Lead Worker - South East London Prevention Service

Thames Reach Charity; Greater London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 43,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday entitlement

Pension contribution

Career development

Wellbeing support

Life assurance

Other employee benefits

Job summary

Thames Reach Charity is hiring a Lead Worker for the South East London Prevention Service. Salary £38,996 per annum, based in South East London. You will triage referrals, assess housing crises, arrange emergency placements and support clients to access statutory services.

The role emphasizes collaborative work, empathy for homelessness, and delivering sustainable housing outcomes. Join a team focused on preventing homelessness, with opportunities for professional development and working with

Qualifications

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and advocacy skills.
• Strong time management and prioritisation skills.
• Ability to work in a busy team and collaborate with colleagues.
• Understanding of factors contributing to homelessness with empathy.

Responsibilities

• Support the triage function by taking referrals and prioritising casework.
• Carry out comprehensive assessments with clients in housing crisis.
• Source emergency placement options (often same day).
• Support clients to access statutory services (Care Act & Safeguarding).
• Execute 6 weeks intensive casework to secure housing options and tenancy sustainment.
• Signpost and refer clients to services for long-term housing outcomes.

Skills

Communications skills

Time management

Team collaboration

Empathy for homelessness

Stakeholder relationships

Systems knowledge

Job description

Role: Lead Worker – South East London Prevention Service

Salary £38,996 per annum

Location: South East London

Interview date: 18/11/2026

Whatever your experience of street homelessness and its impact on people’s lives – personal or professional – when you join the Thames Reach team as a Lead Worker we will make the best use of all your understanding, compassion and commitment

About us…

Thames Reach runs projects and services that help to end homelessness in and around London. We work directly with homeless people on the streets and in hostels. We work to prevent vulnerable people from becoming homeless. We help formerly homeless people get their lives back on track. We help people find work and access training and volunteering opportunities.

Is our mission easy? No,but we never give up on people. Last year we helped more than 15,000 people.

Is our work rewarding? Yes, in every sense. We’re listed as one of the top 100 Best Workplaces in the UK. There’s no better place to develop or transfer your skills and build a fulfilling career.

About this role…

We are looking for a Lead Worker to join the South East London Prevention Service.

Prevention services support vulnerable people by providing them with skills, housing advice, accommodation, and tenancy sustainment support. All these services to help people transition towards leading independent lives.

We will not accept applications where Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been used to assist with completing the competency questions.

You will:

• Support the triage function, taking referrals from multiple partner agencies and making decisions about priority allocation for casework
• Carry out comprehensive assessments with clients in housing crisis
• Source emergency placement options (often on the day of referral / assessment)
• Support clients to exercise their rights to access statutory services e.g. through Part VII HRA applications Care Act & Adult Safeguarding referrals
• Through 6 weeks intensive casework, seek out and secure short and long-term housing options, ensuring that clients have resettlement / tenancy sustainment in place
• Signpost and refer clients to services that will enable a long-term positive housing outcome – e.g. Immigration services ; Substance Use support; NHS; Mental Health ; DWP ; Employment ; Day centres

You will have:

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and advocacy skills.
• Strong time management and prioritisation skills, and the ability to deploy these independently.
• The desire to work in a busy team and collaborate with colleagues to achieve quick but sustainable outcomes for our clients.
• An understanding of the complex factors that contribute to homelessness, together with demonstrable empathy for their impact on individuals’ lives.
• An ability to form positive working relationships with multiple partner agencies across the statutory and voluntary sectors
• An aptitude for development and practical application of knowledge of numerous systems across multiple local authority areas, such as: Homelessness application processes; supported housing pathway referrals; Private Rented access schemes; Care Act request processes.

We are listed in the top 100 UK Best Workplaces 2023 in the UK. As part of a commitment to our employees we offer:

• Generous holiday allowance – 29 days per year plus 8 public holidays (pro rata).
• Pension – we contribute 6.5% to your pension when you contribute 1.5%.
• Excellent development opportunities – career progression, regular supervision and appraisals, and learning programmes to support your career with Thames Reach.
• Wellbeing support – our 24/7 employee assistance programme and opportunities for TOIL.
• Life assurance – four times your annual salary and critical illness cover.
• Other benefits including a blue light discount card, interest free season ticket and cycle to work loans.

Thames Reach is committed to achieving a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We value, respect, and celebrate diversity. We welcome and encourage applicants from all sections of the community regardless of their history of homelessness, sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or religious belief.

Thames Reach is committed to safeguarding. Applicants must be willing to undergo pre-employment screening appropriate to the post, including, but not limited to checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. Having a criminal record will not exclude you from applying but you will be asked to provide further details as most posts are considered exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.