Youth Support Worker

Proactive support. Proven outcomes. The Ember Project is a new supported accommodation service for young people aged 1625. We are small, we are just starting, and we are deliberately built around one idea: every young person who comes to us should leave more capable than they arrived and we should be able to prove it. That is not a slogan we put on a wall.

It is how we plan, how we record, and how we measure whether we are doing a good job. If a young person moves on able to cook, budget, manage a tenancy, hold an appointment and speak up for themselves, we have succeeded. If they move on the same as they came in, we have not. We are looking for Key Workers who feel the same way about that.

The role You will be the person a young person actually knows. Not a name on a rota the person who notices they have gone quiet, who chases the college place, who sits with them the third time the bank card gets lost, and who genuinely celebrates the first meal they cook without help. Day to day, you will:
Hold a small caseload and lead the key-work relationship with those young people Deliver planned key-work sessions on independence skills budgeting, cooking, health, housing, education, employment and training, relationships, staying safe Build support plans with young people rather than for them. Their voice comes first in everything we write; your professional view supports it, it doesn't replace it Record clearly and honestly progress, setbacks, incidents and outcomes because good recording is how we evidence a young person's growth Support young people to access education, training, employment, health services and their local community Recognise and act on safeguarding and risk concerns, and escalate confidently when needed Work alongside social workers, personal advisors, health, education and other professionals Keep the home somewhere a young person is proud to live practical support with the property, the routines and the day-to-day What we are actually looking for Experience helps.

Attitude decides it. Our staff work independently, often alone in the home with a young person. There is no colleague on the next desk to pick up the slack. That means we need people who:
Are proactive. You see what needs doing and you do it, rather than logging it for someone else Care visibly. Young people can tell within a week who means it. So can we Bring solutions, not just problems. When something isn't working, we want you coming to management with an idea. We would rather hear "here's what I think we should try" than "thought you should know" Are consistent.

Turning up, on time, in the same mood, every time for a young person who has had a lot of adults who didn't Can hold a boundary kindly. Warm and firm at the same time Write things down properly. Clear, factual, on time Essential Genuine interest in and empathy for care-experienced and vulnerable young people Ability to work on your own initiative and stay calm under pressure Good written English and confident basic IT skills (recording is done digitally) Willingness to complete an enhanced DBS check and provide full references Right to work in the UK 18 (due to the nature of the role and lone working) Desirable not essential, we will train you Previous experience in supported accommodation, residential childcare, youth work, homelessness, social care, education or a related field Level 3 Health and Social Care (Children and Young People) or equivalent, or willingness to work towards it Understanding of trauma-informed practice Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle (essential) We welcome applications from people whose experience comes from life rather than a CV, including care-experienced applicants.

What you get from us We ask a lot…