Job Description
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