Job Description

Generalist Advice Worker - Bradford

Hours: 28 hours per week

Accountable to: The Girlington Centre Manager

Function: The post holder will deliver outreach welfare rights advice including benefits, debt, housing, and income maximisation in GP surgeries, Children Centres and other community venues. The post holder will have to travel to outreach venues in the Bradford West area and will be able to self-supervise and support the Advice team in delivering welfare rights advice, information and advocacy.

Key tasks

1. Provide comprehensive and accurate advice on welfare benefits advice and casework covering the full range of benefits and welfare reform changes, providing a generalist advice service in the following areas: debt, housing and welfare benefits.
2. Work with the outreach venues to provide an outreach advice service to users of the agency
3. Carry out in depth benefit and income checks and ensure income is maximized through take up of appropriate welfare benefits and grants.
4. Support clients through the process of negotiation with creditors in order to stabilize their debts, both priority and non-priority, working with the Specialist Debt Advice Worker to prevent where possible court actions for debt against clients. Prepare financial statements and assist clients in prioritizing debts.
5.  Act for the client and take on casework where necessary to progress the client’s case.
6. Negotiate with third parties as appropriate on behalf of clients both orally and in writing.
7. Assist clients with other related problems that are an integral part of their case by advice and referring internally/externally to other agencies.
8. Maintain accurate and organized case records and undertake follow up work arising, work within deadlines, including monitoring the work, reporting and keeping statistical records in line with the requirements of the funders and the Project Manager.
9. Recognize cases where more specialist benefits or debt advice is required and refer clients to Specialist Benefits and Debt Advice Worker.
10. Keep up to date with case law in benefits, by reading periodicals/internet and undertaking training and developing skills and expertise in identified areas of Welfare rights advice.
11. Work at all times to the Advice Quality Standard policies and procedures
12. Meet all targets as set by funders and Canterbury Advice Centre objectives
13. Work as part of a team member of the Advice Team to deliver advice at the centre, outreach venues and on home visits.
14. To attend staff meetings and any other meetings at the Girlington Centre and any other meetings as requested by the Centre Manager.
15. Ensure you have an understanding (appropriate to your role), and comply with The Girlington Centre’s procedures for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.
16. To work flexibly as may be required by the needs of the service and carry out any other reasonable duties as required.
17. To comply with The Girlington Centre’s Health and Safety Policy, Data Protection Policy and to protect the health, safety and welfare of themselves and others.
18. To implement the principles of The Girlington Centre’s Equality and Diversity Policy in every aspect of their work and positively promote the principles of the policy amongst colleagues, service users and other members of the community.

Job Description and Person Specification

Application Form

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