Senior Community Support Worker

Transformationunitgm; Brighton; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a compassionate and innovative organization dedicated to mental health and rehabilitation. As a Senior Community Support Worker, you will work within a multi-disciplinary team, supporting individuals with complex needs. This role offers the chance to make a real difference in the lives of patients while developing your skills in a supportive environment. With opportunities for personal development and a commitment to community care, this position is perfect for those looking to thrive in a meaningful career. Embrace the vibrant culture of Brighton while contributing to a team that values compassion, accountability, and optimism.

Qualifications

• Minimum of three years working with people with mental health problems.
• Commitment to continuing personal development.

Responsibilities

• Support Lead Practitioners with complex caseloads.
• Assist patients in achieving rehabilitation goals.
• Run support groups and provide long-term assistance.

Skills

Empathy

Communication Skills

Flexibility

Problem-Solving

Education

NVQ Level 3 or equivalent

Job description

Employer Sussex Partnership NHS FoundationTrust Employer type NHS Site East Brighton Community Mental Health Centre Town Brighton Salary £26,530 - £29,114 pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 20/05/2025 23:59

Senior Community Support Worker

NHS AfC: Band 4

Come and join us

We're looking for people who share our values (compassion, accountability and optimism) to help us provide high quality care to the patients, carers, families and local communities we serve. We specialise in providing NHS mental health and learning disability services.

So what can we offer you in return?

We're an organisation which puts people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. We'll help you learn, acquire new skills and gain further experience to support your career development. And we'll provide the opportunity for you to bring your fresh ideas to work about how we can do things differently and continue improving.

You will also be joining a health and care system committed to working together to do the best we can for the communities we serve. Above all, at Sussex Partnership you'll have the chance to make a difference to the lives of the patients, carers and families across our communities.

As a Trust we are committed in making a difference. Your development is important to us, so don't forget to ask us during interview what opportunities we can offer. We can offer fully funded lifelong learning opportunities such as an apprenticeship from GCSE to Masters level.

If you like the sound of that, then come and join our team.

Job overview

Are you a Support Worker, Healthcare Assistant, with a motivation to work in mental health?

Would you thrive in a role where you work with a relatively small, but complex caseload?

If so, our Band 4 STR role in our the Brighton and Hove Community Rehab Team (CRT) may be the role for you!

Brighton CRT is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Band 4 STR worker for 30 hours per week. This post involves weekend working, mainly Mon-Fri 9-5, with specific shift patterns to be negotiated. Time owing for weekend work will be taken back during the week.

We are a multi-disciplinary team consisting of Social Workers, Nurses, Occupational Therapists, a Psychologist, Psychiatrists, Support Workers, and a Pharmacy Technician. We operate creatively and flexibly, sharing responsibility for risk management to support service users with a primary diagnosis of psychosis. We run groups for service users and adopt a biopsychosocial approach.

Mental Health Rehabilitation aims to maximize an individual's quality of life and social inclusion by encouraging their skills, promoting independence and autonomy, and providing hope for the future. This leads to successful community living through appropriate support.

Main duties of the job

The Brighton CRS works with individuals who present with complex needs, including severe & enduring mental health needs, substance misuse, forensic issues and housing difficulties and may have often had unsuccessful working relationships with mental health services in the past. The work we do with this group is so crucial and the job satisfaction we receive when we make a breakthrough with patients is incredible.

Your role will involve supporting Lead Practitioners with their relatively small, yet complex caseload. You will undertake duty tasks including supporting patients with rehabilitation goals, but also patients struggling to develop relationships with professions, who may be in crisis and with medication related matters. Your role will also involve supporting with running of groups and providing long term social and practical support to service users by building up long term relationships with them.

Optionally, we would like a support worker who is willing to undertake venepuncture training and support with physical health checks.

Working for our organisation

The Trust provides mental health and learning disability care for all ages across Sussex and for children and young people in Hampshire.

Living & Working in Brighton:

· Be spoilt for choice with Brighton's iconic seafront, vibrant lanes and array of shops and attractions

· Travel easily between coast and countryside, with a blend of picturesque villages and seaside towns on your doorstep

· Embrace the outstanding natural beauty spots including the renowned Devils Dyke and South Downs National Park

We’d love you to join our Trust, rated ‘good’ overall and ‘outstanding’ for caring by the CQC. Our staff agree, recent staff survey results told us that 82% recognise that care for patients is our top priority.

Key staff survey results include:

· 70% highlighting flexible working opportunities as a key point for satisfaction at work

· 79% reporting feeling able to make suggestions to improve the work in their team

· 77% identifying the opportunities to show initiative in their roles

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for the full details on the role.

If you are applying for a secondment, please ensure that you have prior agreement from your current manager.

Person specification

Qualifications

• NVQ 3 or equivalent, combined with a commitment to undertake continuing personal development

EXPERIENCE

• Minimum of three years working with people with mental health problems
• Experience of emotional distress.
• Experience of mental health services as a service user/carer

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Ability to listen effectively and communicate at all levels
• Basic written communication skills to enable completion of records etc
• Empathy, compassion and patience
• Willingness to be flexible in meeting service users needs
• Ability to create innovative solutions to help empower service users
• Ability to work unsupervised in a range of settings

Sussex Partnership NHS FT is committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. Our workforce is currently under-represented from Black and Minority, Ethnic and disabled communities and we would welcome applications from these communities.

We regret that we are unable to advise candidates if they have not been shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

In the event of an excessive number of applicants the Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy earlier than indicated.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust takes its responsibilities for the safeguarding and protection of children and young people and vulnerable adults very seriously and expects this of all its employees and bank workers. The Trust works with adult and children’s social care to ensure that the integrated service has systems in place to equip staff and bank workers with the knowledge and skills to recognize abuse, and take action to safeguard and protect vulnerable adults and children and young people. It is expected that all staff and bank workers familiarise themselves with the appropriate structures and policies and with the Sussex child protection and safeguarding procedures and the Sussex multi-agency policy and procedures for safeguarding vulnerable adults and undertake the relevant essential training and further training appropriate to their role.

Successful candidates are normally offered salaries at the bottom of the relevant salary range. However, where previous or equivalent NHS experience in a similar role can be demonstrated and evidenced, this may be taken into consideration when setting the starting salary.

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.

Application numbers

Due to high numbers of applications this vacancy may close before the advertised closing date. We will not be able to accept late applications to this post.