Senior Support Worker

Look Ahead Care and Support; City Of London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave up to 30 days

Pension up to 8% + life assurance

Cycle to work scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Free DBS

Training & ILM courses

Job summary

Look Ahead Care and Support is hiring a Senior Support Worker in Newham to lead a team and support young people through recovery-focused services. The role involves managing a service caseload, supervising staff on shift, and coordinating with local agencies to ensure safe, effective support.

You will contribute to planning, manage risk, support housing referrals and budgeting, and help customers access benefits while maintaining high standards of care.

Qualifications

• Strong emphasis on empathetic support and safeguarding.
• Ability to manage a caseload and coordinate with local agencies.
• Experience with person-centred, recovery-focused approaches.

Responsibilities

• Work with the team to handle service caseload and support a recovery-focused approach.
• Assess referrals with rapid response and risk management.
• Induct new customers and orient them to the local community.
• Support housing referrals and assist with budgeting and benefits.
• Build relationships with local borough and agencies.
• Maintain accurate records and prepare documentation.
• Engage customers in service co-production and continuous improvement.

Skills

Empathy

Active listening

Team player

Calm under pressure

Organised

Motivated self-starter

People management

Communication

Education

NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care or equivalent

Job description

Senior Support Worker

We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Senior Support Worker to join our Young People Social Care Service in Newham.

£33,130.60 per annum, working 40 hours per week.

Want to feel like you have an exciting future? You'll feel at home here.

Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That's why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren't token gestures - we've thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.

Our benefits include:

• Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
• A generous pension - we will contribute up to 8% and life assurance cover up to 3x Pensionable Salary (T&Cs apply)
• Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
• Fully paid induction programme and further training
• ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme for 24-7 confidential support
• Online wellbeing resources
• Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff's commitment and contribution
• Free DBS
• All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

As a Senior Support Worker, you will be expected to undertake some duties as part of the management team which may include supporting the team with their responsibilities whilst working flexibly to respond to the needs of your own customer case load. This role will require either an extra dimension of experience or have/be working towards a higher qualification level in order to meet the role specific competencies for this position.

Please note: This role is for Senior Support Worker rather than a specialist

What you'll do:

• Work proactively with the team to handle the service caseload and support an effective team approach to meeting each customer's identified needs in a recovery-focussed way
• Assessing referrals received by the service, ensuring a rapid response to these - supporting the team to identify and promote positive risk management.
• Contribute to a positive service environment, ensuring the service is supportive and a place of safety and stability for customers. This includes working flexibly and being proactively in delivering, reviewing and arranging effective support for emerging needs and risks in order to prevent escalating concerns
• Inducting new customers, and helping orient them to the community and local area
• Completing/supporting housing referrals as required, supporting customers with budgeting tools and providing support to customers in accessing any benefits or addressing any issues such as benefits.
• Building a relationship with the local borough and any key agencies. For example: no recourse to public funds teams, homelessness teams, community mental health teams etc.
• Support planning, including ward management liaison, medication profiles and medication reviews as required, identifying the goals and steps to support customers to manage their own support and risk and ensuring these are correctly documented within Look Ahead's paperwork.
• Involve customers in the design, development and delivery of the service through co-production.
• Report and react to any observations relating to customers welfare
• Proactive development of links with local statutory and voluntary organizations to provide a range of engagement opportunities for customers in the community
• Shift lead, ensuring effective coordination of staff time so that all planned service and customer activities are attended to during the course of the shift
• Maintain a good standard of records as required at the project under the direction of the Managers.
• Proactively engaging in learning and development activity to increase knowledge and skills on an ongoing basis.
• Ensure Look Ahead Health and Safety policies and local protocols are adhered to at all times, to ensure the safety of the customers and premises including responding to maintenance, fire and health and safety issues
• Competent use of relevant systems, company policies and frameworks
• Adhere to all the policies and procedures of Look Ahead Care, Support & Housing plus those specific to the project including any statutory requirements
• Carry out other duties commensurate with the designated role level, as may be deemed reasonable by Look Ahead including working at an alternative patch, if such a need arises

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

About you:

• Enjoys social interaction and the company of others, networks in local business community
• 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
• Thrives on change and enjoys dynamic diverse environments with an ability to cope positively with challenging and diverse behaviour
• Is highly motivated and a self-starter
• Enjoys managing and motivating others
• Has a practical and logical mind and is naturally well organised
• Is confident with high levels of self-esteem
• Is respectful, articulate and sensitive in style of communication
• Is passionate and enthusiastic about his/her career and job experiences
• Is motivated towards excellence and improvement of personal performance with a can do attitude

What you'll bring:

Essential:

• NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care or equivalent

Desirable:

• Previous experience with Look Ahead or another similar provider, in a support worker role.
• Other relevant professional memberships and/or specialist qualifications

About us:

Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 100 services, providing support to thousands of customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness and complex needs, young people and care leavers and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.

We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:

• We focus on Excellence and innovation.
• We are Caring and Compassionate.
• We are Inclusive and Trusted.
• We work in Partnership and are One-Team.

Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

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.

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.