Support Worker (Outreach)

Riverside; Leeds; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holidays plus bank holidays

Generous pension

Investment in learning and development

Benefits package

Job summary

Riverside is seeking a Support Worker (Outreach) to provide practical and emotional support to customers across Wakefield. You will connect clients with employability coaches and agencies, help with budgeting, benefits, and moving towards independent housing, while keeping accurate records.

The role requires a car, involves flexible hours, and travel to properties; it offers rewarding work in a housing association with a focus on homelessness and community support.

Qualifications

• Experience of working with vulnerable people
• Experience delivering structured support and risk management
• Ability to travel to Wakefield district to support rough sleepers
• Flexible hours including early starts and weekends

Responsibilities

• Support customers in a variety of ways, connecting with employability coaches and support agencies
• Assist with budgeting, benefits, and tenancy readiness
• Maintain records and admin related to cases
• Deliver safeguarding and risk management in daily work

Job description

Job Description

Job Title:

Support Worker (Outreach)

Contract Type:

Fixed Term until 31/03/2027

Salary:

£28,031.56 per annum

Working Hours:

Full Time, 37.5 hours per week

Working Pattern:

Monday to Sunday, rolling rota to include early starts (from 5:30m) and weekends

Location:

Marsh Way House, Wakefield

The difference you will make as a Support Worker (Outreach)

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

• A Car is essential as the role requires travel to identify and support rough sleepers in the Wakefield district
• 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

• Competitive pay & generous pension
• 25 days holidays plus bank holidays
• 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.

Role Profile

Support 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.

Deliver a support service

• 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 customers.
• Carry out day-to-day administration and operational duties.

Other Duties

• 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 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.

Additional Information

• The Group has offices across the UK and on this basis, there may be the requirement to travel to other locations to effectively perform this role.
• The role will be exposed to sensitive information; therefore, the role holder is expected to maintain levels of confidentiality at all times.
• In order to fulfil the requirements of this role, you will be required to work flexibly during the hours of operation.
• The role holder is expected to be committed to equal opportunities and to promote non-discriminatory practices in all aspects of work undertaken.

Person specification

Essential Knowledge & Experience

• A Car is essential as the role requires travel to identify and support rough sleepers in the Wakefield district
• 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).

Desirable

• 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.

Our Values and Behaviours

Creating an Inclusive Environment