Leaving Care Housing Support Worker

Salary: £30,515 to £33,119 per annum
Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract – 1 Year until January 2028
Working Pattern: Full time – 37 hours per week
Location: Based at County Hall, Chichester or County Hall North, Horsham. (To be discussed at interview)

Internal candidates wishing to apply for this role will be considered for a secondment position. Please can you therefore discuss and agree this with your manager before applying for this position.

Are you experienced in supporting care leavers/young people who are at risk of becoming homeless?

Do you have excellent communication skills and are you great with IT? 

Then it might be you we are looking for…

As a Leaving Care Housing Support Worker, you will be engaging with our care leavers who are homeless or at risk, to support them to explore the options available to them. You will provide intensive support to help them to prioritise their housing needs and ensure they understand their housing options and the best matches that will offer them a good housing pathway. 

The support you will provide to our care leavers will be practical and may involve attending meetings, helping with budgeting, as well as understanding how they are better equipped to maintain a tenancy and address their homelessness difficulties.  

 

In this role you will work collaboratively alongside our Personal Advisors, as well as external agencies such as housing providers, substance misuse, adult social care, mental health workers and probation services to address the issues that are increasing care leavers risks of homelessness. 

Whilst this work can be very rewarding, it can also be emotionally demanding, for example, involving significant work dealing with vulnerable young people who can have complex needs.  The role could also involve exposure to challenging behaviour from our young people who access our services.

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do. Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including:

For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.

About you

To be successful in this role you need to:

• Experience of direct work with young people and the ability to work effectively with care leavers in crisis to provide a solution focussed approach.

• Extensive experience of working with young people/families at risk of homelessness. 

• The ability to manage casework for the children/young people ensuring that needs are reviewed, objectives are set and measuring progress of these. 

• Engage, communicate and work creatively in partnership with the children/young people we support, their support networks and partner organisation.

• Analyse and interpret complex data and information and make informed decisions, recommendations and prioritise on this basis to gain positive outcomes.  

• Experience of using a range of direct work interventions in crisis situations, working with young people and their families and or support networks.

• NVQ level 3 in Health and Social Care, or equivalent qualification/experience, demonstrating a level of ability in working with young people and families and or support networks.

• Valid and full driving licence.

• You will need to be able to travel independently around the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport. Pool cars and pool bikes are available.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description.

About us

At West Sussex County Council, we are ambitious for our children and our workforce. We are committed to improving our services for children and families in West Sussex that we support. You will be joining us at a key time on us improvement journey. The work we have started includes establishing a new and experienced leadership team driving forward our ‘Children First’ improvement plan.  The Care Leavers service is part of the overarching Children We Care For and Care Leavers Service, as we work together to improve how young people transition out of care.

We don’t underestimate the work that still needs to be done and the challenge ahead. That’s why we need professionals, like you, who really want to be part of the positive change that is happening. Be part of an ambitious improvement plan and make a significant difference to children and families in West Sussex. 

There has never been a more rewarding time to join.

Further information

The reference number for this role is 442.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Naomi Williams (Service Manager – Leaving Care) at [email protected]. For issues or queries regarding your application please contact [email protected].

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter. In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again. 

We recognise applicants may use AI tools to support their application. This might include assistance with structuring content, improving clarity, or checking spelling and grammar. The council values authentic applications, in your own words, which reflect your experience and skills and how these align with our values. During assessment and interview stages, candidates may be asked to expand upon, or demonstrate, the experience they have described in their application. To help you structure your responses, use this guidance on the STARR technique.

Applications found to contain misleading, false or wholly AI-generated content may be rejected.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application, please contact [email protected].

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.