Deputy Service Manager in Guildford

Hopewell House is a 10 bedded 24 hour supported housing service for adults with mental health needs. Set close to the town centre in Guildford in a beautiful historic building, we support both men and women on their individual journeys of recovery towards greater independence. We are looking for a Deputy Service Manager to support the Service Manager and a small team of dedicated support workers. The service is 24 hour and the working hours are based on a rolling rota system, including some evening and weekend work, including sleep-ins. We are looking for a dynamic and conscientious individual, who will have experience of working in mental health. The ideal candidate will be capable of working as part of a small team, but also capable of working independently. Full training will be given, including the opportunity of undertaking the QCS level 5 certificate in Health and Social Care.

Key Responsibilities

• Take a lead role and provide support and advice to staff in creating and reviewing robust risk assessments, produce and agree management plans, personalised recovery support plans (identifying goals and aspirations and detailing activities and interventions) and structured move-in plans with new residents.
• Take a lead role and provide support and advice to staff in assessing new service users, liaise with professionals, other mental health placements and hospitals and prepare management plans for individuals prior to admission to York Road.
• Support individuals to achieve their goals and aspirations through individual key work, targeted recovery outcomes-focused interventions and person-centred planning, utilising a core and flexi approach, enabling service users to choose who they would like to support them with each task.
• Organise weekly key worker sessions with individual clients, using Recovery Star, WRAP and person-centred planning tools. These sessions will focus on mental health insight, awareness and resilience, medication management including self medication, as well as symptom management, including coping strategies and self management techniques. Key workers will also help clients create their own advance directives and advance statements.
• Plan, organise, timetable and lead a range of appropriate groups, e.g. managing mental health, living skills, nutrition, assertiveness skills, confidence building, mindfulness, stress management, relapse prevention.
• Organise a rota of activities and events for service users, including contribution to the flexi approach to team work.
• Broker (and where appropriate, following training, provide) specialised interventions like DBT, CBT, including input from substance abuse teams and forensic services. Some of these interventions will require trained specialists, but there is an expectation that staff will access basic training in delivering some CBT techniques, relaxation and mindfulness training/skills.
• Supporting service users in preparing for independence through: Helping them maintain and develop their skill base, (re)gain general IT skills, including providing particular support with CV writing, online applications, shopping online, etc.
• Identifying and helping to facilitate suitable move-on accommodation and support and actively engaging family/carers and wider networks in preparing for the transition according to the wishes of the service user.
• Providing advice on benefits, tenancy rights or signposting when necessary.
• Facilitating access to training or/and employment and supporting employers, especially during initial stages. Providing a direct link between service user and any placement/work opportunities and ensuring that any problems are addressed at an early stage and that necessary measures are put in place to prevent placement failures.
• Make a positive contribution to and work constructively within the team, including developing your own abilities to enhance team performance.
• Carry out staff supervisions and monitor the performance of team members, including relief staff, in a constructive, effective and creative way.
• Contribute to the provision of outcome defined evidence to commissioners and other stakeholders, by fully involving service users and team members.
• Promote, monitor and maintain health and safety and security in the workplace and ensure the building is safe and secure.
• Work in a way that ensures the service is delivered in compliance with relevant legislation, Together’s values, policies and practices and contractual requirements.

Key Leadership Behaviours

• Models the highest levels of the Together Values commitment and its associated behaviours, to provide a clear example for all colleagues.
• Ensures that Service User Leadership is at the heart of everything we do. Embedding the service user leadership framework within policy, strategy and process.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

Essential:

• Qualified to at least Diploma Level 3 in Adult Care / Health & Social Care.
• Commitment to the empowerment of service users and users of mental health services and a strong interest in user involvement and promoting people's rights.
• Ability to respond to service users’ needs (including those in crisis) promptly, in a flexible, consistent and appropriate way, as well as ability to give the team a clear direction in this.
• Ability to work with service users in a user led, calm, confident and sensitive manner and ability to advocate for them.
• Excellent listening skills and the ability to communicate effectively with people who are in mental distress, including any who may be acutely ill.
• Knowledge and practical experience of using person-centred tools to support recovery and development of service users, as well as the ability to transfer such knowledge and any associated skills.
• Ability to work flexibly as part of a team and contribute in meeting team and organisational objectives.
• Experience of supervising people and teams and monitoring people’s performance.
• Ability to work on own initiative, to prioritise work, meet deadlines and make autonomous decisions when needed.
• Experience of participating and running meetings/groups.
• The ability to liaise and communicate well, both orally and in writing, with health professionals, general public, other providers and be assertive where necessary.
• A commitment to the Equal Opportunities and awareness of issues related to social and health care provision in a multi-cultural context.
• Good computer literacy including the ability to use Windows applications and word processing and database packages. This also includes the ability to use the internet and to draft and send e-mails.
• Experience of liaising with a range of providers and services and promoting user led initiatives as well Together services.

Desirable:

• At least two years’ full-time equivalent experience of working in mental health.
• Willingness to attain the Diploma Level 5 in Leadership & Management for Adult Care.
• Experience of running groups.
• At least one year experience of supervising and managing others.