The Citizens Advice Bureau in West Lothian have an exciting opportunity for a Money Advice Caseworker to join our highly successful team. A considerable knowledge of money advice, benefits and associated legislation is essential, as is excellent communication, training and interpersonal skills. You will provide a full range of debt advice and an opportunity to empower clients through face-to-face, telephone, and digital communication channels, acting for clients where necessary to provide positive outcomes.

The role will encompass providing information, advice and representation to our clients and supporting key professionals. The post will be based in the CAB office in Livingston, although the service may be delivered in various locations throughout West Lothian.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, dynamic and motivated person to join our team. The Session Supervisor has day to day operational responsibility for the delivery of a high-quality generalist advice service within Airdrie Citizens Advice Bureau. The Session Supervisor is responsible that the quality of advice delivered is in line with the Scottish National Standards and Citizens Advice Scotland’s Membership standards.

This post also supports the learning and development of a high-quality service by providing formal training to volunteers and staff as and when required.

The successful applicant will be encouraged and supported in their personal development by the Senior Management Team.

Employee benefits

Airdrie Citizens Advice Bureau offers excellent terms and conditions and is an inclusive employer considering flexible working arrangements where appropriate. For more details of some of the other benefits on offer to our employees, please contact us for more information.

Core Duties

• Provide supervision and support for advice workers, particularly in relation to advice enquiries, CASTLE data entry and enquiry entry.
• Support advisers to produce accurate, legible and complete client records.
• Contribute to building and supervising an effective team, understanding the importance of continual improvement of the service.
• Undertake advice work as and when required.
• Implement effective Triage Service
• Support and maintain uniform advice standards and contribute to their development. Ensure that advice work undertaken complies with CAS Quality Audit standards, Scottish National Standards.
• Actively implement the Aims and Principles of the CAB service, together with its other policies.

Essential Criteria

• Delivery of advice and information services to clients.
• Ability to work without supervision
• Basic training skills
• Ability to deal with staff, volunteers and the public in a calm, caring and competent manner
• Ability to analyse and interpret complex information
• Ability to prioritise own work and that of others, meet deadlines and manage workload in a pressured environment
• Ability to give and receive feedback objectively and sensitively and a willingness to challenge constructively

Desirable Criteria

• At least 2 years’ experience of supporting others in advice provision
• A working knowledge of CASTLE for the purpose of recording client cases
• Commitment to ongoing training
• Working within the voluntary sector
• Experience of supporting vulnerable clients

About the job

The purpose of this post is to co-ordinate and supervise the efficient day to day operational running of the general (non-specialist, Level 1) advice services including triage and general volunteer advisers.

The post holder will ensure that all advice client contacts and enquiries are allocated and progressed appropriately and will case check the work of the team to ensure Citizens Advice Membership Standards, Scottish National Standards for Information and Advice Providers and CAS Quality of Advice requirements.

A key part of this role will involve examining current systems, with a view to addressing any gaps in consistency of approach and practice across the advice team.

The post holder will be pro-active and responsive in what can be a fast paced and busy role and will ensure all staff are able to maintain the knowledge, skills, expertise and resources necessary to meet client demand for advice to the standards required.

The post holder will help to record and monitor trends in client contact and to identify where appropriate, social policy issues in order to help deliver on our twin aim of exercising a responsible influence on the development of social policies and services, both locally and nationally, and representing the organisation in relevant forums to achieve that aim.

As part of the leadership team, the post-holder will help develop and deliver against the organisation’s business strategy, with a view to maintaining the highest standard of compliance and where required, increasing the capacity and/or efficiency to meet current and future demand.

To provide clients with holistic advice covering debt, income maximisation, energy. This will include preparation of financial statements, explanation of debt options and assistance to access these options. The role will require the ability to interact with clients over the telephone, face to face and using digital channels to provide advice.

Ongoing training will be provided however you should be someone who can demonstrate experience of working with clients who are experiencing multiple and complex issues and who can provide advice sensitively and with confidence to clients.

In addition to managing a caseload you may also be required to work on a duty rota for dealing with initial money advice contacts and for covering outreach services as required, as well as providing 2nd-tier support to other advisers within the Bureau.

You should have an understanding of the effects of financial difficulties and financial hardship on our clients. You should be an excellent team player with a desire to progress with training to meet the standards required.