Support Worker

YMCA Together; Orrell; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A community-focused organization in Orrell is seeking a Support Worker to provide compassionate care for individuals facing mental health challenges. In this role, you will create a safe environment that empowers residents, advocate for their needs, and facilitate daily activities. The ideal candidate should have experience in mental health support, excellent communication skills, and a commitment to fostering an inclusive culture. The position offers growth opportunities and a supportive work community.

Benefits

Training and professional development

Supportive work culture

Career fulfillment opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience in the mental health sector required.
• Basic understanding of health and safety legislation.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to maintain confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Support residents during their stay and ensure their needs are met.
• Facilitate daily activities and promote inclusion.
• Advocate for social inclusion and access to necessary support.

Skills

Empathy

Communication

Time management

Flexibility

Education

NVQ/L2 in Health and Social Care or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

Outlook

Job description

As a Support Worker at YMCA Together you will naturally be an empathetic and caring person wanting to provide unconditional support for those experiencing mental health issues. Your role as a Support Worker will be to create a safe environment that empowers residents to make positive changes in their lives. There are times in all our lives when we experience periods of crisis. Some of us need extra support to help us through these times, and hospital admission is not always the best option. Stepping Stones is a partnership with Mersey Care that provides eight beds of accommodation and support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for people in mental health crises.

What your week may look like

• Welcoming new residents in line with the service's policies and procedures, carry out risk assessments and support people during their 7 day stay in service
• Ensuring the basic needs of residents are met including good quality accommodation and facilities, healthy food, advice and guidance
• Advocate for social inclusion of the people you support ensuring they are able to access health and financial support where required
• Maintaining excellent relationships with our key referrers, responding to referrals promptly and communicating daily with our Mersey Care providers
• Work alongside the people in our services to address their physical and mental health issues, including liaison with primary and secondary health teams
• Holding daily activities in service and encourage participation and involvement from the residents
• Carrying out the immediate support needs of residents as appropriate, providing crisis intervention where necessary and working with services
• Ensuring all health and safety and maintenance issues are raised in a timely manner
• Participating in team meetings, supervisions and reflective practice encouraging open, honest and transparent feedback where continuous improvement is encouraged
• Being flexible and responsive to the changing needs of the service, ensuring our SHREK values runs through all of the work that you do
• Promoting a supportive and inclusive culture within the service, valuing people and their diversity

Qualifications

• EXPERIENCE- Ideally you will have a background of working within a charity, community project and/or previous involvement in the mental health sector. You will have knowledge around supporting people with challenging and complex behaviours including substance misuse and Mental Health within a 24 hour residential support service
• KNOWLEDGE - A basic understanding of relevant and appropriate legislation, including welfare benefits and housing law. An understanding of health and safety requirements in the workplace
• COMMUNICATION - Excellent communication, fostering a respectful, collaborative and professional approach to the people who you work alongside ensuring confidentiality at all times
• EMPATHY and RESPECT - The ability to empower people to make positive changes, showing empathy whilst maintaining professional boundaries
• COMMITMENT - The ability to work in an innovative and solutions focused way, including reflecting and learning as you go, and a willingness to flex and adapt approaches as needed
• ORGANISATION - Strong time management and the ability to manage to prioritise tasks
• COMPUTER LITERACY - You will be IT literate and have experience of working with multiple software programs such as Microsoft Office and Outlook

Nice to Have

• NVQ/L2 in Health and Social Care or equivalent
• Experience of working within a psychologically informed working environment
• Knowledge of housing management and IT databases
• Awareness of benefits and how they work including Universal Credit and other welfare systems

Working with YMCA Together comes will a whole host of benefits. We hope that people will find deep personal fulfilment and purpose by working with alongside people in our services. Our teams are compassionate and supportive, fostering a strong sense of community. With opportunities for professional growth, YMCA together offers training to support your role and personal development.

For a full list of benefits see here: Careers Page | YMCA Together, YMCA Together is an equal opportunities employer, values diversity and is strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for