FWH Case Worker

Job Description and Person Specification for Faithworks Homelessness (FWH) Case Worker

Hours:

18 hours per week (Monday to Wednesday working). Permanent Contract.

Salary: £/hour (£27,475-£28,090 pa pro rata), plus pension & benefits

Location:

Bournemouth, with some travel across BCP

Reports to:

FWH Team leader

At Faithworks, we believe that nobody should face hardship alone. And within FWH, our specific approach builds on that and is shown in the strapline:
Changing homelessness together, one life at a time.

Our homelessness work exists to help people get off the street, stay off the street, and rebuild lives filled with hope, purpose and community. Through our Half-Time service, practical support, casework, Thursday Club, Safe Sleep provision and partnerships with local churches and agencies, we walk alongside people experiencing homelessness and help them move towards a more stable future. We want to see them flourish in mind, body and spirit, so our welcome and care for our “guests” is key.

Alongside helping people move away from rough sleeping, we are increasingly focused on preventing repeat homelessness through community integration, friendship and support networks, and long-term relational support.

The FWH Case Worker plays a key role in delivering Faithworks' Half-Time service and associated homelessness support activities.

They will work directly with guests, providing triage, assessments, team talks, casework and ongoing support. They will help people navigate housing, benefits, health services and other support systems whilst ensuring that each guest is treated with dignity, compassion and respect.

The role involves building trusting relationships, developing realistic action plans, maintaining accurate records, working closely with partner organisations and contributing to a welcoming, trauma-informed environment where people can begin to move away from homelessness.

Our two key aims are:

To listen, assess, prioritize, plan, and pray (if appropriate), offering a viable and realistic choice for our guests to help people get off the street and into safer, more stable accommodation.

To help people stay off the street by building confidence, resilience, positive relationships and hope for the future.

The case worker will relate brilliantly to not only our “guests”, staff and volunteers but also to partners from both churches and statutory partners. And they will also be someone who is “always ready to give a reason for the hope that is within them”.

• Act as an initial point of contact for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
• Respond to enquiries received through the Faithworks homelessness helpline and other referral routes.
• Carry out triage conversations and initial assessments to understand needs, risks and priorities.
• Arrange and deliver appointments with guests at Half-Time and other agreed locations.
• Build positive and trusting relationships with guests from a wide range of backgrounds.
• Identify safeguarding concerns and elevate appropriately.

• Deliver Team Talk appointments with guests, helping them tell their story, identify priorities and develop realistic next steps.
• Use Life Scores and other assessment tools to understand needs, make risk assessments, and measure progress.
• Develop and deliver person-centred support plans.
• Support guests to access accommodation, benefits, healthcare, recovery services, training, employment and wider community opportunities.
• Provide ongoing casework support for guests requiring a longer-term response.
• Work alongside colleagues to assign Safe Sleep emergency accommodation provision where appropriate.
• Support guests to…