Development Worker: Connect Hub / Soft Edges

About Simon Community Scotland

Simon Community Scotland is the largest provider of homelessness services in Scotland. Our vision is for everyone to have a safe place to live, with access to the support they need. Every day we help make positive things happen for people facing extremely difficult circumstances. Everything we do is about and for people, the people we support, our staff, our partners and everyone affected by homelessness. Our values are built into every area of activity and tell the story of how people remain at the heart of the Simon Community.

Day by day, person-to-person, we tailor what we offer to what people need. We are here to provide consistent, friendly and informed support so that people can explore options and take ‘the next step’ towards a positive future. We offer support across a range of service delivery points; Street Outreach teams, Housing First initiatives, Floating Support, Information Hubs, Managed Alcohol Program (MAP), Supported Accommodations, Emergency Accommodation, Rapid Access Accommodation, and our own rented properties. These services are delivered across many local authorities within Glasgow, Edinburgh and Perth.

We welcome people with a wide range of skills and experiences to our team. To make a difference, we need to work flexibly, with everyday leadership and a ‘can-do’ approach. We want to make it right and make it happen – not only for the people we support, but also for each other.

Our #OneTeam ethos is core to who we are, and it means caring for and supporting each other regardless of our role, service or location. Find out more about our services here. https://www.simonscotland.org/get-help/our-support-services/

Service Delivery

At Simon Community Scotland, we believe in breaking down barriers and tailoring support to the real needs of women facing homelessness. Our services are grounded in trauma-informed, relationship-based, and gender-responsive practice. We work with women who may be navigating substance use, psychological distress, homelessness, gender based violence, and contact with the justice system, and need an offer of support that is grounded in compassion, understanding and flexibility.

We are seeking an experienced and values-driven Practitioner to lead and develop our outreach work within the Soft Edges project. This service is specifically designed to meet the needs of women that services historically struggle to serve, working in innovative and flexible ways to improve outcomes for women in crisis.

As an outreach practitioner you will work in a small, skilled team, directly supporting women while guiding and shaping trauma-informed and psychologically-informed practice. You will model assertive outreach principles and provide hands-on, flexible, non-judgemental support, alongside holding embedding and leading in reflective practice, advocacy, and the development of collaborative partnerships across Glasgow. Alongside this, your role will continually embed and participate in reflective practice, lead and plan collaborative multiagency meetings, whilst always holding women’s needs, wants and rights at the centre of the work.

This role bridges practice and development. You will work closely with the Service Coordinator, Service Lead, Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Psychologist and contribute to service development, research/evaluation, and cross organisational learning. You will play a key role in co-production, systems change, and influencing service design through the lived and living experience of the women we support.

Job Summary

The Simon Community is Scotland's leading homeless charity. We are creative and innovative. We get things done with care and compassion that make a difference to our community, being true to our values. We are a community of staff, volunteers and the people that we support.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about changing expectations and experiences of people we support, many of whom have experienced significant trauma, exclusion and stigma. They often engage in risk taking behaviours that put their physical and mental health, and their lives at risk. Despite the challenges they face they have incredible resilience, survival skills and a wicked sense of humour. They know what a good, and not so good service looks like.

You will be passionate about supporting and changing expectations and experiences of the women we support, many of whom have experienced significant trauma, exclusion and stigma.

As a Support Worker in homelessness services, you'll be instrumental in empowering women affected by homelessness, addiction, challenging mental health and trauma. You'll provide compassionate, person-centred support, guiding them towards securing safe and stable housing and developing tools to manage their challenges. Your role is vital in helping people access essential resources, build resilience, and ultimately live a life free from harm and abuse.

As part of our Team, you will be at the forefront of supporting women experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness, You will work collaboratively with partner agencies in a supportive environment. The role involves providing both practical and emotional support, helping women to secure accommodation, access benefits, and connect with a wide range of health, wellbeing, and advocacy services.

Our team builds strong professional relationships with local authorities, support providers, and other external partners to ensure our support is coordinated and effective. You will adopt a harm reduction approach, providing advice and Naloxone trained as needed.

Job Purpose

• Provide assertive outreach and key work support to women who face multiple barriers to accessing services, offering a safe, relational, and empowering approach.
• Play a key role in embedding psychologically-informed environments (PIE) and trauma-informed principles into everyday practice.
• Participating in reflective practice and investing in your own development through mentoring, coaching, and modelling best practice.
• Support meaningful co-production workstreams that ensure women with lived and living experience shape the service and ongoing improvement and development
• Collaborate with partners (e.g. health, social care, justice, VAWG services, housing) to ensure responsive, flexible and joined-up support.
• Contribute to service evaluation, monitoring and continuous improvement with a focus on equity, inclusion, and outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Direct Practice

• Developing honest and open relationships with our community that foster trust.
• Exercise our training and reflective practices to develop additional skills to support and respond appropriately to our community who have experienced trauma.
• Working with people with a wide range of experiences and cultural backgrounds with dignity, respect and kindness.
• Work as part of a team with a range of experiences and knowledge to the benefit of our community.
• Supporting our community to influence their care and support to meet their goals.
• Provide emotional and practical support as required.
• Fostering connection, hope, and a positive identity and meaning in life and a sense of control for our community.
• Working with other teams in SCS and with partners to support good outcomes for our community.
• Seeking opportunities that will make a difference to our community
• Any other duties directed Service Lead.

Practice Development

• Engage and contribute to reflective practice groups, support with psychological formulation sessions alongside Clinical Psychologist, and peer learning spaces.
• Lead by example in professional conduct, self-care, boundary setting, and resilience building.

Service Development and Co-Production

• Ensure lived experience and women's voices are central to service development and improvement.
• Work with the Service Coordinator and Service Lead to implement, monitor and refine the service model.
• Develop psychoeducational tools and feedback loops to increase understanding of trauma and pathways through and out of homelessness for women.

Partnership & Systems Change

• Build and maintain strong partnerships across statutory and third-sector services.
• Advocate for inclusive, responsive, and barrier-free services for women.
• Facilitate and represent the service at multi-agency meetings and forums ensuring logistics are suitable for all involved.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

• Support data collection, impact measurement and service evaluation.
• Lead learning reviews and contribute to reflective reports that highlight what works
• Contribute to research partnerships, learning events and shared practice platforms.

Our Values

Inclusion & Participations

We include everyone in the services and resources they need, regardless of their circumstances and ensure each person's voice and influence are heard and felt in everything that we do.

Personalised and Creative

Each person we support is an individual with unique circumstances, needs and future potential which requires a uniquely tailored response.

Warmth & Regard

We see beyond a person's current or past circumstances, recognising their inherent value, worth and potential as human beings.

Partnership & Collaboration

We know we need to work positively with others to deliver a truly inclusive and personalised approach, improve our response and add value to the experience of the people we support.

Supportive & Ambition

We encourage and support ambition, building on strengths to foster hope for the people we support as well as deliver growth and development for staff and volunteers

Development Worker - Core Competencies

Planning & Organising

• Create and manage personalised support plans for people, prioritising tasks and managing resources effectively to help them achieve their goals.
• Monitor progress against established goals and adjust support plans as needed to ensure the best possible outcomes.
• Maintain accurate and detailed records of your contacts using our NetSuite platform throughout your shift.

Resilience

• Advance despite adversity, responding to challenging and difficult situations with a calm, professional, and composed approach.
• Handle sensitive decisions with compassion and due regard for others, maintaining a positive and proactive attitude.

Motivation

• Act with care and compassion, demonstrating a clear commitment to the role and its importance in empowering individuals to live independently.
• Bring hope through your words and actions, helping to build trust and change public perception of the causes of homelessness.

Problem Solving

• Carefully analyse problems, breaking them down into parts to find practical, person-centred solutions.
• Innovate and be creative to find solutions that are a perfect fit for someone, irrespective of their background or the problem they are facing.
• When someone isn’t at their best, quickly recognise that there may be an underlying issue and find ways to respond with care.

Teamwork

• Work with colleagues in a supportive and collaborative way, fostering team togetherness and a positive, problem-solving vibe.
• Be a reliable member of the team, participating actively in group meetings and sharing insights to improve our service continuously.
• Foster positive relationships with our partners to ensure our support is coordinated and effective.

Communication & Digital Enablement

• Communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders, including service users, partners, and other colleagues, adapting your communication style to be clear, empathetic, and respectful.
• Encourage the participation and inclusion of the people you support by exploring choices and options with them in an accessible way.
• Embrace and champion digital inclusion, helping clients, staff, and volunteers to connect, understand, and use digital tools safely. You will use our GSuite, Chromebook, and smartphone to facilitate this.
• Play an active role in our social media strategy by helping to create blogs, videos, and posts to change society’s misconceptions about homelessness.

Person Specification

Training & Qualifications

Essential:

SVQ Level 3 or HNC level in Social Work, Community Education, Health, or related field OR equivalent experience

Desirable:

Training specifically on trauma informed practice or gendered approaches

Experience

Essential:

Experience in outreach/support work with people

Experience of working with women affected by homelessness, violence, trauma and/or substance use

Experience of working in a psychologically-informed or trauma-informed setting

Desirable:

Lived experience of homelessness, poverty, or service involvement

Service co-design or co-production projects

Knowledge & Skills

Essential:

Understanding of substance use, trauma, gender based violence and systemic violence women experience

Confident in providing support in crisis situations and safeguarding

Knowledge of relevant legislation, frameworks (e.g. Equally Safe, PIE, TIP)

Confident in supporting others’ learning and wellbeing

Desirable:

Understanding of reflective supervision

Knowledge of the impact of poverty and intersectional inequalities in access to services

Willingness to contribute to research and evaluation

Values & Behaviours

Essential:

Demonstrated commitment to inclusion, anti-oppression and feminist values

Personal integrity, warmth and emotional resilience, ability to work on your own own or part of a team, whilst advocating for the needs of the women being supported

Hold clear boundaries while understanding how this aligns with taking a trauma informed approach

Have a flexible approach to work with the changing needs of the women we are supporting whilst holding in mind a trauma informed personalised approach

Experience of embedding strategies to embed care for yourself and your team

A reflective, learning-focused approach

Desirable:

Understanding of reflective supervision

Knowledge of the impact of poverty and intersectional inequalities in access to services

Willingness to contribute to research and evaluation

For genuine occupational requirement reasons we are looking to appoint females only for these posts (exemption under the Equality Act 2010 Part 1 Schedule 9).