Senior Support Worker – Supported Accommodation

About Us

Dwelling Places Homes is a Children's Residential and Supported Accommodation provider committed to providing high-quality, person-centred care and support to young people and care leavers.

We are looking for a motivated, passionate, reliable and experienced Senior Support Worker to join our growing team within our 24/7 staffed Supported Accommodation homes in South East London.

As a Senior Support Worker, you will play an important role in supporting young people to develop their independence, confidence and life skills while helping to maintain a safe, structured and supportive environment.

You will also provide leadership and guidance to Support Workers and assist the management team with the effective day-to-day running of the home.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide high-quality, person-centred support to young people living in supported accommodation.
• Act as a positive role model and promote independence, confidence, resilience and positive decision-making.
• Support young people to develop independent living skills, including budgeting, cooking, shopping, maintaining their accommodation and managing appointments.
• Support young people with education, employment, training and positive activities within the community.
• Implement individual support plans, risk assessments and agreed strategies.
• Lead shifts and ensure the home is safe, clean, organised and appropriately managed.
• Provide guidance, support and direction to Support Workers during shifts.
• Ensure staff maintain appropriate professional boundaries and follow agreed policies and procedures.
• Complete and monitor accurate records, including daily logs, key-work sessions, handovers, incident reports and progress reports.
• Ensure important information relating to young people is communicated effectively to colleagues and management.
• Respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns and expedite concerns promptly to the appropriate manager.
• Work collaboratively with social workers, placing authorities, education providers and other professionals involved in the young person's support.
• Support the admission, planning and review processes for young people.
• Complete health and safety checks and report repairs, damage or other concerns promptly.
• Maintain confidentiality and ensure records and information are handled appropriately.
• Support the induction, training and development of new and existing Support Workers through effective role modelling and coaching.
• Attend and contribute to staff meetings, supervision and training sessions.
• Participate in the organisation's on-call rota and provide appropriate advice, guidance and support to staff outside normal management hours.
• Respond to on-call issues appropriately, assessing the situation, providing guidance to staff and escalating serious or safeguarding concerns to the appropriate manager.
• Ensure significant on-call incidents are accurately recorded and handed over to the relevant manager.
• Work flexibly across the organisation's Supported Accommodation homes when required.
• Undertake any other reasonable duties required to support the effective running of the service.

Personal Qualities:

We are looking for someone who:

• Is passionate about supporting young people to achieve positive outcomes.
• Has a strong understanding of safeguarding and professional boundaries.
• Is confident providing guidance and leadership to other staff.
• Has excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Is calm, patient and able to respond appropriately to challenging situations.
• Has a positive, solution-focused and can-do attitude.
• Is organised and able to maintain accurate records.
• Can work independently and make appropriate decisions when required.
• Is reliable, responsible and able to work effectively under pressure.
• Is committed to continuous learning and professional development.

Essential Requirements:

• Minimum 2 years' experience working with children, young people or vulnerable adults , preferably within supported accommodation, residential care or a similar setting.
• Experience supporting young people to develop independent living skills.
• Good understanding of safeguarding and risk management.
• Experience maintaining professional records and documentation.
• Ability to provide guidance and support to other members of staff.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Computer literate.
• Enhanced DBS check.
• Willingness to work across our Supported Accommodation homes in South London and surrounding areas.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Willingness to participate in the on-call rota .

Desirable:

• Previous experience as a Senior Support Worker, Team Leader or equivalent.
• Level 3 qualification in Health and Social Care, Residential Childcare, Youth Work or a related discipline.
• Previous experience working within supported accommodation or semi-independent living services.
• Experience working with young people aged 16-18 and/or care leavers.
• Experience supporting young people with complex needs, SEND, challenging behaviour or safeguarding concerns.
• Experience of leading shifts and supervising or mentoring Support Workers.

Working Conditions:

• 24/7 service requiring flexibility across day and night shifts.
• Evening and weekend work on a rota basis.
• Bank Holiday and Christmas availability may be required.
• Participation in the on-call rota is an essential part of the role.
• Willingness to cover additional shifts where required.
• Willingness to work across other homes within our portfolio.
• Ability to lone work with individual young people where required.
• Work is primarily carried out in person within Supported Accommodation homes.

What We Offer:

• Competitive pay of £13.50 - £15.50 per hour depending on experience and suitability.
• Opportunities for professional development and career progression.
• Training and continued professional development.
• Company pension.
• Supportive management team.
• Company events.
• Referral programme.
• Free parking where available.

Schedule:

• 10 hour shift.
• 12 hour shift.
• Day shift.
• Monday to Friday.
• Night shift.
• Weekend availability.

Ability to commute/relocate:

Bromley, Greater London: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required).

Licence/Certification:

Enhanced DBS (preferred).

Work authorisation:

United Kingdom (required).

Work Location: In person

Join Our Team

If you are an experienced support worker who is passionate about helping young people develop independence and achieve positive outcomes, and you are ready to take the next step in your career, we would love to hear from you.

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