Support Officer

Job Title:  Support Officer
Contract Type:  Permanent
Salary:  £26,990.93 per annum
Working Hours:  37.5 per week
Working Pattern:  Rota working shifts including weekends and bank holidays
Location:  Clarence House, Bedford

If you share our values and are excited about making a significant impact at Riverside, please ensure you attach a current CV and covering letter. At Riverside we recruit to potential not just on skills and experience, so we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all the essential criteria on the job description.

The difference you will make as a Support Officer

We believe in providing care and support to our clients that will enable them to make informed decisions about their life that will increase their sense of wellbeing: this might be greater independence, better coping strategies or a richer network and sense of self achievement. You will be working from one of our supported services providing support to our customers in a variety of ways. 

Some of your responsibilities will include:

• Carry out assessment to identify and prioritize needs
• Use SMART goal planning to provide needs led holistic support
• Create an environment that promotes opportunities for customers to develop, learn and enable skills towards independence
• Provide a comprehensive support planning service to customers in line with the department’s policies, procedures, and approach
• Ensure customers are fully informed of their rights and responsibilities regarding the service and are enabled and empowered to get involved in the running of the service through consultation and participation
• Set up and maintain customer files and ensure that accurate and up to date records are kept of support provided to customers in accordance with HCS policies

About you

We are looking for someone who believes in working together as part of a team, who shares our values and who is committed to achieving positive outcomes for all of our customers.

We are looking for someone with:

• Experience of working with vulnerable people with a range of needs in a support capacity
• A genuine passion for working with people
• Good communication skills and the ability to engage with and respect the needs of vulnerable people
• Excellent team working skills with a creative flair and ability to think outside of the box.
• Housing sector knowledge including housing benefit applications
• Strong IT and social media skills to manage and maintain administration and recording systems

Why Riverside?

One Housing Group is now part of Riverside.  At Riverside, we’re a housing association with a difference – enhancing the everyday for all our customers. For 90 years, we’ve been revitalising neighbourhoods and supporting communities by providing the homes they need to live full, fulfilling and rewarding lives. 

We have a portfolio of over 75,000 affordable residential and retirement homes across the UK. Our work ranges from homelessness services to social care, employment support to retirement living, and we need the best people on board to help us.

Working with us, you’ll enjoy:

• Competitive pay & generous pension 
• 28 days holidays plus bank holidays 
• Flexible working options available
• Investment in your learning, personal development and technology
• A wide range of benefits

Our Mental Health team is vital to helping us deliver on this vision. We work to transform the life experience of people with mental health support needs. The support we provide is delivered in a range of settings (like supported housing, assessment centres and outreach) and our customers’ support needs can include psychosis, forensic and personality disorders.

We believe in providing care and support to our clients that will enable them to make informed decisions about their life that will increase their sense of wellbeing: this might be greater independence, better coping strategies or a richer network and sense of self achievement. We offer you the chance to develop your own skills through regular line management supervision, reflective practice, access to a ten-day course on relevant mental health topics and working together with your specialist colleagues.

Diversity and Inclusion at Riverside: 

We are inclusive. At Riverside, we value diversity in all its forms. We foster a workplace where all individuals are respected, empowered, and heard. Our commitment to inclusivity drives our success and enriches the lives of our customers and colleagues. 

Applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to avoid disappointment.

Role Profile

Supporting Customers:

We use Psychologically Informed approaches and Trauma Informed Care principles to support our customers to develop new ways of thinking and to make steps towards independence, by:

• Leading on Co-producing bespoke support and move-on plans, involving key stakeholders (e.g. family/other support providers), where appropriate
• Organising and carrying out regular planned reviews of support and risk plans, or following an incident/significant change in a customer’s circumstances
• Engaging customers to meet agreed outcomes and develop life skills
• Assisting customers with day-to-day support and tenancy-related matters
• Identifying and promoting opportunities for employment, education and training and supporting customers to remove barriers to accessing these opportunities
• Signposting customers to appropriate external support services, including interventions such as food banks and other community resources
• Supporting customers to be ‘tenancy ready’ to enable successful move on
• Supporting customers to be financially independent through budgeting plans and maximising income
• Supporting and monitoring customers’ healthcare needs, ensuring appropriate contact with healthcare professionals
• Empowering customers to move towards self-management of their medication by following the medication procedure
• Leading on support initiatives including Group Work
• Ensure the safety of our customers by following local safeguarding procedures, recognizing and acting on any significant risk, and escalating appropriately
• Record and update clear, factual, accurate, strengths based customer information on the local or appropriate digital platform

Service Delivery:

• Facilitate the referral process into the service and assess potential new customers
• Contribute to the delivery of a housing management service, including income collection and providing customers with tenancy-related support
• Work with customers to maintain a safe environment by reporting repairs and health and safety concerns
• Clean and prepare rooms as appropriate
• Resolve difficult and challenging situations in a sensitive and informed way, balancing the needs of the individual with responsibilities for the safety of the service
• Develop and maintain local partnerships to provide a holistic range of support for customer
• Carry out day-to-day administration and operational duties
• Other Information:
• You will be required to work flexible hours to meet customer and business needs, which may not include normal office hours
• You will be required to travel to different properties within the defined area as and when required
• Use the Lone Worker system as and when necessary
• Ensure customers are safe at all times - carrying out all of your duties within Riverside’s Policy and Procedure Policy and Procedure framework e.g. health & safety, safeguarding, dignity at work, GDPR opportunities, cash handling, etc
• Deliver your role in line with Riverside company values – “Our Riverside Way”
• Participate in team meetings, attend regular supervisions and reflecting practice sessions
• Undertake regular training and take responsibility for continuous development to enable you to deliver your role safely
• From time to time you may be required to undertake additional duties and responsibilities in consultation with your Line Manager

Person specification

Essential

• An understanding of the barriers faced by vulnerable and diverse customer groups and individuals with complex needs
• Experience of delivering structured support and risk management
• Be a team player with a caring, empathetic, flexible and have a resilient, can-do attitude
• Previous experience in positively resolving incidents
• Demonstrate initiative and confidence to make and act on decisions
• Competent administrative and IT skills (to be able to produce reports and other communications)

Desirable

• Knowledge of Psychological or Trauma Informed approaches to support
• Experience of working in challenging environments with the ability to plan, prioritise, organise tasks to achieve results
• Knowledge of current benefit systems
• Experience of working in a care and support environment