Support Practitioner – Alt bank House
Closing date: September 30th, 2024
Job Title:
Support Practitioner – Alt Bank House
Responsible to:
Service Manager
Responsible for:
N/A
Hours of Work:
37.5 Hours per Week – Mix of early shift, late shifts and weekend working on a rolling rota
Location:
YMCA Together – Alt Bank House
Salary and benefits:
£27,111 per annum
- 33 days annual leave including bank holidays per annum
- Paid Medicash support
- Birthday Day off
- Spiritual Day off
- Charity day of your choice
- Well-being Hours
- Cycle To Work Scheme
- Refer a Friend Scheme
- Company Pension Scheme 4%
- Funded Training Opportunities
Shortlisting/Interview/Assessment Dates:
- Shortlisting w/c 30th September 2024
- Interview 9th October 2024
YMCA 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 experiencing challenging times in their lives.
YMCA Together is a truly value driven organisation.
Our vision is that everyone should feel safe, understood, empowered and positive for their future. We meet our vision by working within our values of Strength, Humility, Respect, Empathy and Kindness. These SHREK values run through all that we do from recruitment to how we work alongside people in our services to our partnership approach with other providers.
Our clear vision and values come together to help us in our mission to inspire and support people to change their lives by instilling hope, valuing the person and maximising potential.
Job Purpose
To assist in the provision of effective, high quality support services to vulnerable, homeless individuals who have complex needs such as offending behaviour, substance misuse problems, mental health issues and who are vulnerable to rough sleeping with the aim of promoting independent living. Working with partnership agency to accommodate clients who are rough sleeping in the city ad supporting with their move on
To work closely as part of a team with the Director of Homeless Services and OLT in the development of operational planning and service delivery to the highest standards.
Hours of Work
The post holder will be working shifts. This will include early shifts (7am to 3pm) and Lates shifts ( 12.30pm – 8.30pm). Weekend working will be early / late shifts – On average 2 weekends in 5.
Duties and responsibilities
- Carry out new service user welcomes
- Ensure that service users have a full understanding of their rights and responsibilities during their stay.
- Support service users to achieve their goals and targets as defined/ agreed within their support plans.
- Manage, update, and communicate service users risk assessments in line with YMCA Together policy and procedure.
- Ensure service users shape their own support and understand the purpose of the support provided.
- Hold planned key-work sessions each week with service users using a person-centred reflective approach.
- Assess support needs via Person Centred Support Plan, ITEP mapping and plan support around individual need. Regularly review and develop mutually agreed support plans with service users and any other professional involved in the support of those individuals e.g., Social Workers, CPNs, Probation Officers
- Up to date records must be kept on both support planning systems MainStay and DAVE.
- Conduct bi-monthly risk assessments of service users keeping all relevant parties informed of updates/changes.
- Support all service users with future tenancy planning ensuing that everyone has the skills to live independently away from a supported housing pathway.
- Motivate and challenge service users so they realise their goals.
- Liaise between service users and external agencies regarding the provision of specialised support when appropriate.
- Encourage involvement and participation among service users in the running and shaping of the service provided by planning and attending regular service user meetings and forums.
- Deal promptly with all complaints and protection from abuse disclosures.
- Demonstrate creativity in overcoming obstacles and a commitment to working with and providing support to vulnerable people.
Health and Safety
- Always ensure the safety of yourself and others on the premises in which you work or are visiting following the lone working processes.
- To report, log and communicate all incidents to the appropriate people.
- To adhere to all risk management protocols.
Teamwork
- To share information and expertise with the team, covering absence, and working together to provide a high-quality service.
- To contribute to the formulation of policy and procedures in relation to support services.
- Attend to all enquiries and pass messages onto relevant people.
- Develop excellent and robust relationships, protocols, contacts and service level agreements with referring agencies, statutory services, and wider stakeholder.
- To attend and participate in regular team meetings to ensure good communication.
General
- Undertake own administrative services.
- Uphold and develop YMCA Together Equal opportunities and Diversity policy of anti-discriminatory practices across all services.
- Adhere to Protection from abuse policy.
- Report and log all safeguarding incidents.
- Observe and ensure compliance with the professional boundaries and data protection policy.
Professional Practice and Development
- Attend regular supervision sessions with the Service Manager or team leader in accordance with the supervision contract
- Maintain good professional practice and ensure ongoing development, through use of supervision and training
- Respect the confidentiality of clients using the service and be responsible for the security of personal and confidential information
- Carry out all these duties within the organisation’s safety guidelines
- Ensure personal records are correctly maintained
- Ensure effective communication with staff within YMCA Together
- Work flexibly to meet the changing needs of the organisation
- Undertake any other duties that may be reasonably requested
- 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
- Develop and/or maintain excellent and robust relationships, protocols, contacts and service level agreements with Merseycare, referring agencies, statutory services and wider stakeholders
- Uphold and nurture YMCA’s Equal Opportunities policy of anti-discrimination across all services
- Ensure compliance with code of conduct, including professional boundaries and confidentiality at all times
Relationships
The post holder will be required to have contact with a variety of people during the course of their work. The context of this contact will vary from formal ‘Key working’ to informal networking and relationship building with the Local Authority and other relevant agencies.
Attending regular work review with line managers is an operational requirement, as is attendance at weekly support team meetings.
It is recognised that the organisation 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 – Support Practitioner
Qualifications
Essential
- Qualification or working experience in homelessness, Tenancy management and supporting vulnerable people.
Desirable
- A recognised qualification in substance misuse or mental health
- Qualification in welfare rights
- IT qualification such as CLAIT, ECDL, ITQ.
Experience
Essential
- At least 1 years’ experience of working with vulnerable adults and a working knowledge of Resettlement, support planning, welfare rights, benefits advice, mental health issues, offending, drug and alcohol misuse, harm reduction, working with partner agencies and safeguarding.
Desirable
- Knowledge of support planning and models of change
- Experience of co coordinating three-way meetings
- Experience of working with families and safeguarding needs of children.
Knowledge
Essential
- A working knowledge of providing intensive support to vulnerable client groups.
- A working knowledge of Health & Safety issues
- A clear understanding of complex needs support issues such as mental health, homelessness, substance misuse and offending
- Knowledge of safeguarding protocols
- Understanding of how to work alongside behaviours that we may find challenging.
Desirable
- Knowledge of health interventions
- Knowledge of welfare rights
- Knowledge of the Cognitive Analytical Therapy (CAT) framework.
- Knowledge of health intervention and harm reduction.
Skills
Essential
- Computer literate, competent in working with Microsoft word, outlook, windows
- The ability to conduct comprehensive and accurate risk assessments
- To provide effective and consistent support planning with the people we support
- Excellent IT, communication, interpersonal, interviewing and assessment skills
- Excellent administration skills and the ability to accurately and concisely record information and write reports
- Plan and deliver workshops and training sessions to residents, staff and partner agencies
- Demonstrate creativity in overcoming obstacles and a commitment to working with and providing support to vulnerable people
- Ability and willingness to work unsupervised
- Ability to prioritise workload and meet deadlines.
Desirable
- Analytical, data collation and reporting skills
Behaviour/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 peers
- Excellent interpersonal/ communication skills
- Excellent negotiation/ mediation skills
- Committed to own career development
- Ability to work within & have commitment to YMCA ethos, philosophy and SHREK values, Strength, Humility, Respect, Empathy and Kindness
- Energetic, dynamic and self-motivated
If you would like to apply for this role please click here APPLY NOW
To download a copy of our application form, please click here
If you would like to apply not directly through the website, please email your completed application form to recruitment@ymcatogether.org.uk