Telephone Support Worker - Full Time

Job description

Job responsibilities

Hours of work: Full time x 2 positions. Helpline works to a rotating shift pattern, covering our 24/7 service opening hours on a full time, or part time basis Salary: £25,958 with progression to £28,662 per annum (salary will be pro-rata for part time hours) Location: Hybrid - Day shifts at Waterside House, Sunderland. Night shifts and weekends are home based** (All staff work across a 4 week rotating rota basis, available positions all include night shifts and you will have a set rota) Do you have experience and passion for supporting people who might be going through a difficult time? Do you truly want to make a difference to people's lives? Our Mental Health Helpline provides a vital listening ear and crisis de-escalation on behalf of a number of NHS Trusts and we are looking for empathetic people to join us in providing this life changing support. Ideally the successful candidate will hold a Counselling Certificate at a minimum Level 2, with a willingness to work toward a Level 3 Diploma within the first 6 months. You will have some experience within the mental health industry, in either a voluntary or professional capacity. Experience in other social care sectors such as substance misuse and housing will also be considered. If you do not have Level 2 Counselling qualification, but have extensive experience working in a social care field that involves care planning and risk assessing of emotional support needs, please consider applying and we will review your application. It is important that you can demonstrate experience of assessing and acting upon risk as well as providing emotional support to individuals in distress. Please outline how your experience matches the person specification in your supporting statement. Office shifts can start as early as 6.45 am, please consider your method of transport before applying. 2 x Full time rota's consists of a mixed of days, mid and night shifts across a 7 day period. Other responsibilities include: * To make decisions under pressure whilst communicating with the individual. * To assess a situation and determine the degree of crisis, needs of the individual caller, and appropriate response. * To accurately record referrals and details of calls on relevant electronic systems. * To work in line with performance targets and key contractual requirements. * To communicate with external stakeholders as required. Please refer to the attached job description for full job details. About you We are looking for a candidate with proven communication skills and a confident manner. You will be articulate and hold a Counselling Certificate Level 2, or equivalent, and be willing to complete Counselling Level 3 within the first 6 months of your employment. The ideal candidate will have experience of providing a service over the telephone to a range of individuals, including those in distress. If you do not have Level 2 counselling but have extensive experience working in a social care field that involves care planning and risk assessing of emotional support needs, please consider applying and we will review your application. You will have an excellent telephone manner and be able to actively listen, question and respond. For this role you will need to have genuine empathy towards mental health issues and be keen to challenge the stigma surrounding mental health. Our Helpline service operates 24 hours per day, all 365 days of the year and our staff work on a rota basis, covering days, evenings, night shifts and weekends. Part time hours, to include all shifts, are also available. Please refer to the attached job description for full details on person specification for this role. What we offer You will go through our comprehensive, (mostly) in-person training program in your first 4 weeks of employment which will give you the tools you need to succeed in the role, as well as offering a great opportunity to get to know your new colleagues. *Please note you must be available to attend the minimum 4 week (mostly) in person training programme, Monday - Friday 9am-5pm, at our offices in Sunderland* How to Apply We operate Safer Recruitment processes, so if you are interested in this role, you will need to apply via our online application form. Please ensure you answer all of the mandatory questions, and attach your personal statement showing how you meet the person specification criteria. This can be done on a separate document and uploaded as part of your application supporting documents.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Level 2 Certificate in Counselling, with a willingness to work towards a Level 3 Diploma in Counselling within the first 6 months of employment

Desirable

• Level 3 Counselling Diploma or equivalent

Experience

Essential

• Experience in care/support work
• Good working knowledge of statutory/non statutory agencies
• Basic knowledge of community care and mental health issues
• Experience of record keeping
• Genuine empathy to mental health problems

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Mental Health Matters

Address

Waterside House Wearfield, Sunderland SR5 2TZ

Sunderland

SR5 2TZ

Employer's website

https://www.mhm.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)