JOB DESCRIPTION
Post: Support Worker
Reporting to: Support Coordinator
Line Management Responsibility: Volunteers when working together.
Hours per week: 37.5 hours
Salary Scale: £26,500 - 27,474 Pro rata per annum depending on experience.
Working hours: 37.5 hours weekly Monday to Sunday between the hours of 8am and 7pm including weekends, and bank holiday working.
Closing Date: 22nd May 2026 with interviews being held w/c 25th May 2026.
Overall purpose of the job
The Support Worker role is to provide practical support and guidance to service users who have experienced homelessness. The support will be effective and responsive to equip individuals to move on independently.
The role will involve partnership working with relevant agencies for a joined-up approach.
Key Responsibilities:
· Assess the needs of homeless individuals approaching CHESS for support and help the team identify suitable applicants for CHESS accommodation.
· Deliver high quality support and guidance, developing support plans with individuals, that reflect their ambitions and aspirations with clear actions for achieving these.
· Make appropriate referrals to agencies regarding accommodation and specialist support.
· Assist in providing broader homelessness prevention services including giving advice, support, advocacy, making homeless applications and contributing to eviction prevention work as assigned from time to time.
· Effectively and professionally manage a case load of residents as allocated.
· Work to maintain expertise in regard to what accommodation options are available and ensure residents understand their rights and options. Providing information and advice on welfare rights, housing options, tenancy rights and responsibilities, and advocacy and assertiveness skills support in these areas.
· Work with clients to identify their own housing issues, give advice and support them in addressing these issues.
· Actively support residents to achieve tangible progress in areas such as tenancy management, independent living skills and training/education.
· Assist with the transfer of moves for service users in, out and within CHESS accommodation.
Service Delivery:
· To ensure residents receive a welcoming, supportive and positive experience whilst accessing CHESS services.
· To build warm, positive relationships with service users, keeping their best interests at heart.
· To complete support referrals, risk assessments, support plans and meetings.
· To ensure all service users have an accurate, fully maintained electronic case file.
· Contribute to risk assessments and safeguarding plans.
· Provide person-centred support to help residents achieve personal goals and aspirations for independent living, training, employment and education.
· To work with clients to improve skills and overcome barriers so they are able to successfully move on to independent housing
· Working with residents throughout their stay in CHESS accommodation with regular meetings focussed on clients working towards personal goals and celebrating success.
· Motivating and facilitating residents to be actively involved in meaningful daytime activity including skills development, training, volunteering, employment, healthy activities.
· Working with residents to help them learn, or improve, their practical life skills (eg budgeting, paying bills, planning meals) needed for their survival in independent housing.
· To support and promote diversity and equality of opportunity in the workplace.
Team Work:
· To attend and participate in regular team meetings.
· To participate in regular support & supervision sessions
· To attend appropriate training courses and participate in skill sharing sessions within the team.
Partnership working:
· To liaise with voluntary and statutory agencies to develop good working relationships and promote co-working strategies where appropriate. Acting as a point of contact for other agencies working with the individual. Plan interventions flexibly to meet individual needs.
· Work alongside partners and key stakeholders to ensure clients are receiving the necessary support so that they can apply for housing and sustain their tenancies.
· Encourage client’s involvement in the development and operation of the service, facilitating appropriate consultation and participation, at all times promoting good practice in relation to client participation.
· Participate in assessing and reviewing future housing and support needs, identifying and coordinating internal and external services and referrals in response to these.
· To work alongside and direct volunteers
· To represent CHESS in the local community and develop opportunities for CHESS service users.
· To support the work of the Fundraising Team as required in promoting CHESS’s services to the local community, press and media agencies and attending events wherever possible.
PROPERTY AND HOUSING MANAGEMENT
· Create and manage a welcoming, psychologically informed home environment for residents and service users, ensuring a continuous focus on safety, health, and wellbeing.
· Ensure the accommodation in which residents live is clean and maintained to a high standard.
· To assist with the smooth running of the property, which involves regular room and house checks, light cleaning and lifting.
· Assist as necessary in the practical aspects of the running of other CHESS accommodation services to ensure service user wellbeing, monitoring of health and safety standards at the accommodation and maintenance of good relationships with our neighbours.
General:
· At all times have a strong awareness and understanding of CHESS’ policies, including health & safety, equal opportunities, diversity & inclusion, data protection and processing and volunteering.
· CHESS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. Making reports to the safeguarding officer as necessary.
· To adhere to the code of conduct and policies set out by CHESS to ensure the safe provision of services to single homeless people in Essex.
· To work alone as necessary, following the lone working policy and procedure.
Person Specification
1. Behavioural Competencies
· A proactive, solution focused attitude
· Self-motivated and self-disciplined
· Focus on achieving results for clients and funders
· High level of persuasive and negotiating skills- Able to resolve conflict
· Tenacity and an innovative attitude
· Be able to work alone following the lone working policy and procedure
· Must have good interpersonal/communication skills and be able to work within a team.
· Desire to learn new skills and navigate IT systems
· Confidential
· To be able to represent the Charity and its Ethos in the community
· Able to deal with challenging behaviour in a calm manner.
2. Experience, Education and Training
Essential
· Understanding of or experience of working face to face with vulnerable people.
· Ability to assess clients risks and needs and produce support pathways and plans
· Ability to manage difficult situations, and deal with them calmly, efficiently and effectively.
· Competent at working with Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel and Outlook
· Good knowledge of voluntary sector services and statutory rights of homeless people
· Ability to accurately record data
· Networking and developing relationships with community agencies
· Understanding of safe-guarding procedures
· Good time management and organisational skills
· Ability to stay focussed and efficient in the face of changing priorities
· Knowledge of health and safety requirements
· Full driving UK licence
Desirable
· Previous charity experience and working with volunteers
· Knowledge of the Homelessness Star
· Knowledge of safeguarding adults procedures and recognising the signs of abuse/risk.
This job description is not exhaustive, and you may be required to perform other tasks as required
Other requirements for the role:
A full driving licence is required for this post to facilitate house checks, support activities and moves
This role is subject to the satisfactory completion of a DBS check
This job description is a general outline of the duties and responsibilities of the post holder and may be amended by CHESS Homeless as the service develops and the expectations of the role change. The post holder may be required to undertake other duties as may reasonably be required from time to time.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £26,500.00-£27,474.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Health & wellbeing programme
- On-site parking
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Chelmsford, Essex: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Application question(s):
- Do you have experience of using Microsoft 265, particularly Outlook, Word, Teams?
Experience:
- Homeless Support: 1 year (required)
Licence/Certification:
- Full UK Driving Licence (required)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
