Street Outreach Team Worker (homelessness services)

Change Grow Live delivers an integrated rough sleeper support service in Newham, providing a wide range of initiatives to ensure the best possible outcomes for people experiencing rough sleeping in Newham.

A fantastic, new opportunity has arisen to become an Outreach Caseworker, assertively engaging with individuals who are rough sleeping.

We are looking to recruit a passionate and motivated Outreach Caseworker to the team. Working in partnership with trusted local providers, the integrated rough sleeper support service provides outreach work, social care navigation, housing first services, accommodation, move-on support, a day centre, immigration advice and education, training and employment opportunities.

Location: Newham

Sessional Hours: 0

Sessional Salary: £19.85 per hour

* Full-time hours at Change Grow Live are 37.5 hours per week. For part-time roles, the salary and payments will be pro rata based on contracted hours.

About the role: 

Our ideal candidate will have the skills and experience to assess and engage with our service users, ensuring that they access the right intervention at the right time, in a way that best meets their needs.

A lot of the role is remote working and admin work can be done from home. Each Outreach Caseworker is usually on an early shift 1-3 times per week.  These are on the streets of Newham and currently start at 05:30. When seeing clients, you will be out and about, but admin work is done from home. 

Other Duties Include:

• Supporting service users from point of entry into the service and through their treatment/recovery journey 
• Providing screening, assessment, and recovery planning and onward referral 
• Reducing drug and alcohol related harm to service users and the wider community 
• Promoting carer, service user and community involvement 
• Providing advocacy for access to partnership services 
• Working with service users to support social (re)integration, enabling them to lead meaningful and purposeful lives: promoting recovery, resilience, peer support and self-determination 
• To identify and establish contact with rough sleepers working within protocols to rapidly assist service users through street outreach shifts at a variety of times and a range of locations
• To identify and establish contact with entrenched rough sleepers, including those unwilling to engage with services, providing assertive outreach
• To assist homeless service users to be discharged from hospital at an appropriate time by moving them into appropriate accommodation as quickly as possible
• To work closely with drug and alcohol teams to ensure that substance misusers and problem drinkers are able to access treatment
• To work with Mental Health Agencies to ensure that where appropriate, service users have access to address their mental health issues

About you:  

• Have a strong understanding of substance misuse issues and experience of working within a similar field 
• Understanding of the needs of people who are rough sleeping and/or begging
• Be an excellent communicator, both verbal and written with good IT skills 
• Proactive and able to work on own initiative with excellent time management and prioritising skills 
• Have a good working knowledge of mental health interventions, services, and good practice 
• Be a supportive team player with strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work in partnership with a wide range of professionals, agencies, and internal/external stakeholders 
• Ability to manage change successfully in a way that prioritises the needs of service users 
• Excellent communication, negotiation and advocacy skills
• Understand the importance of information governance processes and commit to follow and apply all necessary safeguards 
• Seek out learning opportunities to improve and broaden your professional knowledge and skills and to contribute and oversee the learning and development of others 

What we will give to you:

• 25 days holiday (+ bank holidays) rising by 1 day for each years’ service “Capped at 30 days”
• Paid ‘Wellness’ hour each week along with a ‘Wellness’ hub and Employee Assist Programme
• Contributory pension scheme
• Several benefits incl. discounts for shopping, cinema, holidays, etc.
• A friendly and supportive team
• Training, career development & progression opportunities
• Refer a friend scheme and receive £250 in vouchers if candidate is successful

Please read attached Job Description for a more detailed out line of responsibilities and Person Specifications 

Please note: This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK at the time of application. For applicants with time-limited visas, unfortunately, we are unable to support new visa applications or extensions. More information about eligible roles and occupations can be found here: Skilled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK

If this sounds like you and you would like to begin your journey with Change Grow Live, then we would love to talk to you. 

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Direct applications only — we will not be engaging agencies for this vacancy.