Nightlight Crisis Cafe/Helpline Coordinator

Do you want to support people with mental health issues in a moment of crisis? Are you calm, non-judgmental and able to work effectively with people experiencing distress?

Can you demonstrate our values of Hope, Courage, Togetherness, and Responsiveness and want to be part of our mission to create opportunities for individuals to make choices, find their own solutions, build resilience and manage their whole life and wellbeing?

If the answer to all of these is yes, we want to hear from you.

Nightlight Crisis Café/Helpline Coordinator
Reference: 390
Responsible to: Nightlight Crisis Café/Helpline Team Lead
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Part time, 30 hours per week / 4 evenings per week
Work pattern: 17:30pm - 01:30am, worked across a 7-day flexible rota (including some weekends)
Salary: £28,850, increased to £29,400 following successful probation, pro rata
Working Base(s): Watford Crisis Café (with expectation to travel to other sites where necessary, with mileage paid when not working at home base)

About the Role

Alongside other Café/Helpline Coordinators, you will be a key member of the Nightlight team, providing effective leadership delivering the Nightlight Crisis Café and Helpline services.

You will ensure the delivery and development of quality crisis support services and instilling Hertfordshire Mind's values throughout the provision. You will provide management support to Café/Helpline Support Workers and volunteers, and support the Team Leads in ensuring practice within the service is safe, effective and person-centred.

About the Service

Hertfordshire Mind's Nightlight Service (Cafés, Helpline, 24/7 Crisis House, A&E Liaison service and Daylight provision) is proud to provide urgent support, crisis intervention, and emotional support to people experiencing a mental health crisis in Hertfordshire as an alternative to statutory pathways.

We provide support to adults across Hertfordshire 7 days a week, 365 days a year through our Helpline, Cafes and 24/7 Crisis House. We aim to provide a safe space for people in crisis to talk and feel supported, be listened to without judgement, access relevant support with problem solving and facilitate access to external services when necessary. As a member of our diverse team, you will work closely with service users in crisis, by using a person-centred approach to ensure that everyone is supported with dignity and respect. By honouring the individual experience of each service user, we are able to respect their autonomy as well as encourage and facilitate positive steps towards management of crisis and recovery.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing emotional support and developing, alongside service users, flexible and realistic crisis support/person-centred plans within agreed guidelines with support from the leadership team (including assessments of need, risk, crisis support plans and review forms) in person or via telephone.
• Drawing upon own lived experience as appropriate to inform the delivery of person-centred support where appropriate.
• Providing immediate advice and information to service users to support with crisis presentations.
• Liaising with Nightlight management and external services e.g. Police, Ambulance, Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team, Single Point of Access, Safeguarding Out of Hours Service, Mental Health Liaison Teams, Adult Community Mental Health Services etc. as needed in terms of supporting individuals and proactively recognising the indicators of deteriorating mental health and facilitating appropriate support.
• Completing appropriate signposting/onward referrals to both internal and external services in accordance with identified needs and risks.
• Ensuring record keeping is always maintained to the required standards and contributing to service monitoring requirements.
• Arranging transport for service users to facilitate access to services as needed.
• Contributing to the service development by being part of the Crisis Café/Helpline Management Team, including supporting audits to help evaluate the service.
• Encouraging a culture of continuous performance improvement at both an individual and service level, including supporting the Service Manager with complaints and compliment management and service evaluations.
• Participating in training and development opportunities as agreed with your line manager.
• Providing regular line management, supervision and appraisal for Support Workers and volunteers, and ensure they are completing tasks to the standards of the service.
• Assisting with the recruitment of staff and supporting their induction and professional development.
• Monitoring team's performance to ensure it meets expectations and agreed performance criteria, reporting variances to the Team Leads.

We offer:

• Annual leave entitlement of 25 days per year pro rata, rising in increments to a max. of 29 days after 5 years employment (plus 8 days Bank Holidays)
• An additional day of leave each year for your birthday following completion of probation period.
• Ongoing training relevant to your role.
• An Employee Assistance Programme.
• Health cover (after 6 months employment) - compensation payment for Optical, Dental, Chiropody and Therapy Treatments.

Being able to drive and having access to your own vehicle (or equivalent) is essential for this role.

Closing date for receipt of applications is Friday 13th November.
Interviews to be held w/c 16th November in our Watford Wellbeing Centre.
N.B: Please quote reference number 390 when completing your application for this role.

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

We want people from all backgrounds to apply, no matter your gender, disability, marital or parental status, race, colour, religion, or sexual orientation. We make sure everyone has a fair chance, especially those with disabilities or special needs.

Hertfordshire Mind is committed to the Disability Confident and Mindful Employer charters, and the Care Leaver Covenant. We actively recruit staff who have a lived experience of mental ill health. Our inclusive approach recognises the unique skills, knowledge, and perspectives that lived experience brings to our team.

No agencies please.