Live-in Support Worker — Supported Living (Young Adults with EBD)
Overview
We provide supported living for young adults aged 18–30 with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD), many of whom have experienced trauma, care placements, or disrupted education.
This is a peer-style support role. The young people we work with respond best to someone closer to their own stage of life — someone who can share a flat with them, kick a ball around, sit through a two-hour gaming session, and talk about jobs, relationships and money as someone still working that out themselves rather than as an authority figure. We particularly welcome applications from people early in their careers, and from those with lived experience of the care system.
You don't need a care background. You need resilience, boundaries, and the ability to stay calm when things get difficult.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be 18 or over
- Right to work in the UK
- Enhanced DBS check required — we arrange and pay for this
What the role actually involves
- Building a trusting, professional relationship with one or two young people, using a trauma-informed approach
- Sharing the day-to-day of a home: cooking together, sorting the shopping, splitting the chores, being there in the evenings
- Coaching independence skills — budgeting, laundry, travel training, booking and attending appointments, dealing with post and admin
- Supporting emotional regulation and de-escalating incidents using agreed strategies
- Getting alongside them in things they care about: sport, gym, gaming, music, college, driving lessons, work
- Encouraging engagement with education, training, volunteering or employment
- Prompting or administering medication in line with support plans and MAR charts
- Supporting access to healthcare and mental health services, advocating alongside them where needed
- Keeping clear daily records, incident reports and handover notes
- Safeguarding — recognising concerns and reporting them promptly
- Working with social workers, mental health teams, housing, probation and family where appropriate
- Driving to appointments and activities
What we're looking for
- Someone who can hold clear boundaries while staying warm and non-judgemental
- Emotional resilience — there will be verbal aggression, refusal, and days that go badly
- Genuine interest in the things young adults are into, and the confidence to join in rather than supervise
- Reliability above all: showing up consistently matters more here than any qualification
- Decent written communication for records and multi-agency work
- Willingness to train in de-escalation and physical intervention (Team Teach / MAPA / PMVA), first aid and safeguarding
- Full UK driving licence preferred
Helpful but not essential
- Any experience with young people — youth work, sports coaching, mentoring, teaching assistant, residential childcare, support work
- Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care, Residential Childcare or Youth Work
- Understanding of trauma-informed practice, attachment or positive behaviour support
- Lived experience of care, or of the challenges our young people face
Pay: £12.71 per hour
Benefits:
Application question(s):
- What is your date of birth?
- Do you have UK nationality?
- Do you have the right to work in the UK without the need for sponsorship?
- Do you have an enhanced DBS on the update service?
- Do you have a full UK driving license (mandatory)?
Work Location: In person
