Housing And Welfare Benefits Advisor Jobs in Halton, Borough Of Halton
About us
Crisis is the national charity for people experiencing homelessness. We know that homelessness is not inevitable. We know that together we can end it.
The Homelessness and Housing Law Specialist Advisor will work alongside our client services teams across England, to prevent and end homelessness for people we support. Providing expert advice, support and advocacy to our staff and members in the most complex cases.
Salary: £38,585 (regions) or £42,746 (London) per annum
Hours: 35 hours per week (open to compressed hours in line with Crisis’ Flexible Working Policy)
Location: To be based in any of the Crisis Skylights in Edinburgh, Newcastle, Liverpool, Birmingham, Oxford, South Wales, Central London, Croydon, or Brent, but with home working as an option in line with Crisis’ Hybrid Working Policy
About the role
We are looking for an expert on homelessness legislation (the Homelessness Reduction Act) and relevant housing legislation to contribute to Crisis’ mission of ending homelessness. You will provide advice and casework covering complex areas of both housing and homelessness legislation to frontline employees working directly with people experiencing homelessness and at risk of homelessness in England. You will be an advocate for our members, by using housing law knowledge to request temporary housing from local authorities, for those who are street homeless. You will have the opportunity to produce housing law briefings, template letters and a toolkit of resources including checklists to support staff when working with beneficiaries.
About you
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Demonstrable track record of successfully preventing and relieving people’s homelessness through advocacy and the application of relevant homelessness and housing law, including complex cases such as people with different immigration status.
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Expert knowledge of relevant homelessness and housing legislation, including Housing Act 1996 Parts VI and VII, Homelessness Act 2002 Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, Protection for Eviction Act 1977, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
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Knowledge of the issues affecting homeless people and the impact and interaction of welfare and immigration policies on homelessness
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Familiarity with local authority housing options services and their processes
You may have experience in, Housing and Homelessness Law, Local Authority Homelessness or Housing Options teams, Advice and advocacy, specialist casework.
We believe diversity is a strength, and our aim is to make sure that Crisis truly reflects the communities we serve. We are actively working towards our organisation being a place where everyone can thrive and make their best contribution to our mission of ending homelessness for good. We know that the more perspectives, voices, and experiences we can bring to this work, the better. We particularly welcome applications from people who have lived experience of homelessness, and people from all marginalised groups, communities, and backgrounds.
Working at Crisis
As a member of the team, you will have access to a wide range of employee benefits including:
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Interest free loans for travel season ticket, cycle to work, and deposit to secure a tenancy
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Pension scheme with an employer contribution of 8.5%
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28 days’ annual leave
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Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental, and adoption pay
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Flexible working around the core hours 10am-4pm
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And more! (Full list of benefits available on website)
Alongside our excellent staff benefits, we will support your ongoing development to build your skills, experience, and career.
When you join us, you will have the opportunity to join our staff diversity networks, which aim to champion issues across the organisation, enable staff to be their authentic and best selves and contribute to making Crisis a truly diverse organisation.
How to apply
If this sound likes the opportunity for you, please click on the 'Apply for Job' button below.
Closing date: Sunday 14 April 2024 (at 23:59)
Interviews will be held W/C 22 April 2024
Accessibility
We want our recruitment process to be as accessible as possible. If you need us to make an adjustment or provide additional support as you apply for a role, please email our Talent Acquisition team to discuss how we can help.
Registered Charity Numbers: E&W1082947, SC040094
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Age UK are recruiting for a part-time Lead Quality Assessor (21 hours per week) to undertake assessments of the quality of Information, Signposting and Social Welfare Advice that is provided by Age UK Network Partners (local Age UKs; local Age Cymru Partners; Age Cymru; Age Scotland; Age NI; and Age UK); and ensure consistency in how our quality standards are assessed across the wider assessment team.
In this role you will:
* Carry out assessments on the quality of Information, Signposting and Social Welfare Advice delivered by Age UK and its Network Partners across the UK through a range of services (e.g. traditional I&A service, social prescribing, LPA etc), assessing how well each Partner is delivering against the relevant requirements of the Age UK Network Quality Assurance Framework.
* Provide written reports for Age UK Network Partners in the required format, using your expert skills and knowledge to identify how well they have met the standard - identifying areas of strength, areas of non-compliance and suggestions for improvement.
* Support the process of quality assessment and continuous improvement of services where Age UK Information, Signposting and Social Welfare Advice is given, including, * moderating reports - with responsibility for ensuring that assessors are applying the standard fairly and there is consistency between the assessors; * reviewing self-assessments - liaising with Network Partners to give feedback on how well they are meeting the standards; * following up on Corrective Action - working with our Service Quality Advisors to review submitted evidence and the adequacy of corrective action taken by Network Partners, in response to their assessment findings. * signing off Corrective Action Reports and providing formal feedback to Network Partner Managers and CEOs.
* Work with the Quality Team to ensure consistency across the assessor team, by taking a lead role in assessor training / consistency days, using these to share learning, provide updates and instruction.
* Contribute to the on-going development of the wider Age UK Quality Framework by providing feedback on any Information and Advice related quality programmes.
The post holder is required to travel to a range of locations for assessments and for meetings at the London Office which may involve overnight stays. (Although the majority of work is currently online using MS Teams, national travel is likely in future).
Applicants must have ability to access a computer, confidential workspace, key advice texts and be able to work online.
Must haves:
* Extensive and relevant experience in an advice service, with knowledge of key advice issues affecting older people in at least two of the following areas of social welfare law: welfare benefits, community care, housing.
* Knowledge and understanding of good practice in managing and delivering Information, Signposting and Social Welfare Advice services.
* Demonstrable experience of supervision of advice work. Demonstrable experience of maintaining effective case recording systems and procedures, ideally electronic.
* Effective communication skills with a range of audiences, both interpersonal skills and the ability to write and proof-read effective reports for external stakeholders.
* Ability to make rigorous, fair and impartial assessments against quality benchmarks for Information, Signposting and Social Welfare Advice services.
* Excellent organisational skills, including the ability to manage workload and prioritise.
* Good time management skills, and the ability to meet deadlines.
* Understanding of the issues affecting older people seeking advice.
* Good IT skills including an ability to use Microsoft Office, and online systems for bookings, assessing case records.
* Clear understanding of the principles of confidentiality and data protection.
* Knowledge and understanding of the equality and diversity issues affecting the delivery of Information, Signposting and Social Welfare Advice services.
What we offer in return
- Competitive salary, 26 days annual leave + bank holidays + annual leave purchase scheme
- Excellent pension scheme, life assurance, health cashback plan and EAP
- Car Benefit Scheme, Cycle to Work Scheme and Season Ticket Loan
- Techscheme - buy any tech from Apple or Currys, up to £1000, and spread the cost over 12 months, interest free
- Blue Light Card Scheme
- You Did It Awards - recognition awards from £100-250.
Additional Information
All CVs will be anonymised by our recruitment system when you apply for a role at Age UK. Please note that our system is unable to anonymise cover letters, and we would therefore ask that to support the work we are doing on making our recruitment selection process fairer and more unbiased, that you remove any personal information from your cover letter/supporting statement, including your name before uploading this. All equalities monitoring information is also anonymised and not shared with the hiring panel. Your name and address will only be known to us once you are invited for an interview.
Age UK is an Equal Opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates, regardless of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital/civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity. We guarantee an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria under the Disability Confident Scheme. Please note that on occasion, due to high numbers of applications, Age UK reserves the right to limit the overall number of interviews offered, and therefore, it may not always be practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people that meet the minimum criteria for the job.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
About Us
We are National Energy Action (NEA) – and our vision is to end fuel poverty; our work to improve and promote energy efficiency brings social, environmental, housing and employment benefits. We believe everyone should be able to afford to keep their homes warm and safe, however, low incomes, high energy bills and poor energy efficiency currently deny this to millions of households across the UK. Never has this been more important than today.
NEA’s teams are friendly, knowledgeable and are dedicated to what we do. We are proud of our expertise and proud of the service we deliver to our clients.
We offer colleagues a friendly, rewarding workplace and the chance to build a worthwhile career with a not-for-profit organisation that is proud to make a genuine difference to people’s lives each and every day.
The Role
We have a fantastic opportunity for someone to join us in the position of Benefits Entitlements and Claims Support Officer, to work on either a full or part time basis. Job Share applications are also welcome.
This role provides an exciting and rewarding opportunity to help the charity build its profile amongst regional stakeholders whilst delivering projects that seek to bring an end to fuel poverty and to the misery of cold homes that is experienced by over 6.5 million households in the UK.
NEA’s Benefits Entitlements and Claims Support Officers are empathetic, polite and have good listening skills but are also knowledgeable, assertive, and confident. The post holder will be responsible for giving comprehensive benefit entitlement advice and support to householders. The post holder will obtain relevant information about a client’s circumstances and offer accurate guidance about potential eligibility for additional benefit entitlements. This will include the completion of application forms as appropriate. Advice will be given over the phone, via online contact and in face-to-face settings where appropriate.
What you will need to succeed
You will have a good understanding of Welfare Rights, including entitlements, systems, claim processes and current legislation and practices. Demonstrable experience of providing advice via telephone and face to face.
You will need good organisational skills, excellent communication skills as well as an understanding of the needs of low income, vulnerable or disadvantaged householders.
NEA has several office locations throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and welcomes applicants from all regions. Home working and office-based locations are available. Preferences will be discussed with candidates at interview. Hybrid working is subject to necessary H&S and GDPR checks. Post holders must be resident within the UK and be able to provide their Right to Work in the UK.
We are offering:
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£26,873 - £31,915 (FTE) - Scale 5-6, Points 12-22 (plus £3,300 London Weighting if applicable)
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11½% non-contributory pension
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25 days annual leave plus 3 additional days in between Christmas New Year Period when our offices close; plus, all public holidays per annum for full time staff, pro-rata for part time staff
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Flexible working arrangements including the opportunity for Hybrid working
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Enhanced family friendly payments
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Employee Assistance Programme
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Employee benefits platform
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2-year Fixed Term Post
The closing date for all applications is 12:00 noon Wednesday 17 April 2024. We anticipate interviewing the two weeks commencing Monday 22 April 2024. Full details of the posts and an application form are available on our website
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
PLACE OF WORK: Various locations around Liverpool
Citizens Advice, in partnership with The Trussell Trust, have been running the Help through Hardship Helpline (formerly the Trussell Trust Foodbank helpline) for over 3 years. The helpline has been highly successful in reaching those clients most in need. Yearly Citizens Advice Help Through Hardship line has answered nearly 57,000 calls, helped feed over 70,000 people and recorded £13 million in expected financial gains for clients.
The Helpline is now being extended to local Citizens Advice offices and we're looking for new advisers to join our team in Liverpool who will provide information and advice on the issues clients are facing and help them access foodbank vouchers.
The successful candidate will provide generalist advice in a wide range of enquiry areas such as benefits, housing and employment. You will provide telephone advice within the working hours of the service and work with the on-site supervisor to support a team of volunteers.
Applicants would need to demonstrate excellent communication skills, be confident, motivated and have some experience in giving advice in relation to benefit entitlement and calculations.
As well as a competitive salary CAL also provides access to:
- Interest free travel loans
- Generous annual leave of 27 days plus bank holidays (with an additional day per year after 4 years' service up to a maximum of 32 days plus bank holidays)
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Pension Scheme
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Lifestyles Gym Membership (20% corporate discount)
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave pay
About Citizens Advice Liverpool
The first Citizens Advice opened in Liverpool on 4th September 1939, established in the aftermath of the first world war and provided, amongst other initiatives, a casework service for families in need.
Since then, we have continued to grow as a frontline service, finding innovative solutions to the advice needs of our community through free, confidential and independent advice and information services.
Citizens Advice Liverpool is a charity, dependent on a workforce of paid staff and over 120 trained volunteers. We operate over four permanent sites (Belle Vale, Garston, Walton & Wavertree) and over 30 outreach locations in the city, which we are continually reviewing to ensure we are reaching the people most in need of our services. We have also developed a mobile phone app which acts as a single point of access for Citizens Advice in Liverpool, showing where to find advice in real time, access to self-help information, and telephone, WhatsApp, email & webchat advice.
We are a member of "National Citizens Advice", which provides the extensive information system we use to advise clients and sets standards for advice, training, equal opportunities and accessibility in our offices.
We receive funding from Liverpool City Council; which helps support our generalist advice service which gives advice on a wide range of subjects such as; benefits, work, debt & money, consumer, family, housing, law & courts, immigration and health. We also receive funding from other major contributors which helps run our specialist advice projects.