Support Officer

The Riverside Group Limited; City Of London; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading housing association in the UK is seeking support staff to assist vulnerable individuals in achieving greater independence and well-being. Responsibilities include conducting assessments, providing holistic support, and ensuring customers' rights are upheld. The ideal candidate will possess strong communication skills, experience in support roles, and a passion for helping others. This role offers competitive pay, development opportunities, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Benefits

Competitive pay & generous pension

28 days holiday plus bank holidays

Flexible working options

Investment in personal development

Qualifications

• Experience working with vulnerable individuals in a support capacity.
• Ability to engage with and respect the needs of vulnerable people.
• Demonstrate initiative and confidence to make and act on decisions.

Responsibilities

• Carry out assessments to prioritize needs.
• Provide holistic support using SMART goal planning.
• Assist customers with day-to-day support and tenancy-related matters.

Skills

Experience of working with vulnerable people

Good communication skills

Team working skills

Housing sector knowledge

Strong IT skills

Experience in incident resolution

Caring and empathetic attitude

Knowledge of trauma-informed approaches

Job description

We believe in providing care and support to our clients that will enable them to make informed decisions about their life that will increase their sense of wellbeing: this might be greater independence, better coping strategies or a richer network and sense of self achievement. You will be working from one of our supported services providing support to our customers in a variety of ways.

Responsibilities

• Carry out assessment to identify and prioritise needs
• Use SMART goal planning to provide needs‑led holistic support
• Create an environment that promotes opportunities for customers to develop, learn and enable skills towards independence
• Provide comprehensive support planning service to customers in line with the department’s policies, procedures, and approach
• Ensure customers are fully informed of their rights and responsibilities regarding the service and are enabled and empowered to get involved in the running of the service through consultation and participation
• Set up and maintain customer files and ensure that accurate and up‑to‑date records are kept of support provided to customers in accordance with HCS policies
• Use psychologically informed approaches and trauma‑informed care principles to support customers to develop new ways of thinking and to make steps towards independence
• Lead on co‑producing bespoke support and move‑on plans, involving key stakeholders (e.g. family/other support providers) where appropriate
• Organise and carry out regular planned reviews of support and risk plans, or follow an incident/significant change in a customer’s circumstances
• Engage customers to meet agreed outcomes and develop life skills
• Assist customers with day‑to‑day support and tenancy‑related matters
• Identify and promote opportunities for employment, education and training and support customers to remove barriers to accessing these opportunities
• Signpost customers to appropriate external support services, including interventions such as food banks and other community resources
• Support customers to be “tenancy ready” to enable successful move‑on
• Support customers to be financially independent through budgeting plans and maximizing income
• Support and monitor customers’ healthcare needs, ensuring appropriate contact with healthcare professionals
• Empower customers to move towards self‑management of their medication by following the medication procedure
• Lead on support initiatives including group work
• Ensure the safety of customers by following local safeguarding procedures, recognising and acting on any significant risk, and escalating appropriately
• Record and update clear, factual, accurate, strengths‑based customer information on the local or appropriate digital platform
• Facilitate the referral process into the service and assess potential new customers
• Contribute to the delivery of a housing management service, including income collection and providing customers with tenancy‑related support
• Work with customers to maintain a safe environment by reporting repairs and health and safety concerns
• Clean and prepare rooms as appropriate
• Resolve difficult and challenging situations in a sensitive and informed way, balancing the needs of the individual with responsibilities for the safety of the service
• Develop and maintain local partnerships to provide a holistic range of support for customers
• Carry out day‑to‑day administration and operational duties
• Work flexible hours to meet customer and business needs, which may not include normal office hours
• Travel to different properties within the defined area as and when required
• Use the Lone Worker system as and when necessary
• Ensure customers are safe at all times, carrying out all duties within Riverside’s policies and procedure framework e.g. health & safety, safeguarding, dignity at work, GDPR, cash handling, etc.
• Deliver your role in line with Riverside company values – “Our Riverside Way”
• Participate in team meetings, attend regular supervisions and reflect on practice sessions
• Undertake regular training and take responsibility for continuous development to deliver your role safely

Qualifications

• Experience of working with vulnerable people with a range of needs in a support capacity
• A genuine passion for working with people and ability to travel
• Good communication skills and the ability to engage with and respect the needs of vulnerable people
• Excellent team working skills with a creative flair and ability to think outside of the box
• Housing sector knowledge including housing benefit applications
• Strong IT and social media skills to manage and maintain administration and recording systems; an understanding of the barriers faced by vulnerable and diverse customer groups and individuals with complex needs
• Experience of delivering structured support and risk management
• Be a team player with a caring, empathetic, flexible and resilient, can‑do attitude
• Previous experience in positively resolving incidents
• Demonstrate initiative and confidence to make and act on decisions
• Competent administrative and IT skills (to produce reports and other communications)
• Knowledge of Psychological or Trauma Informed approaches to support (desirable)
• Experience of working in challenging environments with the ability to plan, prioritise and organise tasks to achieve results
• Knowledge of current benefit systems
• Experience of working in a care and support environment

Benefits

• Competitive pay & generous pension
• 28 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Flexible working options available
• Investment in your learning, personal development and technology
• A wide range of benefits
• Diversity and Inclusion at Riverside: We are inclusive. At Riverside, we value diversity in all its forms. We foster a workplace where all individuals are respected, empowered, and heard. Our commitment to inclusivity drives our success and enriches the lives of our customers and colleagues.

One Housing Group is now part of Riverside. At Riverside, we’re a housing association with a difference - enhancing the everyday for all our customers. For 90 years, we’ve been revitalising neighbourhoods and supporting communities by providing the homes they need to live full, fulfilling and rewarding lives.