Support Worker

We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Support Worker to join our Young People service in Maidenhead.

£24,960.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week. Benefits include 25 days Annual Leave, pension schemes, staff discounts, healthcare and career progression.

Want to feel valued? 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 every day.

Support Workers will provide support to customers to help them develop the life skills they require to live independently. Support workers must monitor and assess the needs of the customers and provide creative and tailored person centred support to help them achieve their goals and aspirations.

Support workers will work closely with statutory children's services and other external agencies to best support customers to promote social inclusion and teach independent living skills. Support workers will empower and encourage customers to maximise their skills and choices.

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.

What you'll do:

- Building supportive, trusting relationships with customers
- Working proactively with other members of the team to handle the service caseload and administrative responsibilities
- Supporting key customers to set personalised goals in the form of a Support Plan
- Conducting regular key work sessions that are innovative and engaging in order to achieve Support Plan goals
- Ensuring ongoing assessment and management of risks associated with customers within an attitude of 'positive risk taking'
- Proactively manage risk and safety both in and outside of their physical living environment
- Providing support with daily living activities, including practical assistance where skills are not yet developed, to ensure that customers enjoy a high quality of accommodation
- Proactive development of links with local statutory and voluntary organisations to provide a range of engagement opportunities for customers in the community
- Involving customers in the design, development and delivery of the service
- Empowering customers to ensure they receive the service and benefits they are entitled to

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
- Approachable and open behaviour
- Prefers working as part of a group or team
- 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 organised
- Flexible
- Open to feedback and self development
- Is essentially customer-focused
- Is motivated towards excellence and improvement of personal performance with a can do attitude
- Ability to cope positively with challenging and diverse behaviours
- Understanding of mental health difficulties and therapeutic methods of support: Mental health difficulties include depression, anxiety, ADHD, personality disorder and psychosis

What you'll bring:

Essential:

- NVQ Level 2 or equivalent experience in the social care/charity sector

Desirable:

- Experience working with care leavers
- Experience working with those displaying mental health difficulties
- Experience using therapeutic models of support

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 120 services, providing support to around 6000 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, young people 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.

Please see our website for the full Job decription

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