Support Worker

Brightsky Youth Services; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

Brightsky Youth Services is seeking a dedicated Support Worker to provide person-centred support to young people aged 16–17 and care leavers in supported accommodation in Birmingham. You will promote safety, wellbeing, independence and positive outcomes in line with Pathway Plans and Local Authority requirements.

You will follow safeguarding legislation and company policies, recording progress and coordinating with social workers, Personal Advisers and other professionals to support housing

Qualifications

• Strong communication and record-keeping skills.
• Ability to build positive relationships with young people.
• Ability to identify and respond to safeguarding concerns.
• Effective multi-agency working and teamwork.
• Good organisational and time-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Promote young people's rights, dignity, privacy, choice, independence, and participation.
• Support young people to achieve Pathway Plan outcomes and personal goals.
• Assist with independent living skills like budgeting, cooking, personal care, and tenancy readiness.
• Encourage education, employment, training, volunteering and community activity.
• Promote physical health, emotional wellbeing, and healthy lifestyles.
• Build positive relationships using trauma-informed, restorative, and strengths-based approaches.
• Ensure understanding of rights, safeguarding, complaints procedures, and support services.
• Support safe relationships with family, friends and peers per support plans.

Skills

Communication

Record-keeping

Relationship-building

Safeguarding awareness

Multi-agency working

Organisation

Education

Level 3 qualification in Health & Social Care

Tools

IT skills

Job description

To provide high-quality, person-centred support to young people aged 16–17 and care leavers living in supported accommodation. The Support Worker will promote safety, wellbeing, independence, and positive outcomes in line with each young person's Pathway Plan, Risk Assessment, and Local Authority requirements. All support will be delivered in accordance with the Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023, safeguarding legislation, company policies, and best practice guidance.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Promote young people's rights, dignity, privacy, choice, independence, and participation.
• Support young people to achieve their Pathway Plan outcomes, personal goals, and aspirations.
• Assist young people to develop independent living skills, including budgeting, cooking, personal care, housekeeping, travel training, appointment management, and tenancy readiness.
• Encourage engagement in education, employment, training, volunteering, and community activities.
• Promote physical health, emotional wellbeing, mental health awareness, and healthy lifestyles.
• Build positive relationships using trauma-informed, restorative, and strengths-based approaches.
• Ensure young people understand their rights, responsibilities, safeguarding processes, complaints procedures, and available support services.
• Support young people to maintain safe and positive relationships with family, friends, and peers, and encourage participation in community activities and social networks, in line with their support plans and assessed levels of risk.

Safeguarding Responsibilities

• Safeguard young people from abuse, neglect, exploitation, radicalisation, discrimination, and significant harm.
• Identify, record, report, and respond to safeguarding concerns, including exploitation, county lines, missing episodes, online risks, self-harm, mental health concerns, domestic abuse, and peer-on-peer abuse.
• Follow safeguarding, missing person, and emergency procedures, escalating concerns appropriately.
• Contribute to risk assessments and ensure risk management plans are implemented and reviewed.

Recording, Reporting and Communication

• Maintain accurate and timely records using the organisation's digital recording systems.
• Complete daily logs, welfare checks, key work records, incident reports, and safeguarding records.
• Produce weekly reports for social workers and contribute to three-monthly progress reports for IROs and other professionals.
• Attend and contribute to CIC Reviews, PEP Meetings, Pathway Plan Reviews, social worker visits, and other multi-agency meetings, ensuring records are uploaded promptly.
• Maintain effective communication with young people, colleagues, social workers, Personal Advisers, and partner agencies, responding to professional correspondence in a timely manner.

Participation and House Management

• Facilitate and record monthly house meetings and encourage young people's participation in decisions affecting their lives.
• Support young people to raise concerns, complaints, compliments, and suggestions.
• Maintain a safe, clean, and welcoming environment, reporting maintenance, health and safety, or environmental concerns promptly.

Professional Practice

• Work collaboratively with colleagues and external professionals to achieve positive outcomes for young people.
• Attend team meetings, handovers, supervision, appraisals, and mandatory training.
• Maintain professional boundaries, confidentiality, and high standards of conduct.
• Work flexibly, including evenings, weekends, sleep-ins, waking nights, and bank holidays as required.
• Undertake any other duties reasonably required within the scope of the role.

Mandatory Training Requirements

The post holder must complete and maintain all mandatory training, including:

• Company Induction
• Child Exploitation and County Lines
• Missing from Care and Safe Return
• Prevent and Radicalisation Awareness
• Health & Safety
• Emergency First Aid
• Equality, Diversity and Human Rights
• GDPR and Information Sharing
• Whistleblowing
• Communication and Record Keeping
• Trauma-Informed Practice
• Substance Misuse Awareness
• Independent Living Skills (ILS)
• Positive Behaviour Support
• Lone Working
• Medication Awareness (where applicable)
• Modern Slavery Awareness

Person Specification

Knowledge

• Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023.
• Safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance.
• Child exploitation, county lines, contextual safeguarding, and missing protocols.
• Trauma-informed and restorative practice.
• Pathway Planning and preparation for adulthood.

Skills and Abilities

• Strong communication and record-keeping skills.
• Ability to build positive relationships with young people.
• Ability to identify and respond to safeguarding concerns.
• Effective multi-agency working and teamwork.
• Good organisational and time-management skills.

Experience

• Minimum 12 months' experience working with vulnerable young people or within a social care setting.
• Experience of safeguarding, support planning, report writing, and risk management.

Education

• Good standard of written and spoken English and IT skills.
• Level 3 qualification in Health & Social Care, Children and Young People's Workforce, or willingness to work towards one.

Special Requirements

• Enhanced DBS with Children's Barred List check.
• Right to work in the UK.
• Flexibility to work shifts, including evenings, weekends, sleep‑ins, waking nights, and bank holidays.
• Compliance with company policies, procedures, and professional standards.