JOB DESCRIPTION
Post: Team Leader – Floating Support
Hours: 25 hours per week
Responsible to: Operations Manager
Location: Based at 16 Market Street, Oakengates TF2 6ED
Employer: Stay
Purpose of Job
· Lead and motivate a team of Floating Support Workers who will be assisting customers in maintaining their tenancies and developing greater confidence and independence.
· Meet the needs of the customers, commissioners and the wider community.
Information on Customers
All of Stay’s customers are unique and come from a variety of backgrounds; therefore it is essential that a person centred approach is adopted for each customer.
A few examples of the challenges that face our young people are; family rejection and/or breakdown, all forms and levels of abuse, victims and perpetrators of violence and/or crime and the misuse of drugs and alcohol. At times, Schedule 1 Offenders may be receiving support services from Stay. All staff need to have empathy with the customer group some of whom can have feelings of helplessness and associated behaviours. At the same time staff will need to be professional and resilient enough to be able to deal effectively and constructively with a variety of challenging situations.
Principal Responsibilities
· Be the senior worker and have responsibility (with the Operations Manager) for the Floating Support Service, ensuring it operates within budget, contractual obligations and for the benefit of the customers.
· Contribute to achieving service outcomes, targets and service excellence as required by Stay’s contractual obligations and Stay’s policies and procedures.
· Work to achieve positive outcomes for the customers as required by Stay’s contractual obligations and Stay’s policies and procedures.
· Keep your line manager informed of anything which may affect the staff, customers and the smooth running of the service.
· Work in partnership, liaising with agencies, partners, and subcontractors for the benefit of Stay, stakeholders and customers.
· Support and assist your line manager to implement Stay’s business plan and future developments.
· Work fully with Stay’s policies and procedures as may be amended from time to time.
· Advise the Operations Manager of any changes to policy and procedures thought necessary.
· Audit the team’s work in relation to support plans, needs and risk assessments and reviews as detailed in the review policy.
· Provide statistics for the service as required.
· Ensure the needs of the customers are addressed though a person centred approach via one-to-one sessions with support staff, group work and ad hoc support.
· Ensure support staff complete all necessary paperwork including Thrive’s outcome forms, keywork sheets, support plan reviews and risk management plans.
· Implement Stay’s equality and diversity policy, ensuring that no individual is discriminated against and that all customers, regardless of circumstance, have equality of opportunity.
Key Duties
· Liaise with the Operations Manager on staff management issues including the selection, appointment and induction of new staff.
· Have responsibility for the day to day management of the Floating Support Service.
· Provide staff line management to the Floating Support Team and record case load supervision and appraisal notes.
· Work with the Operations Manager and HR on potential or identified staff disciplinary matters as directed by Stay’s policy and procedure.
· Advise the Operations Manager on perceived staff training needs, and ensure that the induction training is completed successfully.
· Arrange effective staff cover for the Floating Support Service.
· Arrange staff meetings in collaboration with the Operations Manager and participate in promoting effective communication and co-operation of all staff in the running of the service.
· Regularly audit customer files, ensuring all relevant assessments and paperwork are completed to the required standards and up to date, including support plan reviews and risk management plans and ensure all policies and procedures have been adhered to.
· Produce appropriate written reports in a variety of formats to meet the requirements of managers, service providers and legal bodies.
· Input and extract information from Stay’s and Thrive’s IT systems.
· Have responsibility for the day to day financial management of the service, including petty cash.
· Submit to the Operations Manager approved time sheets, travel claims and other staff financial claims in accordance with Stay’s procedures.
· Ensure all Health & Safety procedures are adhered to by staff and customers.
· Report to the Operations Manager on a weekly basis any issues pertaining to the management of the Floating Support Service.
· Liaise effectively with our partners, subcontractors and all other agencies on matters which affect the customers and/or the delivery of the service to ensure a multi-agency approach to our work.
· Ensure the effective administration of the complaints procedure and monitoring.
· Work through with the staff to develop awareness of equality and diversity policies and encourage awareness of the rights of the individual.
· Undertake, as required, any other duties compatible with the level and nature of the post and/or reasonably required by the Operations Manager or any member of the Management Team.
· Ensure all practical measures are taken to limit the opportunities for child abuse or the abuse of vulnerable adults to take place.
· Ensure that all child protection policies and procedures are adhered to.
Collective Tasks
· Develop and maintain effective working relationships with specialists and agencies or individual services relevant to the customers’ needs.
· Promote and represent Stay and/or Thrive at relevant forums and meetings.
· Participate actively, constructively, flexibly and reliably in:
- Duty cover arrangements
- Unplanned or emergency cover of colleagues’ work or team duties
- Meetings, working groups and other forums at team, service area or organisational level.
· Work to the lone-worker guidelines.
· Work actively to implement the ethos of Stay and Thrive.
· Aid, support and respect customers in the decisions they make.
· Work, where possible, to alleviate feelings of prejudice and stigma experienced by homeless or marginalised groups.
· Have a duty to take care of your own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by your actions at work. You must co-operate with Stay and colleagues to help everyone meet their legal requirements.
· Contribute to the building of a staff culture where every person feels empowered and valued.
· Work the hours as directed on the staffing rota and to respond to the needs of the customers at other times if required in an emergency. To be available for ‘on-call decision-maker’ as dictated by the rota.
· Attend the annual staff conference.
How we do things – Staff Expectations
· Demonstrate a great positive attitude.
· Show consistent integrity, trust and fairness and embrace equality and diversity.
· Deliver time after time to a consistent standard of service in line with Stay’s policies and procedures.
· Make a difference to customers through support which every day impacts on their lives for the better.
· Use good judgement and initiative to find solutions.
· Commit to learning and being the best through continual learning and development.
· Continuously review own working practices in line with customer feedback and current best practice.
· Review and evaluate own performance to identify strengths and areas for development. To identify own learning/development needs and opportunities by attending and contributing to regular support, supervision and appraisal sessions.
· Undertake development and training opportunities and have responsibility for obtaining maximum benefit through review, reflection and practice.
· Work as part of a team including input into continuous improvement initiatives.
Page 1 of 3