Rough Sleeper Prevention Officer

BRACKNELL FOREST COUNCIL; United States; Hybrid; USD 35,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

28 days annual leave (33 after 3 years

Local government pension scheme

Life insurance cover

Electric vehicle salary sacrifice (if/

Employee volunteering scheme

Career development through training

Enhanced leave benefits

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Job summary

Bracknell Forest Council is seeking a Rough Sleeper Prevention Officer to join a dedicated team focused on preventing and reducing rough sleeping. You will proactively engage with people facing complex challenges and support them to access suitable accommodation and achieve sustainable housing outcomes.

A strong emphasis on safeguarding and person-centred support runs throughout the role. The successful candidate will work closely with housing options and support agencies, delivering

Qualifications

• A compassionate, resilient and highly motivated individual with strong communication and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to engage vulnerable individuals with empathy and respect, and maintain a person-centred approach.
• Organised, adaptable and proactive with the ability to manage a varied caseload and work with partner agencies.

Responsibilities

• Provide outreach and weekly visits to rough sleepers within Bracknell Forest.
• Complete Part 7 Housing assessments with singles/rough sleepers and those released from custody homelessness.
• Help rough sleepers access suitable accommodation and sustainable housing outcomes.
• Assess needs and coordinate with external agencies to address complex needs, including mental health.
• Build rapport with clients and ensure wrap-around support with external services.

Job description

Bracknell Forest Council has an opportunity for a Rough Sleeper Prevention Officer to join a dedicated team committed to preventing and reducing rough sleeping. You will take a proactive approach to outreach, engaging with people facing multiple and complex challenges and supporting them to access suitable accommodation and achieve sustainable housing outcomes. You will also build strong partnerships with local support services to help deliver the best possible outcomes for clients. The Rough Sleeper Team is a small, friendly and busy team providing an extensive and responsive support for rough sleepers. We work closely with the Housing Options team to deliver a holistic service to all our clients who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. We pride ourselves on being person-centred and have formed positive working relationships with internal and external support agencies. We have a can-do attitude that enables us to offer the best support to some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

Responsibilities

• To provide outreach and weekly visits to rough sleepers within Bracknell Forest.
• To complete Part 7 Housing assessments with singles/rough sleepers and those being released from custody homelessness.
• To actively work with rough sleepers to relieve their homelessness. By assisting them into alternative housing when all other housing options or solutions are exhausted.
• To undertake a comprehensive assessment of a rough sleeper's needs. Ensuring that any complex needs are identified and support is sought from relevant agencies.
• To engage with rough sleepers and build a rapport to ensure that any identified mental health needs are supported by external agencies to enable wrap around support to the rough sleeper. As a Rough Sleeper Prevention Officer, you will be a compassionate, resilient and highly motivated individual.

You will be passionate about preventing homelessness and improving outcomes for people sleeping rough or at risk of rough sleeping. You will have strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage vulnerable individuals with empathy and respect. You will be organised, adaptable and proactive and you will be confident managing a varied caseload, working collaboratively with partner agencies. You will be delivering person-centred support that drives positive, lasting change. A strong commitment to safeguarding, inclusion and delivering person-centred support is essential, along with a determination to achieve positive and lasting change.

This is a full-time, fixed-term 18-month contract. At Bracknell Forest, we pride ourselves on being a council which is stable and well-managed where our employees can thrive in a supportive environment. We understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance and offer a variety of flexible working practices, including options for remote working and arrangements that allow you to work from home, dependent on the needs of the service. This role includes an expectation to work from our Time Square office 2-3 days per week, alongside flexible working arrangements. Any successful internal candidate will be offered the position as a secondment and, in line with Section 8.1 of the Secondment Policy, must consult with their manager before applying. Search 'secondment policy' on the intranet for more information.

Benefits

• 28 days annual leave increasing to 33 days after 3 years' continuous service, with the opportunity to buy up to 10 and sell up to 5 days.
• Hybrid working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance.
• Paid employee volunteering scheme.
• Local government pension scheme, with life insurance cover.
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme (subject to eligibility).
• Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits. (Terms and Conditions apply)
• Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing
• Inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks and a sports and social club.

Our values

At Bracknell Forest Council define who we are and what is important to us. Our core values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and the way we serve our residents and engage with our communities. We make our values real by demonstrating them in how we behave every day. If you are excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we would love to hear from you. or see the candidate pack.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process for all applicants. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please let us know by contacting . We will work with you to support you throughout the process. Disability confident and inclusive recruitment Bracknell Forest Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader and an inclusive employer. This means that if you tell us on your application form that you have a disability, are an armed forces veteran or are a care leaver, you will be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification.

Interview date

Interviews will be held on either 21st or 23rd October 2026. Interviews will be conducted in person, providing candidates with the chance to personally meet the team and experience our work environment. We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible. Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.

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