Outreach Worker

Role overview

In addition to the 50+ young people we see every day out our centre, New Horizon’s Outreach service also works with young people on the streets and in the community. The team works pan London to deliver a youth-specific outreach service to young people currently or at risk of rough sleeping. We use our extensive housing expertise to place those young people into accommodation that is appropriate and safe whilst encouraging them to access the day centre to benefit from the wide range of services we offer.

Please note, the role includes twice weekly street-based outreach shifts, including a requirement for very early mornings (sometimes from 5am) and late evenings (sometimes until 1am).

Key details

• Contract type and hours: permanent, full-time 35 hours per week.
• Salary: £31,200-£34,736
• Location: New Horizon Youth Centre, 68 Chalton Street, London, NW1 1JR. Regular travel across London will be required.
• Application deadline: 9am, Friday 24 October 2025
• How to apply: complete our application form below, submit your CV and write a 2 page cover letter/supporting statement. Please don't include your name or address in your CV or cover letter.

Key objectives:

• To contribute to the delivery of the NHYC street outreach service, delivering a holistic service to young people who are street homeless, enabling them to move on to independence.
• To build and maintain a network of external partnerships with services supporting those impacted by rough sleeping.
• To enable a psychological, trauma informed practice-based service delivery to young people.
• To support delivery of NHYC’s rough sleeping prevention strategy and best practice approach youth-specific outreach services.

Reporting to: Head of Services – Rough Sleeping, and Services Manager (Outreach)

Main tasks and responsibilities

Young people services

Providing comprehensive support through 1-1 and small group work with young people sleeping rough. This will include:

1. Working within the Rough Sleeping team to ensure young people receive a high-quality service from the point of registration to move-on.
   
2. Carrying out at least two street-based outreach shifts each week (early morning and evening required).
3. Carrying out housing assessments with young people and referring them into appropriate accommodation.
4. Managing a transitional case load of young people and helping them move forward and access appropriate services.
5. Working with the Outreach Team and other external teams such as commissioned street outreach services, mental health, and substance misuse services to enable young people to develop skills for independent living as well as enabling young people to develop coping mechanisms to enable a change of lifestyle.
6. Developing and delivering innovative programmes of activities that respond to clients’ changing needs, to keep them safer and enable them to move on independently.
7. Providing expert coaching and guidance to clients and monitoring and evaluating their progress.
8. Continued use of feedback and showing a commitment to a service that is sensitive and responsive to clients’ needs, including:
   1. Completing registrations, outcomes assessments, risk assessments and action plans with young people.
   2. Ensuring that all relevant work is recorded on the New Horizon database system and Chain database, and that this information is evaluated both individually and in teams.
   3. Ensuring risk management and assessment procedures are followed.
   4. Delivering advocacy and referrals to appropriate services, including making internal referrals
9. Contributing to the management and development of the team and day centre, including attending daily handovers, ensuring that Health and Safety issues are addressed at all times, attending Reflective Practice and team meetings.
10. Taking a hands-on approach to working with young people
11. Participating in the training and supervision of new staff, volunteers, students and locum workers and actively promoting a learning and development environment.

Networking and Liaison

To proactively liaise, communicate and negotiate with internal specialists and external agencies in order to maximise client support services, resources, and funding. This will include:

1. Seeking out and responding to opportunities with specialists and agencies who might offer resources, funding, or individual services relevant to client needs e.g., Local Authorities, Social Services, Community Psychiatric Services, Benefits Agencies and other external services, drugs and alcohol support and other voluntary agencies.
2. Promoting and representing New Horizon Youth Centre at relevant forums and meetings.

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. Producing written reports in a variety of formats to meet the requirements of New Horizon, external service providers and funders, e.g., project reviews and assessment reports.
2. Inputting and extracting information from client monitoring systems other accounting and database systems. Utilising word processing software for the production of correspondence and reports.
3. 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. Continuously reviewing own working practices in line with client feedback and current best practice.
2. Taking a proactive approach to supervision and attending clinical supervision, weekly team meetings as well as line management supervision every 6 weeks.
3. Reviewing and evaluating own performance to identify strengths and areas for development. Identifying own learning and development needs and opportunities.
4. Undertaking development and training opportunities and being responsible for obtaining maximum benefit through review, reflection, and practice.

Other

To contribute positively and constructively to the development of the teams, service and NHYC. 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 Managers, Head of Services or Leadership Team.

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.

E: Essential 

D: Desirable

Qualifications, Experience and Track Record

1. Ability to work effectively with young people facing homelessness to identify personal goals and support mechanisms needed for change. (E)
2. The skills, ability and confidence to carry out street outreach shifts twice weekly, including late evenings and early morning shifts across London. (E)
3. Experience of creating and delivering work both 1-1 and in groups which meet the needs of young people. (E)
4. Knowledge of the CHAIN database and street-based outreach services. (D)
5. Knowledge of housing options for young people sleeping rough. (D)
6. Experience of working 1-1 with young people. (D)
7. Ability to create and maintain external partnerships to support organisational aims and objectives including representation of the organisation at external meetings and events. (D)
8. Experience of using IT systems (including knowledge of databases) to support the achievement of personal and collective work goals (E)
9. The ability to multitask in a pressured environment (E)
10. Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with a diverse range of internal stakeholders and external agencies. (E)

Special knowledge and job requirements

1. Ability to maintain enthusiasm for a high level of contact with children and young on a day-to-day basis and a genuine interest, passion and commitment to help young people to access opportunities leading to independence (E)
2. Ability to hold and manage a transitional case load of young people with multiple complex needs, supporting them into accommodation outcomes and linking them in with specialist support services. (E)
3. Understanding of the kinds of challenging behaviour that young people might demonstrate and ability to deliver strategies for dealing with such behaviour. (E)
4. Flexibility to deliver additional outreach sessions as and when needed. (E)
5. Thorough and up-to-date working knowledge of:
   1. Local and National Government policies and procedures in relation to the client group (D)
   2. Relevant organisations and their role/responsibilities in providing support to vulnerable young people (D)
6. Knowledge of working to performance indicators, including monitoring and reporting on service outputs/outcomes, client tracking, analysing performance information, and identifying corrective action (D)
7. A high level of knowledge of health and safety issues in a working environment with particular attention to the context of street-based outreach. (E)
8. Experience and knowledge around safeguarding policy and procedures for children and young people (E)
9. A working knowledge of and commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as it applies to a supportive service and in the workplace (E)

Additional job requirements

1. Willingness and ability to work outside of normal office hours, AM outreach shifts can start at 6am and evening shifts can finish at 11pm (within New Horizon’s flexible working hour’s arrangements) and over the Christmas period (E)
2. Willingness to work flexibly in response to changing organisational requirements. (E)
3. Willingness to travel across London for street outreach shifts and partnership building. (E)

Timescales and how to apply

Dates

• Closing date for applications: 9am, Friday 24 October 2025
• Shortlisted candidates will be informed: 29 October
• Interviews: Monday 3 November 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. Do not include your name, address or any personal details. 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 the box below 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 [email protected] or call 0207 388 5560.

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