Senior supported housing Officer

37.5 hours per week / £ 24,100

Cornerstone’s mission

Cornerstone is a regional charity that supports hundreds of people each year. We are a well-respected, growing organisation dedicated to supporting the most vulnerable people across the North East

We began as a housing charity supporting people who were homeless in the North East 15 years ago.

Our widely admired furniture making venture began in 2012 in a shed built in the yard of one of our six supported houses at that time. Since then, our housing has increased to 36 homes and a 9,000 sq ft Leaning and training complex and a high street store with drop in and training facilities in Hartlepool. The charity’s services have grown and developed to support people experiencing a wide range of personal challenges, including homelessness, addiction and recovery programs, employment guidance, employment training, and genuine employment opportunities for service users, help for people on release from prison or on probation, and support for people experiencing sexual exploitation or domestic abuse.

We’re looking for committed and compassionate professionals who share our enthusiasm for changing lives.

Job Role

The candidate will be responsible for supporting a team of supported housing staff and overseeing the day to day running of our supported housing service based in Hartlepool and County Durham. The role is vital in ensuring that teams are working effectively with clients and alongside partner agencies; ensuring safeguarding issues are addressed, and quality and performance targets are kept on track. In addition, they will have their own client caseload. The candidate will also be responsible for ensuring health and safety obligations are met, repairs and maintenance is scheduled as required, service charges accounts are monitored and managed effectively, and voids are filled in accordance with the organisational policies and procedures.

Job Responsibility 

• Line manage and provide essential support and supervision to a team of supported housing Workers, to ensure they can provide a consistent and person centred service to clients
• Manage the smooth running of referrals and assessment into the accommodation pathway to ensure that residents have a fluid transitionary experience and their needs appropriately met
• Manage the service waiting list and allocate clients to a specific Support Worker and property, as and when they become available
• Carry a caseload of clients producing their risk assessment and support plans, carrying out one to one session’s for support
• Review and feedback on all risk assessments and support plans produced by the team, ensuring that the support planning and risk management policy and procedure guidance is followed in full.
• Provide support and guidance to the housing staff to ensure tenants are suitably equipped for their own tenancy and move on to education and/or employment.
• Under guidance of the service manager, to hold responsibility for the operational delivery of the housing management function across the organisation’s property portfolio, including arranging responsive repairs and maintenance to keep properties maintained to a high standards and complaint with relevant legislation and regulations
• Support the housing staff to address breaches of tenure, issuing sanctions and warnings to residents as needed, especially where these relate to rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, health and safety
• Maintaining occupancy rates across all properties
• Developing positive relationships with partner organisations to improve service outcomes
• Ensure that all safeguarding issues are addressed and reported, and partner agencies are notified where there is requirement to do so
• Take responsibility for the housing stock and report on repair and maintenance issues and ensure the fabric of all Cornerstone buildings are maintained appropriately – liaising with contractors and other team members as and when required.
• Provide support and supervision to colleagues and develop individual training and development plans. Undertake annual personal development reviews, as required
• Maintain accurate records such as reports and meeting minutesfor the monitoring and evaluation of performance and quality,assisting the Services Manager to produce statistical data and written reports on service performance
• Undertake other duties within the spirit of the post, as required by the Services Manager and assist in the implementation of service delivery changes

General Responsibilities

• Operate within Cornerstone’s policies and procedures and ensure colleagues are aware of and operate within the policies
• Organise and participate in relevant training sessions, management meetings and events, as required.
• To ensure service user confidentiality whilst maintaining accurate client notes, files and records and make this information readily available for review
• To develop the knowledge and ability to work within the statutory framework relevant to the client group
• To ensure the structure, values and ethos of the organisation are adhered to
• To carry out risk assessments and participate in risk management in accordance with Cornerstone’s policies
• To operate within clear professional and confidentiality boundaries and to work within Cornerstone’s code of conduct
• To incorporate Equal Opportunities policy and anti-discriminatory practice

Personal and Professional Development

• To participate in regular supervision, team meetings and annual performance review and other meetings as required.
• To be responsible for own personal and professional development, to identify training and development needs and to be willing to undertake training where a need has been identified and agreed with the line manager, to ensure that an effective service is provided.
• To maintain knowledge and keep up-to-date of change in policy, practice and relevant legislation and inform the Manager of these changes.
• To be able to work outside normal shift patterns as required to cover staff holidays/sickness
• To undertake any other reasonable duties as directed by the Manager

Person Specification – The person specification should be read in conjunction with the job description. It is used at the short listing and interview stages to decide how suitable each candidate is to take on the role.