Support Worker – Homeless Healthcare (Part Time)
Twickenham, London

Are you a compassionate individual looking for a role where you can make a tangible difference? Do you have experience or knowledge of working with vulnerable people or individuals with challenging behaviours?

If so, this is an exciting opportunity to act as an advocate for people in need, help them to access vital healthcare services and support them to work towards independence.

About Us

We are SPEAR, a charity dedicated to helping homeless people in South and West London find secure accommodation and work towards a positive future.

For 30 years, we’ve worked tirelessly to support homeless people to recover from their personal issues and break down the barriers that they face.

Without good health, people experiencing homelessness face little prospect of moving on, which perpetuates the cycle of homelessness. Our Homeless Health Link Service (HHLS), funded by the Big Lottery Fund, seeks to break this cycle by supporting current or former rough sleepers to access primary care, mental health and substance misuse services. 

We’re looking for a Support Worker to support the success of HHLS on a fixed-term contract until the 31st March 2022. This is a part-time role, working 22.5 hours per week.

The Benefits 

• Salary of £12,943.50 per annum (FTE £21,572)
• 26 days’ holiday pro rata
• Pension scheme
• Access to a free Employee Assistance Programme
• A range of benefits including cycle to work scheme and staff wellbeing sessions

This is a brilliant opportunity to help uphold the rights of vulnerable people and support them towards living more secure, independent and fulfilled lives. 

The HHLS is more important now than ever, especially as the colder weather approaches. You’ll deliver life-changing support that will enable the area’s homeless population to access support on their own terms. 

At SPEAR, we attempt to unlock the potential in everyone we work with and will encourage you to do so too. You’ll have the chance to enhance your expertise and work alongside an experienced team who understand the input needed to bring about positive change.

The Role

As a Support Worker, you will facilitate the delivery of the HHLS, focusing on engaging with rough sleepers and homeless individuals and supporting them to access primary care, mental health and substance misuse services.

You’ll support homeless men and women who face a complex mixture of health, housing, financial, family and social problems. You’ll help them to understand their options, negotiate their next steps and address the barriers that are holding them back. 

Some of your duties will include: 

• Providing information and advocacy support to individuals 
• Informing people of their rights and arranging representation at appointments or meetings when required 
• Providing support to our Peer Advocates 
• Promoting our service to stakeholders, such as the NHS and council services 

About You

To join us as a Support Worker, you will need: 

• Experience and/or an understanding of working with vulnerable people and/or those with challenging behaviours 
• The ability to communicate with, support, promote the rights of, and motivate vulnerable people 
• Good administrative and organisational skills 
• The ability to work with a range of organisations to support individuals with differing needs 
• Good written and verbal English communication skills 
• The ability to manage, organise and prioritise your workload

Other organisations may call this role Homeless Healthcare Advocate, Link Worker, Homeless Health Link Worker, Social Care Worker, Peer Support Worker, or Advocacy Worker. 

At SPEAR, we welcome and encourage applications from everyone, regardless of age, disability, gender, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. We are facing diverse problems, so need diverse people to tackle them.

So, if you think you could support the success of our Homeless Health Link Service as a Support Worker, please apply via the button shown. This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.