Trainee welfare benefits caseworker jobs

Responsible to: Operations Manager 

Role purpose: To supports people in the local community through the provision of holistic Money, Debt and Budgeting Advice 

Salary Scale:2.1 – 2.4.  £27,495 - £29,400 FTE. P/T hours will be considered

Key work areas and tasks 

Provision of advice and casework 

• Provide money advice and casework covering the full range of debt advice topics including priority and non-priority debt and money advice issues 

• Identify urgent situations and ensure any possible action is taken immediately 

• Assist clients with related issues integral to their debt case such as welfare benefits advice, housing, other financial matters and income maximisation (incorporates applications for grants and other welfare schemes) 

• Work with the client to draw up an agreed financial statement incorporating the Standard Financial Statement 

• Enable clients to identify and explore various options they may have in addressing their situation explaining the consequences and limitations of each option 

• Assist clients in the calculation of offers to priority and non-priority creditors with reference to their Financial Statement.  

• Where appropriate undertake negotiations with clients’ creditors and other relevant bodies and/or act for the client by drafting or writing letters and telephoning and negotiating with third parties as necessary 

• Prepare and present cases to the appropriate statutory bodies and courts as required including DRO, Breathing Space and bankruptcy applications 

• Maintain timely, accurate and detailed case records and adhere to administration systems 

• Maintain statistical information and other required documents and undertake client feedback surveys and facilitate client evaluation 

• Manage an agreed caseload of debt and money advice cases 

• Ensure all work casework conforms to Operational Policy including meeting the requirements of the Advice Quality Standard, FCA and MAPS 

• Provide basic welfare benefits advice to clients, to include assessing eligibility for benefits, better-off calculations and other income maximisation advice 

• Assist clients with other problems, referring to other advisers and/or agencies as appropriate 

• Provide representation for clients at county or magistrates courts when appropriate 

• Provide support, guidance and supervision to the money advice trainee caseworker/caseworker’s assistant and other less experienced staff and volunteers 

Research and Campaigns (social policy work) 

• Assist with social policy work by providing information about clients' circumstances through the appropriate channel.

• Research and campaigns, monitoring and relationship building.  

• Assist with the development and implementation, in conjunction with the Operations Manager and in consultation with other charity workers, the Charity’s Research and Campaigns Plan.  

• Assist with research and campaigns work by providing information about clients' circumstances through the appropriate channel.   

Administration 

• Maintain and monitor effective and efficient administrative systems.

• Monitor health and safety policy with regard to staff, equipment and premises within statutory requirements.

• Ensure complaints are brought to the Manager’s attention as soon as is practicable. 

Training and Development 

• Identify and implement own training and development needs (in consultation with the Operations Manager).   

• Identify the training needs of charity workers through support and supervision and contribute towards the charity’s training and development plans. 

• Contribute to organising training activities in conjunction, as appropriate, with the Operations Manager. 

Other Duties and Responsibilities 

• Abide by health and safety guidelines and share responsibility for own safety and that of colleagues.   

• Abide by data security and information assurance guidelines.  

• Ensure that work undertaken reflects and supports the Citizens Advice service’s equality and diversity strategy   

• Any other relevant tasks or duties required to ensure the effective running of the charity and our services. 

• To contribute to the induction and on-going training of charity workers within the team.  

Person specification  

Essential criteria 

• Qualified and competent money advice and debt caseworker holding the relevant accredited quality standard and other competencies set down by Advice Quality Standard, Money and Pension Service, FCA and/or Institute of Money Advisers 

• Demonstrable and thorough understanding of the application of the debt process in a busy advice organisation and of doing so in a client- centred and efficient way including through working on a Money Advice Service or MAPS funded programme 

• A positive approach to quality of advice audit (including peer review and external audit) and a commitment to constructive feedback as part of the quality assurance and learning process (as a recipient and 

• as a supervisor) 

• The ability to sift through large amounts of information and gather essential details during a client interview 

• Excellent negotiation skills with experience of conducting negotiations with a range of agencies and creditors 

• Proven ability to plan and prioritise your workload, meet deadlines and work calmly and with focus within a busy and fast paced environment 

• Experience of using a casework recording and quality assurance system and IT platforms 

• Experience of providing effective guidance and support to peers and junior colleagues and the ability to plan and co-ordinate the workload of others 

• Experience of working effectively within a team including paid and volunteer staff 

• Excellent communication skills (spoken and written) and the ability to develop and maintain positive, professional, working relationships with clients, funders, stakeholders, colleagues, volunteers, creditors and other agencies 

• Proven IT skills including very confident and competent use of Word, Excel, databases, cloud-based systems etc to maintain effective records, administrative and reporting systems 

• A commitment to travelling to various locations as required 

• Understanding of the issues affecting society and their implications for clients and service provision 

• Understanding of and commitment to the aims and principles of the CA service and its equal opportunities policies 

Desirable criteria 

•   Hold a current registration as a DRO intermediary 

• Experience of working within a Citizens Advice charity   

• Experience of working with the public in an advisory capacity  

This is an exciting opportunity to lead CPAG’s strategic legal work at an important time in the organisation’s fight to end child poverty. As Head of Strategic Litigation, you will oversee and carry out CPAG’s work using legal cases for positive impact, to benefit families and children in poverty. You will be responsible for setting the strategic direction of CPAG’s legal work, in addition to managing CPAG’s legal practice and playing an active role in conducting high-profile litigation on a day-to-day basis.

We are looking for someone who is strategically minded and 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 substantial post-qualification experience. You will have 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, and support the professional development and wellbeing of your team. 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. 

For more information about this post and to apply download the Head of Strategic Litigation job pack and application form. 

If you have questions or need specific arrangements or reasonable adjustments to take part in the selection process please contact us.

To apply, please return to us the application form, taking particular care to provide full details of how you meet the person specification. 

Closing date for applications: 11.59pm, Wednesday, 15 April 2026

Interviews will be held at our London office: w/c 27 April 2026