POST:Support Worker- Montfort House

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Contract:12 Month Fixed Term

Salary:£22,870pro rata pa (NJC scale point 20 scale range 20-22)

inc LW + pension and other benefits.

Hours:24 hours per week - Thursday & Friday and weekends

Annual Leave:33dayspro rata including Bank Holidays and statutory holidays

Probationary Period:6 months

Notice Period:4 weeks

Responsible to:Montfort House Project Manager

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An enhanced DBS check is required as this position will involve working directly with adults at risk

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Montfort House is part of the Passage, which is a Vincentian organisation whose mission is to encourage, inspire and challenge homeless people to transform their lives.

Montfort House is a 16 bed supported housing project for homeless men, women and couples. Priority is given to the most vulnerable rough sleeper’s especially RS205 referrals as well as couples & other individuals with complex needs. Our aim is offer hard to reach clientsan opportunity to move away from the streets by providing a safe & relaxed environment offering, at times and where appropriate, a “hands off” approach to allow individuals the chance to settle & gain confidence. Once settled we provide a creative & dynamic approach to support people to move forward in their lives.

Montfort House is all about taking risks that allow individuals real opportunities. Our approach is flexible and highly personalised and centres on our bespoke policy called Real Relationships. Real Relationships has been developed over the past 3 years and includes a range of procedures designed to remove any barriers to developing trust based relationships, address the needs of our entrenched client group and support them in maintaining their licences. Real Relationships enables us to work in a personalised way and treat each client as an individual.

JOB PURPOSE

The Support Worker will maintain a high quality psychologically informed environment as well as ensuring that residents have the opportunity to engage in meaningful activities and initiatives.

MAIN TASKS AND DUTIES

To provide excellence in all areas of service delivery to the residents of Montfort House.
To provide support with daily operational duties.
To develop the service provided at Montfort House as and when the needs of the residents change and to ensure adherence to best practice in relation to Real Relationships / Housing First and contractual requirements from our funders.
To offer meaningful activities and initiatives to engage Montfort House clients.
To negotiate and liaise with both internal and external agencies on behalf of Montfort House residents while ensuring The Passage is represented in an appropriate and professional manner at all times.
To support other staff and other Passage teams by contributing to joint initiatives.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

In conjunction with your Line Manager to continuously develop the role to ensure that all tasks are being undertaken in an effective and appropriate manner which meets the strategic aims and objectives of The Passage.

To participate in internal/external meetings as required, and attend training events, conferences and other functions as necessary.

To participate in regular supervision and annual appraisal, and help in identifying your own job-related development and training needs.

To ensure that all The Passage policies and procedures are being adhered to, particularly those relating to Health and Safety, Code of Practice and Confidentiality.

To contribute to the effective implementation of The Passage’s Diversity and Equality Policy as it affects both The Passageand its work with vulnerable adults.

To at all times undertake your role in a professional manner maintaining a high quality standard of work, and to always work in accordance with the aims, values and ethos of The Passage[1].

Undertake any other duties that may be required which are commensurate with the role.

Note: The details contained in this Job Description summarise the main expectations of the role at the date it was prepared. It should be understood that the nature of individual roles will evolve and change as service, service users and funders needs change. Consequently The Passage will revise this Job Description as required in consultation with post holders.

DISCLOSURE AND BARRING CHECKS

The Passage aims to promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills and potential. The Passage welcomes applications from diverse candidates. Criminal records will be taken into account for requirement purposes only when the conviction is relevant.

As The Passage meets the requirements in respect of exempted questions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, all applicants who are offered employment will be subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure & Barring Service before the appointment is confirmed. This will include details of cautions, reprimands or final warnings, as well as convictions.

Person Specification: Support Worker – Montfort House

The person specification sets out the essential abilities and qualities that will be used in the selection criteria for this post. When completing your application form, please address criteria E1 to E4 and K1 to K5 demonstrating your experience and knowledge, giving evidence of your experience and abilities.

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EXPERIENCE

E1:Experience of delivering support services to socially excluded adults who may not wish to engage with services in a residential or similar setting.

E2:Experience of working within a team and achieving strong and effective relationships with others in order to achieve organisational aims and objectives.

E3:Experience of working with clients who have survived extreme trauma, are living with Personality Disorder, diagnosed or otherwise, and or other mental health issues.

E4:Experience of supporting clients with substance misuse issues and also duel-diagnosis who may be resistant to accessing treatment.

KNOWLEDGE

K1:Knowledge of homelessness, understanding of the varied needs of entrenched homeless people and those at acute risk of homelessness or those who persistently refuse offers of support.

K2:Knowledge of Health and Safety, and the implications of this in the working environment.

K3:Knowledge of requirements of Supporting People and the Housing First philosophy and working practices within a residential setting.

K4:An understanding of the range of approaches and methods appropriate for working with a difficult to engage or chaotic client group and a willingness to be creative and take risks in order to support clients to meet their needs and aspirations.

K5:Knowledge and understanding of safeguarding procedures.

In addition to the above the following table indicates the standard expectations that all employees/workers are to work towards.

1 Vincentian Values and Integrity
Maintains social, organisational and ethical values in all actions
2 Personal effectiveness / 3 Continuous Improvement
Motivated, adaptable, perseverant and accurate. / Recognising the need for action or change, and taking the appropriate action without needing to be told.
4 Problem-solving and decision-making / 5 Maintaining and using systems
Ability to use logical processes for solving problems and making decisions. / Uses and contributes to organisational systems accurately and efficiently
6 Needs led services / 7 Equality, diversity and rights
Focused on views and needs of clients and effective quality driven psychologically informed service delivery. / Promotes equity and diversity, upholding the rights of clients, staff and volunteers
8 Communication / 9 Team working
Written and oral communication is concise and accurate. / Committed and reliable member of team and understands impact of role on others
10 Relationships with Others
Ability to build up and maintain a network of internal/external contacts who can help achieve service goals

February 2018

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[1]Vincentian EthosAs a Vincentian organisation, The Passage strives to be inclusive; encompassing a diverse and rich culture from within our members, clients, volunteers and staff. This approach is reflected in our core Values and it is important that all staff have respect for this. (refer to fullVincentian Ethos Statement).