Carer support worker jobs in watford, hertfordshire

Job Purpose

• This role sits within our crisis alternative service, Safe Space, which is a core and out of hours service providing a safe and welcoming space for people who are feeling distressed and experiencing crisis. Our aim of the service is to keep individuals well in the community and prevent readmission into hospital. The service operates 365 days a year from 14:00-22:00pm across all our boroughs.
• Staff within the service will provide person-centred, practical and emotional support, face to face or via telephone or virtual on a one-to-one basis to individuals experiencing mental health crisis or preventing crisis.
• The objectives of the service include:
• To improve the mental wellbeing of people experiencing mental health and social crisis in HFEH.
• To proactively work with keeping people well in the community to reduce re-admitters into hospitals by working with WL NHS teams (e.g. discharge, LPS, CATT, MINT and SPA)
• To provide a true alternative to A&E via a non-clinical drop-in service to support clients
• To provide support to clients accessing the service- for instance: signposting, de-escalation and crisis recovery planning.
• To contribute to an improvement in individual mental wellbeing.
• To remain a source of independent support for all clients.
• To treat service users with respect, dignity and personalised support
• To raise awareness of mental health services available with the goal to improve long term mental health and reduce social isolation
• To increase self-management skills of those accessing the service
• To reduce the use of police, ambulance and statutory mental health services whilst experiencing crisis via a drop-in service.
• To reduce the use of statutory crisis services by people experiencing mental ill health without positive outcomes for the individual.

The Role

The role of the senior support worker is to support the team manager with the smooth running of the allocated site and staff; supporting development and rest of the team including volunteer recruiting, induction (training and development) and supervision. Senior support worker will also lead in delivering interventions on a one-to-one. The role will also involve triaging and assessing all clients accessing the service, signposting and delivering collaborative self-management plans with clients to improve mental wellbeing. The role will include deputising for the team manager where applicable including debriefing and providing support to the team.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing a person centred and recovery orientated approach in all aspects of the roles and responsibilities.
• Understanding of risk and risk management
• Understanding safeguarding adults and children processes and legal requirements
• Working closely with re-admitters and clients being discharged through the drop-in service on a weekly basis
• Responsible for keeping allocated site to a high standard and reporting any health and safety concerns
• To work autonomously in a fast-paced environment and under pressure
• To attend all mandatory training including safeguarding and GDPR.
• Good time keeping skills - Essential
• To attend and contribute at weekly team meetings
• This role will be considered a key worker role
• Understanding of safety planning and de-escalation
• Experience of working with challenging behaviour
• Working collaboratively with clients to understand their needs and developing flexible and realistic crisis support packages/person centred plans
• Promoting people’ rights and responsibilities
• Considering each person as an individual
• Listening to clients and encouraging positive steps towards self-management of crisis and recovery
• Providing advice, information, practical and emotional support to clients
• Proactively recognising the indicators of deteriorating mental health and facilitate appropriate action, whilst liaising with relevant agencies e.g. CATT, Emergency Duty Teams, CMHTS, etc
• Engaging with clients to show empathy, inspire hope and promote recovery
• Establishing supportive, empowering and respectful relationships with clients and carers/ family
• Maintaining accurate records, detailing interventions
• Ensuring that outcomes, outputs and impact are recorded
• Understanding CQC standards and NICE guidelines around mental health
• Providing administrative support to the team
• Overseeing and provide shadowing to new staff members and volunteers
• Attend reflective practice, peer debriefing and line management supervision
• Maintaining good working relationships with partner agencies
• Actively participate in training and development
• Provide guidance to support workers and volunteers
• To work with team managers and assist with reporting and monitoring
•  

Person Specification

• Minimum of 1 year working in mental health services and with clients experiencing mental health distress and crisis
• Experience of contributing to multi-disciplinary teams
• Experience of de-escalation
• Experience of managing challenging behaviour and dealing with clients with complex needs
• Evidence of continual professional development
• Understanding of the Recovery Model in mental health
• Understanding of the principles of trauma informed care
• Understanding of suicide prevention and safety planning
• Experience of managing safeguarding risks and understanding legal requirements for safeguarding adults and children
• Understanding of how to report and mitigate risks
• Understanding of the relationship between mental health and social issues and how these issues may impact on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
• Understanding of relevant legislation and policies
• Understanding safeguarding adults and children processes and legal requirements
• Awareness of issues in mental health service provision
• Experience of working with vulnerable individuals
• Creative and flexible approach to working with individuals
• Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner and de-escalate challenging situations
• Ability to prioritise and manage workload
• Ability to involve clients and carers in all aspects of work
• Empathy and non-judgemental approach
• Good communication skills
• Capacity to work within an agreed shift pattern
• Experience of delivering information and advice (housing, benefits, debt etc)
• Experience of non-clinical, therapeutic interventions like psychoeducation
• Good IT skills including Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint, with proven ability to input and extract information and produce reports
• Understanding of different databases such as Views, Salesforce and NHS
• Car driver with sole ownership of a vehicle and ability to travel to multiple locations (e.g. NHS sites and community sites) would be essential.
• Ability to work out of hours and on weekends at multiple locations including NHS sites and community sites

Could you make a difference for Carers in Wandsworth?

We are currently offering a rewarding opportunity for a motivated and proactive self-starter to join our dynamic team.

Our Charity:

We are a busy, ambitious charity operating at the heart of the Wandsworth community since 1995, helping thousands of people across the borough in unpaid Caring roles. We give information and advice, organise respite, offer complementary therapies, deliver training, provide peer support, arrange fun events and much more.  In short, we are the Carer's friend and advocate, often helping Carers through difficult times.

The Role:

This role involves one to one support for Carers of people with dementia, providing information, guidance, and advocacy, developing and delivering dementia training for Carers and facilitating support groups. This role also includes coordinating and delivering monthly Dementia Cafes for people with dementia and their Carers, including supervising cafe volunteers.

Your skills and Experience:

The successful applicant will have outstanding organisational and communication skills, be confident delivering training and outreach. They will be able to manage conflicting demands with tight deadlines, be a key team player and committed to working with Carers and volunteers.

They will have excellent IT skills and be able to adapt to providing services both face to face and via virtual platforms, whilst maintaining a consistent service for Carers. 

Does this sound like you?

Benefits of the role and working for Wandsworth Carers’ Centre:

- Friendly team and working environment

- Some weekend and evening work with time off during the week

- Annual leave from 26 days increasing to 31 days plus bank and public holidays

- Contributory company pension

- Ongoing training and development opportunities

- Employee assistance program.

- Cycle to work scheme

To apply:

Please submit a cv and a comprehensive cover letter detailing how your experience, skills, and qualifications align with the requirements of the role as set out in the person specification. Unfortunately, we are unable to sponsor candidates. 

Wandsworth Carers’ Centre is an inclusive employer, committed to the continued development of a diverse workforce.

Please note: we will be interviewing candidates as suitable applications come in and therefore reserve the right to close this vacancy before the stated closing date. We encourage applications as soon as possible.

We are currently offering a rewarding opportunity for a motivated and proactive self-starter to join our friendly and dynamic team.

Advice Worker

Salary: £35,000

Full Time (35 hours per week)

Benefits of working for Wandsworth Carers’ Centre:

• Friendly team and working environment
• Annual leave starts at 26 days increasing to 31 days plus bank holidays 
• Contributory company pension,
• Ongoing training and development opportunities 
• Employee assistance program.

Our Charity:

We are a busy, ambitious charity operating at the heart of the Wandsworth community since 1995, helping thousands of people across the borough in unpaid Caring roles. We give information and advice, organise respite, offer complementary therapies, deliver training, provide peer support, arrange fun events and much more.  In short, we are the Carer's friend and advocate, often helping Carers through difficult times.

Are you passionate about supporting Carers and making a real impact in their lives? We're looking for a dedicated individual to join our busy team providing welfare benefits advice & guidance to those who need it most.

As the successful candidate, you'll bring your knowledge and expertise to provide vital support to Carers, with a comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge in welfare benefits and recent experience of managing a case load.

You will manage your own caseload while also providing supervision and support to another advice worker. 

Your excellent communication skills will help you connect with and support Carers, while your IT proficiency will enable you to provide effective, efficient assistance.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Providing advice & advocacy on welfare benefits and housing. 
• Managing your own case load
• Supervision of another advice worker
• Offering guidance and support to colleagues
• Maintaining accurate case records, adhering to AQS standards. 

Essential Requirements:

• Experience of providing benefits advice, guidance and support
• Experience of managing a case load
• Experience of representing clients with external bodies / organisations
• Experience of supporting with benefit appeals through to tribunal stage.
• Knowledge of or ability to understand and use relevant legislation.
• Ability to work across the borough and provide home visits

If you're committed to working in the voluntary sector and want to be part of a dynamic team that makes a real difference, this role is for you!

Unfortunately, we are unable to sponsor candidates. 

Wandsworth Carers’ Centre is an inclusive employer, committed to the continued development of a diverse workforce.

Mind in Camden has the exciting permanent opportunity to recruit people to work on our leading Hearing Voices Projects.

The Hearing Voices Projects Support Worker will play a vital role in ensuring that those who need our services receive kind and compassionate support. The role involves a mix of frontline support work, administrative support, and working closely with the rest of the team to build and further develop our services. Therefore, the ideal candidate will have excellent communication and organisation skills.

Within the Hearing Voices Projects, lots of opportunities arise for networking, collaboration, and professional development, which can lead to some fun and interesting pieces of work. We are looking for someone with knowledge of peer support and a range of perspectives on mental health to join our Hearing Voices Projects team and to help us support the people who need our services.

The Hearing Voices Projects have a global reputation for offering compassionate, person-centred support that avoids pathologising experiences, especially those that are often highly stigmatised.

Among other tasks, you will be required to:

• Work with partner organisations to establish hearing voices peer support groups in addition to organising and facilitating existing groups.
• Offer support to a range of people who hear voices and/or have other sensory experiences or difficult beliefs (at the moment, primarily young people and their families) in a variety of ways (email, Zoom, phone, face-to-face).
• Deal with enquiries and offer information to interested stakeholders.
• Facilitate focus groups and support young people’s involvement in a range of areas.
• Support relevant data monitoring and evaluation on the projects.

We particularly welcome applications from people from under-represented groups, as well as those who have lived experience of mental distress and are able to use this to inform their work.

For more information and to apply, please visit our jobs page.

Closing date: 5.00pm on 7th May 2025.
First interviews: w/c 14th May 2025.
Second interviews: w/c 19th May 2025 (TBC).

About UP

Unlocking Potential deliver high performing therapeutic programmes and education provision for children and young people with SEMH needs. We work in collaboration with families, communities, and other partners to ensure that children and young people access the interventions they need to thrive.

Mission

We work collaboratively with communities to enable children and young people with social, emotional, and mental health needs to unlock their full potential

Values

Trust

We build trust by being honest, transparent, and accountable in the way we work with children and young people, staff, and partners and by providing services and programmes whose outcomes are measurable and evidenced based.

Collaborative

Relationships are at the heart of our work. We prioritise communication and collaboration with partners, families, and communities, believing that by working together we create more effective and holistic outcomes for children and young people.

Empowering

We co-create opportunities for our children, young people, parents/carers and staff to actively participate in decision-making that influences change. We promote the voices of children and young people in our organisation and the wider community.

Nurturing

We provide a nurturing approach based on safety and space for creativity, exploration, and growth. We support and care for our children, young people, and staff to realise their potential.

Impact

We are committed to measuring our impact through a data driven method to develop our programmes and make a greater difference to the lives of children, young people, and their parents and carers.

Overview

We will be launching our new programme from September 2025, initially as a pilot working with families across Wandsworth, with aims to be able to expand and continue beyond this.

We are seeking an experienced and passionate Family Support Manager to play a pivotal role in establishing our new Family Support programme. Your initial focus will be leading on the development of the service, implementing policies and procedures, building referral pathways, and recruiting a team of skilled Family Support Workers.

Once the service is established, you will manage a high-quality programme providing support and guidance to families facing complex challenges. Your role will involve overseeing a team of Family Support Workers, case management, fostering effective collaboration with internal and external multidisciplinary teams, and leading the service under a shared vision to ensure the well-being of children and their families.

Using a restorative approach, you will develop strong relationships to support families and empower them to take an active role in their own support plans and interventions, helping them build resilience and make informed decisions. A commitment to safeguarding excellence will be at the heart of everything you do.

This role would be an exciting opportunity for a qualified Social Worker or an experienced professional with a background in setting up and developing family support services. It offers a genuine opportunity to shape a new service and build an impactful team to make a real difference in the lives of children, young people, and their families.

About the role

We are delighted to have received three-year funding from the Aviva Foundation to fund this brand-new Grants Officer role based in London.

You’ll be part of our Programmes team supporting kinship carers in London to access grants which will help reduce financial stress. This could be grants to buy things like white goods and uniforms or accessing Buttle grants to support children growing up in kinship care.

As Grants Officer you’ll talk to kinship carers, discuss their needs, their priorities and then write charitable grant applications on their and their family’s behalf. 

You will oversee and deliver the grants process, including co-ordinating the purchase of items (such as children’s clothes, beds or washing machines), collecting receipts for items as required by the funders and liaising with all teams to ensure timely receipt of funds within the charity and to the kinship carers.

Building relationships with funders is core, sharing the impact of the grants and insight about the lives of kinship families in London. You’ll work closely with Programmes, Peer Support, Training and Advice colleagues who work with kinship families in London.

You will also create and run online and face-to-face workshops and clinics, helping kinship carers to understand how to apply for other grants, thereby encouraging resilience and confidence to apply for grants themselves.

You will be a proactive and persuasive relationship builder, able to create partnerships with a range of organisations and peer support groups that support kinship families.

You’ll build trusting and respectful relationships with kinship carers who you will work one-to-one with in community settings. And you’ll build relationships with a range of grant giving organisations across London.

We’re looking for someone who can really deliver impact and demonstrate how embedding this role into the community helps to unlock funding and support for kinship carers at a local level.

The type of person we’re looking for

Kinship carers are at the heart of all we do. This role could be the difference between a kinship carer being able to dress their child for school properly, being able to buy a fridge, take a first holiday to the seaside… or going without.

We are looking for someone who is really organised and who is able to capture and present information clearly in a persuasive grant application. The successful applicant will be compassionate, empathetic, and organised. We are looking for someone who understands the needs of kinship families.

Key responsibilities include:

• Delivering our new grants service across London.
• Meeting performance targets and KPIs as directed.
• Working with kinship carers and their families across London to gather information to complete and submit grant applications.
• Administering grants we secure for our kinship carers and carry out all the necessary administration related to grants.
• Undertaking research to identify funders and build excellent relationships with local grant making charities in order to increase support for kinship families.
• Delivering grant workshops at peer support groups sharing information about locally available grants and providing advice and support on making a successful application.
• Running face-to-face grant clinics within peer support groups or community venues in London, working directly with kinship carers to write and submit requests for grants.

Essential criteria includes:

• Experience of speaking to vulnerable people on the telephone, face-to-face and online, and gathering information with empathy and understanding.
• Experience of working with socially excluded or marginalised people and their families in face-to-face and community settings.
• Experience of running online and face-to-face workshops. 
• An understanding of budgeting, managing money, income and expenditure.
• Proven understanding of the importance of confidentiality and a non-judgmental approach.
• Evidence of awareness of safeguarding issues and good practice. 
• Experience of organising and prioritising a busy workload without close supervision.
• Proven clear understanding of the need to keep grants records and communication with kinship carers and funders up to date.
• Excellent research and writing skills. 

How to apply

In place of a cover letter, you will be asked to answer the following four questions, alongside providing your CV. Please keep your answers to a maximum of 250 words.

1. Tell us why you’re interested in working for Kinship in this role and what experience you bring that would make you successful? This is an opportunity to tell us about you, your experience and your values.
2. This role requires writing persuasive and accurate grant applications for kinship families. What steps did you take, and how did you ensure the application was compelling and met the funder's criteria?
3. This role requires balancing administrative tasks (like tracking grants and recording data) with direct support work. How do you prioritise your workload and ensure deadlines are met without compromising service quality?
4. Please describe your experience of supporting vulnerable individuals or families in a community or face-to-face setting. What approach did you take to build trust and gather information sensitively?

Key Dates

• Application deadline: Tuesday 6 May, 5pm
• Interview: Online – Monday 12 May

About Kinship

We are Kinship. The leading kinship care charity in England and Wales. We’re here for kinship carers – friends or family who step up to raise a child when their parents aren’t able to.

We are made by and for our community of kinship carers. Like family, relationships run deep. And we hear their experiences; for too long they have been isolated without the help they need.

We support, advise and inform kinship carers. Connecting them so they feel empowered. Because a child needs the love and warmth of a thriving family.

We develop research, campaigns and policy solutions. Creating positive change across society. Because for kinship families, love alone is not enough.

Through our work we harness frustrations to fuel passion for change. And tough experiences to inspire ideas that transform lives.

And as we see momentum building, we keep using evidence to demonstrate the value of kinship care. Helping kinship carers navigate challenging circumstances. Believing in a child’s potential.

Join us. Together, let’s commit to change for kinship families.

When a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer life is turned upside down – for them and their family.  Fear, isolation, extreme money worries, not knowing where to turn – this is the reality for many.

At Young Lives vs Cancer, we help children, young people and families find the strength to face whatever cancer throws at them. You could be a part of the team making it happen.

The Role 

We are looking for an experienced Social Worker to join our London & South East Team supporting children and young people diagnosed with cancer.

We pride ourselves on delivering the highest quality support tailored to the needs of the children and young people and their families. The work we do is rewarding but also complex and demanding. You will be part of a close-knit Young Lives vs Cancer social work team, working with an established NHS multi-disciplinary team and services in the community.

This role is part home, part site-based. Your contractual base will be both Home and Hospital.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

About You

You will be committed to delivering high quality social work support to promote the best outcomes for the children, young people and families we work with. You will need to be resourceful and resilient. You will have a positive attitude and be willing to embrace difference. As part of the wider Young Lives vs Cancer team you will actively engage with the work of the charity and welcome opportunities to get involved.

You will have:

• A recognised Social Worker qualification and current registration with Social Work England/ Scottish Social Services Council/Social Care Wales/Northern Ireland Social Care Council
• Experience working with children, young people and their families/carers in a social care setting.
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary environment, ideally in an NHS setting.
• Sound knowledge of child and young people development.
• An understanding of the impact of serious illness for children, young people and their families.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.

What will I gain?

 For people to reach their full potential, they need the right environment. As a member of Team Young Lives, you’ll be made to feel supported, valued and appreciated. Here’s how we do it:

• Flexible working: we’re open to working hours outside of 9 - 5 and we can talk through your flexibility requirements at interview stage
• Wellbeing days: four days a year to do what works for you – from catching up on training to going for a walk
• Generous annual leave allowance
• Great family/caring leave entitlements
• Enhanced pension
• Access to our employee savings scheme

Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

At Young Lives vs Cancer, we recognise that opportunities for too many people remain a condition of their sex, ethnicity, class, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation – or a combination. This has never been acceptable to us as an organisation. We don’t just accept difference, we value it, celebrate it, nurture it and we thrive because of it.

We’re on a journey to be reflective of the diverse children, young people and families we support. We know we aren’t there yet, and we’re passionately committed to taking actions and making changes to be a truly diverse, inclusive and equitable organisation. This includes taking anti-oppressive action and removing barriers in our recruitment practices. We particularly welcome applications from members of minoritised communities. Our Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging strategy will tell you more.

We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. CVs can be uploaded, but we won't be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the work history sections of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly and objectively.

Accessibility

We’re committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we’ll always aim to be as accommodating as possible.Please let us know in your application form of any adjustments or access requirements we could make to help you with the application process and interview.

#ShowTheSalary

Role: Nutley Edge Activity Breaks Manager

Full-time – 38 hours per week

Salary: £41,170.00 per annum  

Location: East Sussex / London

Do you love the excitement of being on holiday? Are you enthusiastic, motivated, and committed to empowering people with learning disabilities and/or autism? If so, we want you to lead our dedicated Activity Breaks team to help us create treasured memories for our guests!

What is a Nutley Edge Activity Break?

Nutley Edge Activity Breaks are Outward’s supported holidays for adults with learning disabilities and autism. They are five days and four nights long and take place at our beautiful holiday site near Uckfield in East Sussex. Every break is themed and guests take part in a range of activities such as archery, art, music, yoga, and day trips to local towns, cities, and historical sites. Our breaks give guests the opportunity to get away for a holiday, meet new people, and explore the best of East Sussex.

“Outward have employed the best activity team because the compassion and care they showed to us was better than I have ever seen before. They gave me the acceptance of anxiety disorders to believe and achieve. To me, acceptance is more important than any other medicine. Nutley Edge will be my new home from home.” – Activity Break Guest

What is the role of the Manager? 

As manager, with the support of the deputy(s), you will organise varied and fun breaks for our guests. This includes carrying out assessments for new guests, supporting the team to deliver respite care, coaching the staff team, and embedding high standards in the service. We run 20 breaks a year and wish to grow this number, around about 10 of which are led by the Activity Team Manager on site in East Sussex. During activity breaks food and your own room is provided and an additional sleep in payment for each night supporting a break is paid.  

We are a London based charity and welcome applicants for this role on the understanding they are able to support at least 10 breaks throughout a year (providing day and overnight support for 5 days/ 4 nights at a time in East Sussex), are able to travel to our North East London offices to attend meetings and training sessions, and travel to assessments and marketing events as required. 

In the role, you will: 

• Manage all aspects of the activity breaks

• Engage, enable, and empower people to achieve their goals and ambitions  

• Strive to promote individual choice, independence, and self confidence in our guests

• Build and maintain strong relationships with families, professionals, and other stakeholders. 

• Mentor your  team of support workers to deliver high quality and person-centred support

• Embed a culture of positive behaviour support

• Ensure the service is safe, effective, caring, responsive and managed to meet CQC essential standards

• Conduct assessments and develop risk assessments

• Manage the budget

• Complete fundraising applications if required

• Grow the number of activity breaks

• Market and promote activity breaks including attend local events, forums, carers groups and talking with professionals in order to grow our service and ensure the success of the activity breaks

What qualities and experience should the ideal candidate have?

We are looking for somebody who has:

• Experience managing the support provided for people with a learning disability, autism, and complex needs (including behaviours of distress)

• Excellent communication skills and IT skills

• Experience of staff management and the ability to lead by example to develop a strong team

• Creativity and flexibility, with experience of dealing with the unexpected

• Experience carrying out needs assessments and creating support and risk management plans

• A commitment to providing high quality and personalised active support 

• A commitment to upholding the rights of people we support to be involved at all levels of decision making. 

• A passion for engaging, enabling, and empowering people with autism or a learning disability to lead the lives they want

• Knowledge of managing a budget

• A driving licence and willingness to drive a minibus is desirable 

Employee Benefits

We value everything our staff do for the people we support, so we provide a great benefits package:

• 25 days Annual Leave excluding Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time)

• Comprehensive Learning & Development Programme

• Computing Scheme 

• Credit Union Scheme

• Cycle-to-Work Scheme

• Death in Service Benefit

• Health Assured – Employee Assistance Programme

• Eye care Vouchers

• Flu Jab Reimbursement

• Long Service Awards

• Pension Scheme

• Purchase Additional Annual Leave

• Refer-a-Friend Scheme

• Retirements

• Loans (including season tickets and parking permit loans)

• Blue Light Card

About Outward

Outward was set up in 1975 by parents of children with a disability looking for alternatives to institutional care.  Ever since then, we have been providing high-quality support and care services to vulnerable people. Our aim is to support people to have genuine control over their lives, play an active role in the community, accept responsibilities, and develop as individuals.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of adults at risk and expect all staff to share this commitment. If the post you apply for involves working with or having access to adults at risk and/or their records, we will require an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Services. This will be fully subsidised by Outward.

How to Apply

If you think you are who we are looking for, please submit a CV and statement detailing how you meet the requirements of the role by referring to the Job Description and the Person Specification.

The closing Date for all Applications is 6th May 2025

Interviews will be held week beginning 12th May 2025

Outward is committed to equality and diversity and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

An opportunity has arisen for a lead Support worker to work within our Sanctuary crisis intervention and prevention service, based in Fore Street in Enfield. We act as a short-term A&E and Emergency services alternative, providing support to individuals in the Enfield Borough aged 18+. 

This role is to provide leadership and support to the Sanctuary team on shift. The role will:

• Lead shifts during the week, providing support to team members via case management support, escalation, Health and Safety guidance
• Support the Sanctuary Manager to embed processes within the service, and ensure that these are carried out
• Work alongside the Manager and team to ensure that the service is operating to high quality standard.
• Provide support in times of emotional distress for clients. The support worker will provide a calm, supportive presence.

 The role will support clients through co-producing support plans with practical and therapeutic support offerings, as well as contributing to the development of a warm welcoming environment and ‘safe space’ to be.

This position would suit someone with a minimum of 2 years experience of working with people with mild, moderate and severe mental health issues. Ideally experience of supporting people experiencing suicidal ideation. Should have previous experience of supervising or managing staff.

Please see attached job description for further information on this position.

The Sanctuary Service runs Monday - Friday, 5pm-10pm and at weekdays, 12-5pm. We would require the successful applicant to be able to work 4 shifts (21 hours per week) covering these days/times.

This role will be based at our Enfield office is based at 275 Fore Street Enfield N9 0PD.

Please see full job description attached.

Barnet Mencap has been helping people with learning disabilities and/or autistic adults in the London Borough of Barnet for over 50 years. We provide supported accommodation, leisure and learning activities, information, advice, and guidance, and so much more. All while being committed to equal opportunities and the safeguarding of children and adults.

We know job satisfaction, flexibility, work/life balance, and a great team are incredibly important. So, at Barnet Mencap, in addition to offering 30 days of annual leave per year (including Bank Holidays), we have a TOIL system to allow flexible working. There will need to be some face-to-face work, but there will also be opportunities to work from home and/or have different working patterns as agreed by your manager. Travel expenses can be claimed, at the agreed rate, for journeys that are necessary in the course of your work; and claims for additional expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with our expenses policy. We also have auto-enrolment into a pension scheme with employer contributions in place, and all staff qualify for schemes like the Blue Light card.

We are looking for a focused individual to join our caring, passionate, and diverse team in supporting adults with moderate learning disabilities and autistic adults to live independently in housing situations of their choice. This role gives challenge and satisfaction and will suit someone that has:

• Experience of working with adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults in a community setting
• A good team member
• Understanding of the issues faced by people with learning disabilities and autistic people living independently and the skills to meet their practical, social and emotional needs
• A ‘Person Centred Planning’ ethos
• Excellent communication skills
• Good record keeping skills

The successful candidate will be required to complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check in line with Section 115 of The Police Act 1997.

*2 year fixed term contract*

A fantastic opportunity has arisen in our Children and Family Service for a qualified and experienced Social Worker to join our growing Advocacy and Advice Service which we will be developing over the course of the next three years, aligned with our exciting new strategy.

We are looking for a dynamic and practised Social Worker who is passionate about achieving excellence, coupled with the ability to drive change for neurodivergent children, young people and their families. If this sounds like you, you could be the person we are looking for!

This role is grounded on improving the quality and care for these children and young people, through providing specialist social care assessment and intervention support to the family as a unit. Experience of working with neurodivergent children, those with disabilities, or an understanding of specialist health settings is preferred but training will be made available to the right candidate. 

Benefits at Norwood:

• Workplace Pension Scheme: Plan for your future with confidence
• 21 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays and Jewish festivals where they fall on a working day and work is not permitted (FTE)
• Employee Assistance Programme: We care about your well-being
• £300 When You Introduce a Friend: Spread the word and reap the rewards
• Free Eye test & Eyewear allowance
• Access to ‘Blue Light’ discount scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Excellent career progression pathway

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Working collaboratively as part of an integral, multi-disciplinary team addressing the physical, emotional and social needs of children and young people who may be neurodivergent, as well as their families using the service
• Maintaining relevant knowledge and understanding of safeguarding standards, ensuring compliance with Norwood’s policies and procedures for promoting the welfare of children and young people as well as vulnerable young adults
• Meeting with children, young people and their families at the centre (or other community settings) or in a remote working environment (adhering to Norwood guidelines) with a view to undertaking comprehensive assessments of individual needs using a strengths-based approach, understanding the impact of neurodiversity, planning appropriate responses in partnership with children and young people and their families
• Working with statutory and other authorities and community organisations to the benefit of the families we work with
• Advising families we work with and support, on relevant legal frameworks, which may affect them
• Monitoring, reviewing and evaluating interventions in collaboration with families and recognising the changing needs/ revising interventions as appropriate
• Enabling those who we are working with and supporting to develop personal skills and strategies to improve outcomes in the identified areas in their life
• Writing reports, maintaining accurate and up to date records on the organisation’s case management system and attending any meetings or case conferences in relation to the children/young people, parents and carers to whom they are providing or have provided a service
• Liaising on behalf of those we are supporting with the Local Authority, the NHS, and other agencies in the public and independent sectors to improve outcomes for the family
• Supporting the child/ young person and their families with financial assistance applications when appropriate

Essential Skills and Experience:

• Social Worker Degree or equivalent
• Registered Social Worker with Social Work England
• Previous experience as a Social Worker either in statutory or voluntary sector Children’s Services
• Understanding of the multitude of needs faced by neurodivergent children and their families
• Sound knowledge of all relevant legislation, statutory guidance and regulations, specifically in relation to safeguarding children/young people and vulnerable adults
• Full clean driving licence, access to a car and be able to use for business purposes

Desirable Skills and Experience:

• Practice Teacher Award
• Other post qualification professional training
• Experience of working in the voluntary sector
• Experience of working in a Local Authority
• Experience of working with the wider Jewish community, including the Charedi/Orthodox communities
• Experience working with neurodiversity and disability

If you are interested in this role, please apply at your earliest convenience and our Recruitment Team will be in touch. 

We reserve the right to close this advertisement earlier should we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

Due to the high number of candidates who apply to our roles at Norwood, please note we can only provide feedback following an interview, if shortlisted.

We actively celebrate everyone's different abilities, sexual orientation, ethnicity, faith, and gender. Everyone is welcome and supported in their development at all stages in their journey with us.

About the role

As one of two Regional Programmes Manager, you’ll inspire and lead a team of Senior Programmes Officers and Kinship Family Workers to effectively deliver high quality support services for kinship families across Greater London, the South of England and the Midlands.

You’ll do this by working in close collaboration with local authority teams who have commissioned our services and other funders where appropriate.

You’ll have accountability and ownership for ensuring we deliver impactful services for kinship carers and that we meet targets for our commissioned services. Working collaboratively with our other managers in other services, you’ll ensure we’re delivering high impact programmes.

You’ll ensure your team have real clarity and direction on their role and responsibilities - encouraging curiosity, learning and solutions-focused thinking. As a leader in the organisation, you are a key model for the team.

Your team will deliver the following programmes:

• Kinship Connected – in-person one-to-one support and support groups in the community
• Kinship Reach – remote one-to-one support and virtual support groups
• Kinship Ready – online workshops to prepare new and prospective special guardians for their role, as well as wraparound one-to-one support (in one local authority)

You will also manage a new role of Grants Officer - London, funded by the Aviva Foundation.

As one of our deputy safeguarding leads, you’ll be part of our key safeguarding structure.  This means you’ll take ownership to make sure our people feel confident and well supported to demonstrate best practice and making sure safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

Key responsibilities include:

• Oversee the day-to-day running of programmes, supporting mostly home-based Senior Programmes Workers and Kinship Family Workers to ensure high quality, consistent and impactful programme delivery.

• Meet performance targets as directed.

• Create and keep developing processes and systems which support consistency across all programmes, ensuring good quality documentation and manualisation on Notion.so

• Develop quality assurance frameworks with other service managers and directors.

• Support your team to establish and deliver in-person and virtual peer support groups regionally and generate engagement with kinship carers.

• Line management and supervision of Senior Programmes Workers and Kinship Family Workers as required.

• Actively encourage personal development and support staff to deliver key targets and outcomes and ensure high levels of wellbeing.

• Work with the Director of Services and Digital, Head of Programmes and the Business Development team to develop proposals and present to local authorities to secure commissions.

• Manage the delivery of commissioned contracts through collaborative relationships with local authorities, ensuring targets are met.

• Manage the programmes and services within budget, in accordance with Kinship’s financial procedures and ensure the reporting of progress in line with funder requirements.

• Work actively and positively with other managers within Kinship to ensure sharing of best practice, problem solving, relevant connections and consistency of delivery across England and Wales.

• Act as a deputy safeguarding lead at Kinship

Essential requirements include:

• Substantial experience in managing a regional service or programme with high quality outputs (national experience desirable but not essential).
• Substantial experience of managing, developing and evaluating effective and innovative services for families experiencing crisis and experience in reaching ‘hidden communities’ and a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Experience of leading and managing continuous improvement in changing contexts.
• Experience of governance and managing risk on high profile service delivery.
• Experience of ensuring that services are designed and led with user needs at the heart, ensuring that the voices of our kinship carers inform ongoing design and development of our programmes.
• High quality digital and data literacy and using technology to help us to be better in our processes. You’ll have to own Salesforce and be a massive champion for the team. You will be accountable for ensuring they use it well.
• Substantial experience of leading high-performing service teams including managing wellbeing, development and performance.

How to apply

In place of a cover letter, you will be asked to answer the following five questions, alongside providing your CV. Please keep your answers to a maximum of 250 words.

1. Tell us why you’re interested in working for Kinship in this role and what experience you bring that would make you successful? This is an opportunity to tell us about you, your experience and your values.
2. Please give an example where you have managed a successful regional programme or service (this could also be national). Please include scale, key performance indicators and outcome. What made it a success?
3. What makes you a great team manager? Give one example of how you have supported teams and individuals to flourish and one example when you have had to step in to address behaviour or performance issues. (This is an opportunity to share your enthusiasm for supporting others to develop and deliver to a high standard. You can share evidence of how your approach has worked and how you’ve tackled challenges and difficult conversations along the way).
4. Quality assurance and consistency is key to making sure our programmes deliver impact for our kinship carers. This includes ensuring your team are following processes, using our case management system effectively and have the tolls to do their role. Please describe how you would approach this at Kinship using a previous example.
5. In this role you will be a deputy safeguarding lead at Kinship. This is a key role, the lives of kinship carers are incredibly complex.  Give one example of a safeguarding situation that required your response in a previous role. Explain what your rationale and thought process was. How did you hold appropriate boundaries and progress actions to effectively safeguard vulnerable children and adults?

Key Dates

• Application deadline: Wednesday 30 April, 9am
• First interview: Online – Tuesday 6 May
• Second interview: In person (Vauxhall, London) – Tuesday 13 May (travel expenses covered if required)

About Kinship

We are Kinship. The leading kinship care charity in England and Wales. We’re here for kinship carers – friends or family who step up to raise a child when their parents aren’t able to.

We are made by and for our community of kinship carers. Like family, relationships run deep. And we hear their experiences; for too long they have been isolated without the help they need.

We support, advise and inform kinship carers. Connecting them so they feel empowered. Because a child needs the love and warmth of a thriving family.

We develop research, campaigns and policy solutions. Creating positive change across society. Because for kinship families, love alone is not enough.

Through our work we harness frustrations to fuel passion for change. And tough experiences to inspire ideas that transform lives.

And as we see momentum building, we keep using evidence to demonstrate the value of kinship care. Helping kinship carers navigate challenging circumstances. Believing in a child’s potential.

Join us. Together, let’s commit to change for kinship families.

LMK (Let Me Know) Youth Leader (Freelance Educator / Youth Worker) 

• Across London boroughs, occasional travel outside London optional 
• £200 per 2 hour workshop 
• Sessional 
• Available for a minimum of one delivery per month, pending workshop demands

About LMK

Good relationships shape our health and happiness, yet we are taught so little about them. LMK is a registered education charity on a mission to change that. We run workshops educating young people about healthy and unhealthy behaviours, so that they can avoid abuse and thrive in relationships. 

Using film and guided discussions, our workshop Leaders support children and young people in honest conversations about relationships and leave them better equipped to spot the early warning signs of abuse, inspiring them to enjoy healthy, fulfilling relationships.  We explore the 10 signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships and include practical lessons young people want to learn about (like consent) and practice scenarios in a safe, supportive and non-judgmental environment. 

LMK is a learning organisation and prides itself in supporting leaders to develop their skills. We offer training and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) opportunities, as well as peer-to-peer learning and reflective practice sessions.

About LMK Leaders

LMK Leaders are passionate and organised educators who run community workshops, aimed at young people aged between 11 and 24. Through engaging, relatable workshops, Leaders help young people identify signs of healthy and unhealthy relationship behaviours, provide strategies for them to recognise the early warning signs of abuse and give them tools to keep themselves and their friends safe. 

Expectations of LMK Leaders

• Always adhere to LMK and host organisations health & safety and safeguarding practices and procedures. 
• Capable of maintaining confidentiality and professional boundaries with young people, peers, and professionals.
• Respond to comms (emails/WhatsApp) sent out by LMK team members in a timely manner, to support planning and organising of sessions.
• Plan and deliver interactive LMK workshops in educational and community settings in line with LMK delivery style and ethos. 
• Meet with co-facilitators to carry out pre-session planning, minimum three working days before delivery.
• Use your experience and knowledge of the issues affecting young people to tailor the workshops accordingly. 
• Ensure all youth participants and the adults in school/community organisations who attend a LMK workshop complete the post session feedback surveys.
• Complete a reflective post session Leader survey after each workshop to support practice and programme development.
• Debrief with LMK’s Programme Development Manager and provide ongoing feedback about your sessions through LMK’s reflective practice processes.
• Accommodate a maximum of two workshop observations by LMK staff/supporters per academic year, designed to bolster our funding and thought leadership strategy.
• Undertake relevant training associated with LMK’s work, including but not restricted to diversity and inclusion, safeguarding, violence against women and girls (VAWG).
• Undertake at least one quality assurance observation per year, completed by an LMK Programme Development Manager, and enhance practice via developmental feedback.
• Continue to learn about and develop your skills on the issues affecting young people’s relationships including domestic violence, abuse, adverse childhood experiences, trauma informed practice, gang culture and grooming, mental health, sexual exploitation, consent, sharing of nudes /sexting, bullying in person and online, tech and online safety, pornography.
• Share your knowledge and expertise by providing feedback and, where requested, co-designing training and educational resources on issues affecting young people and their relationships.
• Mandatory attendance of termly virtual Leader huddles and reflective sessions to remain connected to peers and organisational values, mission, purpose and operational matters.
• Contribute towards and keep up to date with LMK internal/external communications platforms, such as LMK newsletters and social media.
• Engage with LMK’s Youth Advisory Board Members, if and when invited to do so.
• Lead by example and promote healthy relationship behaviours in your own lives/communities and within LMK (team player; acknowledging and working with diversity; being receptive to new ideas and developmental feedback, etc)
• Use your own networks to recruit new schools and youth groups into the programme.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience required

• Extensive experience of teaching or working with young people (10 to 24 yrs old) in educational or community settings.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience co-designing, delivering and evaluating group sessions, consisting of minimum of 12 and maximum of 30 participants.
• Experience or co-designing session plans and co-facilitating with others; able to collaborate equally with others.
• A strong commitment to young people and knowledge and understanding of issues affecting their relationships.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal skills with the ability to create a safe and non-judgmental space, that allows young people to speak freely about their relationships and experience.
• Able to adapt and be flexible in workshops to get the best engagement from a range of participants. 

Must also:

• Be entitled to work in the UK.
• Hold a DBS certificate or be willing to let LMK undertake a check on your behalf. 
• Have a recent safeguarding qualification from a recognised provider or be willing to undertake additional training in this area.
• Be flexible to work non-traditional, after-school and occasional weekend / holiday hours.
• Comply with policies and procedures relating to child protection, confidentiality, data protection and reporting concerns to an appropriate person.

LMK values the differences that a diverse workforce brings and is committed to inclusivity. We welcome all applicants from any race, ethnicity, colour, religion, gender, age, sexuality, or any other protected characteristic.

We can make reasonable adjustments throughout the application process and on the job. Please let us know, by contacting us separately if you need any adjustments or changes to be made during the recruitment process because of a disability or long-term health condition.

You can learn more about how we handle your personal data and your rights by reviewing our privacy notice (see attachements).

Please note:

In-person interviews for this role will take place on 3rd June and a mandatory (paid) 2 day, in-person training will take place on 26th and 27th June. (Both will be held at Central London locations).

Background to the role

We have teams embedded in four hospitals across East London where they are recognised for the warm, responsive and kind person-centred service they provide for patients. They work in close partnership with ward managers, discharge teams and social workers to ensure the safe and timely discharge of patients, connecting them back to their local communities and ensuring that their chances of a sustained and speedy recovery are maximised. Our model has proven success in reducing re-admissions.

Over the past 12 months we have worked to reorganise how our Home and Settle team works.  We have done this to reduce the pressure on individual staff members, increase the extent to which the teams work together and improve the consistency and sustainability of the services. The Discharge and Settle Worker role is key to this new model of delivery. 

The postholder will be working in the community and in patients homes to help them settle back into life and to connect with the support and services that will help them avoid another hospital visit as far as possible. Maintaining good relationships with the rest of Age UK East London’s Home and Settle team and will ensure the smooth running of the service and the best possible outcomes for patients.

This is an exciting time to join us as we build on our past learning and successes and increase the extent to which we integrate our services. Fast paced and with no two days the same, this work suits self-motivated team players who enjoy highly rewarding work that makes a difference to people and communities.

Job description

Job Purpose

The home and settle service works collaboratively with hospitals to support people when they are discharged from hospital to return home. You will provide temporary practical and emotional support to service users within their home and make sure they understand the care and treatment choices available to them. The service is time limited, usually up to 6 weeks, to adjust and settle back in their homes. 

Key Tasks

• Assess the needs of service users in hospital before discharge, and in their homes, and understand what barriers and enablers there might be to moving home.
• Aid the discharge process and improve patient experience through tasks such as key cutting and co-ordinating with colleagues for the setup of the home environment. 
• Provide (and/or arrange) the practical and emotional support needed to enable service users to move home and/or remain safely at home. 
• Be vigilant and make referrals/signpost for additional needs that our wider team, or partners can support. E.g. for benefit checks, energy advice, carers support, befriending.  
• Help maximise service user independence by adopting an enabling approach. 
• Develop a listening and caring relationship with the service user and their families/carers. 
• Provide domestic practical support within the home e.g. light cleaning, washing, ironing (service user clothing only) etc. 
• Prepare and service drinks and simple meals with or for the service user customer ensuring nutritional needs are met in accordance with individual support plan. 
• Accompany service user outside the home e.g. hospital/GP appointments etc. 
• Support customers with other tasks e.g. making telephone calls on their behalf, reading and responding to correspondence, completing simple forms (training will be provided) as directed by the customer etc. 
• Ensure services provided by AUKEL in the community are safe and person centred. 
• Report safeguarding concerns, in accordance with AUKEL safeguarding procedures. 
• Work within AUKEL’s expectations of professional boundaries and confidentiality. 
• Provide cover in the case of sickness and annual leave periods of colleagues. 
• Support service user reviews, ensuring all visiting information is uploaded on to AUKEL’s organisational case management system. 
• Meet with volunteers to provide support and guidance. 
• Work with a range of professionals including: 
• Supporting health and social care professionals with patient discharge 
• Liaising with the Hospital health and social care professionals to facilitate smooth supported discharge. 

Administration

• Input all records, reviews, and visiting information to service user’s case notes in a timely manner to maintain up-to-date and accurate records on AUKEL’s case management system (currently Charity Log/Call-round App). 
• Report all “no access” failed visits, or changes in service users’ condition or circumstances in accordance with AUKEL’s policies and procedures. 
• Ensure service user comment sheets are completed.
• Support the return of Customer Comment sheets and general feedback in respect of your own service users. 

 Quality

• Ensure services provided in the community are delivered in line with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) principles. 
• Deliver all work in line with AUKEL quality mark standards. 
• Commit to undertaking the Care Certificate, if not already held or in possession of NVQ level 2. 
• Complete essential training as required by AUKEL to provide safe services. 

 Liaison

• Work in collaboration with other agencies providing support within the customer's home. 
• Work under the direction of the service manager and project officers. 
• Represent AUKEL and participate in appropriate external meetings and events to remain aware of local, regional, and national issues affecting quality and compliance issues affecting care and home support services. 

 General

• Meet regularly with your line manager for support, supervision, and appraisal. 
• Attend team and staff meetings, (and other meetings) as required. 
• Undertake any other duties within the competence of the post holder as may be required from time to time for the continued smooth running of AUKEL. 
• Complete any training which is required to fulfil the role. 
• Carry out the duties of the post in accordance with AUKEL policies and procedures including Equal Opportunities, Mental Capacity, Deprivation of Liberty, Food Hygiene, Health & Safety, Confidentiality, Complaints, GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults etc. 
• Work within AUKEL’s expectations of professional boundaries and confidentiality 

 Functional Links

• The post holder report to the Manager. 
• Close working with NHS health & social care professionals. 
• Close working with external partner agencies e.g. Age UK Redbridge, Barking & Havering, and Age UK Waltham Forest. 
• Close working with AUKEL internal departments e.g. information and advice, advocacy, Take Home & Settle services, and volunteering department etc. 

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of one-to-one work with vulnerable service users, including those with multiple issues and needs either through paid or unpaid position. 

Desirable

• Care Certificate or CQF Diploma NVQ Level 2, or equivalent, in Health & Social Care. 
• Experience of working collaboratively with external partners. 

Knowledge & Understanding

Essential 

• Understanding and commitment to empowering individuals to reach their full potential. 
• Understanding the principles of confidentiality in practice. 
• Understanding of safeguarding and when to raise a concern. 
• Understanding of stigma and discrimination, and the impact this has on people’s lives. 

Desirable

• Knowledge of local services available to adults and their carers
• Understanding of hospital discharge procedures. 

Skills/Attributes

Essential

• Excellent interpersonal skills 
• Good English verbal and written communication skills 
• Good planning and organisational skills. 
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team 
• Ability to prioritise and manage time and resources in a competent manner 
• IT skills to the level of being able to use Word, email, internet, mobile phone apps and logging information on AUKEL’s CRM
• Can demonstrate AUKEL values (accountable, kind, flexible, inclusive, collaborative) in the way the service is delivered. 

Desirable

• Ability to speak community languages e.g. Bengali, Urdu, Punjabi, Turkish etc. 
• Able to use Charity Log (CRM used by AUKEL).  Training will be provided as necessary.
• Ability to drive with use of own vehicle (mileage and essential car users will be paid). 

Additional Requirements

• This post is subject to the relevant check through the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) 
• Flexibility in working hours to meet organisational needs.
• The role is required travel across East London

Employment Details

Hours available

We have different roles available between 16 and 35 per week.

Location

The post holders will be mostly based

• Either within the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Hackney including the Royal London and Homerton Hospitals
• Or within the London boroughs of Newham and Waltham Forest including the Newham and Whipps Cross Hospitals