Support Worker

The Riverside Group; Chatham; On-site; GBP 26,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dedicated Support Worker to make a meaningful impact in the lives of vulnerable individuals. In this rewarding role, you will provide essential support to customers, helping them navigate challenges such as homelessness and financial management. Your empathetic approach and resilience will empower them to rebuild their lives and achieve greater independence. This role offers a unique opportunity to work with a committed team in a dynamic environment that values diversity and inclusion. Join a forward-thinking organization that is dedicated to enhancing communities and transforming lives through impactful support services.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Investment in learning and personal development

Wide range of benefits

Qualifications

• Experience working with vulnerable individuals and delivering structured support.
• Strong administrative skills and understanding of benefit systems.

Responsibilities

• Support customers in various ways, including budgeting and accessing services.
• Maintain records and ensure safety through safeguarding procedures.

Skills

Experience with vulnerable people

Structured support and risk management

Empathy and resilience

Flexible working hours

Administrative skills

Knowledge of benefit systems

Psychological or Trauma Informed approaches

Job description

Job Title: Support Worker
Contract Type: Fixed-term contract (till 17th October 2025)
Salary: £25,965.41 per annum (£27,112.48 is achieved after 18 months successful performance in the role)
Working Hours: Full-time 37.5 hours per week
Working Pattern: Two-weekly rolling rota of early (7-3), flexi and late (2-10) shifts, including every other weekend.
Location: Regent House, Chatham, Kent

If you share our values and are excited about making a significant impact at Riverside, please ensure you attach a current CV and covering letter. At Riverside we recruit to potential not just on skills and experience, so we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all the essential criteria on the job description.

The difference you will make as a Support Worker

You will be working from one of our supported services providing support to our customers in a variety of ways. For example, connecting them with employability coaches and other support agencies, helping them manage their money, signing up for benefits or to move on to a more permanent home.

It will be your job to help boost their confidence and support them on their journey as they rebuild their lives. Through all of this you will need to keep records of everything, so there is some admin to do. At times this role is tough, but most of the time it can be incredibly rewarding. You will need to be resilient, empathetic, and able to leave your work at work and not take it home with you.

About you

We are looking for someone with:

• Experience of working with vulnerable people
• Experience of delivering structured support and risk management
• To be a team player with a caring and empathetic nature with a resilient, can-do attitude, able to work as part of a team
• An understanding of supporting vulnerable people – this could include having your own lived experience of homelessness or drug or alcohol addiction.
• Ability to work flexible hours to meet customer and business needs, which may not include normal office hours and may include lone working

Why 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.

We have a portfolio of over 75,000 affordable residential and retirement homes across the UK. Our work ranges from homelessness services to social care, employment support to retirement living, and we need the best people on board to help us.

Working with us, you’ll enjoy:

• 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.

Riverside is a Disability Confident Employer and operates a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for any applicant who declares they have a disability. If the applicant meets the minimum requirements for the role (as set out in the role profile and/or person specification) they will be guaranteed an interview.

Applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to avoid disappointment.

Role Profile

Supporting Customers:

We use Psychologically Informed approaches and Trauma Informed Care principles to support our customers to develop new ways of thinking and to make steps towards independence, by:

• Leading on Co-producing bespoke support and move-on plans, involving key stakeholders (e.g. family/other support providers), where appropriate
• Organising and carrying out regular planned reviews of support and risk plans, or following an incident/significant change in a customer’s circumstances
• Engaging customers to meet agreed outcomes and develop life skills
• Assisting customers with day-to-day support and tenancy-related matters
• Identifying and promoting opportunities for employment, education and training and supporting customers to remove barriers to accessing these opportunities
• Signposting customers to appropriate external support services, including interventions such as food banks and other community resources
• Supporting customers to be ‘tenancy ready’ to enable successful move on
• Supporting customers to be financially independent through budgeting plans and maximising income
• Supporting and monitoring customers’ healthcare needs, ensuring appropriate contact with healthcare professionals
• Empowering customers to move towards self-management of their medication by following the medication procedure
• Leading on support initiatives including Group Work
• Ensure the safety of our customers by following local safeguarding procedures, recognizing 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

Service Delivery:

• 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 customer
• Carry out day-to-day administration and operational duties
• Other Information:
• You will be required to work flexible hours to meet customer and business needs, which may not include normal office hours
• You will be required to 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 of your duties within Riverside’s Policy and Procedure framework e.g. health & safety, safeguarding, dignity at work, GDPR opportunities, cash handling, etc
• Deliver your role in line with Riverside company values – “Our Riverside Way”
• Participate in team meetings, attend regular supervisions and reflecting practice sessions
• Undertake regular training and take responsibility for continuous development to enable you to deliver your role safely
• From time to time you may be required to undertake additional duties and responsibilities in consultation with your Line Manager

Person specification

• 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 have a 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 be able to produce reports and other communications)
• Knowledge of Psychological or Trauma Informed approaches to support
• Experience of working in challenging environments with the ability to plan, prioritise, organise tasks to achieve results
• Knowledge of current benefit systems
• Experience of working in a care and support environment

About Us

Riverside is one of the UK’s leading not-for-profit social housing and regeneration organisations, owning or managing around 75,000 homes from Irvine to Kent. We are a leading provider of supported housing services, particularly for those affected by homelessness, and our track record of transforming lives and revitalising neighbourhoods dates back over 90 years. We have plans to build over 15,000 affordable homes over the next decade.