Full Time Support Workers West Ipswich

Together for Mental Wellbeing; Ipswich; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

Together for Mental Wellbeing is looking for a motivated support worker to assist residents with mental health needs in Ipswich. You will help with daily tasks, accompany to appointments and support budgeting and benefits navigation, in both home and community settings.

Applicants should be able to maintain professional boundaries, communicate in English, travel as needed, and work varied shifts. DBS clearance is required, and basic IT skills are advantageous.

Qualifications

• Experience in supporting vulnerable individuals, paid or voluntary.
• Lived experience of mental distress is desirable.
• Basic competence in email and word processing software.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain trusting relationships with service users.
• Help service users set, prioritise and achieve goals and manage tenancies.
• Work flexibly with service users at home and in the community.
• Carry out assessments and determine urgency of needs.
• Coordinate with other agencies and make onward referrals.

Skills

Empathy

Non-judgemental

Boundaries

Teamwork

Digital literacy

Education

NVQ Level II in Health and Social Care

Tools

Email

Word processing

Job description

• 24968.26 per annum

Together is an amazing place to work. We are one of the UK’s oldest and most respected mental health charities. It’s because we put the people who use our services at the heart of everything we do supporting and enabling them to take control of their lives and make a positive contribution to the community.

Job Purpose

We are looking for a motivated individual with experience of caring or supporting individuals with mental health issues to work alongside the residents, putting them at the heart of all we do.

Key Responsibilities

Functional Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain relationships of trust with service users, to build engagement
• Help service users to set, prioritise and achieve goals, managing their tenancies and move-ons
• Work flexibly with service users in their homes and in the community
• Carry out assessments and determine urgency of service user needs
• Work with professionals from other agencies, and make onward referrals, linking service users into community opportunities
• Carry out risk assessments, in order to keep service users safe and improve the quality of our support
• Attend placement reviews
• Work with service users on a 1:1 basis and in groups
• Assist service users to; deal with financial issues and navigate the benefits and education systems; manage friendships and family relationships; manage their medication, in accordance with Together procedures
• Accompany service users to appointments
• Assist service users to undertake domestic tasks such as cooking and cleaning, ensuring adherence to infection control (training provided)
• Assist service users with personal care as and when required
• Adhere to the Together policy on lone working
• Make timely records which are concise, accurate, written for the service user to understand, using Together computer-based systems
• Write clear word processed and handwritten reports (training provided) and records in English
• Participate in mandatory and job‑related courses and learning activities
• Maintain professional boundaries in all aspects of work with service users

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Demonstrate a non-judgemental attitude
• Able to be empathetic towards service users and create a trusting environment
• Ability to work alongside individuals experiencing mental distress
• Able to work in partnership with services users
• Able to establish and maintain professional boundaries in working with service users
• Able to establish and maintain a safe environment
• Willing and able to undertake domestic tasks with, and for, service users as necessary
• Demonstrate problem‑solving skills relating to welfare benefits, education and relationships
• Open to - and willing to participate in - formal and informal job‑related learning
• Willing and able to collaborate with colleagues and other organisations
• Able to use email and computerised systems for service user records and reports
• Able to produce clear records and reports in English
• Committed to work in ways which reflect Together’s values
• Safeguards the wellbeing of clients and colleagues at all times
• Aware of, and adheres to, Together’s policies regarding Confidentiality and GDPR
• Aware of, and adheres to, Together’s policies regarding Equalities

Know-how

• Experience in supporting vulnerable individuals gained from paid work and/or voluntary and/or life experience
• Lived experience of mental distress (desirable)
• Basic competence in the use of email and word processing software
• NVQ Level II in Health and Social Care, or equivalent (desirable)

Practicalities

• Able to travel
• Able to work a varying pattern of shifts
• DBS clearance
• Minimum age 18 plus