Mental Health Senior Support Worker - Preston

Care in Mind; Preston; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Birthday day off

Enhanced pension

Healthcare cash plan

Training and development

Free onsite parking

Refer a Friend Scheme

Job summary

Care in Mind operates residential services for young people aged 16-30 in Preston. The Mental Health Senior Support Worker role involves supporting wellbeing, education and daily living tasks, with night and shift work patterns including weekends and bank holidays.

You will document care records, administer medications and liaise with the residential team to maintain a safe, therapeutic environment. Experience with mental health needs and a willingness to develop within a supportive team is

Qualifications

• Level 3 diploma in care or equivalent (or willingness to work towards).
• Flexibility to work weekends and Bank Holidays.
• Willingness to train and attend training sessions on weekdays.

Responsibilities

• Update online care records and medication administration.
• Provide handovers to day staff and maintain daily logs.
• Support wellbeing, education and life skills of young people.
• Assist with incident management and de‑escalation of challenging behaviours.
• Ensure the home is tidy and provides a homely environment.

Skills

Diploma Level 3

Shift work flexibility

Written communication

IT basics

Verbal communication

Professional boundaries

Calm under pressure

Education

Level 3 Diploma in Care

NVQ Level 2 (Desirable)

Job description

Mental Health Senior Support Worker - Preston

Main area Mental Health Senior Support Worker Grade 1 Contract Permanent: Full Time Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (You will be required to work shift patterns which will include weekends and bank holidays) Job ref RES:FL2020.2

Site Florida Residential Service Town Preston Salary £28,138.50 - £30,205.50 Per Annum - Dependant on Experience Salary period Yearly Closing 16/09/2026 23:59

Job overview

Ashton on Ribble, Preston

£28138.50 - £30205.50 per annum (dependent on experience)

Full Time 37.5 hours per week

Shift patterns will include :

Early – 7am – 3.30pm

Late – 2pm – 10.30pm

Early/late- 8am-7.30pm/10am-9.30pm

You may be required to cover Waking Night shifts on occasions for holiday/absence reasons;

Waking Night – 8.30pm – 7.30am

Essential requirements of a Support Worker

• Level 3 diploma qualification in care or equivalent or willingness to work towards this.
• Flexibility - Your role will involve working shifts including weekends and Bank Holidays
• Must be able to attend training throughout employment which will be held on weekdays.
• Good written skills and the ability to write basic reports and record information accurately.
• Basic IT skills (Your role will involve some computer work, completing forms, using an online care system, and writing emails)
• Good verbal communication skills and the ability to listen to others.
• An ability to maintain a professional working boundary.
• Ability to remain calm in emergencies, supporting others during difficult situations.

Desirable Criteria of a Support Worker

• Full UK Driving Licence
• NVQ Level 2 qualification or equivalent in Care
• Previous experience of working with young people who have mental health needs.

Working for our organisation

Care in Mind provide residential services for young people aged 16-30 years old. The young people we care for often require a high level of support to assist with difficulties they may have from self-harming, behaviour, and emotional difficulties. Our aim is to support the young people using a therapeutic approach to help them achieve their individual goals, in preparation for transition to adult life.

Company Benefits

• An additional day off each year for your birthday.
• Enhanced company sick pay.
• Electric Car salary sacrifice scheme.
• Enhanced company pension.
• Enhanced maternity/paternity leave.
• Paid time off for fertility treatment.
• Life Assurance (2 x annual salary).
• Healthcare CashPlan with costs provided towards dental and optical care and a range of other healthcare treatments and benefits
• Employee Assistance Programme/24-hour Counselling Service.
• Free eye tests and various other benefits.
• Excellent Learning and Development opportunities (Level 3 in Adult Health & Social Care and support with completion of the Care Certificate).
• Paid Training, Induction and DBS check.
• We are a Mindful & Disability Confident Employer.
• We are a supporter of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter.
• We are a Menopause Friendly Organisation.
• Long service awards.
• Social events including a Christmas party.
• Blue Light Card to access further shopping discounts.
• Refer a Friend Scheme (Up to £500 per referral).
• Free onsite parking.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

At Care in Mind our homes are always a hub of activity and energy where the young people can feel safe, and our staff enjoy coming to work. Our young people can still be quite active at night so you will have lots of interaction and will be required to support them their wellbeing, education, household tasks and general life skills. There will also be more challenging aspects to the role such as incident management and de-escalation of challenging behaviours. You will be required to update online care records, complete medication administration and provide effective handovers to the day staff. In addition, you will be responsible for the general upkeep and tidiness of the home ensuring the young people live in homely environment. Even though you are working nights, you will have the support of another night worker or a sleep in and have access to an on-call manager for additional support.

At our home in Preston you will be working with young people who have a variety of mental health diagnoses including personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, those who have difficult relationships with food, and those who use self-harm as a strategy to cope with their emotions. This role requires patience, resilience, and compassion as you support our young people to navigate various challenges and develop new skills. When asked what qualities are the most important to them in a staff team, our young people have said they would like caring, honest, understanding, fun, and kind people to come and work with them. They love to learn new things and have a variety of hobbies and interests that they like to share with the team. They’re also an adventurous bunch who engage in a variety of activities such as going to the zoo, museums, outdoor sports, theme parks, and escape rooms to name a few. Our young people are working towards moving on positively from the home into the community and are developing skills that support their independence and autonomy.

Florida House is a newly renovated 6-bed service located in Ashton-on-Ribble, the house is large and modern with spacious bedrooms and communal areas which includes a kitchen/dining area, two lounge areas, two bathrooms and one shower room. The house also has a fairly sized garden which is perfect for summer BBQs and outdoor games. It is a short drive or bus journey away from Preston Town Centre, there are also various local amenities such as Preston Railway Station; Preston Docklands including a cinema, shopping, food and beverage outlets; as well as local parks. The home is well cared for and staff and young people work together to make it homely and welcoming. Previous care experience is not essentialand full training will be provided. You will receive ongoing support and mentoring from our friendly residential and clinical team which includes Reflective Practice, 1:1 supervisions and Group Staff support.

The role will include some fewer fun aspects such as incident management, de-escalation of challenging behaviours, completing several online records, report writing, audits, and medication management.

Previous experience of working with young people who have mental health needs is essential and ideally you will have worked as a Support Worker in a similar environment. You will receive full training and ongoing support & mentoring from our friendly residential and clinical team. The job is highly rewarding and is an excellent development opportunity if you would like to gain supervisory experience and move into a future management role of which we will support the right candidates to do.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Level 3 diploma qualification in care or equivalent or willingness to work towards this.

Experience

• Previous experience of supervising a team or individuals within a team

Skills & Abilites

• Do you have Good written communication skills and the ability to write basic reports and record information accurately?
• Do you have IT skills and the ability to write emails and use Microsoft office?
• Ability to liaise in a professional manner with external agencies
• Understanding of the issues around confidentiality
• Understanding of safeguarding
• Form and maintain professional working boundaries between staff and service users.
• Ability to remain calm in emergencies, supporting others during difficult situations.
• Awareness and basic understanding of the Legislation and Guidance relevant to young people in residential care.
• Do you hold a clean driving license?

Other

• Able to work the night shift (including weekends, bank holidays, occasional days where required to complete any necessary training)
• Do you have Good verbal communication skills and the ability to listen to others?

Additional Information

• Please note that training will be 6 days held at our Head Office in Stockport - reasonable expenses will be reimbursed.
• As a disability confident employer, we are happy to provide reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process - please email: [e-mail]
• Please note that we do not accept CV’s and the application must be completed in full.
• Care in Mind operates a safer recruitment process and as part of this process the successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.
• While we value the use of AI technology to enhance our daily work, we also value the personal touch and urge applicants to write their supporting statement without the use of AI to emphasise their own unique experiences. It is also unacceptable to use AI to inflate skills and experiences on the application form.
• We are an equal opportunities employer who values diversity and positively encourages applications of all ages from all sections of the community.
• We reserve the right to close the advert early, should we appoint a suitable candidate.
• Please be aware that Care in Mind do not hold a sponsorship licence.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.