APPLICATION PACK

JOB TITLE: /

Recovery Worker

LOCATION:

/

Brighton and Hove

HOURS:

/ 37 hours per week
REFERENCE: /

RW

SALARY:
(see FURTHER INFORMATION) / Starting salary:£17,047 per annum
Rising to: £17,383 per annum
Top of the scale:£18,033 per annum
CLOSING DATE: / Noon, Monday 4th July 2016
INTERVIEW DATE: / Monday 11th July 2016
FURTHER INFORMATION
All salary scales at Southdown include several points. This recognises the value of staff who we believe generally develop their skills through experience within the job and the Association. New staff are usually appointed at the bottom of the scale with further increments awarded in April with each year of service, until the top of the scale is reached.

Personal attributes required for Southdown’s front line

Housing Support and Mental Health staff

We are committed to providing excellent and reliable services to our clients and require staff to meet the high standards expected.

Frontline roles in our housing support and mental health services are diverse and at times demanding:

  • Workers carry a caseload of clients, who are dealing with challenging issues in their lives and are often experiencing emotional distress
  • Various client crises can occur throughout the working week, meaning workers often have to deal with several challenges at the same time
  • All of our contracts require workers to promptly complete documentation and input information onto databases
  • Workers need to be able to carry equipment, such as folders and laptops
  • Learning and development on the job requires workers to be open to and reflective upon feedback about their performance
  • All services are developing and require workers to adapt to changes in their roles

To be a frontline worker in Southdown you must be physically, emotionally and mentally able to carry out your role, and possess the personal resources to be able to manage the demands of your role effectively. This means being able to maintain a calm, positive and contained demeanour at all times with clients and colleagues, and being able to perform consistently with minimum disruption from unplanned absence or personal coping difficulties.

Having the ability to focus on solutions not problems, be open to change, be resourceful, flexible, motivated, and reliable, have good coping skills and be resilient to stress are all key personal attributes needed by our frontline workers.

In order to develop the skills required for the job we will expect you to reflect on your work, look at yourself and what you bring to your work and practice skills in a supportive environment in front of others (e.g. when being shadowed by your manager/a mentor or on training courses).

Applicants must take responsibility for their choice of role and have carefully considered if it is the ‘right’ job for them, and whether they have the necessary aptitude, as well as skills suitable for the job.

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE:Recovery Worker

ACCOUNTABLE TO:Senior Recovery Advisor

ACCOUNTABLE FOR: Peers, Volunteers

MENTAL HEALTH RECOVERY SERVICES

Southdown’s Mental Health Recovery Services offer support to people facing mental health challenges, promoting mental health, wellbeing and recovery. The services include:

  • Recovery Centre - café facilities, staff support and groups and activities
  • Recovery College – education and training courses as a route to recovery
  • Peer Specialist Support Service – formalised peer support
  • Community Groups and activities – groups and activities in community settings

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

  • To work as a member of the Preston Park Recovery Team to deliver services within Preston Park Recovery Centre and outreach community support services to clients facing mental health challenges.
  • To be responsible for ongoing delivery of individual packages of support to clients in line with the Recovery model and self-management approach, supporting clients to identify and achieve personal goals as part of their ongoing Recovery journey.
  • To provide advice, guidance and support to clients that use the Centre and Service in order to maximise their wellbeing and achieve goals as part of their individual Recovery journey.
  • To contribute to the day to day running of the Centre, supporting clients and creating a safe environment for people.
  • As part of support provision within the centre and community venues to plan and deliver activity and support groups for clients. To ensure that all work is underpinned by co-production, client involvement and consultation, and peer/volunteer strategies.

MAIN DUTIES WITHIN THE JOB

  • Work as a member of the Preston Park Recovery Team to develop and implement a support model and ethos for the Centre that embeds Recovery principles and social inclusion.
  • To be accessible to clients who attend the Recovery Centre or community activities, responding in an appropriate, sensitive and professional manner.
  • To offer advice and support to potential new referrals, providing information of services available and how to register with the service.
  • To act as a Recovery Worker for clients allocated to your caseload, developing individual action plans, providing ongoing support to achieve goals and undertaking periodic review meetings.
  • To manage a case load of clients, attending regular case load management meetings and ensuring that clients are regularly reviewed and met with on a regular basis as set out in their Recovery Plan.
  • To provide individual support sessions to clients.
  • To contribute to ensuring a safe and welcoming environment at the Recovery Centre.
  • To ensure risk for clients and staff is managed in line with Southdown’s policies and procedures.
  • To support and encourage clients to participate in groups and activities to enable them to develop skills and confidence.
  • To provide advice, guidance and signposting to clients requesting or requiring additional support regarding health, welfare benefits, housing, vocation and employment.
  • To observe and monitor clients’ integration and attendance at services, responding appropriately and promptly to situations, seeking additional support and guidance from other Recovery Team members as required.
  • To support and encourage clients to develop their own contact and networks in mainstream community settings.
  • To work creatively and flexibly alongside people in the community whom are unlikely or unwilling to attend a building based services.
  • To encourage clients to explore and utilise a range of self-management tools and techniques to support their own Recovery, health and wellbeing.
  • To liaise and advocate on the behalf of the client with other providers and support agencies including Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust Mental Health Teams, hospitals and GPs when required.
  • To act as a positive role model to the team and clients.
  • To help deliver educational, wellbeing and social activities/groups along clients where possible.
  • To use the client database system to input information for each client to maintain a record of their support and safety plans and outcomes.
  • To ensure client co-production and involvement underpins all service delivery and development.
  • To support the implementation and integration of any peers and the support they offer into the service.
  • To support the management team to implement and evaluate the services client involvement and peer/volunteer strategies.
  • To help support effective cover via the management of the staff rota e.g. phoning bank staff to get cover.
  • To induct and support relief staff, volunteers and students as required.
  • To maintain a professional approach at all times and to promote the Recovery Services model and Southdown to external agencies, partnership forums, the wider community and national networks.
  • To actively maintain and develop knowledge of the wider mental health sector.
  • To ensure Southdown’s policies and procedures are adhered to.
  • To contribute to setting and reviewing quarterly development and action plans for the service.
  • To participate in regular service team meetings and development days.
  • To work flexible to the meet the meets of clients and the service.

GENERIC TASKS

  • To adhere to all of the policies set by Southdown Housing Association specifically, Equal Opportunities, Confidentiality, Data Protection, Health and Safety requirements throughout all work practices.
  • To promote the Associations’ equal opportunities policy throughout all work practices.
  • To be positive and involved in creative solutions to problem solving.
  • To reflect on your work by yourself and with others.
  • To attend and participate in appropriate training.
  • To use a variety of opportunities for learning, including practicing skills in front of others and receiving feedback, to improve practice.
  • To maintain effective communication systems in line with the Recovery Services external and internal meeting framework.
  • To be able to work flexibly as part of a staff rota to meet the needs of the service.

This is a developing and changing service; therefore the aims of the post will require review and change to meet these needs.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Recovery Worker

Essential / Desirable
Education and Qualifications
Good literacy and numeracy skills. / 
Evidence of ongoing personal development / 
Experience
Experience of working with people who have experienced mental health challenges / 
Working with groups and individuals in a supportive environment / 
Evidence of working in a busy and at times pressurised environment / 
Lived experience of mental health issues / 
Experience of working with people from a recovery focussed approach / 
Experience of supporting volunteers and peers / 
Experience of working within a third sector, community or statutory provider / 
Knowledge
An understanding of mental health / the recovery model / 
Good practice relating to health and safety issues / 
Knowledge of statutory and third sector organisations / 
Knowledge of safeguarding policies and procedures / 
Skills and Abilities
Ability to work as a member of a team / 
Ability to handle problems in a calm manner and assertively, sometimes in unexpected situations / 
Administrative / recording skills / 
Ability to determine priorities and manage own workload / 
Professional telephone manner / 
Ability to be resilient and self-motivated with drive and vision / 
Ability to be self-reflective and to use supervision for this purpose / 
Ability to communicate with people who may find it difficult to communicate / 
To be able to work as part of a 7 day rota including working some weekends and evenings / 
Approach and Values
To demonstrate support for the values and beliefs of the Recovery Services / 
To work in a recovery focussed and socially inclusive manner, supporting people to achieve their goals / 
Empathy to needs of people using the services / 
To work as part of a team and take responsibility for working on own / 
Belief in the promotion of equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice
To work flexibly to meet the needs of the service / 
Understanding and commitment to the values, standards and aims of the organisation / 

GENERAL INFORMATION

Southdown Housing Association Limited is a registered society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014. Southdown is also regulated by the Homes and Communities Agency as a registered provider of social housing.

Southdown was established in 1972 and is one of the largest not-for-profit specialist providers of care, support and housing services to vulnerable people in Sussex.

We support people with learning disabilities, people facing mental health challenges and those at risk of homelessness or severe hardship. We provide holistic and tailored care and support that focuses on all of a person’s needs be they physical, economic, psychological, social or spiritual.

Everything we do is driven by the individual needs and aspirations of the people we provide care and support for. We involve our clients in the quality review and ongoing development of our services.

We believe the best way to increase people’s independence is for staff to work alongside them and coach them to develop their skills and confidence to take action and responsibility to achieve their personal goals.

We track and monitor the impact our services have on the people that use them. As well as regular satisfaction surveys, we also undertake detailed research to look at what works, for whom and in what circumstances.

We are a robust and successful organisation with a turnover of £24.5 million. We are governed by a Board of 12 members. We employ over 950 staff who we value and invest in. We have an excellent reputation for staff training and development.

We provide value for money. Whilst we’ve had to find ways to reduce our costs due to public sector budget cuts, we have not compromised on quality. We work with commissioners to deliver cost-savings whilst keeping people’s needs at the heart of what we do.

Contracts with local authorities and NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) for East and West Sussex and Brighton and Hove supply most of our income to provide our services.

Data Protection Statement

The Data Protection Act 1998 requires that any staff handling personal data on others must follow certain principles in relation to the data that they hold. Individuals have rights of access to data that is held on them and rights to claim for damages if various offences occur. This covers manual as well as computerised records.

In implementing the legislation, Southdown adopts a simple and straightforward policy that is, so far as is possible, easy to understand and unambiguous in its application. This is best achieved by adopting the principles of openness, which will, in turn, contribute to the fostering of open and honest management. The Association should not keep on record any information, opinion or judgement that we would not be comfortable showing to its subject and explaining and justifying if called upon to do so.

Application Records

Applicant records will only be made available to appropriate persons involved in the selection process. Details will be stored securely at all times.

Where individuals have not been successful, applicant records will be held for a period of twelve months.

Diversity and Equality Monitoring Form – This is destroyed after twelve months whether the applicant is successful or not.

Diversity & Equality

At Southdown, we pride ourselves on creating a culture that challenges prejudice and values diversity. We are committed to ensuring that all staff and service users feel welcome and are not discriminated against or treated unfairly.
We recognise that certain groups and individuals in society are disadvantaged because of discrimination experienced as a result of, race, nationality, belief or religion, physical or mental disability, health status, marital status, sex, sexuality, trade union activity, caring responsibilities, criminal convictions unrelated to the job, age or class.
Southdown believes that such direct or indirect discrimination is wrong and will ensure that the policies and practices of the Association in recruitment provide equal treatment for everyone. Adherence to our Diversity and Equality Policy is a condition of service for staff, and a copy of the policy is given to all staff and job applicants.
All managers are trained in anti-discriminatory recruitment practice. The diversity of our staff is monitored to ensure we continue to represent the diversity of the local communities. We are accredited by several national bodies for recruiting staff to best practice standards including Investors in People, Stonewall, Mindful Employer, Positive about Disabled People and Stonewall.

EX-OFFENDERS & THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Introduction

As an organisation using the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to assess applicants’ suitability for positions of trust, Southdown Housing Association complies fully with the DBS Code of Practice and undertakes to treat all applicants for positions fairly. It undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure on the basis of conviction or other information revealed.

Southdown is committed to the fair treatment of its staff, as indicated by its Diversity & Equalities Policy Statement, including those with an offending background.

Southdown welcomes applications from a wide range of candidates and would consider those with criminal records. We select candidates for interview based on skills, qualifications and experience.

However, we will exclude candidates who do not comply with the requirements imposed by regulatory bodies that set standards for the staffing of the services we provide.

Recruitment

1.For those positions where a Disclosure is required, application forms and job adverts will specify that a Disclosure will be requested in the event of an individual being offered the position.

2.Where a Disclosure is to form part of the recruitment process, we encourage all applicants called for interview to provide details of their criminal record at an early stage in the application process. We request that this information is sent confidentially to the Human Resources Department and we guarantee this information is only to be seen by those who need to see it as part of the recruitment process.

3.The nature of jobs within Southdown allows the Association to ask questions about an applicant’s entire criminal records including ‘spent’ convictions.

4.We ensure those within Southdown with a decision making role in the recruitment process have been trained to identify and assess the relevance and circumstances of offences. We also ensure they have received guidance and training in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

5.For shortlisted candidates we ensure discussion takes place on the subject of any offences that might be relevant to the position. Failure to reveal any relevant information relating to any such offences is likely to lead to withdrawal of an offer of employment.

6.We make every subject of a DBS Disclosure aware of the existence of the DBS Code of Practice and make a copy available on request.

7.We will discuss any matter revealed in the Disclosure with the person seeking the position before withdrawing a conditional offer of employment.

Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar someone from working with the Association. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the person’s offences.

December 2012

INFORMATION ON CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

Pension Scheme

Southdown automatically enrols eligible staff in the organisations pension scheme to which Southdown will contribute 2% in addition to the1% paid by you. Other alternatives are available to enable staff who are not eligible to join the pension scheme.