The Whiteley Homes Trust the Trust is a charity that manages Whiteley Village in Surrey. The purpose of the charity is to provide homes for older people of limited means from all over the country.Founded over a hundred years ago in Walton on Thames, Surrey, the Village is located in 225 acres of beautiful grounds and is a very special place to live and work. Established in 1917 the village has many Grade 2 listed buildings and provides housing for nearly 400 older people of limited means. There are 265 Almshouses and 51 extra care apartments and the Village also has a church, activity centre, pool, village hall, shop and community café. There is also a small number of market rented properties within the village We are looking for a Village Support Worker for up to six months to join our small, dedicated team. This role plays a vital part in championing and introducing new ways of working that help older people remain independent within our community for as long as possible. With a strong emphasis on customer service and resident satisfaction, you will often be the first point of contact for villagers. A caring, empathetic approach is essential, along with a commitment to supporting residents with their housing-related support needs and consistently demonstrating our core values in everything you do. Benefits of working for The Whiteley Homes Trust We value our employees and offer a generous package of benefits including: 33 days annual leave (including bank holidays), (pro-rata for part time employees) Extra day of leave each year (Trust Day) for William Whiteley's birthday Opportunity to buy and sell annual leave Generous Company Pension scheme Healthcare Cash Plan Company Sick Pay Blue Light Card Discounts Life Assurance Employee Assistance Programme Free car parking on site Key Responsibilities: Deliver and maintain a high standard of basic support services throughout the Village as required to ensure villagers maintain their independence. Undertake appropriate assessments of villagers support needs to ensure that each villagers personal care, recreational and social needs are met, whilst maintaining their personal dignity, choice and independence, signposting to care provisions available, via a social worker. Help deliver support to individual villagers in accordance with their individual support needs, regularly undertaking home visits Ensure accurate records are maintained on the central database and reviewed 6 monthly, and whenever changes to their support needs are identified. Identify those villagers with higher support needs and contribute to the delivery of services tailored to this particular group, such as operating a drop-in service and a check and chat service for frail villagers and villagers recently discharged from hospital. Assist villagers in accessing primary health care services and Social Service provision. Assist in the process of integrating new villagers into the Whiteley Village Community. Provide general advice regarding welfare benefits to residents and provide them with assistance to complete applications, where required. Work closely with other members of the Housing team in the planning and delivery of support services to residents Work proactively with external agencies, including Adult Social Care, regarding the needs and welfare of residents Raise Safeguarding Alerts with Surrey County Council, where necessary Deal with emergencies appropriately. Always demonstrate empathy and maintain confidentiality. Ensure that all concerns of villagers or their relatives are treated in a sympathetic and responsive manner and are documented and reported accordingly. Assist in the identification of social needs, hobbies and interests of villagers to improve their quality of life. Ensure all duties are carried out with regard to health and safety regulations and advising villagers of hazards within their homes. Undertakes other support duties that may be required to facilitate the safety, welfare and independence of villagers. Person specification Experience, Skills & Knowledge Required Good relationship building skills. Team player but with the ability to work alone with minimal supervision. An empathy for older people and enthusiasm for helping them to live well and independently. Basic understanding of external services which may be beneficial to residents and the drive to proactively source assistance as required. Basic experience and knowledge of Health & Safety. Minimum of 12 months experience of working within a supported housing environment or in a care role. A role model demonstrating the Trusts core values. A strong Can do approach. Good communication skills. Computer literacy. Desirable Ability to proactively solve problems to minimise the effect of neighbour disputes. Valid 1 st Aid qualification or willing to attend a course for this. Qualification from the Chartered Institute of Housing or equivalent demonstrable experience