Jobs

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We have the following Fixed Term vacancy available:

Title: Rise2Thrive Project Worker Fixed Term

Hours: Full time - 9am - 5pm Mon - Fri

Responsible to: Delivery Leader

Location: The post holders will be based in community locations around the Dudley Borough

The post holder may be required to complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Check as the project is specifically targeted at legally defined vulnerable adults.

Just Straight Talk is committed to promoting integrity and good conduct in all employment matters. We will ensure that all applicants are treated fairly, consistently and impartially for all posts. JST will seek to avoid discrimination on the grounds of gender, age, race, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief and pregnancy or maternity throughout every stage of the recruitment process.

Job Purpose

  • Deliver trusted, person-centred Information, Advice and Guidance to Dudley residents experiencing financial hardship, food insecurity, digital exclusion or crisis.
  • Provide outreach from Black Country Foodbank locations and other trusted community venues, prioritising the busiest sites and areas of greatest deprivation.
  • Help residents address immediate needs, understand the underlying causes of hardship and agree practical action plans that build independence and reduce repeated reliance on emergency provision.
  • Remove barriers to essential services through welfare guidance, digital inclusion, supported referrals, connectivity, transport and access to specialist support.

Background

Just Straight Talk (JST) is a Community Interest Company that supports disadvantaged people aged 16 and over across Dudley & Sandwell. Its purpose is to provide person-centred practical help, guidance and motivation, enabling people to overcome barriers, build confidence and improve their lives. JST supports individuals experiencing challenges such as poverty, unemployment, debt, homelessness, poor physical or mental health, domestic abuse, isolation and digital exclusion, helping them achieve greater independence and fulfil their potential.

Rise2Thrive is a Dudley-wide financial resilience project delivered in partnership with Black Country Foodbank. It will place practical, face-to-face support in foodbank venues so residents can receive help at the point of need from a trusted Project Worker.

The project will support residents experiencing or at risk of poverty, debt, benefit difficulties, food or fuel poverty, insecure housing, poor health, social isolation, transport barriers and digital exclusion, including people with additional or complex needs.

The Healthwatch Dudley and Black Country Foodbank report, More Than The Essentials (2026), found that foodbanks are increasingly supporting people experiencing persistent hardship rather than a short-term emergency. It also identified digital exclusion as a major barrier, with many residents unable to access online benefits, healthcare, education and employment services.

Rise2Thrive will respond through benefit and welfare guidance, budgeting and housing support, digital coaching, free data SIMs, access to tablets where funded, four-week bus passes, energy referrals, warm referrals to specialist services and links into JST's wider projects and community networks.

Main Duties

  1. Deliver regular outreach sessions from agreed Black Country Foodbank locations and other trusted community venues across Dudley.
  2. Welcome residents, build trust and complete person-centred assessments to identify immediate needs, underlying pressures, strengths, risks and priorities.
  3. Agree and regularly review individual action plans that support residents to move from crisis towards greater stability, resilience and independence.
  4. Provide accurate Information, Advice and Guidance on welfare benefits, income maximisation, budgeting, housing, fuel poverty, cost-of-living support and access to essential household items.
  5. Support residents to complete benefit, welfare and Crisis Resilience Fund applications and to understand relevant decisions, evidence requirements and next steps.
  6. Provide one-to-one digital skills coaching and practical assistance to access online benefits, NHS services, employment, training and other essential systems.
  7. Assess eligibility for free data SIM cards, tablet devices where funded, and four-week Transport for West Midlands bus passes; distribute and record resources in line with project procedures.
  8. Refer residents to Act on Energy for home visits, energy advice, energy-saving measures, grants and bill-reduction support.
  9. Make warm, consent-based referrals to debt, housing, homelessness, health, mental health, domestic abuse, addiction, safeguarding, employment, training and wellbeing services, following up to confirm access.
  10. Connect residents to JST services, including NeuroKind, Digital Divide and employment or training support, as well as peer groups, faith groups and community networks.
  11. Work closely with foodbank staff, volunteers, Council teams, health services and voluntary-sector partners to promote the offer, strengthen referral pathways and avoid duplication.
  12. Promote Rise2Thrive through accessible information, partner briefings, community networks, outreach, JST's website and social media, with telephone and face-to-face routes for digitally excluded residents.
  13. Maintain accurate, timely and confidential case records, consent records, referral information, demographic data, outcomes, resource distribution and expenditure using JST systems and the required monitoring spreadsheet.
  14. Contribute to monthly Dudley Council and Department for Work and Pensions reporting, case studies, resident feedback, expenditure monitoring and evaluation of project reach, outcomes and value for money.
  15. Recognise, record and promptly report safeguarding, Prevent, health and safety, lone-working and data-protection concerns in accordance with JST policies and escalation procedures.
  16. Participate in supervision, training, reflective practice, partnership meetings and continuous improvement activity, sharing learning about needs, service gaps and effective approaches.

Other Duties

This job description is a broad picture of the post at the date of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all possible duties, and it is recognised that jobs change and evolve over time. Consequently, this is not a contractual document and the post holder will be required to carry out any other duties to the equivalent level that are necessary to fulfil the purpose of the job.

Personal Specification Essential

  1. A relevant Level 4 qualification, or equivalent demonstrable experience in advice, guidance, community support, welfare, housing, health or a related field.
  2. Strong understanding of poverty, food and fuel insecurity, welfare benefits, digital exclusion and the barriers faced by residents with additional or complex needs.
  3. Experience of delivering person-centred Information, Advice and Guidance, completing needs assessments and agreeing practical action plans.
  4. Ability to provide practical support with benefits, budgeting, housing, energy, online applications and access to essential services.
  5. Experience of outreach or community-based delivery and the ability to engage people who may be isolated, digitally excluded, in crisis or reluctant to approach formal services.
  6. Experience of multi-agency working, signposting and making supported or warm referrals while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
  7. Sound safeguarding awareness, professional curiosity and the ability to recognise, record and escalate concerns appropriately.
  8. Confident digital skills, including supporting other people to use online services and accurately recording casework, outcomes and expenditure in spreadsheets and case-management systems.
  9. Ability to produce clear monitoring information, resident feedback, case studies and reports for managers, partners and funders.
  10. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a respectful, non-judgemental and strengths-based approach.
  11. Ability to manage a varied caseload, prioritise work, meet deadlines and work independently across multiple locations.
  12. Commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion, confidentiality, data protection and JST's aims, values, policies and procedures.
  13. A flexible, patient and adaptable approach, with willingness to undertake relevant training, supervision and reflective practice.

Desirable

  1. Knowledge of Dudley services, communities, foodbanks and local referral pathways.
  2. Experience of welfare benefits, debt, housing, fuel poverty, digital inclusion or social prescribing support.
  3. Experience of working with neurodivergent people or residents with additional and complex needs.
  4. Experience of distributing or monitoring practical resources such as devices, SIM cards, travel passes or hardship support.
  5. Full driving licence and access to a vehicle for work, subject to reasonable adjustments.

This post may require occasional evening or weekend work and travel between foodbank and community venues, depending on service needs. For the full job description and more information on how to apply, please contact us at info@juststraighttalk.org. Deadline Wednesday 21st October 2026 at 5pm JST is a Disability Confident employer.

About Just Straight Talk

Just Straight Talk (JST) is a Community Interest Company supporting disadvantaged people aged 16 and over across Dudley and Sandwell. JST provides person-centred practical help, guidance and motivation, enabling people to overcome barriers, build confidence, improve their lives and fulfil their potential. We are seeking a casual project worker to work within the Dudley Borough. For the full job description and more information on how to apply, please contact us at info@juststraighttalk.org.

JST is a Disability Confident employer.