Link Worker
Location: Liverpool – Lister Road
Salary: £25,290.72 per annum
Hours: 38.6 hours per week, shifts from 8am-8pm including weekends and bank holidays
Job Type: Permanent
Shortlisting: 28th April
Interview: w/c 28th April
Why this role would be great for you
As a Link Worker at YMCA Together you will naturally be an empathetic and caring person wanting to provide unconditional support for those experiencing homelessness and addiction issues. Your role as a Link Worker will be to be alongside our Support Practitioners and residents to create a safe environment that empowers residents to make positive changes in their lives.
What your week may look like
Assisting our Support Practitioners in welcoming new residents in line with the service’s policies and procedures.
Ensuring the basic needs of residents are met including good quality accommodation and facilities, healthy food, advice and guidance on health and wellbeing.
Carrying out one to one meetings and developing workshops to inform to residents on how to manage a tenancy, their home, wellbeing and identify the help needed to work towards living independently
Advocate for social inclusion of the people you support ensuring they are able to access health and financial support and being alongside people to attend appointments
Ensuring Housing Benefit and Services Charges are collected and managed effectively
Assisting residents with housekeeping, welfare and room checks
Work alongside our Support Practitioners to review and update resident support and behaviour plans including risk assessments
Work alongside the people in our services to address their physical and mental health issues, including engaging with primary and secondary health care providers
Ensuring all health and safety and maintenance issues are raised in a timely manner
Participating in team meetings, supervisions and reflective practice encouraging open, honest and transparent feedback where continuous improvement is encouraged.
Being flexible and responsive to the changing needs of the service, ensuring our SHREK values runs through all of the work that you do
Promoting a supportive and inclusive culture within the service, valuing people and their diversity.
What we can we offer you
Working with YMCA Together comes will a whole host of benefits. We hope that people will find deep personal fulfilment and purpose by working with alongside people in our services. Our teams are compassionate and supportive, fostering a strong sense of community. With opportunities for professional growth, YMCA together offers training to support your role and personal development.
For a full list of benefits see here: Careers Page | YMCA Together
The skills we are looking for
EXPERIENCE– Ideally you will have a background of working within a charity, community project and/or previous involvement in the homelessness sector. You will have knowledge around supporting people with challenging and complex behaviours including substance misuse and Mental Health within a 24 hour residential support service
KNOWLEDGE – A basic understanding of relevant and appropriate legislation, including welfare benefits and housing law. An understanding of health and safety requirements in the workplace
COMMUNICATION – Excellent communication, fostering a respectful, collaborative and professional approach to the people who you work alongside ensuring confidentiality at all times
EMPATHY and RESPECT – The ability to empower people to make positive changes, showing empathy whilst maintaining professional boundaries
COMMITMENT – The ability to work in an innovative and solutions focused way, including reflecting and learning as you go, and a willingness to flex and adapt approaches as needed
ORGANISATION – Strong time management and the ability to manage to prioritise tasks
COMPUTER LITERACY – You will be IT literate and have experience of working with multiple software programs such as Microsoft Office and Outlook.
What is a nice to have
NVQ/L2 in Health and Social Care or equivalent
Experience of working within a psychologically informed working environment
Knowledge of housing management and IT databases
Awareness of benefits and how they work including Universal Credit and other welfare systems
Even if you don’t feel that you have all of the relevant skills and “nice to haves” we would still like to hear from you and invite you to fill out our application form.
YMCA Together is an equal opportunities employer, values diversity and is strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, regardless of age, disability, gender, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation.