Housing Officers & Housing Benefit Officers (for L/As)

At Care First Recruitment we are currently recruiting for the following roles, to work for our client (a London Local Authority in Central/West London):

• Housing Officers
• Housing Benefits Officers
• Senior Housing Benefits Officers

General role outline:

• Providing advice, assistance, and support to individuals and families seeking housing solutions, and actively working to reduce homelessness in the community.
• These roles require in-depth knowledge of housing legislation, welfare benefits, and adult and children's social care.
• These are specialist roles, with some of these positions working closely with homelessness, and the officers would work in a wide range of situations, but mainly in preventing homelessness with single people and families at risk.
• To contribute to the provision of high performing customer centred financial assessment service as one of a team delivering financial assistance towards the rent, Council Tax, and social care cost of a large number of households, including some of the most vulnerable residents in the Borough against a background of ever-changing regulations and guidance.

Requirements:

• Previous experience working in a similar role and at a Local Authority/Authorities, preferably within housing options, homelessness prevention, or social housing.
• Knowledge of housing legislation, policies, and procedures, including the Homelessness Reduction Act, the Children Act, the Care Act, and the Welfare Reform Act.
• Knowledge of relevant services and benefits to best support applicants experiencing housing problems and at risk of homelessness.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to communicate complex information in a clear and accessible manner.
• Good organisational skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks, manage workload efficiently, and meet deadlines.
• Educated in a relevant area of study at NVQ Level 4 or equivalent.
• Experience providing an effective service to members of the public.
• Experience working alongside vulnerable customers.

Role expectations:

• Build relationships with those at risk within the community, support them and offer realistic housing options advice to prevent homelessness.
• Develop, update review, and implement Personalised Housing Plans for customers.
• Assess Housing Needs: Conduct thorough assessments of individuals and families to determine their housing needs and eligibility for different housing options.
• Responsibility for undertaking any revision to entitlement/contribution for Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support including more complex calculations in respect of self-employed, students, etc.
• Make decisions on and implement Housing Benefit/Council Tax Support backdating requests.
• Liaise with external partners, including local authorities, housing associations, support agencies, to facilitate housing solutions and ensure effective service delivery.
• Work with Finance and Housing and External Partners including the Department for Work and Pensions and where appropriate the Business Transformation Partner to ensure delivery and performance targets are met.
• Develop working relationships with colleagues, as well as key partners including statutory services, local landlords, and other housing organisations.
• Occasional work outside of regular working hours, in response to emergency situations.
• Maintain Records: Accurately record all interactions, assessments, and decisions in line with relevant policies and procedures, ensuring confidentiality and data protection guidelines are strictly followed.
• Attend Meetings: Participate in team meetings, case conferences, and relevant training sessions to stay updated on changes in housing legislation, policies, and procedures.

About you:

• The successful candidates will have extensive current knowledge and understanding relevant benefits legislation. Become quickly familiar with Local Authority policies, principles and procedures.
• Substantial practical experience of Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit/Support assessment work in a back-office environment.
• Experience of using a PC to update records and extract information. Willingness and ability to use and develop further new skills, to download data and to manipulate it into usable formats.
• At least 2-3 years' experience in a similar role.

Please note the Local Authority required the candidate to hold an Enhanced DBS, uploaded in the Update Service system. If you do not already possess an Enhanced DBS then you can still apply to this position as you can fill in a DBS form through our agency at the time of registration.

These roles are typically office based, with an average of 35-hour working week. Depending on the client or Local Authority hybrid work may be available, it all depends on the needs of the department, etc. and, if agreed, a hybrid schedule usually applies after all inductions have been completed at the office for a month-long period. To work from home the candidate is expected to have unlimited broadband, and access to a laptop or computer (depending on the L/A or client they may provide laptops where required).

This advert covers main role requirements, and depending on the client and seniority of the role there may be additional tasks.