Night Support Worker (Monday – Thursday)
Job description and person specification
Caring in Bristol
Contract: Full time, Permanen
Working hours: 48 hours per week over 4 Nights per week (Monday to Thursday). This will be a mix of sleep i and waking hours.
Starting salary: £25,265.76
Leave: 25 days plus bank holidays (pro rata)
Responsible to: Senior Project Coordinator
Location: 3 Pritchard Street, St Pauls, Bristol, BS2 8R
Conditions: Employmentis on the condition of a satisfactory Enhanced DBS Check (organised by Caring in Bristol) and employment references
Some of the benefits we offe:
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing with 3 years' service
• Flexible working arrangements
Enhanced 5% pension contribution
• Company sick pay, increasing with 1 year of service
• Individual learning & development budget
Group Reflective Practice
Who we are
Caring in Bristol began in 1987 as ‘Caring at Christmas’ – a grassroots movement born from urgency, compassion, and community action. What started as a group of Bristolians opening doors to people facing homelessness at Christmas when all other services were shut down, has grown into a city-wide charity working all year round.
That activist heart still drives us. Every winter, our flagship Christmas project offers warmth, safety and dig to hundreds, powered by an extraordinary team of volunteers. But our work doesn’t stop ther
Today, we focus on prevention, youth support and system change – tackling the root causes of homelessness with the same energy we bring to crisis intervention. We’re reaching people earlier, working alongsid communities and partnering across the city to build lasting impact.
We remain an independent charity, powered by passionate staff and a commitment to trauma-informed work. This sets us apart, allowing us to have meaningful relationships with individuals, communities and oth services, both VCSE and statutory.
Our vision: No one is homeless in our city.
Our mission:Uniting Bristol to end homelessness
Our values
We are curious...Homelessness interventions are most effective when we pay attention to what is going around us. We invest time and energy in understanding the political context in which we operate, th ecosystem of local provision, and the needs of the different communities of Bristol. Curiosity is also vital on a individual level; with the people we support. We listen to their needs, aspirations and wishes and togeth create a pathway to lasting change.
We are creative...We express our passion, skills and experience by bringing the positive energy of change to every person and group that faces challenges around housing insecurity and homelessness. Every person’s situation is unique. We reject a one size fits all approach and utilise our agility to generate innovative solutions. We commit to fresh thinking and co-creating tailor-made solutions that deliver a better future fo both individuals and our city.
We are tenacious...We understand that many circumstances around housing insecurity and homelessness, both structural and personal, can be deeply entrenched. They take time and effort to solve. We als understand that the external environment can and does shift, sometimes unexpectedly. We aim to crea lasting change rather than quick fixes. Our tenacious approach means working in a determined, strategic and methodical way. It enables us to remain focused on the end goal of lasting change. It inspires us to remai active and agile, so that we keep the people we work with and their developing needs at the centre of our actions. It ensures the changes which we create is both meaningful and authentic, to them and to the cit
We collaborate...A city where homelessness is ended depends on all of us. Collaboration here and now is the most effective way to achieve this in future. We are inspired by the power of community and connection. W work hard to create and hold safe and meaningful spaces for everyone involved with Caring in Bristol. Divers backgrounds, experiences and perspectives point towards a stronger future where the barriers to a safe an secure home must be removed; we want to hear them, learn from them and act on the
Job Summary
Z House is an exciting project run by Caring in Bristol, opening in July 2024. It provides emergency short-term accommodation for 18 – 25-year-olds in housing crisis, which is supplemented by daytime support to hel people move on to sustainable and appropriate accommodation.
Based in St Pauls, Z house fosters a safe and supportive environment where 4 young people can stay in th Night Shelter at a time until they obtain suitable accommodation. This Role is for 4 Nights a Week, Monday t Thursday, involving a mix of both Waking and Sleep -in hours.
Sometimes working alongside a volunteer, you will be responsible for providing a safe space, listening ea and support for young people using the service.
The role involves starting at 20:30, supporting our young people to settle for the evening before your sleep-in shift from 11:30pm until 07: 30 am, in the morning you’ll support the young people and our volunteers wit Breakfast and room changeover for the day, finishing your shift at 08.30am.
Shift Times Activity
20.30 – 23.30 Waking
23.30 – 07.30 Sleeping (dedicated night worker room with shower
07.30 - 08:30 Waking
Key responsibilities
Housing management
• Sign up and induct young people arriving outside of normal working hours
Ensure the health, safety and security of the building, colleagues, residents, and visitors; taki reasonable care to protect yourself and all other persons, complying with health and safety legislatio and procedures; seek guidance as necessary and highl ight any significant deficiencies to a senior colleague
Carry out any required health and safety, housing management, risk management, etc. monitoring keeping accurate and complete records throughout.
Identify and report defects in the buildings, furniture, and equipment to promote a safe worki environment in line with Health and Safety, following relevant procedures to remedy all defec
Contribute to the upkeep of services, ensuring young people’s rooms, communal and colleague areas are well maintained, serviced, safe and clean; maintain accurate and complete records. Supporting Young People
• Assisting Young people to achieve positive outcomes including stated support plan goals, liaising wit internal and external colleagues/organisations as required.
• Respond to requests and issues from young people, continually assessing housing needs and risks
• Provide support and guidance for young people as appropriate
• Promote the participation and involvement of young people within and outside the organisation elevate users’ voice in the delivery of the Z House service
Ensure all relevant records (including case-notes, safeguarding, incident, and other logs) are completed for all shifts.
• Providing detailed handover notes for the Young People in the shelte
Volunteer suppor
• To support and provide guidance to volunteers who will sometimes partner you on shi
• To be the point of contact for volunteers if they need to raise any concern
Other
You will be one part of a two-person Night Support Team, so communication and detailed recording of information is necessary for the team to deliver a high level of support to young people safely an effectively
• Ensure all shift tasks and processes are completed satisfactorily, including a comprehensive handove for the Z House Coordinator.
Safeguard the welfare of children, young people, and adults at risk, working within Caring in Bristol’ safeguarding policies, Southwest Child Protection Procedures, and local procedures for safeguardin adults at risk.
Carry out day-to-day administrative functions to ensure that all records and files are maintained an stored securely in line with the Data Protection legislatio
Provide a diverse and culturally sensitive service, ensuring that anti -discriminatory practice and equality of opportunity are promoted within all aspects of Caring in Bristol’s services. The list of tasks not exclusive, and duties may be varied from time to time, with the job description being subject t review and periodic amendments.
Personal Specification
We expect you to meet most of these criteria. However, we don’t expect you to meet every point and welcome applicants with transferrable skills and an ability to apply themselves in a new contex
Essential
• A desire and willingness to learn about the effects that experiencing homelessness have on youn people in our city
• A willingness to learn and uphold Caring in Bristol’s safeguarding Policies and Procedures
• Ability to listen to and communicate effectively with young peopl
• Able to record case notes accurately and clearly and safely handle data in line with Caring in Bristol’s GDPR policies
• Ability to remain calm in a crisis with the skills to deal with incidents or urgent situations safely a pragmatically
• Able to work with vulnerable people, operating with sensitivity as well as assertiveness maintaini professional boundaries
• A high attention to detail for health and safety issue
• High standards of cleanliness and housekeeping
• Effective communicato
Desirable
Experience of working with vulnerable young people
Experience of working with people from overrepresented communities in homelessness statistics su as those who identify as a part of the LGBTQ+ community, Young people who are experiencing displacement and those who are part of ethnically and culturally diverse communities
Experience working in supported accommodation
• Be able to demonstrateunderstanding of safeguarding principles and practice.
• Experience of working alongside and guiding volunteers with an understanding of how to do thi effectively
• Flexible problem solver, reliable and good at timekeeping
• Have a willingness to uphold Caring in Bristol’s values and work towards our overall mission
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Caring in Bristol believes strongly in equity and respect for every individual. We know there are som demographics under-represented in our workforce, and we are actively seeking ways to create accessible opportunities that expand the diversity of our staff and volunteers.
We welcome applications from everyone who meets the requirements of the Person Specification. Due to t
nature of our work, we especially encourage applications from people with lived experience of homelessnes
Caring in Bristol is an inclusive workplace that offers flexible working options wherever possible. We ar committed to actively supporting the wellbeing of our staff and encourage a healthy work/life balance. If yo require any reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please do let us know in you application form or send any queries to recruitment@caringinbristol.org.u.
How to apply
To apply, please submit a completed application form to recruitment@caringinbristol.org.ukwith the subjec line: Your Name – Night Support Worker.