Support Worker: Edinburgh Street Team

About Simon Community Scotland

Simon Community Scotland is the largest provider of homelessness services in Scotland. Our vision is for everyone to have a safe place to live, with access to the support they need. Every day we help make positive things happen for people facing extremely difficult circumstances. Everything we do is about and for people, the people we support, our staff, our partners and everyone affected by homelessness. Our values are built into every area of activity and tell the story of how people remain at the heart of Simon Community.

Day by day, person-to-person, we tailor what we offer to what people need. We are here to provide consistent, friendly and informed support so that people can explore options and take 'the next step' towards a positive future. We offer support across a range of service delivery points; Street Outreach teams, Housing First initiatives, Floating Support, Information Hubs, Managed Alcohol Program (MAP), Supported Accommodations, Emergency Accommodation, Rapid Access Accommodation, and our own rented properties. These services are delivered across many local authorities within Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, Edinburgh and Perth.

We welcome people with a wide range of skills and experiences to our team. To make a difference, we need to work flexibly, with everyday leadership and a 'can-do' approach. We want to make it right and make it happen – not only for the people we support, but also for each other. Our #OneTeam ethos is core to who we are, and it means caring for and supporting each other regardless of our role, service or location.

Our Support Services

The Support Worker role is to support and engage with people to manage and recover their mental health, in line with our trauma-informed approach. You will help people with safer substance use and assist them with the process when they choose to stop. You will assist our people to build a positive network of connections to enable them to gain and sustain their own housing.

As a Support Worker, you will provide work alongside people impacted by homelessness, addiction, mental health challenges and trauma. You will provide guidance and assistance to the people we support to achieve their goals of securing safe housing and accessing the necessary support to feel secure, manage their challenges and live an independent life free from harm or abuse.

Our Edinburgh Street Team responds to people sleeping rough, meeting them where they are and providing the crucial first link to care. The street team are out in all weathers, actively reaching out to people on foot, e-bikes, or in cars, and walking alongside them to find solutions out of rough sleeping and begging. The team is out in the community, building relationships and walking alongside people, finding creative solutions to rough sleeping and begging that are holistic, person-centred, and sees the person as a whole.

Supporting someone through the initial steps of the journey from rough sleeping to more settled arrangements is challenging but incredibly rewarding. In this role, you will have the opportunity to work with those furthest removed from society and show them that they matter.

The Street Team relies on relationships with internal and external services to create plans with individuals, with the goal of not only surviving but thriving. The street team works together, drawing on each team member's experience and individual working style to reach as many people as possible. The Street Team offers the opportunity to work independently and be part of a team.

Job Summary

You will be passionate about supporting and changing expectations and experiences of people we support, many of whom have experienced significant trauma, exclusion and stigma. As a Support Worker in homelessness services, you'll be instrumental in empowering individuals affected by homelessness, addiction, challenging mental health and trauma. You'll provide compassionate, person-centred support, guiding them towards securing safe and stable housing and developing tools to manage their challenges. Your role is vital in helping people access essential resources, build resilience, and ultimately live a life free from harm and abuse.

As part of our Team, you will be at the forefront of supporting people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. You will work collaboratively with partner agencies in a supportive environment. The role involves providing both practical and emotional support, helping individuals to secure accommodation, access benefits, and connect with a wide range of health, wellbeing, and advocacy services.

Our team builds strong professional relationships with local authorities, support providers, and other external partners to ensure our support is coordinated and effective. You will adopt a harm reduction approach, providing advice and Naloxone trained as needed.

Key Responsibilities

• Developing honest and open relationships with our community that foster trust.
• Exercise our training and reflective practices to develop additional skills to support and respond appropriately to our community who have experienced trauma.
• Working with people with a wide range of experiences and cultural backgrounds with dignity, respect and kindness.
• Work as part of a team with a range of experiences and knowledge to the benefit of our community.
• Supporting our community to influence their care and support to meet their goals.
• Provide emotional and practical support as required.
• Fostering connection, hope, and a positive identity and meaning in life and a sense of control for our community.
• Working with other teams in SCS and with partners to support good outcomes for our community.
• Seeking opportunities that will make a difference to our community.
• Any other duties directed by the Service Lead.

Our Values

• Inclusion & Participation: We include everyone in the services and resources they need, regardless of their circumstances and ensure each person's voice and influence are heard and felt in everything that we do.
• Personalised & Creative: Each person we support is an individual with unique circumstances, needs and future potential which requires a uniquely tailored response.
• Warmth & Regard: We see beyond a person's current or past circumstances, recognising their inherent value, worth and potential as human beings.
• Partnership & Collaboration: We know we need to work positively with others to deliver a truly inclusive and personalised approach, improve our response and add value to the experience of the people we support.
• Supportive & Ambitious: We encourage and support ambition, building on strengths to foster hope for the people we support as well as deliver growth and development for staff and volunteers.

Core Competencies

• Planning and Organising: Create and manage personalised support plans for people, prioritising tasks and managing resources effectively to help them achieve their goals. Monitor progress against established goals and adjust support plans as needed to ensure the best possible outcomes. Maintain accurate and detailed records of your contacts using our Netsuite platform throughout your shift.
• Resilience: Advance despite adversity, responding to challenging and difficult situations with a calm, professional, and composed approach. Handle sensitive decisions with compassion and due regard for others, maintaining a positive and proactive attitude.
• Motivation: Act with care and compassion, demonstrating a clear commitment to the role and its importance in empowering individuals to live independently. Bring hope through your words and actions, helping to build trust and change public perception of the causes of rough sleeping.
• Problem Solving: Carefully analyse problems, breaking them down into parts to find practical, person-centred solutions. Innovate and be creative to find solutions that are a perfect fit for someone, irrespective of their background of the problem they are facing. When someone isn't at their best, quickly recognise that there may be an underlying issue and find ways to respond with care.
• Teamwork: Work with colleagues in a supportive and collaborative way, fostering team togetherness and a positive, problem-solving vibe. Be a reliable member of the team, participating actively in group meetings and sharing insights to improve our service continuously. Foster positive relationships with our partners to ensure our support is coordinated and effective.
• Communication & Digital Enablement: Communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders, including service users, partners, and other colleagues, adapting your communication style to be clear, empathetic, and respectful. Encourage the participation and inclusion of the people you support by exploring choices and options with them in an accessible way. Embrace and champion digital inclusion, helping clients, staff, and volunteers to connect, understand, and use digital tools safely. You will use our GSuite, Chromebook, and smartphone to facilitate this. Play an active role in our social media strategy by helping to create blogs, videos, and posts to change society's misconceptions about homelessness.

Person Specification

Training & Qualification

• Essential: SVQ 3 social care or willing to work towards qualification, SSSC registered, Ability to work within the parameters of the SSSC Code of Practice.
• Desirable: Trauma informed practice, ASIST / MHFA / SafeTalk trained, Naloxone trained, Mental health or addictions qualifications, De-escalation skills.

Experience

• Essential: Experience of providing support to people with a ranges of challenges; homelessness, mental health, trauma and addictions, Experience of working in a fast paced environment which requires quick decision making, Experience in managing and resolving conflict in a safe, calm manner.
• Desirable: Experience of working across multi-agencies, Networking and connecting skills.

Knowledge & Skills

• Essential: Experience of working with people with a variety of individual and cultural beliefs, Ability to use empathy and relational skills to build positive relationships with our community and colleagues, Understanding of and ability to work within ethical and relational boundaries, Knowledge and understanding of homelessness, addictions and mental health, Evidence of good communication skills, written and verbal, Worked with a range of digital systems.
• Desirable: Understanding of services that support homelessness, addictions and mental health, Use of GSuite systems.

Personal

• Essential: A good team player with the ability to lead by example, Manage adversity while working in a complex ecosystem, Flexible, responsive, Honest, ethical and keen to overcome obstacles, Have the ability to reflect on your practice.
• Desirable: A desire to learn and to develop innovative practice.