Outreach Caseworker Jobs in Oxford, Oxfordshire
Location: Our offices at Wesley Memorial Hall in central Oxford, outreach locations and home
Hours: 21 hours per week (0.5676 FTE)
This role is designed to meet the debt advice needs of Oxford residents. The post holder will provide debt advice including benefit checks, ways to raise income and reduce overheads. Advice will be given by telephone/email, by appointment in person at our office, and to drop in clients at outreaches.
- A trainee position may be considered for the right candidate at a trainee salary level
- A fully remote position may be considered for a candidate with relevant experience.
Role purpose: to provide an effective and efficient debt advice service to local residents within the aims, policies and principles of the CA service.
Key responsibilities:
- Interview clients using sensitive listening and questioning skills in order to allow clients to explain their problem(s) and empower them to set their own priorities.
- Use the Citizens Advice Information System to find, interpret and communicate the relevant information.
- Research and explore options and implications so that clients can make informed decisions.
- Act for the client where necessary by negotiating, drafting or writing letters and telephoning.
- Liaise and negotiate with other statutory and voluntary organisations to progress the client’s case and ensure they receive all assistance available.
- Signpost and refer internally and externally as appropriate in order to link clients into additional relevant support .
- -Ensure that all work conforms to the office systems and procedures
- Maintain detailed case records for the purpose of continuity of casework, information retrieval, statistical monitoring and report preparation.
We're looking for:
- Experience of advice work in debt and benefits. Ideally also experience in a wider range of areas - for example, housing, employment, consumer and immigration.
- Ability to work sensitively with a diverse range of clients
- An understanding of the issues involved in interviewing clients, particularly those who may be experiencing stress and anxiety.
- An ordered approach to your work and an ability to follow set procedures concerning casework and file management etc
- Ability to use IT in the provision of advice and the preparation of reports and submissions.
- Good oral communication skills with particular emphasis on negotiation and representation skills on the telephone.
- Ability to communicate effectively in writing with particular emphasis on negotiation and representation skills and on preparing grant applications, reviews, reports and correspondence.
- Numeracy skills required to understand statistics and check calculations.
- Ability to monitor and maintain own work to comply with set standards
- An understanding of and commitment to the Aims and Principles of the Citizens Advice service including the services Equal Opportunities policies.
- Ability to work independently without close supervision, to prioritise own work, meet deadlines whilst contributing to the wider Citizens Advice team.
Why join us?
As a Debt Caseworker, your work will directly impact the lives of our clients, helping them navigate challenging situations and find the solutions they need. Benefits for working with us also include 28 days holiday per annum pro-rata, plus pro-rata bank holiday allowance, access to our Employee Assistance program, and a 5% employer pension contribution. You will get to work with our friendly and dynamic team, all committed to making a positive change in our community.
Apply now!
If you are dedicated to making a positive difference, we would love to hear from you. More details available on our website via the apply button
11 - 20
Thank you!
Location: Remote - Multiple locations
West Sussex, UK · East Sussex, UK · Surrey, UK · Oxfordshire, UK · Kent, UK · Jersey · Isle of Wight, UK · Hampshire, UK · Guernsey · Buckinghamshire, UK · West Berkshire, UK
About the role
Our passionate Regional Casework Coordinators are SSAFA’s front line of support for members of the armed forces community in need. They are the first point of contact for all beneficiaries into the Regional Office, assessing needs and allocating the case to one of our volunteer caseworkers.
You will sometimes handle complex problems from individuals who may be distressed, identifying the presenting and potential underlying needs to determine the best way to support the beneficiary. You will have ownership of cases from beginning to end, coordinating the casework process in a timely manner and ensure that the beneficiary journey is at the centre of the Service. You will have the opportunity to shape processes and procedures within the office which will lead to improvements in the service offered to clients.
To help you establish yourself in this new post you will receive excellent training and induction to SSAFA.
Whilst the post is homebased, to be eligible for this role you are required to live in the South East region, which includes: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Guernsey, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Jersey, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Sussex.
There will be occasional travel around the South East Region and you may be required to travel at short notice for face to face meetings.
About the team
The team work remotely and pride themselves in maintaining a close working bond which ensures the smooth operation of the office. You will work closely with volunteers from the ten SSAFA branches in the South East, supporting them to administer casework for SSAFA beneficiaries. The wider support team includes a Casework Manager and a Regional Operations Support Manager.
About you
To carry out this role successfully you will have a track record of providing welfare advice in key areas such as, housing benefits, debt, disability, mobility or immigration issues. You will have knowledge of safeguarding and GDPR and experience in dealing with sensitive information and people in vulnerable situations. You will be able to provide excellent customer service by telephone, e-mail and face to face. You will have used Microsoft Office 365 to a high standard. It is important that you have experience of planning and managing your own workload, with minimal supervision.
It would be advantageous if you have an understanding of the way of life for today’s Armed Forces, veterans and their families and if you have experience of recruiting and supporting volunteers. An understanding of the voluntary sector and preferably the military charity sector landscape across the South East Region would be valuable.
About SSAFA
SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity is a trusted source of support for the Armed Forces community in their time of need. In 2023 our trained teams of volunteers and employees helped more than 53,000 people, including veterans, serving personnel (regulars and reserves) and their families.
SSAFA understands that behind every uniform is a person. And we are here for that person and their family, any time they need us and in any way they need us.
Diversity and Inclusion at SSAFA
SSAFA exists to support a diverse range of beneficiaries within the armed forces community, and we believe diversity within our teams is key to ensuring we can deliver our services effectively. We thrive on differences and believe it is critical to our success as a worldwide charity. SSAFA is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace that seeks to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We therefore encourage applications from all genders, races, religions, ages and sexual orientations, as well as parents, veterans, people living with disabilities, and any other groups that could bring diverse perspectives to our business.
SSAFA is committed to using the Disclosure & Barring Service to ensure we, as an employer, safeguard those we serve.
No agencies please. Any unsolicited submissions from agencies will be accepted as a direct application from the candidate and no fees will be payable.
Closing date: Midnight on 07 October 2024 . SSAFA reserves the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. As part of the selection process, you will be required to complete a verbal reasoning test and an IT assessment.
