Job Description
Hackney Food Bank Income Maximisation Caseworker
We are looking for a caseworker to help individuals who are referred to the food bank to help with any challenges they may be facing. The aim is to support them to increase their household resilience, so they no longer need emergency food. You will be responsible for meeting our visitors, assessing their needs and providing wrap around support. This may include assistance with benefits, debt, budgeting, fuel poverty, health, and mental health support. In this role, you will be working with people with a wide range of challenges, including substance abuse, domestic violence, people suffering from physical or mental illness, and community members dealing with financial hardship, amongst others.
To be successful in this role, you must be empathetic, but also be able to set boundaries. You will need to listen actively and ask pertinent questions. You will also have strong communication and persuasion skills.
Caseworker Responsibilities:
* Providing support and advice to our visitors.
* Help visitors navigate the UK’s benefits system to access what they are entitled to
* Ensuring that case notes are kept up to date.
* Making referrals or introductions to other agencies.
* When needed, scheduling individuals to appointments with HFB’s partner organisations.
* Motivating individuals to attend and benefit from appointments with other agencies.
Caseworker Requirements:
* At least two years’ experience of working with deprived communities.
* At least two years’ experience of working with vulnerable people, who may have mental health issues, experiencing trauma and other challenges.
* Experience of working in a diverse borough and of how some communities experience barriers of access to services more than others.
* A robust knowledge of how inequality affects communities, and the intersectionality of discrimination and disadvantage.
* Proven experience of working with and actively supporting people to maximise their income
* Evidence of continuous personal development in understanding what support is available and how it can be accessed by individuals and organisations.
* An excellent command of English, written and spoken.
* Possessing empathy and perception to work with individuals who have difficulty expressing their needs.
* Good computer skills, including ability to learn database or CRM programmes.
* Good organisational skills.
* Ability to compromise, negotiate, and work well with others.
Desirable:
* Full valid UK driver’s license.
* A second language
* NQV in Advice and Guidance
* Experience of working in Hackney
* Lived experience of financial hardship or using foodbank
To apply please submit your CV and a cover letter highlighting how your experiences link to this role.