As the membership organisation for homelessness sector, Homeless Link works in the interests of the workforce. There are thousands of people working in homelessness and adjacent sectors. The work can be incredibly rewarding but also comes with many challenges.
We help our members to recruit and retain the very best staff and volunteers to deliver the best services. We also research and advocate on behalf of the workforce.
Recruitment
Jobs Board
This is where homelessness services can advertise any vacancies to thousands of interested users.
Find out moreDBS Guidance
We've produced an overview of the different types of Disclosure and Barring Service checks when recruiting.
Find out moreJob descriptions
We have created standard job descriptions for common roles in the homeless sector, from advice workers to Project Managers, and even Chief Executives and trustees.
Find out moreRecruitment policies
For organisations who are new to employment we can offer consultancy support such as with drafting policies etc.
Find out moreRetention
Training and development is crucial to staff retention. Homeless Link delivers an extensive training programme through a combination of open courses that individuals can attend, or tailored courses that can be delivered in house. In particular we are currently running a training programme that is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Housing. This level three Certificate in Providing Homelessness Services is a unique initiative – aiming to give people qualifications that are recognised across the industry.
With our unique understanding of the Homelessness workforce, Homeless Link has also created a new National Homelessness Skills Framework, funded by MHCLG.
Taking our learning from frontline work we have produced a series of resources on psychologically informed management.
We offer specific training and support in leadership for staff moving into management, and also for established leaders, right up to CEO level.
And we offer coaching for leaders, groups and teams for all levels, including specialist coaching for leaders and sessions for teams. All of which can contribute to the retention of staff.
Looking after the wellbeing of staff is critical in retention, particularly in high stress and complex jobs that are often found in homelessness. We run a number of courses on this. For example looking at Time Management, managing Stress and Trauma and Reflective Practice.
And if you prefer a podcast you can listen here:
You can read about the experience of a course attendee in this guest blog.
A critical part of retaining staff is to ensure that the working environment is equitable, diverse and inclusive. Homeless Link is on our journey to continually improve our efforts in this space (see our strategy), but we also have a number of resources available to help Homelessness Organisations:-
Recent materials on inclusive services
Here are some recent publications from Homeless Link on how to make our organisations more inclusive. Visit the Knowledge hub for more.
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2022 Annual Review of Support for Single Homeless People in England
Updated: 02/12/24
The annual survey of services for people who at risk of homelessness shows an increase in demand for services, whilst the number of bed spaces is reducing. It highlights a growth in the number of people presenting with complex needs.
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How to make your homelessness service trauma-informed
Updated: 18/11/24
A practice development framework to support organisations to implement trauma-informed care in practice.
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Going Beyond: Homeless Link's practice podcast
Updated: 18/11/24
Our podcast focusing on practice in the homelessness sector.
A new national skills framework
The National Homelessness Skills Framework provides an overview of the key frontline roles within the sector, and the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to underpin effective delivery.
It aims to create a common skills language for the current and prospective workforce to help facilitate the recognition of transferable skills, knowledge and behaviours and support career development, so that skills can be passported between services, helping the sector to retain qualified, knowledgeable staff.
The framework can be used by people who are looking to work in the sector, those who wish to develop their skills within their current role, managers to support staff development, and HR/recruitment leads.