Support Worker – Look Ahead Care and Support, Waltham Forest

We’re looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Support Worker to join our Mental Health Social Care Service in Waltham Forest. No experience required, just the right values. 

£28,860.00 per annum, working 37.5 hours per week.  

Want to feel like you have an exciting future? You’ll feel at home here. 

Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That’s why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren’t token gestures - we’ve thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives everyday.

• Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
• A generous pension – we will contribute up to 8% and life assurance cover up to 3x Pensionable Salary (T&Cs apply)
• Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
• Fully paid induction programme and further training
• ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme for 24-7 confidential support
• Online wellbeing resources
• Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff’s commitment and contribution
• Free DBS 

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. 

Waltham Forest Mental Health Service is composed of 4 supported accommodation sites in the areas of Leyton E10, Leytonstone E11 and Walthamstow E17, home to 25 customers with severe and enduring mental health diagnosis. 

Two of our sites, Scott Court and Greg Close, deliver medium support between the hours of 9am and 8pm, 7 days a week. 

Norman House delivers low support with no staff on site. All support sessions are pre-arranged with the customers. We also have Drayton Lodge, a 24-hour high support service with a sleep-in shift, 7 days a week. 

Support workers are vital members of the team as they provide support to customers helping them to develop the life-skills they require to move on to less supported accommodations or even independent living. 

Support workers will work with customers to promote social inclusion and alongside other members of the team they promote independent living and encourage customers to maximise their skills and choices. 

Support Workers will have a small caseload of customers. They will build up a trusting relationship with these customers and advocate for them. 

What you’ll do:  

• Building supportive, trusting relationships with customers, and creating a positive atmosphere within the service. 

• Conducting regular key work sessions that are innovative and engaging 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 enable customer to progress in their recovery  

• Ensuring ongoing assessment and management of risks associated with customers within an attitude of ‘positive risk taking.’  

• Provide support and access to relevant services to enable customers to continue their recovery and empower customers to self-manage their medication regimes through individual re-enablement programmes and informed decision making.  

• Undertake support work in partnership with external stakeholders to complement their interventions.  

• Developing productive relationships with partner organisations to improve service outcomes.  

• Demonstrate strong commitment to the team and to support colleagues in providing a high level of service and safety to customers.  

• Involving customers in the design, development, and delivery of the service.  

• Adhering to lone working protocols and maintaining high levels of awareness in relation to the health and safety of yourself and colleagues.  

• Ensuring Look Ahead Health and Safety policies and local protocols are always adhered to e.g. fire risk assessments, fire alarm checks etc.  

• Being responsible for the handover of key information between shifts.  

• Adhering to all other Look Ahead’s policies and procedures.  

• Engaging in learning and development activity to increase knowledge and skills.  

• Undertaking any other duties consistent with the grade and nature of the post as assigned by the Team Leader/ Manager.

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  

About you:  

• Enjoys social interaction and the company of others, joins in local activities to encourage customer involvement  

• Exudes a warm friendly presence and open behaviour  

• Working well as part of a group or team as well as independently  

•  Is fundamentally calm and resilient, does not let emotion adversely affect them or obscure their judgement  

•  Has a practical and logical mind and is naturally well organized  

• Able to apply the right balance of care and support dependant on the needs of the customer  

• Thrives on change and enjoys dynamic diverse environments  

• Is confident with high levels of self-esteem  

• Is respectful, articulate, and sensitive in style of communication  

• Is motivated towards excellence and improvement of personal performance with a can-do attitude  

• Ability to cope positively with challenging and diverse behaviour  

• Ability to adhere to Look Ahead’s professional boundaries policy 

What you’ll bring: 

 Essential: 

• At least a year of previous experience working in a Mental Health sector or lived experience which has led to an understanding of the needs of the customer group. 

• Good organisational skills 

• Emotional resilience 

• Able to assess risk with the support of team members and managers 

• Computer literate 

• Ability to self-reflect 

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team 

• Candidates must demonstrate an understanding of the challenges facing people with mental health needs. 

Desirable: 

• NVQ Level 2/3 or equivalent 

About us: 

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 100 services, providing support to thousands of 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 and complex needs, young people and care leavers 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. 

 If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role. 

 We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date. 

 We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.