PURPOSE OF ROLE

To provide holistic advice on a range of welfare benefits issues. To offer clients advice and information to maximise their income and to ensure they are receiving the correct entitlements. This will including conducting full benefit checks, better off calculations, assisting clients with revision, supersessions and appeals of benefit decisions and also assisting client to navigate their benefit claims. The role will also require to provide advice on all areas of entitlements for clients such as energy, charitable applications or assistance with health costs for example.

The role will require someone who has experience or understanding of the benefits system, ideally in provision of advice, information and representation however someone who can evidence similar transferrable skills in another setting may be considered also. 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.

The role offers a supportive and friendly environment where we work to provide our community with advice, information and options to allow informed choices. The role also provides opportunities for continuous development and training.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Key work areas and tasks:

Advice giving

• Ensure income maximisation through the take up of appropriate benefits.
• Prepare and present cases to the appropriate statutory bodies, tribunals and courts as appropriate.
• Assist clients with other related problems where they are an integral part of their case and refer to other advisers or specialist agencies as appropriate.
• Provide advice and assistance to other staff across the whole range of issues.
• Maintain case records for the purpose of continuity of casework, information retrieval, and statistical monitoring and report preparation.
• Ensure that all work conforms to the bureau's systems and procedures.
• Negotiate with third parties such as statutory and non-statutory bodies as appropriate.
• Ensure that all work conforms to the bureau's Quality Standards at the appropriate level.
• Maintain detailed case records for the purpose of continuity of casework, information retrieval, statistical monitoring and report preparation to a high standard.

Social policy

• Assist with social policy work by providing information about clients' circumstances through the appropriate channel.
• Alert clients to social policy options.

Professional development

• Keep up to date with legislation, policies and procedures and undertake appropriate training.
• Attend relevant internal and external meetings as agreed with the line manager.
• Prepare for and attend supervision sessions/team meetings/staff meetings as appropriate.

Administration

• Use IT for statistical recording, record keeping and document production.
• Ensure that all work conforms to the bureau's systems and procedures.

Other duties and responsibilities

• Carry out any other tasks that may be within the scope of the post to ensure the effective delivery and development of the service.
• Demonstrate commitment to the aims and policies of the CAB service.
• Abide by health and safety guidelines and share responsibility for own safety and that of colleagues.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• Evidenced understanding of welfare benefits and provision of advice, or an ability to show transferable similar transferable skills.
• Understanding of and commitment to the aims and principles of the CAB service and its equal opportunities policies.
• Ability to give and receive feedback objectively and sensitively and a willingness to challenge constructively.
• Ability to monitor and maintain own standards.
• High level of written and oral communication skills.
• Understanding of the issues affecting society and their implications for clients and service provision.
• Ability to use IT in the provision of advice.
• Flexibility and willingness to work as part of a team.
• Willingness to learn and develop skills in advice topics.
• Willingness to train other staff or volunteers and provide 2nd tier advice.
• Ability to research, analyse and interpret complex information.
• Numeracy skills required to understand statistics and check calculations.
• An understanding of and respect for the volunteer led ethos of CAB and an ability to reflect this in their day-to-day work.

About Us

Inverness Badenoch and Strathspey Citizens Advice Bureau is an independent charity which provides holistic advice, information and support to members of the public. Our services are free, impartial, non-judgemental, confidential and independent.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Patient Rights (Scotland) Act was passed in February 2011. The Act created the Patient Advice and Support Service (PASS) to promote awareness of patient rights and responsibilities, and provide advice and support to those wishing to give feedback or comments, or raise concerns or complaints about NHS care received.

Inverness Badenoch & Strathspey Citizens Advice Bureau provide the PASS service in our local area as well as providing support to the National PASS Helpline as part of the role.

Patient Advisers will provide clients with advice and information who wish to give feedback or comments, or raise concerns or complaints to the NHS and support bureaux volunteers and staff with queries on the PASS service. They will work on a rota to provide advice on the PASS National Helpline as well as managing casework, producing statistical reports and where necessary carrying out promotional activities or attending meeting with stakeholders as part of their role

The Help for Carers Access Officer is a key member of the Falkirk Citizens Advice Bureau team, delivering independent, free, impartial, and confidential advice to unpaid carers in the Falkirk area. In this role you will work as part of the Help for Carers Team and in partnership with the Falkirk & Clackmannanshire Carers Centre to improve livelihoods and living standards, dealing with a wide range of poverty related issues through carefully tailored advice.

This work will be delivered through a combination of face-to-face interviews, telephone, email, and webchat. You will also support project development through interacting with local organisations, client groups, and professionals.

We are seeking candidates with existing experience of advice-giving, and a strong commitment to the Bureau’s objectives and values.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Working with the Falkirk & Clackmannanshire Carers Centre to provide benefit, debt and housing advice to carers and their families.
• Providing a wraparound service for carers in order to increase their household income, reduce expenditure and improve quality of life for their families.
• Working with other agencies who support carers and promote awareness of the service to them and their networks.
• Appropriately recording client data in compliance with GDPR and Bureau policy, to support advice and social policy work, fundraising, and service promotion.
• Adhering to Association standards and Bureau policy at all times.

Employee benefits

Falkirk Citizens Advice Bureau offers excellent terms and conditions, including a total of 25 days leave plus 10 public holidays and enrolment into the government NEST pension scheme with an enhanced 5% employer contribution.

Citizens Advice Edinburgh (CAE) is part of an exciting collaborative project – The Family Hub - funded via the Scottish Government’s Whole Family Wellbeing Fund (WFWF).

The collaborative comprises the Third Sector organisations Circle, Stepping Stones North Edinburgh, Home-Start Edinburgh and Home Link Family Support, alongside NHS Lothian’s Parent & Infant Relationship Service and the City of Edinburgh Council’s Early Learning & Childcare Service.

The project delivers bespoke whole-family supports throughout the early years. CAE provides the welfare rights advice element of this service. The collaborative ensures that universal and enhanced support is available at the earliest stage possible for all families with a child not yet in an ELC or a pre-school age setting. This has been achieved by developing a cohesive pathway and a menu of supports alongside families.

The project is underpinned by early intervention and support. In providing holistic support to parents, we aim to improve the caregiving experience and infant mental health. Targeting secure attachment increases the likelihood of children remaining within the family home.

The project aims to:

• Improve family wellbeing
• Reduce inequalities in family wellbeing
• Reduce the need for families requiring crisis intervention
• Reduce the number of children living away from their families
• Increase the number of families taking up wider support

The multi-disciplinary service is delivered via physical Hubs in each locality, Pop-ups and Home Visits to families, to ensure city-wide, equal and convenient access.

Your Role

As the project’s Income Maximisation Adviser, you will principally advise parents about welfare entitlement, grants, and tariffs; budgeting; reducing household costs; and managing debt. Alongside financial topics, you will also offer assistance with housing, employment, and other related areas of advice. The central aim of the role is to reduce the number of families and children living in relative poverty.

The successful candidate must be experienced in giving advice, particularly in relation to benefits. Evidence of training and experience within another advice role is expected, but opportunities to develop your knowledge would be available via access to Citizens Advice’s comprehensive training platform. Provision of advice would be supported by the Citizens Advice information database and access to Citizens Advice Edinburgh’s network of specialists.

It is not essential to have experience of working within the sphere of Early Years or family support, but the candidate must be motivated to work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary team and to display awareness and understanding of the complex support needs and vulnerabilities that families may present with to the service.

Due to the citywide coverage of the service, candidates must commit to regular travel between different Edinburgh locations and be confident working independently at times. The post holder will also be required to assertively develop and maintain links with relevant partner agencies in the wider community, to ensure that families receive holistic support.