The Cost of Living crisis is unprecedented in social history and continues to have a devastating impact on the lives of many Stirling citizens. The need for advice, information and crisis intervention support around money, debt, shortages of fuel and food is huge and continues to grow.

The Cost of Living Support Worker is responsible for supporting volunteer advisers deal with the increase in casework / demand due to Cost of Living drivers.

The post holder will increase volunteer advisors capacity to deal with cost of living driven enquiries & support the main Bureau volunteer led generalist service to deal with the increased volume of enquiries.

The post holder will act as support and mentor to both office-based and remotely enabled advice volunteers ensuring they have the necessary support to deal with enquires effectively and efficiently.

General Responsibilities

• To act as the main point of contact and mentor for all advice volunteers seeking casework/advice support on Cost of Living driven enquiries

• To support bureau based & remotely enabled volunteers to assist in the delivery of the core advice service

• To provide advice support for remote & bureau based volunteer workers particularly in relation to complex/crisis Cost of Living crises driven client enquiries.

• Provide advice for maximising income & support volunteer advisers in the provision of advice & assist people maximise their income by accessing such support as is available to them (e.g. benefits and grants).

• Provide advice & support volunteer advisers in the provision of advice for managing debt. Helping people identify their options and strategies, enabling them to get control of their borrowings or removing the burden of debt entirely.

• To undertake supervisory roles within the office – e.g. 2nd tier technical support on complex Cost of Living driven enquiries

• To communicate frequently with volunteer advisers to ensure they are satisfied, well-placed and any concerns are addressed.

• To help ensure the purpose of the Stirling CAB, its actions, policies, procedures and the role of the volunteer is clearly communicated, understood and implemented.

• To help represent and present the views of volunteers and volunteering related matters to senior management.

• Help ensure that the required monthly CAB statistics are provided to the Deputy Manager

• To carry out any other reasonable task requested by CAB management or required by the Board of trustees.

Accountability

• Provide written reports to monthly supervision sessions with Deputy Manager

• Attend annual appraisal

• Attend Annual General Meeting and quarterly reviews of role with CEO

About the job

This is an exciting new post working with one of Scotland’s biggest databases outside of the public sector which provides evidence of the challenges faced in communities across the country and beyond. Citizens Advice Scotland has a track record of using our data for influence, and in this role you will help us build upon that success whilst also helping us develop our capacity to use data to inform service improvement and reporting on the difference we make. You will lead and nurture a team that is responsible for identifying trends in our data, working with others to build capacity to gather and use data effectively, improving our quality assurance processes, and producing reports and visualisations that drive our influencing work and demonstrate the impact of Citizens Advice Scotland. You will also have the opportunity to help shape our emergent data strategy and contribute to the development of new systems to support this.

You will be an experienced data analyst, familiar with using the latest technologies to process data in engaging and accessible ways. You will work with people from all levels across CAS to support them to use data to inform decision making, drive our influencing work and to help evidence the difference we make. This job is an opportunity to work at the heart of Scotland’s biggest advice provider network and to make a real difference in people’s lives.

About Citizens Advice Scotland

The Citizens Advice network in Scotland is the largest independent advice service in the country. Citizens Advice Scotland is a charity within this network – we act as a national organisation supporting and representing the service as a whole and the interests of citizens. At the heart of the network there are 59 individual citizens advice bureau across Scotland, all operating as independent charities in their own right, which focus on providing support and advice directly to clients. Each of these organisations is a member of Citizens Advice Scotland. We believe that every citizen should have access to free, impartial and confidential advice that helps them make informed decisions, whenever they need it and however, they choose to access it. We use people’s real-life experiences to influence policy and drive positive change.

Last year the network helped nearly 180,000 people and unlocked £147million for people through things like social security payments and employment entitlements. Our online advice received over 5.4 million page views and our awareness raising campaigns reached millions of people.

Our vision is for a Fairer Scotland where everyone has the advice and information they need to realise their rights, and that the barriers to accessing those rights are effectively challenged.

Employee benefits

Citizens Advice Scotland offers excellent terms and conditions. We want our people to have a great work life balance and we have designed our working practices and benefits to support this. Here are some of things our employees benefit from: a 35-hour full time working week, 40 days annual leave, genuine flexibility in working hours with a flexi-time system, and blended/hybrid working opportunities for every role.

Citizens Advice Scotland is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion. We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies and flexible working arrangements to support all our staff. We are also committed to equality of opportunity for all and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

CAS provides options for blended working to allow employees to balance their time attending the office with time working from home. The number of days you will be able to work from home each week will be dependent on your job role and can be discussed as part of the recruitment process.

Hamilton Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) was formed over 50 years ago to provide a holistic advice service to the residents of Hamilton. As a member of the Scottish Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux network, Hamilton CAB aims to provide free, independent, impartial, and confidential advice and information to ensure that people understand their rights and responsibilities and can express their needs effectively. We campaign and influence to tackle the root cause of the problems people face and work to strengthen their rights.

Hamilton CAB currently operates from two offices in Hamilton and are supported by 18 members of staff and 31 volunteers including board members. The Bureau supports individuals with a wide range of general enquiries whilst project staff provide specialist support on topics including benefits, debt, utilities, and money matters.

The role:

We are seeking a committed and dynamic individual to serve as the Chair of our organisation.

As Chair, you will play a vital role by providing strategic leadership to the board, ensuring it fulfils its responsibilities for the governance of the organisation. You will also provide line management, support and direction to the Chief Officer, helping them to achieve the organisation’s aims and objectives; and ensures the smooth running of Hamilton CAB.

We are looking for an individual who has experience of leadership and governance. You will have a passion for the voluntary sector, strong leadership skills and an ability to drive forward positive change.

Although, not financially remunerated, the role is high profile and respected within the community and will offer a great challenge, learning and networking opportunity for the right person.

There are an average of 6 Board meetings per year to commit to as well as preparation time and regular collaboration /communications with the team and stakeholders.

Citizens Advice Edinburgh is looking to recruit an Advice Services Manager, who has a particular knowledge and expertise of Welfare Rights, but also a good working knowledge of all other advice subjects, particularly debt, employment, housing and immigration.

You will be joining a team of 4 other Advice Service Managers each of whom has a particular expertise in each of the other 4 advice areas outlined above.

Citizens Advice Edinburgh is one of the city's leading advice providers and as part of the Citizens Advice Network, you will be joining the country's largest and most respected advice providers.