About Citizens Advice Edinburgh
The Citizens Advice Service was first established in Edinburgh in 1939.
It currently delivers services from 4 main Bureaux (Dundas Street, Leith, Muirhouse and Portobello) and over 20 project/outreach locations across the capital. In 2007 the separate Bureaux merged to form Citizens Advice Edinburgh (CAE).
Through a team of core and project staff and over 100 highly trained and committed volunteers, CAE provides a free, confidential, independent and impartial service to the citizens of Edinburgh on a wide range of issues including:
The charity is a trusted and well-respected organisation. It enjoys high levels of client satisfaction, and the excellence of its training programme is widely recognised. Its volunteer workforce and paid staff are fully committed and strive, with limited resources, to provide the advice sought by thousands of clients each year.
For a full overview of all our services and current work, please visit our website at: citizensadviceedinburgh.org.uk
Summary of Role
Citizens Advice Edinburgh (CAE) has been awarded a contract to deliver a new outreach advice service based the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. We are recruiting 2 advisers, who, in combination, will deliver the service for a total of 49hrs per week. Applicants are invited to apply for any number of hours from a minimum of 14hrs (2 days p/wk) to a maximum of 35hrs (5 days p/wk).
This new service will build upon CAE’s existing hospital-based provision in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, and Royal Hospital for Children & Young People (the latter with our advice partner, CHAI).
The advertised vacancies are at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, and most work will be undertaken physically at that site, however occasionally, the post holder may be required to work flexibly at the above-named hospitals, covering periods of annual leave, sickness absence, or training.
The service will deliver welfare rights advice to patients, visitors and staff members attending the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, which provides acute psychiatric and mental health services, including treatment for learning disabilities and dementia. Research has shown that resolving problems with benefits, debt, employment, housing, and family issues can have a positive effect on patient health. The service aims to engage with clients directly at the point when they have had a change in circumstances due to a health-related issue or diagnosis, before issues escalate.
Applicants should be experienced in giving advice, particularly in relation to benefits, but also in the areas of money, housing, immigration, and employment. They must have an understanding of the role within the healthcare environment and the impact of poverty on health. Although the post holder will not be providing any medical advice, applicants must have a particular interest in mental health and ensure that patients experiencing various health challenges are supported compassionately, sensitively, and appropriately. This may include contact with a patient’s support network, if they share legal responsibility for managing a patient’s affairs.
To launch and establish the service, a considerable amount of promotional work will be required. The post holder must assertively develop and maintain links with NHS staff, Social Work staff, other CAE specialists and external agencies, through both 1-1 contact, and by delivering presentations and briefings to prospective referrers.
The acute sector is a fast-paced, rapidly evolving, and challenging environment in which to work. Due to the project’s setting, the work can be both physically and emotionally demanding. Clients are frequently extremely unwell, presenting practical challenges to engagement, and advisers must move around a large hospital site in order to meet with staff, patients and carers. In addition to possessing the necessary practical knowledge, candidates will therefore require energy and resilience to ensure the service’s success.
Application deadline: Midnight on Sunday 9th February
Interview dates: 12th – 19th February
Interview location: Online using Microsoft Teams
Interview format: 50-minute interview
Please email your applications to markcarter@cabedinburgh.org.uk