Senior Support Worker, BHT Sussex: Archway service

Are you looking for a rewarding and interesting job within a friendly and supportive team? Do you have excellent interpersonal skills and feel motivated to help people with mental health needs to find their feet and move forwards positively? Interested in contributing to positive service delivery?

If so, BHT Sussex is looking for Senior Support Worker to join our team at Archway.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Support Worker to play a vital role in providing support at Archway, a residential service for adults with mental health care and support needs in Hove.

Position: Senior Support Worker

Location: Archway, Sackville Gardens, Hove

Salary: £29,175 made up of £27,745 (SP 49) and anti-social hours enhancement of £1430 per annum. Participation in on call rota £22 per weekday and £45 per weekend day

Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Closing Date: 16th October

Interview Date: 22nd October

The role operates on a two week rolling rota and includes Early (9-5pm) and Late (12-8pm) shifts. This role includes working weekends and bank holidays.

Rota patterns generally provide staff with alternative weekends off.

(Please note that shift times may vary and the hours listed are to provide applicants with a general idea of average shift times, days worked are dependent on an individual’s rota pattern)

About the role:

As a Senior Support Worker, you will be working for a people-led organisation whose mission and values is to inspire change across Sussex. You will be supporting the team and clients with the delivery of person-centred care and support to empower people to live with greater independence and to improve their wellbeing.

Archway is a residential service offering 24-hour support for those with mental health care and support needs. The service provides holistic person centred and recovery focused care, which encourages independence by focusing on clients’ strengths and goals. We work closely with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust adult mental health services to meet the needs of clients. We help bridge the gap between hospital and the community by encouraging people to develop a greater understanding of what keeps them well, safe and motivated, and we value collaborative working and co-production. The support the service offers to clients includes 1:1 support via a keyworker and team support, support to maintain positive mental and physical wellbeing, medication administration, the provision of food and meal support, development of daily living skills, budgeting support including welfare benefits, social and wellbeing activities, and support to identify future accommodation opportunities.

Archway consists of three residential properties in Hove. This role will work across the Sackville Gardens services:

Step Down (Sackville Gardens) is a 5-bed service providing short-term (up to 16 weeks), intensive support for people who are medically fit to leave hospital and need support to develop their independence to move into longer-term accommodation.

Sackville Gardens is a 5-bed service providing placements up to 2-years for people requiring 24-hour residential care and support with the aim of helping clients move on to less supported accommodation. This is a new addition to the Archway service.

Portland Road is a 9-bed service providing placements up to 2-years for people requiring 24-hr residential care and support with the aim of helping clients move on to less supported accommodation.

Archway is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and have a rating of ‘Outstanding’.

A quote from an Archway client:

“Archway has changed my life for the better. Being at Archway has made me more confident, aware of my own circumstances and helped me move away from a bad time.”

As a Senior Support Worker at Archway, you will provide collaborative support and practical assistance to vulnerable clients with mental health diagnoses and complex support needs. You will work in a psychologically and trauma informed way to promote personal development and empower individuals to achieve their goals and move on. You will undertake numerous tasks such as, supporting clients in their transition in and out of the service, providing support to clients to settle into the community post-discharge such as setting up benefits and bank accounts, promoting meaningful engagement, coordinating the daily diary and tasks, attending appointments, key working, co-producing outcomes star support plans and risk assessments, supporting to maintain health and safety, the safe administration of medications, facilitating reflective practice and continuous development.

The Senior Support Worker will work in line with the project’s manager and deputy manager, to provide support and guidance to a team of mental health recovery workers, volunteers, interns, and students. You will also play a pivotal role in supporting and developing the team, leading shifts and helping the team to advance their knowledge and skills, while you become a specialist in specific lead areas.

Key Responsibilities:

To be successful in the role of Senior Support Worker you will need to have great communication skills and be committed to the values of the organisation. Some of the key skills and experience you will need to bring with you include:

• To provide an excellent standard of emotional, practical, and housing related support to clients using a positive, empowering, recovery focused approach.
• Confidentiality coordinate a team to complete daily tasks and ongoing service development activities. Including medication administration and health and safety.
• To liaise with benefits agencies, move on services and other relevant statutory and voluntary agencies in providing support to clients.
• Provide 1:1 support to a case load of clients and lead with client move in-out task management.
• Facilitate reflective practice and supervision to volunteers, interns and students
• To develop comprehensive risk assessments for clients, ensuring these are kept up to date.
• Collaboratively create support plans with clients using Outcome Star and SMART goals with a strengths-based recovery approach.

To participate in a work rota, which will include shifts and weekend working.

To participate in a management on call rota.

To work within all BHT Sussex policy and project procedures. To undertake such duties appropriate to the grade and character of the work as may be reasonably required.

Person Specification:

• Significant experience of providing emotional and practical support to vulnerable adults who have complex needs.
• Experience developing structured and person-centred support plans in collaboration with clients.
• Ability to effectively and confidently coordinate a team to complete daily tasks.
• Thorough understanding of risk management and health and safety and the ability to implement policy and protocol.
• Manage difficulty with a solution-focused, proactive and reflective approach.

In return:

In recognition of our commitment to staff, BHT Sussex has been awarded Gold Accreditation from Investors in People. We are also signed up to the Disability Confident employer scheme and have made the Mental Health at Work commitment.

You will also receive a fantastic benefits package including:

• 5.5% stakeholder pension scheme and life assurance scheme
• Medical cash plan with Medicash
• Access to BHT Learning & Development platform
• Free and confidential employee assistance helpline for both personal and work-related concerns
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Free new starter 28-day Network Saver Brighton bus pass
• Generous holiday allowance starting at 27 days per annum pro rata, rising 1 day for each year of service to a maximum of 32 days pro rata
• The opportunity to participate in well-being and fundraising activities throughout the year

BHT Sussex is an equal opportunities employer using a fair and open recruitment process that fully complies with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. We are committed to encouraging equality, equity, inclusion, and diversity within the workplace. As an employer we are committed to promoting and supporting our people’s social, physical and psychological health at work. Please let us know if you require any special arrangements or reasonable adjustments if called for interview. BHT Sussex welcomes applications from individuals with lived experience.

An Enhanced with Adults DBS Check (Disclosure and Barring Service) is required on all successful applicants as a condition of employment for this post.