Social Care
Mental Health Specialist Support Officer
CV-Library
Bedford, Bedfordshire
£34500/annum car allowance
Permanent
Full Time
Posted 16 Jun 2026
Mental Health Specialist Support Officer
Bedford - Permanent, Full Time
£34,500 per annum plus car allowance
We are looking for a Mental Health Specialist Support Officer to provide specialist mental health support across our housing services, enabling customers with mental health challenges to sustain their tenancies, improve wellbeing, and engage effectively with appropriate services.
The role acts as a bridge between customers, housing teams, and external mental health services, ensuring a coordinated, compassionate, and trauma-informed approach to support. The role is designed to deliver short‑term, targeted interventions, and will therefore hold small, focused caseloads to ensure timely, intensive, and effective support.
Key Responsibilities
Customer Support
Work directly with customers experiencing mental health challenges to provide tailored, person-centred support
Build trusted relationships that encourage engagement with services and reduce barriers to accessing support
Proactively manage a small caseload and ensure full, timely, and accurate recording all casework activity and reporting of outcomes
Carry out holistic assessments of need and risk, establish effective mitigation and risk management strategies
Develop and review person-centred plans focused on tenancy sustainment and wellbeing
Support customers to attend and engage with appointments (e.g. GP, community mental health teams, tenancy related appointments)
Respond appropriately to crisis situations, including safeguarding, welfare concerns and risk escalationSpecialist Advice & Support to Housing Teams
Act as the mental health subject matter expert for housing officers and wider teams
Provide guidance on managing complex cases, including risk, behaviour, and tenancy-related issues
Support case reviews and joint visits where there are significant mental health concerns
Deliver informal training, briefings, or coaching to improve confidence and understanding across teams
Promote trauma-informed and psychologically informed approaches to housing managementPartnership & Link Worker Role
Develop and maintain strong working relationships with local mental health services (e.g. CMHTs, crisis teams, GPs, voluntary sector)
Act as a key point of contact to improve communication and partnership working between services
Advocate on behalf of customers to ensure their needs are understood and responded to
Attend multi-agency meetings, case conferences, and safeguarding forums
Identify gaps in local provision and escalate where appropriateSafeguarding & Risk Management
Identify safeguarding concerns and take appropriate action in line with policy
Contribute to risk assessments and safety planning for customers and staff
Maintain accurate, confidential, and timely case records
Ensure all work is compliant with safeguarding, data protection, and professional boundariesService Development
Contribute to the development of internal policies and practices relating to mental health
Identify trends and themes to inform service improvement
Support the organisation in embedding a more informed and compassionate response to mental healthKey Skills & Experience
Experience of working with individuals with a range of mental health needs (e.g. anxiety, depression, trauma, personality disorders, severe mental illness)
Strong understanding of the mental health system, including statutory and voluntary services
Ability to build trust and rapport with customers who may be reluctant to engage
Skilled in risk assessment, safeguarding, and managing complex or sensitive situations
Confidence in advising and influencing colleagues and stakeholders at different levels
Experience of multi-agency working and partnership building
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbalQualifications / Knowledge
Relevant qualification or equivalent experience in mental health, social work, psychology, or a related field
Knowledge of safeguarding legislation and best practice
Understanding and application of trauma-informed practicePersonal Attributes
Empathetic, calm, and non-judgemental
Resilient and able to manage emotionally demanding situations
Strong professional boundaries
Solution-focused with a practical approach
Committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion
Disclaimer
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. Early application is encouraged to avoid disappointment.
Bedford - Permanent, Full Time
£34,500 per annum plus car allowance
We are looking for a Mental Health Specialist Support Officer to provide specialist mental health support across our housing services, enabling customers with mental health challenges to sustain their tenancies, improve wellbeing, and engage effectively with appropriate services.
The role acts as a bridge between customers, housing teams, and external mental health services, ensuring a coordinated, compassionate, and trauma-informed approach to support. The role is designed to deliver short‑term, targeted interventions, and will therefore hold small, focused caseloads to ensure timely, intensive, and effective support.
Key Responsibilities
Customer Support
Work directly with customers experiencing mental health challenges to provide tailored, person-centred support
Build trusted relationships that encourage engagement with services and reduce barriers to accessing support
Proactively manage a small caseload and ensure full, timely, and accurate recording all casework activity and reporting of outcomes
Carry out holistic assessments of need and risk, establish effective mitigation and risk management strategies
Develop and review person-centred plans focused on tenancy sustainment and wellbeing
Support customers to attend and engage with appointments (e.g. GP, community mental health teams, tenancy related appointments)
Respond appropriately to crisis situations, including safeguarding, welfare concerns and risk escalationSpecialist Advice & Support to Housing Teams
Act as the mental health subject matter expert for housing officers and wider teams
Provide guidance on managing complex cases, including risk, behaviour, and tenancy-related issues
Support case reviews and joint visits where there are significant mental health concerns
Deliver informal training, briefings, or coaching to improve confidence and understanding across teams
Promote trauma-informed and psychologically informed approaches to housing managementPartnership & Link Worker Role
Develop and maintain strong working relationships with local mental health services (e.g. CMHTs, crisis teams, GPs, voluntary sector)
Act as a key point of contact to improve communication and partnership working between services
Advocate on behalf of customers to ensure their needs are understood and responded to
Attend multi-agency meetings, case conferences, and safeguarding forums
Identify gaps in local provision and escalate where appropriateSafeguarding & Risk Management
Identify safeguarding concerns and take appropriate action in line with policy
Contribute to risk assessments and safety planning for customers and staff
Maintain accurate, confidential, and timely case records
Ensure all work is compliant with safeguarding, data protection, and professional boundariesService Development
Contribute to the development of internal policies and practices relating to mental health
Identify trends and themes to inform service improvement
Support the organisation in embedding a more informed and compassionate response to mental healthKey Skills & Experience
Experience of working with individuals with a range of mental health needs (e.g. anxiety, depression, trauma, personality disorders, severe mental illness)
Strong understanding of the mental health system, including statutory and voluntary services
Ability to build trust and rapport with customers who may be reluctant to engage
Skilled in risk assessment, safeguarding, and managing complex or sensitive situations
Confidence in advising and influencing colleagues and stakeholders at different levels
Experience of multi-agency working and partnership building
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbalQualifications / Knowledge
Relevant qualification or equivalent experience in mental health, social work, psychology, or a related field
Knowledge of safeguarding legislation and best practice
Understanding and application of trauma-informed practicePersonal Attributes
Empathetic, calm, and non-judgemental
Resilient and able to manage emotionally demanding situations
Strong professional boundaries
Solution-focused with a practical approach
Committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion
Disclaimer
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. Early application is encouraged to avoid disappointment.