About the Role
Are you passionate about supporting people experiencing homelessness to make positive changes and move towards a safer, more stable future? Do you have experience working with people affected by substance misuse and complex needs, and the commitment to engage with individuals who may face significant barriers to accessing support?
We have an exciting opportunity to join the Rough Sleepers Initiative in Canterbury as a Rough Sleeper Recovery Worker, supporting adults aged 18 and over who are experiencing homelessness and drug and alcohol issues.
Working alongside outreach workers within a multi-agency setting, you will provide specialist, person-centred support to individuals sleeping rough or at risk of homelessness. Your focus will be on helping people move away from the streets and into suitable accommodation, while preventing street homelessness wherever possible. You will work with individuals experiencing complex challenges, building trusting relationships and helping them access the treatment, healthcare and wider support they need.
You will manage a small caseload of individuals with the most complex needs, providing intensive, tailored support to help them engage with services and work towards recovery. Using both harm reduction and abstinence-based approaches, you will deliver interventions that reflect each person's circumstances, needs and goals.
Your responsibilities will include completing comprehensive assessments, developing risk management plans and implementing SMART care plans. You will provide appropriate harm reduction advice and guidance, deliver structured one-to-one interventions and facilitate group-work sessions to encourage engagement, reduce risks and support positive change.
An important part of the role will be working collaboratively with outreach workers and partner agencies to develop effective pathways into treatment and support services for people who may be difficult to engage. You will also share your specialist knowledge by providing advice, guidance and training to other outreach workers, helping to strengthen their confidence and effectiveness in supporting individuals with complex needs.
Through effective partnership working with healthcare services, Probation, Housing Options Teams and other community organisations, you will help coordinate care and promote continuity of support. You will play a key role in ensuring that individuals receive joined-up support to address their substance misuse, health, housing and wider wellbeing needs.
You will contribute to achieving the targets set by Forward and the Rough Sleepers Initiative, with a particular focus on measuring outcomes and demonstrating positive progress for the people you support. Building strong working relationships with partner agencies will be essential to delivering effective interventions and achieving sustainable outcomes.
The role will cover the Canterbury District, with occasional travel outside the area where necessary to support clients placed in emergency accommodation elsewhere. Flexibility is essential, and working hours may include early mornings, late evenings and weekends.
This is a rewarding opportunity to make a meaningful difference to some of the most vulnerable members of our community, helping people move away from rough sleeping, access treatment and take steps towards lasting recovery and stability.
About You
You will be an enthusiastic, empathetic and resilient practitioner with experience in substance misuse services and a genuine commitment to supporting people experiencing homelessness and multiple disadvantages. You will understand the complex challenges faced by people sleeping rough and be confident working with individuals who may have experienced trauma, exclusion and difficulties engaging with services.
You will be proactive and organised, with the ability to assess situations promptly, identify risks, develop appropriate support plans and take practical action in complex and sometimes unpredictable circumstances. You will understand the importance of professional boundaries while building trusting, respectful relationships that empower individuals to engage with treatment and work towards their own goals.
You will also bring:
- Experience in substance misuse services, with an understanding of the needs of people affected by drug and alcohol use and the challenges associated with homelessness.
- Assessment and care planning skills, including experience of completing comprehensive assessments, developing risk management plans and designing and implementing SMART care plans.
- Strong harm reduction experience, including delivering interventions and providing advice to help individuals reduce the risks associated with substance use.
- Knowledge of substance-related risks, including the effects of different substances, drug combinations, routes of administration and interactions between substance use and mental health conditions.
- Experience delivering structured interventions to support engagement, positive behaviour change and recovery.
- Group facilitation skills, with experience delivering group-work sessions and creating an inclusive, supportive environment.
- Motivational interviewing skills, with experience using these techniques in both one-to-one and group settings to encourage engagement and help individuals identify their own motivations for change.
- An understanding of homelessness and rough sleeping, including the barriers people face when accessing accommodation, treatment, healthcare and wider support services.
- Knowledge of continuity of care and holistic support, with the ability to work collaboratively with healthcare providers, housing services, Probation and other partner agencies.
- Knowledge of the Recovery Agenda, with a commitment to person-centred support and recognising that recovery looks different for every individual.
- Strong IT skills, including the ability to maintain accurate records, complete documentation and contribute to monitoring outcomes and service performance.
- Knowledge of safeguarding, including the ability to recognise concerns, assess risks and follow appropriate safeguarding procedures.
Above all, you will be passionate about helping people who are often excluded from traditional services to access the support they need. You will be flexible, non-judgemental and committed to working in partnership with individuals and other professionals to reduce harm, improve engagement and create opportunities for lasting change.