Support Worker

RecruitingSupport Worker to join our Young Peoples service in Milton Keynes.

Looking for a new role where you can make a difference every day? We’re looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Support Worker to join our Young Peoples service in Milton Keynes.

£ 21,000.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week, plus Annual Leave pro rata, Pension schemes, staff discounts, healthcare, and career progression.

Shift patterns: (may include working some weekends)

Early – 07:30 – 15:30

Mid: 10:00 – 18:00

Late – 14:00 -22:00

Look Ahead is a dynamic, leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. As an organisation we deliver over 110 services, providing support to around 7000 customers each year. We work across mental health, homelessness, young people and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.

We’re looking for a Support Worker to join our Young Peoples service.

As a Support worker, you will: liaise with staff regarding issues from night staff’s handover, take part in support discussions, and check emails. You will evaluate customer issues and work to deal with these in priority order, including supervisions, audits, customer progression plans, safety and risk plans, and supporting the contract manager with day to day running of the service.

You will be provided with training and support, and we are comfortable to support someone who wants internal progression.

Whilst it can be challenging dealing with the chaotic nature of young people as their emotional instability is apparent in their behaviour, it is also very rewarding. You will help the young people build their confidence and develop skills that let them go out into the world. Seeing the positive outcomes and the changes in their behaviour, such as managing their emotions, is massively rewarding.

You will need to be positive and conscientiousness, happy to get your hands dirty and get involved. We’re looking for people willing to go above and beyond.

• Building supportive, trusting relationships with customers.

• Working proactively with other members of the team to handle the service caseload and administrative responsibilities.

• Supporting key customers to set personalised goals in the form of a Support Plan.

• Conducting regular key work sessions that are innovative and engaging in order to achieve Support Plan goals.

• Ensuring ongoing assessment and management of risks associated with customers within an attitude of ‘positive risk taking’.

• Proactively manage risk and safety both in and outside of their physical living environment.

• Providing support with daily living activities, including practical assistance where skills are not yet developed, to ensure that customers enjoy a high quality of accommodation.

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead.

Essential:

• Basic/ Beginner computer skills

• Good with communication/ teamwork

• Values

• Good attitude to work

• Team player

Desirable:

• Experience writing incident reports.

• Working adults in care setting

• Volunteer working with children/ Young People

- Qualifications- NVQ 2,3,4

Job Overview:

Milton Keynes Young Peoples Service is a Supported Accommodation Service for young people aged 16–21 with the capacity to support 45 Young People at any one time. The service provides a high level of support to Young People that may be care leavers, looked after children and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. They are supported with a variety of complex support needs such as child sexual exploitation, gangs and offending, substance misuse and mental health.

You will be working with and leading a team of specialists and supports workers to support Young People to meet their aspirations, stay safe and live independently. The service is compiled of 5 properties, the largest capacity at one site being 16 units with 24hr support. Customers are with us for 6 to 18 months and the Service encompasses a mix of units across 4 sites.

The aim of the service is to empower Young People to move towards independent living, supporting their successful transition from childhood; laying the foundations for healthy, ambitious, and safe adult lives with minimal ongoing support. Support is delivered in partnership with a number of stakeholders and partners in the community such as mental health services; substance misuses agencies, housing teams, police and social services.

The young people will have complex and multifaceted needs. This could include emotional and mental health issues, drug and alcohol misuse, partaking in criminal activity and anti-social behaviours or being at risk of sexual exploitation. Whilst the majority of young people referred will not yet be ready to live fully independently, they will be ready to begin the transition to adulthood and develop their independent living skills. The young people will require a supportive, structured and stable environment with clear boundaries in which to do this.

Milton Keynes Young Person’s Service implements and promotes the Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) model. This is an approach which was developed to support people out of homelessness, in particular those who have experienced complex trauma or are diagnosed with a personality disorder. However, its application is far broader than only homelessness. It considers the psychological needs of staff: developing skills and knowledge, increasing motivation, job satisfaction and resilience. There is honestly nothing quite like working with young people – they are creative, funny, insightful, and still trying to figure everything out.

Person Specification:

• Enjoys social interaction and the company of others, joins in local activities to encourage customer involvement.

• Approachable and open behaviour.

• Prefers working as part of a group or team.

• Is fundamentally calm and resilient, does not let emotion adversely affect them or obscure their judgement.

• Has a practical and logical mind and is naturally well organised.

• Flexible

• Open to feedback and self development.

• Thrives on change and enjoys dynamic diverse environments.

• Is confident with high levels of self-esteem.

• Is respectful, articulate and sensitive in style of communication.

• Is essentially customer–focused.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.

This role requires a valid Right to Work for the UK as Look Ahead are not a sponsoring organisation.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.