Support Worker

BHT Sussex; Brighton; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stakeholder pension

Medical plan

Learning & Development

EAP

Cycle-to-work

Bus pass

Holiday entitlement

Well-being activities

Job summary

BHT Sussex in Brighton invites applications for a Support Worker (Hostel Worker) role. The post supports Phase One, a 52-bed high support hostel for single homeless people with complex needs, with shift work.

The salary is £28,532 per year pro rata, including pension and enhanced anti-social hours, for a 37 hour week on a fixed-term contract until 30 June 2027. The post requires dedication to trauma-informed care, safeguarding, and providing practical and emotional support to clients.

Qualifications

• Experience of providing emotional and practical support to vulnerable clients with complex needs who are homeless.
• An understanding of psychological informed practice, strengths-based approached and trauma informed care.
• Housing and building management support using person centred approaches.
• Professional boundaries; safeguarding, accountability, and confidentiality within the workplace.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) to forge positive working relationships with stakeholders (clients, colleagues, external organisations etc.).

Responsibilities

• Ensuring the active implementation of the project’s policies and procedures.
• Staffing a busy reception area and providing appropriate signposting and support to clients and ensuring the presentation of the Reception area meets professional and welcoming standards.
• Delivering support that includes interventions to reduce risk taking behaviour, managing challenging behaviour, and following risk management plans and incident reporting procedures.
• Ensuring the building is clean and welcoming and encouraging service users to take responsibility for maintaining their personal space.
• Taking a lead on bagging and storing client belongings when they leave and assisting clients with their belongings when moving into the hostel.

Skills

Emotional support

Practical support

Job description

Support Worker

We have an exciting opportunity for a Support Worker to play a vital role in providing support at our Phase One project.

Position: Support Worker (Internal job title: Hostel Worker)
Location: Brighton
Salary: £28,532 per annum pro rata (Salary £27,063 per annum, pro rata Plus £1,469 Anti-Social Hours Enhancement per annum, pro rata)
Hours: 37 hours per week (shift work - 37 hours per week average over 6-week rolling rota)
Contract: Fixed-Term Contract until 30 June 2027
Closing Date: Thursday 22 October 2026 at 23:59
Interview Date: Friday 30 October 2026

About:

As a Support Worker, you will be working for a people-led organisation whose mission and values is to inspire change across Sussex.

About the Role:

The Support Worker will undertake the practical management of the project whilst on shift, responding to clients, delivering support, assisting keyworkers with the delivery of personalised support plans, provide appropriate welfare rights advice to clients, carry out duties with due regard to health and safety.

About Phase One:

Phase One will be closing from June 2027 at the end of our contract. Phase One is a 52-bed high support hostel for single homeless people with high support needs. The project works with clients who are largely vulnerable, deep into their behaviours and are pre-contemplative about change, working with them to increase self-esteem and create a space where clients can begin to address the issues at the root of their homelessness and understand how trauma has impacted their journey through life.

The service aims to support clients to lead more settled lives and realise aspirations by delivering a client-centred model of support that is psychologically and trauma informed. A team of experienced and highly skilled support staff work with clients who may be using alcohol and substances or have mental health difficulties and encourage them to take small, considered steps towards their recovery.

The project has an internal accommodation pathway, with nine self-catering bed spaces in the structured Recovery-Focused Flats attached to the project. Clients from the main hostel move into these if they want to focus more intensely on their substance use recovery. This includes developing their life skills, attending weekly check ins and a bespoke Life Skills programme and other recovery focused activities delivered by the service Activity and Move-On coordinator, Phase One staff and external partners that support a client’s journey.

Key Responsibilities:

• Ensuring the active implementation of the project’s policies and procedures.

• Staffing a busy reception area and providing appropriate signposting and support to clients and ensuring the presentation of the Reception area meets professional and welcoming standards.

• Delivering support that includes interventions to reduce risk taking behaviour, managing challenging behaviour, and following risk management plans and incident reporting procedures.

• Ensuring the building is clean and welcoming and encouraging service users to take responsibility for maintaining their personal space.

• Taking a lead on bagging and storing client belongings when they leave and assisting clients with their belongings when moving into the hostel.

Person Specification:

To be successful in the role of Support Worker you will need to have great communication skills and be committed to the values of BHT Sussex. Some of the key skills and experience you will need to bring with you include:

• Experience of providing emotional and practical support to vulnerable clients with complex needs who are homeless.

• An understanding of psychological informed practice, strengths-based approached and trauma informed care.

• Housing and building management support using person centred approaches.

• Professional boundaries; safeguarding, accountability, and confidentiality within the workplace.

• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) to forge positive working relationships with stakeholders (clients, colleagues, external organisations etc.).

In return:

In recognition of our commitment to staff, BHT Sussex has been awarded Gold Accreditation from Investors in People. We are also signed up to the Disability Confident employer scheme and have made the Mental Health at Work commitment.

You will also receive a fantastic benefits package including

• 5.5% stakeholder pension scheme and life assurance scheme

• Medical cash plan with BHSF

• Access to BHT Sussex’s Learning & Development platform

• Free and confidential employee assistance helpline for both personal and work-related concerns

• Cycle-to-work scheme

• Free new starter 28-day Network Saver Brighton bus pass

• Generous holiday allowance starting at 27 days per annum pro rata, rising 1 day for each year of service to a maximum of 32 days pro rata

• The opportunity to participate in well-being and fundraising activities throughout the year

BHT Sussex is an equal opportunities employer using a fair and open recruitment process that fully complies with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. We are committed to encouraging equality, equity, inclusion, and diversity within the workplace. As an employer we are committed to promoting and supporting our people’s social, physical and psychological health at work. Please let us know if you require any special arrangements or reasonable adjustments if called for interview. BHT Sussex welcomes applications from individuals with lived experience.

An Enhanced with Adults DBS Check (Disclosure and Barring Service) is required on all successful applicants as a condition of employment for this post.