JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title:HOUSING SUPPORT WORKER
Responsible To:Project Manager
Location:Stevenage
Responsible For:Clients and Shift Volunteers
Grade:NJC Scale 6 Point 26-28 £22,937 TO £24,472 per annum
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Job Objectives
To provide a high quality service to the clients of the hostel.
- Under the direction of the Project Manager to be responsible for the smooth running of the project ensuring health and safety is maintained, that clients comply with the hostel rules and their shift functions smoothly.
- Whilst on shift to assisting clients to resolve problems and develop life skills that will enable them to live at the hostel and that enables them to move into more appropriate medium and long term accommodation.
- Encourage clients to fully participate in the program of activities provided by the organisation and to assist and empower clients to access resources and activities in the local community.
- To key work a group of clients ensuring their needs are identified and plans are in place for these to be met either directly through the organisation’s services or through the services of other agencies.
- Providing resettlement support to residents ready to move on, working closely with the floating support team.
Main Tasks and Responsibilities
1Shift Responsibilities
1.1To be responsible for the smooth running of the project and for ensuring that the building operates safely.
1.2Ensure Health and Safety Policy and Procedures are implemented.
1.3Ensure any volunteers on the shift are given relevant information and are appropriately debriefed.
1.4Supervise clents ensuring they are complying with the Hostel rules. Where clients breach rules taking appropriate action following the organisation’s procedures and ensuring these actions are recorded.
1.5Ensuring the Project Manager is fully briefed about what is going on and action taken.
1.6Helping to prepare beds for new residents, keeping the project tidy, assisting with preparing meals with clients and generally ensure the smooth running of domestic services within the Hostel.
1.7Be available to talk to and engage with clients, provide them with a safe space to talk where this is appropriate and ensure that any relevant issues raised by clients are recorded and communicated to relevant staff.
1.8To take a holistic approach to supporting client’s needs and aspirations, seeking and highlighting opportunities for change at the individual, service and organisational level.
2Client Activities
2.1To promote the organisation’s program of activities to clients encouraging maximum participation.
2.2As directed to run/organise specific residents activities ensuring they are well planned, with clear objectives and delivered in a safe manner.
2.3To ensure residents are well informed about resources and activities available in the community and to assist them to access them.
3.Support Planning
3.1As part of new residents allocated to you to carry out an initial evaluation of her/his support needs including the identification of other agencies currently involved in their support. This should form the basis for developing the client’s first support plan.
3.2The Support Plan should be drawn up in consultation with the client and be informed by their perception of their needs. It should conform to the organisation’s Support Planning Policy and should involve input from any other agencies working with the clients.
3.3In particular emphasis should be placed on identifying external agencies able to provide relevant support to the resident
3.4The Support Plan should be reviewed at regular intervals to monitor progress and to ensure it remains relevant. Where necessary it should be updated and/or redrafted.
4.0Key Working
4.1To meet regularly with clients for whom the post holder has responsibility as their key worker to develop, progress and review support plans and deal with issues such as debt counselling, life skills etc.
4.2To use these regular meetings to assess the client’s progress and on going needs and to provide support to them
4.3To focus on assisting the client to develop the necessary skills to enable them to resolve problems independently
4.4To discuss issues around the client’s occupancy of the hostel and in particular to address any breach of license requirements including rent arrears.
4.5To identify any potential entitlements the clients may have to benefits and assist her/him in claiming these
5.Risk Assessment/Management
5.1To ensure that all issues relating to risk and public safety are recorded and communicated to the appropriate staff of the organization and in other agencies.
5.2Under the direction of the Project Manager to maintain up to date risk assessments of all clients key worked, recording any relevant incidents and concerns and ensure that the Project Manager is informed of any significant changes in a resident’s risk status.
5.3To ensure that children are not allowed access to the project at any time.
5.4To monitor clients when significant risks have been identified and work with colleagues and other relevant agencies to seek to manage them.
6.Move-On and Resettlement Support
6.1Ensure that all support work undertaken with the client has a clear focus on enabling them to develop the necessary skills to sustain their own general needs tenancy and live independently.
6.2Identify the client’s medium term housing aspirations, and ensuring the resident is informed about likely move-on opportunities available to them.
6.3Work with the client to develop independent life skills.
6.4Identify suitable second stage accommodation opportunities for clients, working closely with the Floating Support team and followingthe organiation’s Move On Policy.
6.5To ensure that client’s receiving allocation of move-on accommodation respond promptly and appropriately.
6.6Together with the Floating Support Team to assist clients allocated permanent independent accommodation to move into their new home, providing practical help with the move, obtaining furniture and equipment, establishing utility supplies, transferring benefit claims and familiarisation with their new neighbourhood and available community resources.
6.7Provide ongoing support for the resettled tenant by allowing them to access the day services and working alongside the Floating Support Worker after they have moved on in order to reduce isolation, promote settlement and enable them to successfully sustain their tenancy.
7.Other Responsibilities
7.1To promote the organisation in all interactions with other agencies
7.2To carry out all duties within the spirit of the organisation’s Equal Opportunities Statement
7.4To ensure compliance with all funding requirements including the provision of comprehensive reports and statistics.
7.5To assist the Project Manager and other staff develop and implement operational policies and procedures.
7.6To ensure that the organisation’s confidentiality, equality and diversity policies and procedures are implemented and complied with
7.9To comply completely with the Project’s Code of Conduct for Staff.
This job description covers the current range of duties and will be reviewed from time to time. It is Stevenage Haven’s aim to reach agreement on changes, but if agreement is not possible, Stevenage Haven reserves the right to change the job description.
HSW/JD/05/15
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