Entry level jobs for the Social Welfare sector

Turn2us is a national charity tackling poverty and the structural causes of financial insecurity. We work with co-producers and partners to provide people in financial crisis with the means and agency to get back on their feet, build resilience, move forward with their lives and thrive.

As an equal opportunities employer, we are committed to equity, inclusion and diversity and the value people from different backgrounds bring to a team. If, like us, you believe everyone has the right to have enough to live on, and you are ambitious about eradicating poverty, join us and build your career with a charity dedicated to ensuring dignity and equity for all.

We're now looking for an exceptional Senior PR and Press Officer to help us amplify voices, challenge persistent, negative narratives around the social security system, and shift public attitudes about financial insecurity. Ideally, you’ll already have solid PR and press experience within a charity or comparable organisation’s press office, excellent media contacts, and the strategic mindset to put people’s real lives and complex challenges front and centre in your storytelling.

You’ll be someone who writes clearly and persuasively, handles sensitive topics with genuine care, and who’s excited by the challenge of finding creative ways to engage diverse audiences. Your strong relationships with journalists will help us ensure the voices of people facing financial insecurity are represented accurately, widely, and compassionately in the media.

We offer flexible working patterns, both in terms of hours and remote working. All team members come into our welcoming Farringdon office at least once a week, and you'll be joining a warm, supportive team that believes in each other, celebrates great work, and loves what we do.

Please note that all employees are required to work from the office a minimum of 1 day a week.

Some roles may be required to be in the office more often than others and this will be agreed with the hiring manager upon starting at Turn2us.

Please note that all job offers are subject to 2 – 3 satisfactory references and a disclosure satisfactory to Turn2us from the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS). 

We’re genuinely excited to hear from you.

Closing date: 20th July, 23:59

Interview date: 11 Aug for first interviews, 18 Aug for second interviews

As Complex Needs Community Keyworker you will provide one-to-one support to women on Probation living in the community, and women being released from Prison as part of their Post Sentence Supervision. You’ll provide focused support in identifying their needs and empowering them to access appropriate services in the community. You will also provide some in-reach and ‘Through the Gate’ support prior to women being released from prison.

You will manage a caseload of women with complex needs who are facing housing issues and provide them with advice, guidance and support that helps them connect with other support services in the community that can assist them to overcome barriers when securing safe and appropriate housing.

The role involves a significant amount of data recording and updating case management systems so you need to be prepared to spend a minimum of 35% of your working hours on this aspect and will need to manage your time effectively to meet the data management requirements. This is also a predominantly independent role, so you will need to be confident to make decisions and able to manage your own workload.

You will be employed by One Small Thing but will be part of a wider team of Community Keyworkers employed by our partner Advance. You will also have a desk space at Hope Street, Southampton, to facilitate close working with the rest of the Hope Street team.

You will be required to participate in training and team building events with the wider One Small Thing team as well as the Advance team, in Hampshire.

This post requires that you are able to drive and have access to your own vehicle; there may be occasions where you are required to support residents to attend appointments. You will also be required to attend local or county meetings or training.

This post is restricted to women due to the nature of the role. The Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies.

About the Role

Key duties and responsibilities

• Provide court representation for clients, including emergency actions, by attending hearings at Liverpool Civil and Family Court.
• Prepare and present cases ready for court hearings by checking time limits, adherence to pre action protocols by creditors, completing relevant court forms and checking fees/remissions.
• Negotiate with and signpost/refer to third parties as appropriate.
• Assist client with alternative dispute resolution cases e.g. Financial Ombudsman Service.
• Assist clients with other related problems where they are an integral part of their case and refer to other advisers or specialist agencies as appropriate.
• Provide advice and assistance to other staff across a range of debt issues.
• Ensure that all work meets the quality standards of the AQS Debt Advice Services, the Citizens Advice quality assurance scheme and the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) quality framework.
• Meet the individual performance targets and engage positively in discussions with the Line Manager to maintain required levels.
• Provide regular reports and feedback to the Line Manager as required.
• Assist with social policy work by providing information about clients' circumstances through the appropriate channel.
• Work collaboratively with partner agencies, Liverpool Civil and Family Court user groups, local authority and other local statutory and voluntary organisations to increase access to the service and to the range of support and advice needed according to individual circumstances.
• Work as part of the CAL Money Advice Team and contribute to effective service provision.
• Work independently in the Liverpool Civil and Family Court with clients as well as working from home and at different sites within Liverpool according to client appointment need.

General

• Ensure achievement of MaPS accreditation to Court Representation level within 3 months of starting the role, if not already achieved.
• Attend relevant internal and external meetings as agreed with the Line Manager.
• Maintain an up to date working knowledge of all new relevant legislation through reading monthly subscriptions including relevant case law.
• Keep up to date with Citizens Advice aims, policies and procedures and ensure these are followed.
• Ensure that work reflects and supports the Citizens Advice service's equality, diversity, and inclusion strategy.
• Abide by health and safety guidelines and share responsibility for your own health and safety and that of colleagues.
• Identify own learning and development needs and take steps to address these with your Line Manager, including engaging in team meetings and supervision sessions.
• Carry out any other tasks within the scope of the post to ensure the effective delivery and development of the service.

Requirements

1. Knowledge and experience of court representation, complex debt casework, covering priority and non-priority debt advice, options and insolvency solutions.
2. Experience of achieving performance and quality targets/KPIs.
3. Ability and willingness to undertake training and development to comply with MaPS Caseworker accreditation to court representation level, and Citizens Advice quality standards.
4. Effective oral and written communication skills.
5. Numerate to the level required by the tasks.
6. Ability to prioritise own work, meet deadlines, manage workload and targets in a pressured environment.
7. Ordered approach to casework and an ability and willingness to follow and develop agreed procedures.
8. IT literate with an ability to use software packages including Microsoft Office products in the provision of advice and preparation of formal written materials.
9. Ability to give and receive feedback objectively and sensitively and a willingness to challenge constructively.
10. Ability and willingness to work as part of a team.
11. Understanding of and commitment to the aims and principles of the Citizens Advice service and its equalities and diversity policy

Desirable

1. Citizens Advice Generalist Advice learning/certificate.
2. Institute of Money Advisers Certificate in Money Advice Practice or MaPS accreditation to court representation equivalent.

How to Apply

For more information and to apply, please click on the Apply button.

About us

The Court Specialist (Housing) Debt Adviser is responsible for providing a quality court representation service for clients facing court proceedings for housing and personal debt, including mortgages, secured and unsecured loans, who are not eligible for housing legal aid.

The project joins a programme funded by the Access to Justice Foundation that aims to sustain and improve access to early social welfare and family legal support and advice, to enable people to resolve these problems as early as possible and avoid the need for court or tribunal proceedings where possible. Where court or tribunal proceedings are needed, the project will provide the support needed to help people navigate the process effectively, including where support to prepare for court and at court is required. The focus of this project will be to provide housing debt court/tribunal support and representation to increase homelessness prevention.

To be successful in this role, you will need to be confident, motivated and willing to try new things, have excellent communication skills with an ability to work under pressure to achieve targets and outcomes with minimum supervision. You will need to have knowledge and experience of complex debt casework, and (county) court money claim, and possession proceedings as well as priority and non-priority debt advice, options and insolvency solutions.