Senior Support Worker

About the role

We are recruiting for a Senior Support Worker to join our Supported Accommodation team in Orkney.

Supported Accommodation Orkney provides a high-quality housing support service for young people aged 16-25 who are homeless in both Kirkwall and Stromness. The Senior Support Worker (SSW) plays a key role in delivering person-centred, trauma-informed support and helping young people move towards independence and recover from homelessness.

The Senior Support Worker will lead a team of Support Workers to provide a high-quality support service, offering a person-centred approach.

Main duties and responsibilities will include:

• Develop and sustain a good working relationship with the Service Manager to ensure the programme develops in line with key objectives and desired outcomes.
• Develop good communication and working relationships with people we support, colleagues and other professionals.
• Represent Right There programmes positively and establish professional relationships and network with key stakeholders, partnerships, forums, including Local Authority, Social Work, Housing and other relevant bodies.
• Arranging and facilitating regular support and supervision sessions with your team members, utilising best practice in performance management to ensure staff are supported to undertake their roles.
• Completing yearly appraisals and personal development plans with your staff team.
• Complete rota planning, approve leave and plan and allocate shift cover.
• Participate in the National On Call system (on average 1 week in 12 weeks).
• Ensuring support planning is person-centred to identify goals and aspirations supported with a realistic timeline and inbuilt regular reviews
• Ensuring support is delivered in a strengths-based way to help people identify talents, passions and interests to broker opportunities for employment, skills development, recreation, and volunteering.
• Promoting involvement of those we support in the improvement and development of the programme.
• Advocate on behalf of people we support when required.
• Guiding Support Workers to improve access to treatment for people using drugs, to rebuild and sustain family relationships and to connect them to our counselling and in the community programmes.
• Have comprehensive local knowledge of other relevant programmes and  support people to access these by signposting to other appropriate agencies such as health programmes, money advice programmes and other support agencies.
• Regularly review and audit files and reviewing risk assessments (keeping you safe) for those we support
• Compile Right There Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and any required local authority returns / reports.

Full details can be found in the job & person specification which you can download below

Our values make us who we are and define our actions and behaviours every day. We’d expect the post-holder to uphold and represent our organisation in a way that reflects our values and person-centred way of working.

We’re looking for you to have gained experience of managing staff or volunteers and you’ll need to be passionate about working with young people and have experience in the housing or homelessness sector, or in a similar support-based environment. A strong understanding of safeguarding, risk management, and trauma-informed approaches is essential, along with excellent organisational and interpersonal skills. While a relevant qualification in Health & Social Care or a related field is desirable, we value experience and commitment just as highly.

What you can expect from us..

• The post holder will report to the Service Manager
• Your usual place of work will be Glaitness Farmhouse, Glaitness Road, Kirkwall, KW15
• Your normal working hours are 17.5 per week.  These hours are usually worked from  18.00-22.30 on a 9-week rolling rota, Monday to Sunday. 8 weeks of 4 shifts and 1 week of 3 shifts. There may be occasions of cover for the 17.00-22.30 sleep over finishing at 07.30, over time is paid for any additional hours, these could be at either of our accommodation bases in Kirkwall or Stromness.
• Annual leave entitlement of 210 hours (equivalent to 6 weeks) pro rata in your first year, rising to 280 hours (equivalent to 8 weeks) pro rata in your second year. This includes public holidays
• You will automatically be enrolled into the People’s Pension in the month that you will complete 3-months of employment, providing you meet the auto-enrolment criteria
• Life insurance 4 x salary
• Option to purchase and sell annual leave
• Comprehensive induction and ongoing learning and development
• Cycle to work scheme
• Wellness programmes
• Refer a Friend

Interested in applying? 

Send us your cv and a short cover letter outlining your interest in and suitability for the role.

Send your application to recruitment@rightthere.org

Applications will be considered as they are received and interviews arranged. 

Thanks and good luck!