Welfare Rights Caseworker in partnership with Macmillan cancer Support
- Full time or Part time
- £26,377
- Hybrid working considered with at least 2 days at the Highland Macmillan CAB Partnership Office at Raigmore Hospital.
- Closing 19th June 2023
- Advertised from 17th May 2023
- Up to 35 hours
- plus 5% Pension
Role
SUMMARY OF MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
The Highland Macmillan CAB Partnership, established in 2004, provides a welfare benefits advice service across the Highland region (excluding Lochaber) to people affected by cancer and their families. Based at Raigmore Hospital, our award winning team works alongside the Macmillan Person Centred Care Project and other professionals, such as Clinical Nurse Specialists and GPs, to provide holistic, high quality advice and assistance to our clients at any point in their cancer journey.
We are seeking to recruit an additional welfare benefits caseworker to join our friendly team.
The successful candidate will provide holistic advice to our clients on a range of welfare benefits issues, offer advice and information to maximise their income and ensure they are receiving the correct entitlements. This will include conducting full benefit checks, carrying out better-off calculations, assisting with revisions, supersessions and appeals of benefit decisions and also assisting client to navigate their benefit claims. The role will require the candidate to provide advice on all areas of entitlements for clients such as energy, grant applications or assistance with health costs for example. The post will require someone who has in-depth experience or understanding of the benefits system, ideally in provision of advice, information and representation.
This role will suit a resilient and empathetic person who is able to work under pressure but enjoys the challenges of advice delivery and is able to work in a non-judgmental and impartial, confidential manner.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1) Service Provision
- Provide a full welfare benefits casework service to people affected by cancer, including UK and Scottish disability benefits, and other sources of financial support, such as charitable grants, energy advice and help with health and travel costs.
- Assist clients to prepare for benefit appeals and provide representation at Tribunals as required.
- Liaise and negotiate with other statutory and voluntary organisations to progress the client’s case and ensure they receive all assistance available.
- Ensure that all work conforms to the bureau's Quality Standards at the appropriate level.
- Assume responsibility for the day-to-day management, maintenance and prioritising of own case load.
- Maintain, to a high standard, detailed (computerised) case records for the purpose of continuity of case work, statistical monitoring, information retrieval and report preparation in line with the requirements of Citizens Advice Scotland and Macmillan Cancer Support.
- Refer clients on to colleagues or other agencies as appropriate for specialist help with issues that fall outside the remit of the service, including housing, debt and employment.
- Provide advice, information and cancer-specific benefits awareness training to colleagues and other health and social care professionals working with the client group as required.
- Support Citizens Advice Scotland and Macmillan Cancer Support’s social policy work by providing case studies and feedback on issues of concern for people affected by cancer.
2) Service Design and Development
- Gather statistics and feedback in order to monitor and evaluate the service, provide information to the Health Projects Manager for reports to advisory groups, funders and partners.
- Assist with initiatives for the improvement of services to people affected by cancer
- Develop working relationships with health professionals supporting the client group
- Network with other professionals in the advice work field
- Represent the project at meetings with other agencies as appropriate
3) Professional Development
- Maintain an up to date knowledge of the benefits system and policies and procedures relevant to the post.
- Identify your own personal strengths and weaknesses, including identifying personal training needs, and attending in-house and external training courses and meetings as appropriate
- Undertake training and personal development in order to develop skills and increase knowledge and understanding of cancer and its treatments, and its impact on people affected by cancer and their ability to access financial help.
- Prepare for and participate in internal team meetings, supervision and appraisals.
4) Adherence to Citizens Advice Scotland Policies and Procedures
- Have responsibility to uphold the Aims and Principles of the Citizens Advice Scotland Service and its Equal Opportunities policies.
- Abide by health and safety guidelines and share responsibility for own safety and that of colleagues.
- Any other duties commensurate with the post.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
We are looking for someone who can demonstrate the following:
- Considerable recent experience (paid or unpaid) in advice work or related field
- Recent representation experience (paid or unpaid), or willingness to undertake training
- Good current knowledge of the UK and Scottish benefits systems, particularly that relating to people affected by cancer, sickness and disability benefits
- An understanding of the issues affecting people affected by cancer
- Experience of managing a complex caseload
- Ability to work under pressure, on your own initiative, but also to be part of a team
- Ability to work in a systematic manner and plan own workload
- Excellent organisational, communication and report writing skills
- Good IT skills – especially word-processing, and database entry
- Good working knowledge of the statutory and voluntary agencies in the area
- Understanding of community care issues
- An ability to deal with clients and other professionals in a sensitive manner
- Evidence of ability to carry out training in benefit issues to CAB staff and outside agencies or equivalent experience
- Commitment to the principle of a client driven, volunteer led service
- Commitment to the aims and principles of the CAB service
- Commitment to CAB & Macmillan Cancer Support equalities policies
Responsible to: Health Projects Manager
Application notes
Applications should be downloaded directly from our website and submitted by the closing date of: 19th June 2023 by 5pm
For further information, please contact: Business Support Administrator, Inverness Badenoch & Strathspey CAB, 29-31 Union Street, Inverness, IV1 1QA E-mail: admin@invernesscab.org
Interviews: TBA
This role is responsible for supporting the administrative and reception functions of the bureau. Working closely with other members of the admin team they will ensure that we maintain high client service standards in reception and administrative processes. The Administration Officer will ensure that administrative processes are accurate and that tasks are completed on time and that systems work effectively and staff and volunteers are supported. The postholder will also support the premises management.
We are looking for a self-starter with energy and enthusiasm to make the role their own. All training will be provided so please don’t be deterred if you don’t meet all of the criteria. We are a busy team who are ambitious to support our community and this role will contribute to supporting us to achieving our objectives in the coming years.
If you have any questions you can email Finance-HR@Perthcab.org.uk to contact Karen Campbell, Finance and Resource Manager who will answer any questions or arrange a call to discuss further.
Data Governance Officer
- Full time
- £31,146 – £38,067
- Hybrid: Edinburgh or Glasgow office. Hybrid working - min 1 day a week at the office. This is a minimum, but a successful candidate can opt to be office based 5 days per week.
- Closing 6th August 2024
Working with the Strategy, Governance, Performance, and Risk (SGPR) Team, the Data Governance Officer will help us ensure all data is findable, accessible, safe, and secure. You will support the Data Governance Lead on wide range of activities including records management, data protection compliance, information risk, and data quality. You will be a first line point of contact for data and information requests and other records management and data protection-related matters. As Data Governance Officer, you will understand the importance of data quality, records management, data protection by design, and best practice to ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory obligations, including UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act, and help foster a positive data governance culture within Citizens Advice Scotland and the 59 Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) across Scotland.
This is a fast-paced, wide-ranging role offering you the opportunity to work at the heart of supporting Scotland's largest independent advice network and to make an invaluable contribution to citizen’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 hybrid working opportunities for every role. For more details of some of the other benefits on offer to our employees, please see the section on employee benefits in the job pack.
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 hybrid 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.
To lead the provision of relationship-based support delivered to young people and families in the community and to promote positive outcomes in line with the values and principles of includem.
Purpose & Context of Role
The postholder will manage their own caseload ensuring support plans are developed with the young person to respond to their individual needs and supporting them to improve outcomes in line with GIRFEC principles and includem’s model of support.
A project worker will demonstrate leadership and ownership over effective service delivery to young people by managing outcomes for young people through use of line managers, colleagues and organisational tools, processes, policies, and procedures.
The key responsibilities of the Project Worker include, but are not limited to:
Service Delivery
- To build relationships and deliver outcome-based support to young people and families, involving all key stakeholders.
- To be available for young people and families at critical times
- To explore values and attitudes with young people in a supportive manner, to affirm and validate their feelings and ideas, and nurture and confirm their learning.
- To ensure a focus on regular and appropriate case progression to help young people and families recognise progress.
- To assess and respond appropriately to situations where young people and/or families may be at risk of harm.
- To support with crisis management and generate solutions for young people and families using the Helpline, with risk enablement being at the heart of professional judgement and decision making.
People
- To understand the different coping mechanisms that young people and their families use to deal with stress and high emotions, and to respond appropriately.
- To demonstrate professional resilience when providing support with sensitive or challenging issues
- To use a strengths-based approach to empower individuals facing adversity to find solutions and make positive changes, ensuring resources are in place to sustain these changes.
- To establish mutually trusting, open and non-judgemental relationship with young people and their families
- To encourage and lead collaborative team work to provide a ‘scaffolding of support’ around each young person and their family.
- To respect and value the contribution of wider stakeholders and the delivery of includem services.
- Where opportunity allows experience of directing, supporting, and mentoring Assistant Project Workers/Sessional staff.
- Any other duties as designated by your line manager.
Resources
- To deploy time effectively to meet the needs of young people and families to ensure the service is available 24/7, 365 days per year.
- To maintain and produce accurate and timely records and reports.
- To ensure support is delivered in line with includem’s Policies Procedures, SSSC Codes of Practice & National Guidelines
Influence
- To gain commitment from other stakeholders with varying demands and priorities
- To ensure young people and families are empowered to make informed choices.
- To support young people and families to effectively communicate with others.
- To work with young people to identify goals aligned to wellbeing indicators and to positively influence progression towards these goals.
- To reflect on practice, share learning and promote continuous practice improvement within a team setting.
- To articulate and endorse the includem framework of intervention and the key aspects of the service delivery model to a wide audience.
- To role model appropriate practice standards and professional boundaries to others
- To ensure a high-quality service is delivered to young people and families.
- Demonstrate understanding of your impact on people and how they might see you.
Quality Assurance
- To be accountable for the quality of your work and be able to evidence this work effectively.
- To actively participate in formal supervision and continuous professional development.
- To generate creative and new solutions to issues faced by young people and families.
If you want to apply you must have full UK driving licence.
Latest news See more
