Role overview

You will be working within our Housing team to deliver an effective advice service for young people. You should be experienced in delivering housing advice within a youth and community or other relevant setting, of supporting clients with multiple and complex needs, and have a proven track record of referring and progressing vulnerable people into suitable accommodation. 

Key details

• Contract type and hours: Permanent. The role is full-time, 35 hours per week Monday to Friday. Some work over the Christmas period will also be required.
• Salary: The starting salary for the role is £31,200. The salary scale is £31,200 to £34,736 pro rata.
• Location: New Horizon Youth Centre, 68 Chalton Street, London, NW1 1JR.
• Application deadline: 9am, Wednesday 12 February 2025 *or earlier if enough applications are received, so apply as soon as possible*

How to apply

• Read through all the information on this page
• When you are ready, complete our application form below:
  • Complete the diversity and adjustment questions
  • Upload your CV. This must not include your name in the document or in the file name, or any contact details or references. This must be no more than 2 pages.
  • Submit your supporting statement into the box marked 'cover letter'. This must be no more than 2 A4 pages, or 1500 words, and must not contain your name, address or contact details. We recommend drafting it in a different document and copying and pasting when you are ready to submit.

Key objectives:

• To deliver an effective Housing Advice service to young people accessing New Horizon Youth Centre, carrying out thorough assessments of need and enabling young people to move on into independence.
• To maintain and build a network of relationships with relevant external agencies and internal specialists.
• To increase accommodation options for young people, both through NHYC’s own projects and with external partners and make appropriate referrals into accommodation and external specialist services.

Reporting to: Service Manager and Head of Services (Housing)

Main tasks and responsibilities

Young people's services

Delivering a housing advice service to young people with multiple needs. This will include:

1. Working to ensure young people receive a high-quality service from the point of registration to move-on. Taking a hands-on approach to dealing with complex or difficult cases.
2. Carrying out thorough needs assessments with young people accessing the service in order to refer young people into appropriate accommodation and to external specialist services.
3. Providing young people with expert advice and guidance relating to their housing situation. Monitoring and evaluating young people’s progress.
4. Engaging other relevant external partners, able to provide accommodation and other move on opportunities to young people.
5. Referring young people to other internal New Horizon Youth Centre teams in order to support their progression, including Health, Youth Work, Outreach and Jobs, Education and Training.
6. Providing advocacy and referring young people to a wide range of specialist external advice services including around advocacy, substance misuse, mental health, immigration, counselling, financial/debt advice, and legal services.
7. Attending regular briefings, team meetings, reflective practice and clinical supervision, both with NHYC and project partners. Ensuring that Health and Safety or safeguarding issues are addressed at all times.

Sharing best practice

To proactively share best practice with internal and external stakeholders in order to maximise the impact of the work of NHYC. This will include:

1. Identifying and acting to maximise NHYC’s profile by seeking out and responding to opportunities with specialists and agencies who might offer resources, funding, or individual services relevant to client needs.
2. Promoting and representing NHYC at relevant forums, meetings and events.

Information management

To produce and maintain accurate and useful information in a range of formats in order to promote effective service delivery and evaluation. This will include:

1. Recording all contacts with clients appropriately and maintaining all relevant files and recording systems.
2. Producing written reports in a variety of formats to meet the requirements of NHYC, external service providers and funders, e.g., project reviews and assessment reports.
3. Inputting and extracting information from client monitoring systems and other accounting and database systems. Utilising other relevant software for the production of reports.
4. Being self-servicing in day-to-day administration, and following team and NHYC’s administrative procedures.

Reviewing personal and professional development needs

To be proactive in reviewing and evaluating own performance and identifying and acting upon areas for improvement. This will include:

1. Reviewing and evaluating own performance to identify strengths and areas for development. Identifying own learning/development needs and opportunities.
2. Undertaking development and training opportunities and being responsible for obtaining maximum benefit through review, reflection and practice.
3. Taking a proactive approach to supervision including regular line management supervision, team meetings, team reflective practice and clinical supervision.

Other

To contribute positively and constructively to the development of the team, the service and the centre. This will include:

1. Covering for other members of the team where necessary.
2. Following NHYC’s policies, procedures and performance expectations in all functions of the post.
3. Undertaking as required any other duties compatible with the level and nature of the post and/or reasonably required by the Service Manager, Head of Services, Director of Operations or CEO.

Person specification

We are looking for an individual who can demonstrate the following competencies to a high level and want to use these to the full in their work.

Essential experience, skills and knowledge

1. Ability to work effectively with young people facing homelessness to identify personal goals and support mechanisms for change including for those young people with multiple complex issues.
2. Experience of delivering specialist housing advice services within a youth, community or other relevant setting.
3. Proven track record of assessing, referring, advocating and progressing vulnerable people into stable accommodation outcomes.
4. A working knowledge of accommodation options and referral pathways relevant to the client group.
5. Experience of working in partnership with both internal and external stakeholders in order to deliver specific projects or achieve organisational aims and objectives.
6. Ability to maintain enthusiasm for a high level of contact with clients on a day-to-day basis and a genuine interest in helping vulnerable people/young people to make changes in their life to move towards independent living.
7. Experience and knowledge around safeguarding policy and procedures for children and vulnerable adults.
8. Knowledge of health and safety issues in a working environment.
9. A working knowledge of and commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as it applies to a supportive service and in the workplace.
10. Understanding of the kinds of challenging behaviour that clients might demonstrate and ability to deliver strategies for dealing with such behaviour.
11. Experience of using IT systems (including knowledge of databases) to support the achievement of personal and collective work goals.

Desirable experience, skills and knowledge

1. Thorough and up-to-date working knowledge of:
   1. Local and National Government policies and procedures in relation to the client group.
   2. Relevant local and national organisations and their role/responsibilities in providing support to vulnerable young people.
   3. The benefits system and how this impacts young people.
2. Knowledge of working to performance indicators, including monitoring and reporting on service outputs/outcomes, client tracking, analysing performance information, and identifying corrective action.

Additional requirements

1. Willingness and ability to work outside of normal office hours on occasion (within New Horizon’s flexible working hour’s arrangements) and over the Christmas period.
2. Willingness to work flexibly in response to changing organisational requirements.
3. Willingness to travel to different sites in London.

Timescales and how to apply

Dates

• Closing date for applications: 9am, Wednesday 12 February 2025. *We may close recruitment slightly early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.*
• Shortlisted candidates will be informed: Friday 14 February 2025
• Interviews: Friday 21 February 2025

Application process

1. Complete the application form below
2. Upload your CV setting out your career history, education or qualifications, and other key responsibilities or achievements. DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME OR INITIALS IN THE DOCUMENT FILE NAME
3. Write a cover letter / supporting statement (no more than 1500 words) highlighting your suitability for the role and how you meet the ESSENTIAL criteria listed on the Person Specification, and any additional relevant desirable points you wish to share. This is an important part of your application so must be completed. We recommend you work on this in another text file (such as Word) and copy and paste it into this box when you are ready to submit.

We do not consider incomplete applications.

You will be notified if you have not been shortlisted. However, we are unfortunately unable to provide each individual application with feedback.

If you have any questions or would like to arrange a call to discuss the role, please feel free to email us at recruitment@nhyouthcentre.org.uk or call 0207 388 5560.

Click here to see the job pack in PDF format or the job pack in Word format.