Independent Living Skills Coach

Imagine this…

A young person has just moved into Bruce House. They’re unsure, maybe guarded – but you start with something simple: cooking a meal together.

Over time, you help them build the skills that make independence possible: budgeting, managing a tenancy, keeping a home, accessing services, and building routines. You support them to engage with education, training or employment – and to believe in themselves again.

You’re not just teaching practical skills. You’re helping someone take real steps towards a future where they can thrive independently – with the reassurance that they’ve got someone alongside them who won’t give up.

The opportunity

Bruce House delivers a high-quality accommodation-based support service for young people aged 18–25. Many residents are already developing independence and may be in education, training or employment, using support flexibly as they build stability and confidence.

A key part of the service is helping young people become genuinely ready for move-on. This includes clear expectations, practical preparation, and individualised planning to ensure young people understand the responsibilities of holding and sustaining a tenancy.

As an Independent Living Skills Coach, you’ll play a vital role in helping young people develop the life skills, confidence and resilience they need – so that when the time comes to move on, they are ready.

What you’ll be doing

• Act as a coach and keyworker, co-creating ‘My Journey’ plans with young people.
• Build supportive relationships rooted in trust, respect and consistent boundaries.
• Deliver life skills sessions, activities and accredited programmes that support independent living.
• Support young people to understand tenancy responsibilities and sustain their accommodation successfully.
• Work creatively to help young people engage with support services – especially when motivation is low or trust has been broken.
• Encourage and support engagement with education, training and employment opportunities (including apprenticeships).
• Support young people to develop routines and skills that enable them to work or study while sustaining their accommodation.
• Support young people before, during and after they move on to independence.

What we’re looking for

• A natural coach – someone who can inspire, guide and encourage.
• Empathy for young people with complex needs and resilience when challenges arise.
• Creativity and persistence to find solutions that unlock potential.
• Confidence supporting young people to build independent living skills alongside work, education or training.

A registered social landlord and one of the leading providers of supported housing in the UK, Salvation Army Homes is dedicated to transforming lives by providing accommodation and support for some of the most vulnerable members of society - mainly people with complex needs and/or experiencing homelessness.

Our aim is to work with individuals to build on their strengths, creating person centred, individualised strategies and plans that transform lives, support recovery and enable positive behaviour. In order to succeed, however, we need the right people in place. Our workforce is one of our greatest assets, but only by recruiting the very best can we continue to deliver comprehensive, good quality housing services, support and resettlement. services to our residents. That’s where you come in.

As an equal opportunities’ employer, Salvation Army Homes is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. We invite and welcome applications to apply for Salvation Army Homes opportunities without concern of bias or discrimination. 

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.