Navigator in Plymouth

Navigator/Complex Needs Worker (Female)

Job Description and Person Specification

Organisation: Shekinah
Job Title: Navigator
Location: Plymouth
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Salary: £27,495
Contract: Permanent
Responsible to: Head of Operations

About Shekinah

At Shekinah, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to live a safe, connected, and flourishing life.

We work alongside people facing homelessness, poverty, trauma, poor mental and physical health, substance use, social isolation, and exclusion. Our work is rooted in compassion, dignity, partnership, and the belief that lasting change grows through relationships.

We do not simply provide services. We create spaces where people feel welcomed, valued, and able to reconnect with their strengths, aspirations, and communities.

Purpose of the Role

As a Navigator, you will provide relationship-based support to women experiencing multiple disadvantage and the eKects of trauma.

Working alongside individuals and partner agencies, you will help women build safety, stability, confidence, and connection. You will support people to identify goals that matter to them, overcome barriers, and access the services, resources and opportunities that improve wellbeing and quality of life.

You will act as a consistent and trusted point of contact, helping women navigate complex systems while ensuring support remains person-centred, strengths-based and traumainformed.

At the heart of this role is a simple but powerful belief: the relationship is the intervention.

What Makes This Role DiNerent?

This is not primarily a referral-management or case-management role.

The Navigator works alongside women over time, helping to rebuild trust, navigate services, strengthen support networks, and create the conditions for lasting change. The role bridges organisational boundaries; bringing together services, opportunities and relationships to help women achieve greater stability, independence, and wellbeing.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role is not measured solely by referrals, appointments, or outputs.

Success might include:

• A woman engaging with support after a long period of disengagement.
• Someone feeling safe enough to talk openly about their experiences.
• Developing strategies to manage distress and improve wellbeing.
• Accessing healthcare, housing or specialist services that were previously diKicult to engage with.
• Improved communication and collaboration between services.
• Growing confidence, independence and self-belief.
• Reconnecting with hopes, aspirations and personal strengths.

These outcomes often begin with trust, consistency and human connection.

Key Responsibilities

1. Relationship-Based Support

Build trusting, respectful and consistent relationships with women accessing the service.

Provide compassionate, reliable and emotionally intelligent support.

Recognise that trust takes time, particularly where people have experienced trauma, discrimination or negative experiences of services.

Support women to recognise and build upon their strengths, resilience and capacity for change.

• Take time to understand each person's experiences, strengths, aspirations and priorities.
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries while developing authentic working relationships.

2. Trauma-Informed and Person-Centred Practice

Deliver support that is person-centred, strengths-based, and trauma-informed.

Understand and respond appropriately to the impact of trauma on wellbeing, behaviour and engagement.

• Create environments and relationships that promote safety, trust, choice, and collaboration.
• Work collaboratively with women to define and achieve their own goals.
• Work at the individual's pace, recognising that progress is often non-linear.
• Provide harm-reduction support where appropriate.

Support the development of coping strategies, emotional regulation and selfmanagement skills.

Encourage informed decision-making, independence and personal agency.

3. Navigation and Advocacy

Support women to navigate health, mental health, housing, substance use, welfare and social care systems.

Support people to participate fully in decisions aKecting their lives.

• Act as a consistent point of contact for women accessing support.
• Help individuals understand, access and engage with relevant services.
• Accompany individuals to appointments where appropriate.
• Advocate for individuals' rights, needs and preferences.
• Identify barriers to support and work creatively with partner agencies to overcome them.
• Promote independence whilst providing practical assistance where needed.

4. Partnership Working

Work proactively with partner organisations to remove barriers and improve access to support.

• Develop and maintain effective relationships with statutory and voluntary-sector partners.
• Participate in multi-agency meetings, reviews, and coordinated support planning.
• Ensure the voice and aspirations of individuals remain central to decision-making.

Contribute to effective communication and collaboration between services.

Represent Shekinah positively and professionally in all partnership settings.

5. Safeguarding and Risk Management

Work in accordance with Shekinah's safeguarding, confidentiality, lone-working, and risk-management procedures.

Recognise and respond to risks associated with abuse, exploitation, domestic abuse, sexual violence, self-neglect, emotional distress, and substance use.

Escalate concerns appropriately while maintaining a person-centred approach.

Promote wellbeing, personal safety, and informed risk management.

• Identify and respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns.
• Undertake risk assessments and contribute to safety planning.

6. Recording and Administration

• Maintain accurate, timely, and proportionate case records.
• Complete assessments, support plans, reviews, and outcome monitoring documentation.
• Ensure records comply with organisational requirements and GDPR standards.
• Contribute to service reporting and performance monitoring.
• Manage administrative responsibilities associated with the role.

7. Professional Practice

Participate in supervision, reflective practice, training, and team meetings.

Recognise the emotional impact of working with complex situations and seek support appropriately.

Maintain confidentiality and professional standards at all times.

Contribute positively to a team culture aligned with Shekinah's values.

• Demonstrate self-awareness, professional curiosity, and reflective practice.
• Maintain confidentiality and professional standards at all times.

Person Specification

Essential Experience and Knowledge

• Experience of supporting people experiencing disadvantage, adversity, trauma or multiple and complex needs.
• Experience of building eKective relationships with people who may find services diKicult to engage with.
• Understanding of trauma and its impact on individuals, behaviour, and relationships.
• Experience of advocacy and person-centred support planning.
• Knowledge of safeguarding principles and professional boundaries.
• Experience of collaborative working with partner agencies or professionals.
• Understanding of equality, diversity, and inclusion.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and organisational skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and maintain accurate records.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Essential Skills and Attributes

• Compassionate, respectful, and non-judgemental approach.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills.
• Ability to engage and motivate people experiencing significant challenges.
• Emotional resilience, reflective practice and self-awareness.
• Ability to advocate eKectively whilst maintaining positive professional relationships.
• Commitment to person-centred, strengths-based practice.
• Ability to maintain clear professional boundaries.
• Strong organisation and time-management skills.
• Commitment to Shekinah's values and mission.

Desirable

Experience of supporting women aKected by trauma, domestic abuse, sexual violence or exploitation.

Experience within homelessness, mental health, substance use, health or social care services.

Knowledge of trauma stabilisation, emotional regulation, or recovery-focused approaches.

Experience of multi-agency partnership working.

Relevant qualification in social care, community work, counselling, health, psychology or a related field.

Understanding of psychologically informed environments and trauma-responsive practice.

Additional Requirements

Ability to travel across Plymouth and surrounding areas as required.

Ability to work flexibly to meet service needs.

Commitment to continuous personal and professional development.

Female Occupational Requirement

This post is restricted to female applicants under Schedule 9, Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010. The role supports women affected by domestic abuse, sexual violence, exploitation and other forms of gender-based trauma. Access to a female practitioner is considered an important component of providing safe and effective support.

Equality Statement

Shekinah is committed to creating an inclusive workplace and welcomes applications from people from diverse backgrounds, including those with relevant lived experience.

This post is restricted to female applicants under the occupational requirement provisions contained within Schedule 9, Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010 because of the nature of the support provided.

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