Job Purpose
To provide high-quality, person-centred support to young people aged 16–17 and care leavers living in supported accommodation or independent settings. The Outreach Support Worker will promote safety, wellbeing, independence, resilience, and positive outcomes in line with each young person's Pathway Plan, Support Plan, Risk Assessment, and Local Authority requirements.
The post holder will support young people within their own accommodation and local communities, helping them develop practical life skills, prepare for adulthood, sustain tenancies, and achieve positive outcomes. All support will be delivered in accordance with the Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023, safeguarding legislation, company policies, and best practice guidance.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Supporting Young People
- Promote young people's rights, dignity, privacy, choice, independence, and participation.
- Support young people to achieve positive outcomes identified within their Pathway Plan, Support Plan, Education, Employment and Training (EET) plans, and personal goals.
- Support young people to develop independent living skills, including budgeting, cooking, healthy living, cleaning, personal care, shopping, appointment management, travel training, tenancy sustainment, and accessing community resources.
- Support young people to engage in education, employment, training, volunteering, and positive community activities.
- Promote physical health, emotional wellbeing, mental health awareness, and healthy lifestyles.
- Build positive relationships using trauma-informed, restorative, and strengths-based approaches.
- Ensure young people understand their rights, responsibilities, safeguarding procedures, complaints processes, and available support services.
- Conduct regular support sessions, welfare visits, and property visits in accordance with support plans and local authority requirements.
Safeguarding Responsibilities
- Safeguard young people from abuse, neglect, exploitation, radicalisation, discrimination, and significant harm.
- Identify, record, report, and respond to safeguarding concerns, including Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE), County Lines activity, missing episodes, contextual safeguarding concerns, online risks, self-harm, substance misuse, mental health concerns, domestic abuse, and peer-on-peer abuse.
- Follow safeguarding, missing person, and emergency procedures, escalating concerns appropriately and without delay.
- Contribute to risk assessments and ensure risk management plans are implemented and reviewed regularly.
Recording, Reporting and Communication
- Maintain accurate, professional, and timely records using the organisation's digital recording systems.
- Complete support session notes, welfare visit records, property inspection records, daily logs, incident reports, and safeguarding records within required timescales.
- Produce and submit weekly progress reports to allocated social workers.
- Prepare and contribute to three-monthly progress reports for Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs), social workers, Personal Advisers, and other relevant professionals.
- Attend and actively contribute to CIC Reviews, PEP Meetings, Pathway Plan Reviews, social worker visits, professionals' meetings, and other multi-agency meetings.
- Maintain effective communication with young people, colleagues, social workers, Personal Advisers, healthcare professionals, education providers, and external agencies.
- Respond to professional emails, telephone calls, and requests for information promptly, professionally, and within required timescales.
- Support young people to maintain safe and positive relationships with family, friends, and peers, and encourage participation in community activities and social networks, in line with their support plans and assessed levels of risk.
Property and Community Support
- Conduct regular health and safety checks, welfare visits, and property inspections to ensure young people are living in safe and suitable accommodation.
- Support young people to maintain their accommodation, manage utilities, understand tenancy responsibilities, and develop skills for independent living.
- Report maintenance concerns, property issues, health and safety risks, and safeguarding concerns promptly through the appropriate channels.
Professional Practice
- Work positively and collaboratively with colleagues, parents of the young person (family) and partner agencies to achieve positive outcomes for young people. Attend team meetings, supervision sessions, appraisals, briefings, and mandatory training.
- Maintain professional boundaries, confidentiality, and high standards of conduct always.
- Participate in continuous professional development and maintain mandatory training compliance.
- Work flexibly, including evenings, weekends, and bank holidays, according to service needs.
- Undertake any other duties reasonably required within the scope of the role.
Participation and House Management
- Facilitate and record monthly house meetings and encourage young people's participation in decisions affecting their lives.
- Support young people to raise concerns, complaints, compliments, and suggestions.
- Maintain a safe, clean, and welcoming environment, reporting maintenance, health and safety, or environmental concerns promptly.
Mandatory Training Requirements: The post holder must complete and maintain competency in all mandatory training, including:
- Company Induction
- Support Planning and Key Working
- Safeguarding Children Level 3
- Lone Working
- Child Exploitation and County Lines
- Missing from Care and Safe Return
- Prevent and Radicalisation Awareness
- Professional Boundaries
- Health and Safety Awareness
- Fire Safety
- Emergency First Aid
- Equality, Diversity and Human Rights
- GDPR and Information Sharing
- Whistleblowing
- Risk Assessment
- Communication and Record Keeping
- Trauma-Informed Practice
- Mental Health Awareness
- Self-Harm Awareness
- Substance Misuse Awareness
- Independent Living Skills (ILS)
- Positive Behaviour Support
- Medication Awareness (where applicable)
- Modern Slavery Awareness
- COSHH Awareness
Additional Benefits
- Fuel Allowance: £40 per week when using a personal vehicle for work purposes, subject to company policy (for Outreach Support Worker).
- Vehicle Wear and Tear Allowance: £30 per week when using a personal vehicle for work purposes, paid monthly with salary (for Outreach Support Worker).
Person Specification
Knowledge
- Understanding of the Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023.
- Knowledge of safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance.
- Understanding of child exploitation, county lines, contextual safeguarding, and missing protocols.
- Knowledge of trauma-informed and restorative approaches.
- Understanding of Pathway Planning and preparation for adulthood.
- Understanding of equality, diversity, inclusion, and anti-discriminatory practice.
Skills and Abilities
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to engage and motivate young people towards independence.
- Ability to maintain accurate digital records and professional reports.
- Ability to work independently and manage lone-working responsibilities.
- Ability to identify and respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns.
- Effective multi-agency working and partnership-building skills.
- Good organisational and time-management skills.
Experience
- Minimum 12 months' experience supporting vulnerable young people within a social care, supported accommodation, or outreach setting.
- Experience of safeguarding, risk management, report writing, and multi-agency working.
Education
- Good standard of written and spoken English and IT skills.
- Level 3 qualification in Health and Social Care, Children and Young People's Workforce, or willingness to work towards achieving the qualification.
Essential Requirements
- Full UK Driving Licence.
- Access to a reliable personal vehicle for work purposes.
- Ability to travel between service locations, including (Coventry, Solihull, Wolverhampton, Birmingham and surrounding areas.
- Enhanced DBS with Children's Barred List check.
- Right to work in the UK.
Special Requirements
- Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and bank holidays as required.
- Willing to relocate
- Compliance with company policies, procedures, dress code, and professional standards.
Pay: £13.80 per hour
Expected hours: 40.0 – 48.0 per week
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company car
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Birmingham, West Midlands: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)
Education:
- GCSE or equivalent (preferred)
Licence/Certification:
- Full UK Driving Licence (preferred)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (preferred)
Work Location: In person
