Relief Health and Wellbeing Assistant

Relief Health & Wellbeing Assistant

Dunedin Harbour Service, Leith, Edinburgh

Relief | As and When Required
Salary: £13.54 per hour

Not everyone arrives at Dunedin Harbour by the same road.

Some of the people who live here have experienced homelessness for years. Others have lost a tenancy, left an unsafe situation, struggled with their mental health, or found themselves without the support network many of us take for granted.

What they have in common is the need for a safe place to stay, the opportunity to rebuild confidence, and support to move towards a more stable future.

Dunedin Harbour is a homelessness service providing accommodation and support to people experiencing homelessness. The service supports residents to address the challenges they face, develop independent living skills and move towards longer-term housing and greater independence.

As a Relief Health & Wellbeing Assistant, you'll help create the safe, stable and supportive environment that makes this progress possible, while enjoying the flexibility of relief work.

What the Role Really Involves

This isn't a role where you'll spend your shift sitting behind a desk waiting for something to happen.

You'll be supporting people who may be experiencing anxiety, loneliness, poor mental health, substance use issues, trauma, or uncertainty about their future. You'll be a reassuring presence during difficult moments, responding to situations as they arise and helping to maintain a safe and welcoming environment throughout the day and night.

Some shifts will be quiet.

Others will require resilience, professionalism and sound judgement.

As a relief worker, you'll provide essential cover across the service when required, supporting the team to maintain a safe, positive and supportive environment for residents.

The people who live at Dunedin Harbour don't need someone to solve every problem for them. They need someone who will listen, treat them with dignity and support them to achieve the goals they've set for themselves.

About You

We're not looking for a specific career background.

What's important is that you:

• Treat people with dignity, kindness and respect.
• Can build professional relationships and establish trust.
• Remain calm when situations become challenging.
• Have good communication and problem-solving skills.
• Can work independently and as part of a team.
• Are resilient, dependable and emotionally mature.
• Are flexible and able to work a variety of shifts, including days, evenings, weekends and waking nights where required.
• Believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to move forward, regardless of the circumstances that brought them to our service.

Previous experience within homelessness, housing or support services is advantageous but not essential, as full training and ongoing support will be provided.

Why Join Wheatley Care?

At Wheatley Care, we believe homelessness should be an experience, not a way of life. Our services have supported people experiencing homelessness across Scotland for more than 30 years.

Relief work offers flexibility while providing the opportunity to make a genuine difference to people's lives.

In return, we offer:

• Competitive hourly rate.
• Comprehensive induction and training programme.
• Support to achieve relevant qualifications.
• Ongoing learning and development opportunities.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Access to employee discounts and benefits.
• Opportunities to develop your career across Wheatley Care and the wider Wheatley Group.
• The opportunity to gain valuable experience within homelessness services.

Our Recruitment Process

We want applicants to have a genuine understanding of the service before deciding whether the role is right for them.

Following CV screening, shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an informal service visit. This provides an opportunity to meet the team, gain an insight into the service and learn more about supporting people affected by homelessness before progressing to application and interview stage.

Wheatley Care is unable to offer Skilled Worker Visa sponsorship for this role. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK.

Ready to Apply?

Closing Date: 13 November 2026 at 5pm

To Apply: Please send your CV to recruitment@wheatley-care.com

If you're looking for a role where your resilience, empathy and judgement matter as much as your experience, and where you can choose shifts that fit around your lifestyle while making a genuine difference to people's lives, we'd love to hear from you.