Simon Community Scotland is the largest provider of homelessness services in Scotland. Our vision is for everyone to have a safe place to live, with access to the support they need. Every day we help make positive things happen for people facing extremely difficult circumstances. Everything we do is about and for people, the people we support, our staff, our partners and everyone affected by homelessness. Our values are built into every area of activity and tell the story of how people remain at the heart of Simon Community.
Day by day, person-to-person, we tailor what we offer to what people need. We are here to provide consistent, friendly and informed support so that people can explore options and take 'the next step' towards a positive future. We offer support across a range of service delivery points; Street Outreach teams, Housing First initiatives, Floating Support, Information Hubs, Managed Alcohol Program (MAP), Supported Accommodations, Emergency Accommodation, Rapid Access Accommodation, and our own rented properties. These services are delivered across many local authorities within Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, Edinburgh and Perth.
We welcome people with a wide range of skills and experiences to our team. To make a difference, we need to work flexibly, with everyday leadership and a 'can-do' approach. We want to make it right and make it happen – not only for the people we support, but also for each other.
Our #OneTeam ethos is core to who we are, and it means caring for and supporting each other regardless of our role, service or location. Find out more about our services here.
Our Support Services
Job Purpose
The Support Worker role is to support and engage with people to manage and recover their mental health, in line with our trauma-informed approach. You will help people with safer substance use and assist them with the process when they choose to stop. You will assist our people to build a positive network of connections to enable them to gain and sustain their own housing.
As a Support Worker, you will provide work alongside people impacted by homelessness, addiction, mental health challenges and trauma. You will provide guidance and assistance to the people we support to achieve their goals of securing safe housing and accessing the necessary support to feel secure, manage their challenges and live an independent life free from harm or abuse.
The Women’s Homelessness Accommodation Support Worker provides safe, compassionate, and trauma-informed support to women experiencing homelessness. Working within a psychologically informed environment (PIE), the role focuses on building trust, promoting stability, and supporting women to move towards greater independence, safety, and wellbeing.
This is a frontline role within a 24/7 accommodation service, requiring flexibility, emotional intelligence, and a strong commitment to women-centred, strengths-based practice. This is a hands-on role that requires compassion, patience, and the ability to stay calm in difficult situations.
Shift patterns are: Day, Mid, Late, Sleepover (emergency accommodation only) and night shift. Our shift patterns vary from service to service and some services have an element of lone working throughout the shifts.
This is a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Part 1 of the Equality Act, as the role involves providing personal and emotional support to women who have experienced trauma, violence, and homelessness, within a women-only accommodation service.
Job Summary
You will be passionate about supporting and changing expectations and experiences of people we support, many of whom have experienced significant trauma, exclusion and stigma.
As a Support Worker in homelessness services, you'll be instrumental in empowering individuals affected by homelessness, addiction, challenging mental health and trauma. You'll provide compassionate, person-centred support, guiding them towards securing safe and stable housing and developing tools to manage their challenges. Your role is vital in helping people access essential resources, build resilience, and ultimately live a life free from harm and abuse.
As part of our Team, you will be at the forefront of supporting people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. You will work collaboratively with partner agencies in a supportive environment. The role involves providing both practical and emotional support, helping individuals to secure accommodation, access benefits, and connect with a wide range of health, wellbeing, and advocacy services.
Our team builds strong professional relationships with local authorities, support providers, and other external partners to ensure our support is coordinated and effective. You will adopt a harm reduction approach, providing advice and Naloxone trained as needed.
Key Responsibilities
1. Developing honest and open relationships with our community that foster trust.
2. Exercise our training and reflective practices to develop additional skills to support and respond appropriately to our community who have experienced trauma.
3. Working with people with a wide range of experiences and cultural backgrounds with dignity, respect and kindness.
4. Work as part of a team with a range of experiences and knowledge to the benefit of our community.
5. Supporting our community to influence their care and support to meet their goals.
6. Provide emotional and practical support as required.
7. Fostering connection, hope, and a positive identity and meaning in life and a sense of control for our community.
8. Working with other teams in SCS and with partners to support good outcomes for our community.
9. Seeking opportunities that will make a difference to our community.
10. Any other duties directed by the Service Lead.
Our Values
Inclusion & Participation
We include everyone in the services and resources they need, regardless of their circumstances and ensure each person's voice and influence are heard and felt in everything that we do.
Personalised & Creative
Each person we support is an individual with unique circumstances, needs and future potential which requires a uniquely tailored response.
Warmth & Regard
We see beyond a person's current or past circumstances, recognising their inherent value, worth and potential as human beings.
Partnership & Collaboration
We know we need to work positively with others to deliver a truly inclusive and personalised approach, improve our response and add value to the experience of the people we support.
Supportive & Ambitious
We encourage and support ambition, building on strengths to foster hope for the people we support as well as deliver growth and development for staff and volunteers.
Core Competencies
Planning and Organising
11. Create and manage personalised support plans for people, prioritising tasks and managing resources effectively to help them achieve their goals.
12. Monitor progress against established goals and adjust support plans as needed to ensure the best possible outcomes.
13. Maintain accurate and detailed records of your contacts using our Netsuite platform throughout your shift.
Resilience
14. Advance despite adversity, responding to challenging and difficult situations with a calm, professional, and composed approach.
15. Handle sensitive decisions with compassion and due regard for others, maintaining a positive and proactive attitude.
Motivation
16. Act with care and compassion, demonstrating a clear commitment to the role and its importance in empowering individuals to live independently.
17. Bring hope through your words and actions, helping to build trust and change public perception of the causes of rough sleeping.
Problem Solving
18. Carefully analyse problems, breaking them down into parts to find practical, person-centred solutions.
19. Innovate and be creative to find solutions that are a perfect fit for someone, irrespective of their background of the problem they are facing.
20. When someone isn't at their best, quickly recognise that there may be an underlying issue and find ways to respond with care.
Teamwork
21. Work with colleagues in a supportive and collaborative way, fostering team togetherness and a positive, problem-solving vibe.
22. Be a reliable member of the team, participating actively in group meetings and sharing insights to improve our service continuously.
23. Foster positive relationships with our partners to ensure our support is coordinated and effective.
Communication & Digital Enablement
24. Communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders, including service users, partners, and other colleagues, adapting your communication style to be clear, empathetic, and respectful.
25. Encourage the participation and inclusion of the people you support by exploring choices and options with them in an accessible way.
26. Embrace and champion digital inclusion, helping clients, staff, and volunteers to connect, understand, and use digital tools safely. You will use our GSuite, Chromebook, and smartphone to facilitate this.
27. Play an active role in our social media strategy by helping to create blogs, videos, and posts to change society's misonceptions about homelessness.
Person Specification
Training & Qualification
Essential
28. SVQ 3 social care or willing to work towards qualification
29. SSSC registered
30. Ability to work within the parameters of the SSSC Code of Practice
Desirable
31. Trauma informed practice
32. ASIST / MHFA / SafeTalk trained
33. Naloxone trained
34. Mental health or addictions qualifications
35. De-escalation skills
Experience
Essential
36. Experience of providing support to people with a ranges of challenges; homelessness, mental health, trauma and addictions
37. Experience of working in a fast paced environment which requires quick decision making
38. Experience in managing and resolving conflict in a safe, calm manner
Desirable
39. Experience of working across multi-agencies
40. Networking and connecting skills
Knowledge & Skills
Essential
41. Experience of working with people with a variety of individual and cultural beliefs
42. Ability to use empathy and relational skills to build positive relationships with our community and colleagues
43. Understanding of and ability to work within ethical and relational boundaries
44. Knowledge and understanding of homelessness, addictions and mental health
45. Evidence of good communication skills, written and verbal
46. Worked with a range of digital systems
Desirable
47. Understanding of services that support homelessness, addictions and mental health
48. Use of GSuite systems
Personal
Essential
49. A good team player with the ability to lead by example
50. Manage adversity while working in a complex ecosystem
51. Flexible, responsive
52. Honest, ethical and keen to overcome obstacles
53. Have the ability to reflect on your practice
Desirable
54. A desire to learn and to develop innovative practice