Working at Look Ahead Housing and Care

Look Ahead supports thousands of people across London and the South East with a diverse range of needs, helping them to make individual choices, achieve goals & take control of their own lives by providing tailor-made support, care & accommodation services.

With the right support, we know that our customers can realise their dreams & aspirations. By encouraging individuals to identify and develop their own unique skills & abilities, we can support them to bring about positive change in both their lives & the people around them.

With over forty years in social care under our belt, we are experts by experience. Today, we are proud to provide specialist support & care for over 6,500 people with a wide range of needs, including:

• Mental health
• Learning disabilities
• Homelessness & complex needs
• Young people & care leavers

We are proud to be a values-led organisation - we believe our people can & do make all the difference. We want to build a Look Ahead team that's as diverse as the customers we support. If you join us, you'll be helping to make a positive difference to the lives of people who may need it most. We're committed to making sure it makes a positive difference to your life too. As part of our team, you can expect:

• Work that keeps you on your toes, that's both rewarding & challenging 
• To get the balance right: job shares & flexible working help staff find the right work/life balance 
• Highly competitive pay rates from a Living Wage employer 
• A career with potential: a wide range of skills, management development & accredited training 
• Help to make your money go further; interest free season ticket loans & access to UK's largest employee discount scheme 
• Supported health & well-being: through our Healthcare Cashback, Ride to Work,discount gym membership & Employee Assistance Programmes 
• Reward & recognition: quarterly staff awards, team building & our annual staff conference

Barnaby’s story

After over 15 years in the private sector, Barnaby has found his passion for helping others in his new career with Look Ahead.

Barnaby is now a Contract Manager at our new mental health service in Lambeth

“Seeing how much of a difference my team is making to the people we support has been inspirational”

Before I joined Look Ahead, I had had a very different career. I’d spent over 15 years at Land Rover, working as a General Manager. It was a good job but I started to feel I was doing the same thing month in, month out. I needed a change, and I wanted a job where I felt I would be making a meaningful difference.

I was interested in working in mental health and was encouraged when I read a case study from a Support Worker on the Look Ahead website who had come from the same sector as me.

I joined Look Ahead in December 2014 as a Support Worker in a mental health visiting support service. I found this work rewarding, not to mention extremely different to what I’d done previously! I quickly learned that I was in a position where I could help effect real change for the people we support.

I progressed to become a Team Leader before successfully applying to be Contract Manager for a new mental health service in Lambeth providing a 12 week programme helping customers achieve their goals. Whether it’s helping with practical problems, social issues or any worries that may be holding them back, we work in partnership with local mental health teams to find solutions that work for each person.

Seeing how much of a difference my team is making to the people we support has been inspirational. One customer I supported said that I had helped him a great deal but I had never told him what to do, pressured him or made him feel guilty if he didn’t feel up to something. He said this approach had really helped him reduce his alcohol use; outcomes like this are the reason why I joined Look Ahead.

There are a lot of opportunities to learn and grow at Look Ahead and I’ve had the benefit of some fantastic Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) training which I completed early this year. Not only has the ILM given me a recognised qualification, it has also helped me understand my management style and get the best from my team. This has a positive impact on the support that we provide for our customers. Look Ahead has definitely had a positive impact on my life too.