Fixed Term Link Worker

YMCA Together is a registered charity and company Limited by Guarantee. We were founded in 1846 and so we build on a long history of providing a place for people to find acceptance, community and activity. We provide services across the YMCA work streams of accommodation, family work, health and wellbeing and training and education.

Our accommodation offer is made up of: supported accommodation for people experiencing homelessness; intensive support for individuals with complex needs; move on accommodation for individuals closer to independence; specialist service for individuals with mental ill health and a young offenders service.

The offer around family work includes: An Early Years Foundation Stage nursery in Southport; 2 x Liverpool based refuges for women and children fleeing or at risk from domestic abuse.

Our work around health and wellbeing includes a large leisure centre in Southport and targeted health interventions.

Within the training and education workstream, we deliver therapeutic horticulture, animal care and low impact sports at our Dutch Farm project based in South Liverpool.

Our Mission is to inspire and support people by:

• promoting choice and independence
• valuing the individual
• maximising potential
• instilling hope

 

Hours of Work

The service will be staffed 24/7 and the post holder will be working a rota of 12 hours, 4 shifts on and 4 shifts off over 7 days including weekends and bank holidays.

Job Purpose

Link workers will assist the Practitioners in the day to day management of the service, focusing on conducting the intensive housing management element of the role. All staff will be expected to undergo Cognitive Analytic Therapy Skills Training (CAT) this will provide a framework for understanding and working with individuals and colleagues in managing psychological and relational aspects of mental health, personality disorder and high risk behaviours. Training will also be provided around Trauma Informed Care.  These approaches will be used for planning and assessing effectiveness of a variety of interventions and risk management.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. To ensure that Intensive Housing Management tasks are completed in a timely way and to a high standard.
2. To build supportive and therapeutic relationships with Service Users through dialogue
3. To deliver activity based interventions
4. To support in preparing Service Users to resettle into their community of choice
5. To ensure that Housing Benefit forms are completed in a timely manner

Intensive Housing Management and Risk Assessing

• Assist the Practitioners with the induction and management of their case load taking direction as required
• Ensure Housing Benefit paperwork is completed in a timely fashion.
• Update and communicate service user risk assessments in line with YMCA/borough wide policy and procedure
• Assist in the planning of workshops to individuals and groups that inform/ teach service users around how to manage a tenancy, manage a home and live independently
• Creatively engage service users that have a wide range of complex and challenging support needs
• Encourage service users to take part in activities
• Offer a creative but assertive approach in order to seek to re engagement.
• Assist Practitioners in the management of personalised behavior / support agreements
• Provide clear, comprehensive and accurate information on handovers to the team making recommendations where appropriate
• Assisting service users in the cleaning of their room
• Complete void checks and get rooms ready for letting
• Maintain accurate up to date electronic and written records
• Post holders must be willing to support clients who display challenging behaviour, including verbal aggression

 Service User Involvement and Engagement

• Encourage involvement, participation and co-production from service users in the running and development of the service
• Provide a safe, welcoming environment with excellent standards and an ethos of service delivery that encourages service users to engage

Multi Agency Working

• Working closely with Practitioners to promote and encourage pathways to independent living, help prevent mental health deterioration, hospital admissions, offending behaviours and substance misuse
• Encourage service users to engage with services.
• Assist with the provision of resettlement support
• Promote and encourage the pathway to independence working to a CAT approach

 Reporting/ Monitoring

• Monitor positive feedback from service users and external agencies
• Ensure referrals to the service are processed thoroughly and within the correct time frames

Health and Safety

• Liaise with all emergency services
• Ensure at all times the safety of yourself and others on the premises in which you work
• Conduct Health and Safety checks as required
• Report, log and communicate all incidents to the appropriate people
• Conduct welfare checks as specified during your shift
• Adhere to all resident checks, handover and Incident process.
• Ensure adherence to YMCA Together visitor’s policy and procedure
• Attend to the fire panel in the event of the fire alarms being activated and the recording and following up of information

Internal Relationships

• Excellent communication with all YMCA staff
• Flexible and positive approach with all team members
• To be committed to learning and personal development both as an individual and as part of a team
• Sharing information and expertise with the team, covering absence, and working together to provide a high quality service
• Attend team meetings as required

External Relationships

• Develop excellent and robust relationships with referring agencies, statutory services and wider stakeholders

General

• Uphold and develop YMCA Equal Opportunities policy of anti discrimination across all services
• Ensure compliance with code of conduct, including professional boundaries and confidentiality at all times
• Deal promptly with all complaints
• Report all safeguarding incidents
• Familiarize yourself with and ensure compliance with all LYMCA policies and procedures
• Prepare for and attend supervision and annual appraisal with your line manager taking direction as appropriate and contributing to the development of both yourself and the service

 

The post holder will be expected to carry out other duties consistent with the responsibilities of the post and to demonstrate flexibility in all areas of their work including the willingness to attend team meetings and training outside of your normal working hours.

It is recognized that the association is operating in a dynamic environment and as such this job description may be varied in consultation with the post holder to reflect evolving needs of the business and changing nature of the job

 

Person Specification – Link Worker

Essential

Qualifications

Educated to level 3

Desirable

Qualification in housing

Qualification in IT

 

Experiences

Essential

Experience of working in accommodation-based support services

Experience of partnership working

Experience of formulating risk assessments

Working experience of maintaining up to date electronic records and calendars

Experience of delivering group interventions

Experience of delivering co-produced activities

 

Knowledge

Essential

A working knowledge of providing support

A working knowledge of Health & Safety issues

A clear understanding of complex needs in relation to someone beginning their recovery journey including past trauma, homelessness and mental ill health.

Knowledge of safeguarding protocols

Knowledge and understanding of how to deal with challenging and chaotic individuals

Desirable

Knowledge of health interventions Knowledge of welfare rights

 

Skills

Essential

Computer literate, competent in working with Microsoft word, outlook , windows

Excellent communication, engagement and interpersonal skills

Excellent administration skills

Desirable

Analytical, data collation and reporting skills

 

Behavior/ Attributes

Essential

Committed to improving the lives of people with complex needs

Committed to own personal development and CPD planning

Creative and dynamic approach with the ability to “think outside of the box” when providing solutions

Energetic, highly motivated with a reputation of being held in high regard by their peers

Excellent interpersonal/ communication skills

Excellent negotiation/ mediation skills

Committed to own career development

Reliable

Ability to work within and have commitment to YMCA ethos, philosophy and SHREK values, Strength, Humility, Respect, Empathy and Kindness.

Energetic, dynamic and self motivated

 

This role is fixed term for 12 months.

Salary £20,459 per annum.