We have an exciting opportunity for a Caseworker specialising in Domestic Abuse to join the Multi-Crime team in Devon & Cornwall, working 37.5 hours a week.
Do you want to make a difference every day? Do you want to contribute to change & improvement for those who need it? Do you have resilience & adaptability? Can you work effectively with a focus on customer service and care?
If yes, then we'd love to hear from you…
What we offer:
At Victim Support we believe in attracting & retaining the best people and offer a competitive rewards & benefits package including:
- Flexible working options including hybrid working
- 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays, rising to 33 days plus Bank Holidays
- An extra day off for your birthday
- Pension with 5% employer contribution
- Enhanced sick pay allowances, maternity & paternity payments
- High Street, retail, holiday, entertainment & leisure discounts
- Access to our financial wellbeing hub & salary deducted finance
- Employee assistance programme & wellbeing support
- Ongoing training & support with opportunities for career development & progression
About the role:
This role is home-based with egular travel to our office in Plymouth & throughout Devon and Cornwall. As a Domestic Abuse Caseworker you will:
- Develop, deliver and monitor safety and support plans for those affected by crime (primarily domestic abuse) who accept ongoing support which will include providing resources, interventions, and information to all service users
- Work alongside and oversee the casework management of a small number of volunteer supporters
- Liaise and actively engage with other local domestic abuse providers to share information on the VS service offer and options for survivors
- Take part in wider VS development around domestic abuse
- Working as part of a team with staff and the volunteer team to provide a seamless service to clients
You will need:
- Understanding of the impact of crime on victims such as domestic abuse, sexual violence, hate crime and anti-social behaviour
- Effective verbal and written communication skills
- Experience of successfully delivering services and working directly within a statutory, voluntary or multi agency setting(s)
- Ability to balance competing needs and priorities
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Experience of building effective working relationships across internal and external stakeholders
- Personal resilience to manage exposure to highly emotional or sensitive demands of the role
- Ability to manage a caseload including complex case management
- Ability to use generic IT applications competently.
Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for further details. When completing your application form, please pay particular attention to the essential shortlisting criteria on the job description as these will inform decisions on who is shortlisted for interview.
About Us:
Victim Support (VS) is an independent charity providing a range of specialist services to people who have been affected by crime across England and Wales. We work towards a world where there are fewer victims but who have stronger rights, better support and a real influence in the Criminal Justice System. Everyone at VS is driven by our Vision Ambitions and Values to play their part in making a difference for those who experience crime and traumatic events. Working for VS gives you the opportunity to play a key role in a national charity providing high quality services to victims and witnesses and being a vital force for change.
Victim Support are committed to recruiting with care and to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Background checks and Disclosed Barring Service checks may be required.
Victim Support strives to represent the diverse communities we serve and are passionate about creating an environment where all staff and volunteers feel respected and heard. Being a diverse organisation with an inclusive culture is integral to us being able to meet our aim of ensuring that anyone who is a victim of crime gets the support they need.
As part of our commitment to the Race at Work Charter we particularly welcome applicants from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. VS is also a Disability Confident Employer and we provide a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for candidates that are disabled and meet all essential criteria for a role.
If you have a disability, a learning difficulty such as dyslexia or a medical condition which you believe may affect your performance during any aspect of our selection process, we'll be happy to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to perform at your best.
How to apply:
To apply for this role please follow the link below to the Jobs page on our website and complete the application form demonstrating how you meet the essential shortlisting criteria.
We look forward to hearing from you.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, if we receive enough suitable applications to take forward to interview prior to the published closing date.
We're looking for a Housing & Income Officer to join our Landlord services team located at our Head Office moving to Caledonian Road this year.
£32,000.00 per annum, working 35 hours per week. Benefits include 25 days Annual Leave, pension schemes, staff discounts, healthcare and career progression.
Want to feel valued? You'll feel at home here.
and innovative care and support business known for its life-changing services is looking for a dedicated and target driven Income and Housing Officer who can maximise the organisation's rental income collection, effectively manage rent arrears and deal with other breaches of the occupancy agreement.
Managing a patch of 400+ units across our services you will ensure that challenging rent collection targets are met but also that everything is done to avoid eviction. Your personal qualities are as important in this role as your work experience.
Working alongside Operational Colleagues, the Income and Housing Officer will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of generic Housing Management services across their patch with the main focus on Income Collection and some ASB management. You will be expected to meet tight KPI's increasing rent collection and carry out rent arrears actions at all stages from the initial warning letters to the eviction stage.
In order to effectively deliver the services listed above to their patch, the Income and Housing Officer will need to work closely with Contract Managers and Support Workers working within our projects to empower and enable them to carry out their responsibilities. Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills are a pre-requisite to the role. The post holder will be extremely flexible and have the ability to effectively manage multiple projects at one time.
Fixed term contract of 6-9 months
Needs to be able to travel, some homeworking but priority is out on site visiting customers in their homes and having a presence in the community.
This role requires a valid Right to Work for the UK as Look Ahead are not a sponsoring organisation.
What you'll do:
Take responsibility for maximising rent collection across a defined patch of Look Ahead's portfolio of properties ensuring that rent collection targets are met and tenancies sustained
Advise operational teams on their support related arrears management activities, including holding local surgeries with tenants and staff, taking direct control of higher level and more complex arrears cases
Proactively monitor all current and former accounts within the defined patch and make recommendations to the Housing Manager for appropriate former accounts to be written off or referred to Look Ahead's debt collection agency
Ensure that the rent collection function is carried out both sensitively and in a timely fashion so as to avoid the build up of excessive arrears and record all case details accurately.
Ensure that all sign ups within the defined patch are done accurately on the correct type of tenancy and at the correct rent and service charge levels.
Prepare files and documents for legal action and present cases in County Court hearings for possession claims, money judgements
For the full list please see our website.
This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead
About you:
An understanding of the needs of customers who have experienced homelessness and who may also have support needs.
Excellent time management skills to systematically monitor arrears and complete other tasks in a logical and systematic way.
Excellent communication skills and experience of dealing with vulnerable people in a sensitive , friendly and clear manner.
An understanding of how to effectively deal with breaches of occupancy such as anti-social behaviour and abandonment. .
The ability to communicate clearly with non -housing management staff and explain cases in a non technical way.
A logical approach to problem solving and a willingness to deal with problems quickly and efficiently.
A willingness to "go the extra mile" when working with our customers
What you'll bring:
Essential:
Experience of monitoring rent accounts and managing rent arrears
Experience of using computerised rent systems to monitor arrears and record information
Extensive knowledge of welfare benefits ,especially housing benefit
Experience of liaising with housing benefit departments ,the DWP and other external agencies
About us:
Look Ahead is a dynamic, leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. As an organisation we deliver over 110 services, providing support to around 7000 customers each year. We work across mental health, homelessness, young people and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.
Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.
If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.
We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.