What's involved with this role: Interim Homelessness Officer - Housing & Planning Reference no: E Cheshire 5247328 Pay Rate: up to £30.00 per hour PAYE depending on experience 37 Monday – Friday, normal working hours This opening assignment is for 2 months City: MACCLESFIELD Deliver a quality, comprehensive homelessness assessment service which fulfils the C ouncil’s statutory duties under Housing Act 1996 VII. Prevent homelessness where possible for those clients approaching who are at imminent risk of homelessness and to help to identify and meet housing need in the Borough. Key Responsibilities Assess, investigate and make homelessness decisions on cases against current legislation and case law so that they stand up to legal scrutiny. Keep comprehensive case notes and evidence to support the decision-making process and ensure these are updated on each contact. Communicate decisions, both verbally and in writing, to relevant parties to ensure they are understood and acted upon appropriately. Provide mediation and liaison with all parties who influence or have a stake in any individual’s homelessness, e.g. friends, GPs, hospitals to avert homelessness where possible. Ensure households are appropriately assessed for temporary and permanent accommodation to ensure appropriate accommodation is sourced, communication with partners is ongoing about case progress and a settled housing option is secured in an efficient and timely manner. Deliver basic debt and welfare benefits advice to clients to ensure the impacts of welfare reform are mitigated and affordable housing solutions are accessed. Assess households against local and national criteria to see if they are eligible for appropriate interventions, e.g. Prevention Fund, DGS, Mortgage Rescue. Provide a presence at local court hearings potentially defending customers who have been issued with possession proceedings. Organise and take part in case conferences with external partners to resolve housing issues. Develop and share a comprehensive network of contacts in the statutory, voluntary and private sector and with all registered social landlords operating in the area. NB: Please feel free to apply to us direct via jobstclrec.com by quoting the job reference and job title exactly. To help speed up the process of uploading your CV to the client we would suggest that you send us your CV in Word format (or equivalent) if possible, rather than as a PDF If you are successful in securing this role, please note that for the entire duration of this contract, regardless of extension you will be working this role at the PAYE rate that has been advertised. For absolute clarity, we only work on a PAYE basis, rather than entertaining umbrella pay terms, we do no t offer Ltd/umbrella or outside IR35 rates. If you wish to understand PAYE vs Umbrella more, please let us know and we can send you some additional information for clarity. Please quote the Job Title & Vacancy Reference No. in your application, or we will be unable to match your CV to the role being applied for. Other “Essential Requirements” – Please check to ensure that your CV addresses the following items: Qualifications: NVQ level 3 qualification in Housing/Social Support related field, or an equivalent qualification/experience GSCEs, or equivalent, qualifications, including English and Maths Knowledge: Detailed understanding of Housing Act 1996 (parts VI and VII), Homelessness Act 2002, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Protection from Eviction Act 1977, NHS and Community Care Act 1990, Children’s Act 1989, Leaving Car Act 2000, and other legislation relevant to role (e.g. tenant and landlord legislation) Understanding of welfare benefits and associated regulations Awareness of advice and support services likely to be relevant to the Section’s customers Understanding of public and private sector housing options and needs, and their effects Understanding of data protection, freedom of information and confidentiality requirements Experience: Experience working in a similar role undertaking homelessness assessments under Part VII 1996 Housing Act as amended by 2002 Homelessness Act Experience of dealing with customers in difficult and stressful situations Skills & Abilities: Developed advisory and guidance skills Persuasive, mediation and negotiation skills – to agree best course of action with service users, and/or to negotiate debt repayments with various agencies etc. Developed verbal and written communication skills – able to convey complex/sensitive information to a range of audiences, including non specialises, in a clear and concise manner Numeracy skills – able to calculate income/expenditure etc. Analytical and problem solving skills – proven ability to accurately and effectively interpret and apply case law and legislation Developed assessment, interviewing and listening skills – able to conduct effective homelessness interviews to assess reasons for loss of accommodation etc. Good ICT skills – including proficiency in use of databases and/or Microsoft Office applications (e.g. Word, Excel and Outlook) Able to effectively organise and prioritise own workload in response to changing and, potentially, conflicting demands Proven ability to effectively and calmly respond to unanticipated problems and situations Able to progress tasks within defined guidelines, ensuring procedural and legislative compliance at all times ALD Please note that clients invariably ask us to strip out contact details from CVs before we submit them for consideration. This is always quicker and easier to do if you send your CV to us in Word format, rather than as a PDF please