Support Worker

Look Ahead Care and Support; London Borough of Croydon; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave up to 30 days (length of

Pension contribution up to 8%

Life assurance 3x Pensionable Salary

Job summary

Look Ahead Care and Support is recruiting for a role in London focused on recovery-focused support for individuals with mental health and complex needs. You will build respectful relationships, deliver practical daily support, and contribute to risk and move-on planning to help customers progress through the forensic step-down pathway.

The post requires patience, genuine care for people, and the ability to engage even when engagement is inconsistent.

Qualifications

• Some experience supporting people with mental health, social care, housing, criminal-justice or other complex needs, whether paid, voluntary or through personal experiences.
• A genuine interest in people and the patience to keep offering support when engagement is inconsistent.
• Desirable: Forensic mental health, restricted-patient pathways and the role of the FOS.

Responsibilities

• Build respectful, reliable and professionally boundaried relationships with customers.
• Deliver planned keywork and practical support with routines, cooking, budgeting, self-care, appointments, travel, physical health, medication and tenancy responsibilities.
• Contribute to support, risk, crisis, relapse-prevention and move-on plans and follow agreed actions consistently.

Skills

Mental health support

Patience and engagement

Job description

• £30,784.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week.
• 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)

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.

To provide consistent, recovery-focused and formulation-informed support that helps customers live safely, build independence and progress through the forensic step-down pathway.

What you\'ll do:

• Build respectful, reliable and professionally boundaried relationships with customers.
• Deliver planned keywork and practical support with routines, cooking, budgeting, self-care, appointments, travel, physical health, medication and tenancy responsibilities.
• Contribute to support, risk, crisis, relapse-prevention and move-on plans and follow agreed actions consistently.

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.

What you\'ll bring:

Essential:

• Some experience supporting people with mental health, social care, housing, criminal-justice or other complex needs, whether paid, voluntary or through personal experiences.
• A genuine interest in people and the patience to keep offering support when engagement is inconsistent.

Desirable:

• Forensic mental health, restricted-patient pathways and the role of the FOS.

The service is anticipated to open on 4 January 2027, subject to contract finalisation, successful mobilisation and confirmation of operational readiness.

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.