any applicant who declares they have a disability. If the applicant meets the minimum requirements for the role (as set out in the role profile and/or person specification) they will be guaranteed an interview.

Applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to avoid disappointment.

Role Profile:

Support customers:

• We use Psychologically Informed approaches and Trauma Informed Care principles to support our customers to make positive choices, develop new ways of thinking and take steps towards independence, by:
• Assisting in the planning and delivery of a range of personalised support and move-on plans.
• Understanding the risk management process and assisting the team to organise and undertake regular reviews of support and risk.
• Inspiring and motivating customers to meet agreed outcomes and develop life skills.
• Assisting customers with day-to-day support and tenancy-related matters.
• Assisting the team to identify and promote opportunities for employment, education and training and support customers to access them.
• Signposting customers to appropriate external support services, such as food banks and other community resources.
• Supporting customers to be ‘tenancy ready’, enabling successful move on.
• Supporting customers to be financially independent through budgeting plans and maximising income.
• Supporting and monitoring customers’ healthcare needs, ensuring appropriate contact with healthcare professionals
• Empowering customers to move towards self-management of their medication by following Riverside’s medication procedure.
• Maintaining and updating clear, accurate and strengths-based records on the appropriate digital platform.
• Assisting in the promotion of customer involvement and consultation.
• Assisting with the delivery of a range of group work sessions.

Deliver a support service:

• Support the delivery of the referral process for new customers.
• Contribute to the delivery of a housing management service, including income collection and providing customers with tenancy-related support.
• Work with customers to maintain a safe environment, including reporting any repairs or health and safety concerns
• Clean and prepare customer rooms as appropriate.
• Resolve difficult and challenging situations in a sensitive and informed way, balancing the needs of the individual with the safety of the service
• Ensure customer safety by following local safeguarding procedures, recognizing and acting on any risks and escalating appropriately.
• Contribute to and maintain local partnerships to ensure availability of a holistic range of support for customers.
• Carry out day-to-day administration and operational duties.
• Maintaining and updating financial administration systems including rent accounts, invoices, petty cash and banking.
• Assist in collating and submitting information returns on funding, health & safety and performance.
• Act as point of contact on the phone, reception and deal with a range of enquiries.

Other Information

• You will be required to work flexible hours to meet customer and business needs, which may not include normal office hours.
• Use the Lone Worker system as and when necessary
• Ensure customers are safe at all times – carrying out all of your duties within Riverside’s Policy and Procedure Policy and Procedure framework e.g. health & safety, safeguarding, dignity at work, GDPR opportunities, cash handling, etc.
• Deliver your role in line with Riverside company values – “Our Riverside Way”.
• Participate in team meetings, attend regular supervisions and reflecting practice sessions.
• Undertake regular training and take responsibility for continuous development to enable you to deliver your role safely.
• From time to time you may be required to undertake additional duties and responsibilities in consultation with your Line Manager.

Person specification

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Essential

• An understanding of the barriers faced by vulnerable and diverse customer groups and individuals with complex needs.
• Experience of working in a team and communicating positively with other people.
• Experience of being able to organise tasks and plan accordingly whilst dealing with people.
• Be a team player with a caring, empathetic, flexible and have a resilient, can-do attitude.
• Able to use initiative and have confidence to make decisions.
• Basic administrative and IT skills maintain records.

Desirable

• Experience of working with vulnerable and diverse customer groups or individuals with complex needs.
• Personal lived experience of either homelessness, rough sleeping, mental health issues or substance misuse.

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