SUPPORT PRACTITIONER | DIRECT ACCESS SERVICES

About Us Aberdeen Cyrenians have provided front-line services and care in the North East for over 50+ years, empowering vulnerable and socially excluded people, to overcome their personal challenges, make informed choices, and move towards positive outcomes, promoting dignity, inclusiveness, and equality throughout communities. Our organisation exists to support anyone and everyone who is facing difficulty and we provide a wide range of life-changing services including support to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, have experienced abuse, are at risk of violence, are at high financial risk, struggling with mental health issues, struggling with substance addiction, social exclusion or involved in the justice system. You can find out more about our organisation and our impact at Job title: Support Practitioner | Direct Access Service Responsible to: Service Manager Hours of work: Full-time (36.5 hours per week) Salary: £22,620 Spinal point: 24 SSSC registration level: Practitioner Required qualifications: A qualification of N/SVQ3 in Care, or equivalent or the willingness and ability to attain this within five years Main responsibilities: To support the Team Leader in delivering a responsive and empowering Direct Access Service through person centred and trauma informed practice; providing practical and emotional support to people in crisis and enabling longer term outcomes including social inclusion, increased independence, and resilience. Job activities •Support service users to reduce and overcome any barriers and exclusion they may be facing through crisis intervention and preventative 1:1 case work •Support service users to address and meet their basic humanistic needs (food, clothing, warmth, shelter, etc) •Form and develop professional relationships with service users, to gather accurate information and identify individual needs, goals and risk assessment •Utilise effective communication skills and risk management to pre-empt and de-escalate accidents and incidents •Ensure accurate service user records and case management are maintained in accordance with organisational and national standards and applicable legislation • Practice homelessness prevention through human rights and personalised support planning •Ensure that service users’ views remain paramount and that potential obstacles and barriers such as communication, finance, literacy, numeracy and digital access are assessed and addressed •Liaise with a range of agencies on behalf of service users, including but not limited to social work, housing, health, police, courts, legal services, utility companies, debt agencies, Department for Work & Pensions, other voluntary sector organisations and professionals to ensure a seamless service is delivered •Support and mentor our volunteers to develop their roles and responsibilities reflecting organisational values and opportunities •Work with service users to manage debts, budget and maximise their income •Encourage and empower service users to engage in appropriate education, training and employment opportunities •Support service users with / lived experience of/ substance misuse and or mental health issues including appropriate referrals to other services/agencies where required •Assist in the protection of service users from risk of harm and work with other agencies to ensure appropriate Safeguarding •Carry out other relevant work commensurate with the post as required Essential Role Requirements and Quality Standards •A qualification of N/SVQ3 in Care, or equivalent or the willingness and ability to attain this within five years •Experience in a social care, trauma informed environment in a voluntary or paid capacity •Have an understanding of current social justice issues i.e., homelessness, mental health, substance misuse, social isolation and exclusion •Literacy, numeracy and IT skills at a level to maintain all appropriate records, professional communication and provide budgeting guidance •Maintain professional confidentiality and boundaries at all times •Be willing to develop skills used when supporting people through reflective practice, personal and professional development and supervision •Register with the Scottish Social Services Council and work to all appropriate legislation and standards, service delivery and impact reporting frameworks and regulatory requirements including Health and Social Care, Food Safety, Environmental Health and Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator Key Capabilities •Interpersonal understanding – listens and understands expressed feelings; demonstrates concern for others; encourages others to express themselves •Emotional awareness – manages strong emotions and responds constructively; keeps own feelings in check; deals with stress •Flexibility – adapts easily to changes at work; modifies behaviour in response to a situation; sees the merits of differing viewpoints •Initiative – takes responsibility; looks ahead and anticipates what needs to be done; is able to assess and manage risks •Team working – contributes fully to team work; establishes positive relationships with the team •Working within Professional Boundaries – Demonstrates professional curiosity; accepts responsibility for own work; seeks and uses professional support; understands the principle of confidentiality •Developing others – case management responsibility for developing service users’ skills; encourages initiatives in problem solving and making informed choices Systems •Inform -Professional recording and maintenance of records in relation to service user case management •CareSkills/ Learning Management System- Organisational and service specific training •Microsoft 365: Word, Excel, Email, SharePoint, Teams Aims, Values and Behaviours •To be respectful of and work in accordance with the core values and behaviours of the organisation •To respect and work in accordance with our Equality and Diversity Policy and ensure its promotion in the course of your daily work •Have a duty to take care of your own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by your actions at work You can expect the following working for us: Comprehensive training through our online Learning Management System Opportunity to pursue on the job qualifications and career progression Online timesheets and expenses We are a Living Wage Foundation accredited employer - pay is reviewed annually each April Benefits including Bike to Work Scheme and an Employee Assistance programme A warm and friendly team environment where everyone is valued. Mileage paid at the national rate. It's important to us that we recruit people who share our values and who want to make a difference. Our interview process is designed to get to know you better and to find out why you want to work for us. If you are nervous, please don't be - there are no right or wrong answers. Because we work with vulnerable people, we have a responsibility to safeguard them. We undertake background and reference checks, and it is a term of employment with us that all employees register with the Protecting Vulnerable Groups ("PVG") scheme operated by Disclosure Scotland. We guarantee an interview to candidates who have lived experience within the areas of society and the issues that we support and those who are care experienced, subject to meeting the minimum criteria for the role. We're an equal opportunities employer and value diversity - exclusion has no place in our workplaces. If you need us to make reasonable adjustments to allow you to attend an interview with us, just . We regret that due to current Home Office rules, we are not able to sponsor applicants for this role, so you must be eligible to live and work in the UK without sponsorship. The closing date for this position is 5pm on 27th September 2024 We review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert early should sufficient applications be received.