Advice caseworker jobs

Who we are 

We are Brake, the national, acclaimed road safety charity which provides the National Road Victim Service (NRVS). We have been supporting the victims of road traffic collisions [TL1] on our roads since 1995. We also campaign for positive change to prevent future collisions and save lives. 

A rare and exciting opportunity to help us to help others 

Did you know that every 20 minutes, someone is killed or seriously injured on our roads? The impact of that on individuals and their wider families is profound and far reaching and it can happen to any of us, at any time. 

The National Road Victim Service is growing, allowing us to reach greater numbers of people in need and building upon our well-established foundation to create an enduring legacy. To support this growth, we are looking for a regional manager to become part of our enthusiastic, energised, and dynamic team, delivering world-class support services to people at a time when they are most vulnerable. 

This is definitely not the average 9 to 5 job, and it is not every day that opportunities like this come along. You could be playing a significant part in our commitment to providing our clinically developed, trauma informed support services across the country, making a positive contribution to the lives of those traumatically bereaved or seriously injured as a result of road traffic collisions.

What we offer

· A generous 35 days of annual leave (including bank holidays and 3-day shutdown period between Christmas and New Year)

· An extra 2 days of annual leave following 5 years’ service

· An extra day off for your birthday to take whenever you choose

· Enhanced sick pay and compassionate leave

· Death in service benefit

· Employee Assistance Program

· Flexible working

· Be part of a skilled, friendly team with an engaged Board of Trustees

Who you are

We need energised, self-starters who are passionate about helping others, to join our fantastic team. [TL2] Are you someone who wants to make a difference and has the drive to make it happen?

You will need to demonstrate understanding of multi-disciplinary services.

We are looking for people who have a background in managing support services and understand the responsibility this requires.

Specifically, we are seeking candidates who can

• Provide day-to-day line management and supervision to a team of up to 10 regional caseworkers offering guidance, support, and quality assurance.
• Ensure lone working policies are adhered to daily to ensure the safety and security of the team whilst lone working and travelling to and from home visits.
• Contribute to an on-call duty manager system on a weekly basis, providing out-of-hours advice and support to caseworkers across the service.
• Deputise for the National service delivery lead during periods of leave, sickness, absence.
• Contribute to the ongoing professional development of caseworkers through reflective practice, caseload audit and management and the development and delivery of formal CPD sessions.
• Responsible (in collaboration with HR lead) for managing sickness and absence and return to work interviews.
• Maintain oversight and support caseworkers with complex and high-risk cases by attending safeguarding and risk management meetings, both internally and externally to ensure compliance with best practice.
• Ensure support is provided through our model of trauma informed care.
• Consult with the triage team to ensure the timely allocation of cases from our central service team into the regional teams.
• Deliver monthly [TL6] case review meetings with regional caseworkers, ensuring needs and risks of clients are met and outcomes recorded including quality assurance of safeguarding. Ensure all data is accurately recorded within the case management system.
• Ensure that callers’ identified needs are met satisfactorily, within professional boundaries, to outcome goals, with those outcomes recorded.
• To monitor and ensure that all support is delivered in a confidential and professional manner, adhering to safeguarding legislation and the latest data protection regulations.
• To consult with local partners and services referring into the service to establish pathways of care.
• Contribute to NRVS’ wider processes of audit, evaluation, and impact monitoring.
• Provide assessments and decisions around complex intervention planning, including escalation of cases requiring clinical guidance to clinical director.
• Actively contribute to the development of relationships with key stakeholders, organisations, and professionals in the region. This may include the provision of training and presentations to ensure that they are aware of the service.
• Work with the Development Team to deliver and report effectively against funding agreements in your region.

You bring

Essential qualities

• Experience of managing high-risk support services on a national basis working with people in crisis with acute vulnerabilities and risks.
• Extensive experience of managing and co-ordinating teams, including remotely, including HR policies and procedures.
• Experience of establishing and sustaining partnerships with key partners, stakeholders, and other professionals.
• Experience of report writing for funding bodies.
• Experience of a case management review process and support framework, safeguarding and active monitoring, and escalation of cases with health and safety needs.
• Knowledge, experience and understanding of best practice in working with people who have experienced sudden loss and traumatic bereavement and managing services in this area.
• Knowledge, experience and understanding of working in a trauma informed way, providing trauma informed care to adults and families.
• Knowledge of safeguarding, risk management and GDPR procedures.
• Management of crisis intervention and working in collaboration with other professionals to support those with complex needs (i.e. crisis and home treatment teams, community mental health services, ISVA and IDVA roles).
• Experience and knowledge of working with and supporting people through the criminal justice and coronial process.
• Experience of audit, monitoring and evaluation activities.
• Experience of research and advocacy activities.
• I.T. and data management skills.
• Ability to work creatively, adaptively and with flexibility across a range of circumstances.
• Commitment to and a passion for providing a high level of quality care to those experiencing traumatic bereavement and catastrophic injury.  

Desirable

• A professional qualification or evidence of training in psychological trauma.
• Experience of working with those affected by road traffic collisions.
• Experience in developing and delivering training programmes.
• Completion of safeguarding and/or risk management training.
• Project management qualification or equivalent experience in practice.

About the team and how we work

Brake is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that values diversity. We welcome your application whatever your background or situation. We particularly welcome applications from those who are part of the global majority, the LGBTQIA+ community or disabled. We are proud to be a disability confident employer. We do not want you to ‘fit’ our culture, we want you to enrich it.  So, if you have a passion for making a difference and share in our vision for a world where no one is killed on our roads, we would love to hear from you.

The successful candidate will be required to go through an enhanced DBS vetting process due to the sensitive nature of the service delivered.

Employees are subject to driver licence checks. Please note we do not accept applications from serious traffic offenders due to the nature of our work.  Applicants will be asked to disclose any unspent points at interview.

Why Access Social Care Exists 

Every day millions of older and disabled people are denied the social care they need. Most local authorities can’t meet the growing demand for care, and none are confident they can meet their legal duties in the future. This affects all of us - we will all need care at some point in our lives. 

We all have a right to hold public bodies to account, but most of us cannot afford lawyers so rely on legal aid. The 92% drop in legal aid cases since 2010 means that we have nowhere to turn. Without access to justice, our rights do not exist.

What we do 

Access Social Care (‘ASC’) provides legal advice and information for people with social care needs, helping achieve a better quality of life. We work with communities to increase knowledge of the law and our rights. We highlight the gap left by cuts to Legal Aid and provide advice for those who can’t afford it. 

Our network of lawyers and caseworkers provide access to justice when things go wrong. We collaborate with social services whilst ensuring legal obligations are met. We are working towards a future where social care is adequately funded, and we all get the support we need. 

We provide rights awareness training to front line managers, and legal advice and casework support to families and individuals. As well as providing access to justice, our aim is to drive system level change through evidence-led influencing and strategic casework.

This is an exciting time to join ASC. We have a new strategy. We are dedicated to the people who need our help, and we care deeply about our team. We think that work should be an exciting and satisfying place to be.

About the role 

The Finance & IT Operations manager ensures effective financial management and control throughout ASC overseeing financial administration, reporting and compliance.

The role provides guidance and support on financial matters to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) in areas such as cash flow, audit and tax whilst ensuring that budget holders across ASC are well supported with tools and skills. The role also helps develop and implement the charity’s IT strategy, including managing the external IT provider and service level agreement.

Responsibilities

1. Financial Management and Reporting

• Provide the Chief Operating Officer (COO) with accurate, regular and comprehensive financial information reports to guide effective and sound financial decision making.
• Monitor financial activity against approved annual budget, reporting any anomalies or unusual activity to the COO.
• Develop, implement and operate monitoring systems for financial forecasting and re-forecasting to support sound decision making.
• Support the COO in the co-ordination of the annual budgeting and planning process ensuring that information is collected, compiled and reported in a consistent and robust manner.
• Co-ordinate and produce year end Charity SORP financial statements, including the Trustee Annual Report, providing external auditors with the necessary documentation and support to audit the financial statements.
• Ensure compliance with all financial regulations, liaising with the charity’s external auditors in preparing the SORP financial statements.
• Partner with budget holders, providing monthly expenditure against budget reports and supporting their understanding and decision making.
• Preparing financial statements for funder reporting and supporting the COO in designing budgets and financial models for new fundraising bids and other commercial offerings.
• Produce VAT and corporation tax returns and manage ASC’s relationship with HMRC.
• Oversee the payroll process, ensuring accuracy, compliance and timely submission to the outsourced provider.
• Oversee accounts payable and receivable.
• Establish a detailed cashflow planning process and manage the flow of capital between ASC’s and its chosen banks, recommending any changes as appropriate.
• Manage all banking relationships.

2. Policy and Procedures

• Collaborate with the COO to establish effective processes and controls to ensure efficient and effective financial management is delivered and maintained.
• Lead the development, implementation and monitoring of effective procurement policies, procedures and systems ensuring best value is achieved across all activities.

3. IT, Contracts & Data Protection

• Support the COO to review current accounting and finance systems recommending and implementing upgrades and improvements where agreed.
• Support the COO in drafting and implementing ASC’s IT strategy.
• Tender and manage SLA and relationship with external IT provider.
• Review outsourced arrangements and systems and work with the COO on tendering for fit for purpose systems to match organisational strategy and direction.
• Lead on the annual insurance renewal process, ensuring appropriate cover is in place and general administration of the charity’s insurance policies is enacted.
• Manage and review business interruption and disaster recovery plans, using regular simulation testing to ensure robustness.
• Keep existing portfolio of client and supplier template contracts under review, recommending risk-based strengthening.
• Oversee ASC’s data protection infrastructure, co-ordinating departmental Data Protection Champions to ensure that policy & practice is robust
• Work with COO in response to reactive data protection issues and incidents

4. People Management

• Provide line management to the Finance Assistant, using ASC’s management processes to ensure they are supported, motivated and able to work effectively.
• Plan and oversee the Finance Assistant’s workload, ensuring tasks are allocated appropriately and completed to required standards.
• Contribute to creating a collaborative team culture aligned with ASC’s values. 

5. Other Responsibilities

• Contribute to the design and implementation of team development work within the Finance & IT Operations Team in collaboration with the Chief Operating Officer and the Business Support Manager.

This list of tasks is not exhaustive and will be reviewed from time to time in discussion with the post holder.

Person Specification

All staff at ASC are expected to share and demonstrate our values:

Trustworthy

Recognised for excellence, we will be the best we can be in everything we do.  We will be truthful, independent and outcomes focussed.

Fair

We believe in treating people with kindness and compassion in a way that is right, reasonable and just.

Fearless

We will do what is right, not what is easy.  We will bravely challenge injustice.

Inclusive

Our beneficiaries’ voices will influence our thinking and decision making at all levels of our organisation. Collaborative in our thinking, we will work with others to achieve our goals.

Positive

We will be constructive and progressive in our challenge.  We will optimistically and dynamically drive for change.

In addition to our values, you will also need to be able to demonstrate or tell us about the following areas at your interview:

Personal attributes you will have

Essential:

• Purpose driven with a commitment to our mission and values
• Commitment to working within the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion
• Self-aware, solutions focused and able to generate goodwill with collaborators and colleagues.
• Demonstrates integrity and an ability to hold and respect confidential and sensitive information.
• Dependable, resilient with the ability to remain composed and effective under pressure.
• Self-motivated, resourceful, and proactive in taking initiative.

Experience you will have

Minimum

• Experience of preparing management accounts, monitoring budgets and producing financial reports for senior leaders.
• Experience of contract and SLA management, including reviewing and monitoring provider performance.

Essential

• Demonstrable experience of financial management within a multi-stakeholder environment, including familiarity with charity accounting and SORP principles.
• Line management experience supporting the performance and development of team members.
• Experience of overseeing IT services or outsourced IT support arrangements.

Desirable

• Experience of managing or coordinating insurance, risk, business continuity and/or disaster recovery processes.

Skills you will have

Essential

• Strong numerical and analytical skills to effectively analyse financial reports
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills, able to engage effectively with diverse groups and senior professionals.
• Able to manage multiple tasks, prioritise effectively and meet competing internal and external deadlines.
• Able to produce accurate and reliable work.
• Strong written and verbal communications skills, able to convey complex information clearly and accessibly to both financial and non-financial audiences.
• Strong IT skills including demonstrable proficiency in MS Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Sage 50 Accounts.

Knowledge you will have gained

Minimum:

• Working towards qualification in ACA, ACCA, CIMA or experience to this level.

Essential:

• Practical knowledge and understanding of management accounting principles and techniques.
• In-depth knowledge of budgeting and financial forecasting and preparation of financial reports for senior management and compliance purposes. 

Desirable: 

• An understanding of Data Protection law and practice 

How to apply

We hope that having read this far, you will want to apply!

Please ensure that your CV and supporting statement do not include your name – use initials only. This will ensure that we avoid unconscious bias in our shortlisting process. To apply, please provide the following documents:

• An up-to-date CV
• A completed Equality and Diversity Recruitment Monitoring Form – Fill out form (A link to this form can be found in the job pack)
• A supporting statement of no more than two pages, addressing:
  • The essential requirements of the person specification

If you want support applying, contact us.

Please ensure you have the right to work in the UK before expressing your interest in this role. We are sorry that we cannot consider applications from candidates who do not have the right to work in the UK.

We only reach out to candidates who have been shortlisted. If you do not receive communication from us within two weeks following the application deadline, please consider that we will not be moving forward with your application. 

Timeline for recruitment process

If we receive a high number of applications for this role, we may close the role early. Therefore, we encourage you to apply as soon as you are able.

Closing date: 23:59 on Monday 9th February.

Interviews will take place on Monday 2nd March & Tuesday 3rd March.

Please ensure you keep these dates free.

At Access Social care, we aren’t interested in tokenism. We know that if we are to make the biggest difference for the people that need us the most, we need to get Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and anti-racism right. Part of this is recruiting greater diversity in all our teams. 

With this in mind, we particularly welcome applications from candidates with experience of the communities we serve, including people with direct experience of the social care system, and from marginalised groups, particularly Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, older and disabled people, and trans and non-binary people.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

For every role we advertise, we outline a set of minimum skills or experience that are key to doing the job well. If you have a disability (this includes long term health conditions or mental health conditions) and you meet these minimum criteria, you can request to be considered under our Guaranteed Interview Scheme.

If you would like to apply through this scheme, please clearly show in your supporting statement how you meet the minimum requirements for the role and indicate in your application email that you wish to be considered under the scheme. If you are applying via Charity Jobs, please ensure that you indicate at the beginning of your supporting statement that you wish to be considered under the scheme.

Being offered an interview through this route does not mean you are guaranteed the job. The selection decision will still be based on who performs best at interview.

If you are invited to interview, we will ask if you need any reasonable adjustments to support you during the process.

Please note: If we receive a high number of applications from candidates who meet the essential criteria and request to be considered under the scheme, we may need to prioritise those whose applications most closely match the role requirements.

As an interim Supervising Solicitor in Public Law, you will supervise and carry out CPAG’s public law legal aid cases, to benefit families and children in poverty. You will play an active role in managing CPAG’s legal practice and conduct high-profile public law litigation. 

We are looking for someone who is passionate about using the law to advocate for the rights of, and directly improve the lives of, families in poverty. The ideal candidate will be a solicitor (E&W qualified) with experience of conducting public law litigation and legal aid (publicly funded) work. You will be able to supervise the casework of colleagues, such as CPAG’s junior or trainee solicitor(s) and welfare benefit advisers. You may have experience of working with clients in vulnerable situations or with additional needs, for example, survivors of domestic abuse, refugees, disabled people or children and young people.

We welcome applications from individuals with the skills and experience outlined and we can be flexible about working arrangements. We operate a hybrid working system and would be happy to discuss any flexibilities required. CPAG is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion which you can read more about in the job pack. 

We welcome applications on a secondment basis.

For more information about this post and to apply download the Supervising Solicitor - Public Law (Interim)