social worker London, England
Job description
About Us
akt is the UK’s national LGBTQ Youth Homelessness charity. We provide safe homes, mentoring, and support to ensure that no young person needs to choose between a safe home and being who they are. Currently 24% of young people facing homelessness in the UK identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender, and 77% cite abuse and rejection by their families after coming out as the primary reason for seeking help. The charity was founded in 1989 and operates service centres in London, Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol and works online through a digital service providing support and opportunities for e-mentoring across the UK. akt works with over 2,000 vulnerable young people a year providing both face to face and online assistance.
Job Summary
- To triage new referrals, prioritise need and allocate new cases to the Services team.
- To manage your own caseload of young people.
- To carry out holistic assessments of the needs of young LGBTQ+ people who are homeless, vulnerably housed, or in a hostile environment, and to provide advice, support and advocacy to resolve housing or related issues.
- Offer support to volunteers and social work students to welcome them and integrate them within akt Services team.
- Contribute to and maintain resources and signposting routes to enable young people to engage with appropriate services.
- Finding accommodation options and housing solutions for young people and being creative in sourcing new accommodation routes and building relationships with accommodation providers in cooperation with the Services team.
Key Tasks
- Ability to deputise for Services Manager when required including supervision of volunteers and students.
- Provide casework with young people who are in crisis by empowering them to assert their rights and providing advocacy when they meet barriers to their housing rights and benefit entitlements.
- Managing expectations of young people by advising them on their legal rights and options and where they can access specialist support as required.
- Maintain up to date case notes and records of work carried out with young people.
- Maintain a thorough and up to date knowledge of housing and homelessness legislation, including Part VII homelessness applications, legislation pertaining to 16 & 17 year olds (including Section 20 looked after young people) and ensure this knowledge is shared across the Services team.
- Advocate on behalf of young people to ensure they are included and consulted in all service planning and delivery.
- Take an active role in Services meetings at an operational level.
More information about the job can be found in the job information document attached to the advert.
Application deadline: midnight (12pm) on Sunday 13th August 2023
Interviews: Monday 21st August 2023
