Specialist Support Worker

We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Specialist Support Worker to join our Young People Mental Health service in Ealing., Specialist Support Workers within Look Ahead are required to have either an extra dimension of experience or a higher qualification level as determined relevant for the particular post.

Oaklands & St Kilda is a pair of 6 unit supported accommodation mental health rehab services working with young people between the ages of 18-25 who may have experienced a mental health related hospital admission to gain and develop skills for future independent living. The service will support individuals transitioning from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to Adult services.

The service forms part of a pair of services supporting up to 12 individuals at any one time across the sites, providing a welcoming and supportive environment for young people across London on a spot purchase basis.

Specialist Support workers will manage a number of young people to help them to identify, plan and achieve their goals, develop relationships meaningful to them and achieve greater independence by providing a flexible and individually tailored support package.

The Specialist Support Worker role involves early shifts (8:00-16:00) and late shifts (14:00-22:00) throughout the week, including some weekends each month.

This is a one-year role, starting in January 2025, with the possibility of extension.

All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

What you'll do:

Building supportive, trusting relationships with young people and creating a positive atmosphere
Carrying out holistic assessments which incorporate relevant statutory referral information
Conducting regular key work sessions that are innovative and engaging in order to achieve Support Plan goals
Create support plans for providing appropriate services based on on-going assessment and reflecting the services and resources available to support young people in their journey
Ensuring ongoing assessment and management of risks within an attitude of 'positive risk taking
Supporting young people to access relevant services and empower them to self-manage their medication through informed consent and decision making
Undertake support work in partnership with external stakeholders to compliment their interventions
Developing productive relationships with partner organisations to improve service outcomes

for the full list please see our website

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead, Please note we're not responsible for the content of job ads, as they're posted by the recruiter. We'll aim to resolve the reported issue and we'll use your feedback to improve the quality of our ads.

Ability to advocate for young people in different professional and community spaces
Values working collaboratively with young people to ensure the service best meets their needs.
An understanding of peoples' contexts and how this might be impacting them their lives and mental health
Cultural awareness and respect for the many different ways a person might make sense of their experiences and distress.
We welcome applications from people with lived experience of some of the challenges that this service aims to support with for example, mental health difficulties.
Plans and encourages involvement in local activities.
Approachable and open behaviour

for the full list please see our website.

What you'll bring:

Essential:

Up to NVQ Level 2/3 or equivalent or experience supporting young people or people experiencing mental health challenges.
Specialist knowledge relevant to supporting young people with a Mental Health diagnosis.

Desirable:

Experience of working in a complex mental health environment
Demonstrable experience of trauma-informed practice

Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 120 services, providing support to around 6000 customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness, young people and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.

We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:

We focus on Excellence and innovation.
We are Caring and Compassionate.
We are Inclusive and Trusted.
We work in Partnership and are One-Team.
Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

£28,500.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week. Benefits include 25 days Annual Leave, pension schemes, staff discounts, healthcare and career progression.