Welfare Support Officer

Livin Housing Limited; Aberdeen City; On-site; GBP 29,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading social housing provider is seeking a Welfare Support Officer in Aberdeen to assist asylum seekers with their applications and right to work. This full-time role offers a company vehicle and a meaningful opportunity to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable individuals. Ideal candidates will possess empathy, resilience, and strong communication skills. Benefits include annual leave, volunteering policies, and a supportive work environment.

Benefits

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Annual Mears Fun Day

Volunteering leave for community service

Discounts through Mears Rewards

Family-friendly policies

Company vehicle and fuel card

EAP counseling sessions

Qualifications

• Experience working with vulnerable and diverse client groups.
• Understanding of safeguarding procedures.
• Ability to assess individual and family needs.

Responsibilities

• Support service users through their asylum process.
• Address safeguarding and welfare issues.
• Provide practical and emotional support.

Skills

Effective communication

Empathy

Resilience

Adaptability

Record keeping

Education

Full UK driving license

Job description

Welfare Support Officer

Location: Aberdeen

Salary: £28,917 per annum

Type: Full-time, Permanent - 40 hours per week

Includes: Company vehicle and fuel card - on call duty required

Mears provides temporary accommodation to asylum seekers while their claims are being assessed across three regions: Northeast, Yorkshire and Humber, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. As of May 2021, Mears served over 19,000 clients. We partner with government bodies, housing providers, tenants, landlords, and investors to address homelessness, expand social and affordable housing, and develop specialized housing for those with care needs.

About the Role:

We are expanding our contract and seeking a Welfare Support Officer to join our team. This role focuses on supporting asylum seekers through their right to work and asylum application process with the Home Office. The ideal candidate will be resilient, trustworthy, empathetic, and a good communicator. The role offers variety and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference, despite its challenges.

Main responsibilities include supporting service users at various stages of their asylum process, addressing safeguarding and welfare issues, providing practical and emotional support, monitoring well-being, and maintaining accurate records for audit purposes. Maintaining professional boundaries and resilience is essential to deliver high-quality, needs-based support.

Role Criteria:

• Experience working with vulnerable and diverse client groups
• Understanding of safeguarding procedures
• Ability to assess individual and family needs and support independence
• Experience with mental health or challenging behavior
• Effective communication skills with colleagues, authorities, and service users
• Record keeping and risk assessment experience
• Ability to work independently
• Resilience and adaptability
• Supportive, trustworthy, empathetic, and approachable
• Flexibility and willingness to travel
• Full UK driving license

All roles require UK work entitlement. Mears does not sponsor visas at this time.

As part of the recruitment process, a DBS & BPSS check and Security Clearance will be conducted. You will need to provide proof of ID, address, references, passport, and proof of UK residence over the last 5 years.

To drive a Mears vehicle, applicants must be over 21, have held a license for more than 3 months, and have less than 9 penalty points.

Benefits:

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Annual Mears Fun Day
• Volunteering leave for community service
• Discounts through Mears Rewards
• Family-friendly policies
• Company vehicle and fuel card
• EAP counseling sessions

To apply or discuss further, contact: Beth Dunford at [e-mail]

We support diversity and inclusion, are a Disability Confident employer, and proudly endorse the Armed Forces Covenant with a Gold Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.

We also promote social mobility and invite optional sharing of background information during the application process to help us understand our candidates better. This information does not affect your application.