PURPOSE OF POSITION
This role is responsible for delivering a high-quality, trauma-informed and gender-informed support service for women living in the Complex Needs service. The post-holder will hold a caseload of women residents who may be experiencing multiple disadvantage, including homelessness, rough sleeping, domestic abuse, mental ill health, substance use, exploitation, offending histories, social isolation and complex trauma.
The Women’s Support Worker will provide persistent, compassionate and practical support to women who may find it difficult to trust services, sustain engagement or accept support consistently. The role requires someone who can build safe, respectful relationships at the woman’s pace, while maintaining clear professional boundaries and supporting women to stabilise, feel safer, reduce risk and work towards their own goals.
The post-holder will work as part of the wider frontline support team, leading on support planning, advocacy and multi-disciplinary working for women residents. They will also support colleagues’ day to day to apply gender-informed practice, strengthen engagement with women and ensure support is coordinated, responsive and centred on women’s safety, choice and wellbeing.
This role forms part of a seven-day rota and will include some evening and weekend working.
WHY THIS ROLE IS DIFFERENT
This specialist frontline role is for someone who wants to make a real difference with women who have experienced exclusion, trauma and barriers to support. You will hold a focused caseload, build trust and coordinate support that helps women feel safer, more connected and able to move forward.
At Your Place, you will join a values-led organisation committed to ending homelessness and providing safe, supportive accommodation. You will be supported through reflective practice, team learning and collaboration with colleagues, managers and partners.
This role gives you the opportunity to shape gender-informed support across the Complex Needs service. You will support colleagues with engagement, risk, safety and advocacy, while keeping women’s voices, choices and experiences central to support planning. Our Values in this role:
RESPONSIBILITIES & ACCOUNTABILITIES
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Hold and manage a caseload of women residents, ensuring support plans, risk assessments and safety plans are clear, current and outcome focused.
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Lead on casework, advocacy, support planning and reviews, ensuring agreed actions are followed through and progress is recorded.
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Use trauma-informed, gender-informed, strengths-based and motivational approaches to assess needs, plan support and promote positive change.
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Assess, monitor and respond to safeguarding concerns, risk, incidents, non-engagement and changes in presentation, escalating concerns appropriately.
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Coordinate multi-agency support with health, mental health, substance misuse, domestic abuse, criminal justice, adult social care, housing, police and specialist women’s services.
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Promote women’s safety, recognising risks linked to trauma, exploitation, coercion, abuse, unsafe relationships, rough sleeping and homelessness.
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Support women to access healthcare, benefits, mental health support, substance misuse services, advocacy, legal advice, education, training and meaningful activity.
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Maintain accurate, timely and high-quality records of casework, support activity, safeguarding actions, risk, outcomes and multi-agency communication.
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Work within Your Place policies and procedures, including safeguarding, equality and diversity, data protection, health and safety and professional boundaries.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
The requirements below set out the experience, knowledge and personal qualities needed for this role. We welcome candidates with relevant direct experience, education, training or lived understanding of the issues affecting women with complex needs.
Experience, education and knowledge
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Experience of supporting women or adults experiencing multiple disadvantage, complex needs, homelessness, rough sleeping, trauma, domestic abuse, mental ill health, substance use, exploitation or social exclusion.
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Relevant education, training or qualification in women’s support, trauma-informed practice, safeguarding, domestic abuse, mental health, substance use, social care, psychology, criminology, housing, homelessness or a related field.
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Experience of holding or contributing to a caseload, completing support plans, risk assessments, safety plans, reviews and case notes.
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Understanding of safeguarding, risk management, professional boundaries, confidentiality, equality and diversity, and data protection.
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Awareness of multi-agency working and the role of health, mental health, substance misuse, domestic abuse, criminal justice, adult social care, housing and specialist women’s services.
Skills and abilities
Personal qualities
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Compassionate, non-judgemental and respectful, with a strong commitment to supporting women affected by homelessness, trauma and multiple disadvantage.
Desirable
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Experience in a women-only service, complex needs accommodation, rough sleeping pathway, domestic abuse service or specialist homelessness service.
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Knowledge of local services and pathways for women experiencing homelessness, domestic abuse, mental health needs, substance use or exploitation.
Offer of this role is subject to satisfactory DBS and employment checks being completed before starting employment.
