Cohort Lead in Enfield

Manage the day to day delivery of the Council's statutory homelessness services, namely a team of Housing Coordinators within either the Resident Contact Team or Relief and Move-On Team. To be responsible for the provision of a quality service of information, advice and casework service to fulfil the authority's statutory homelessness functions, including the prevention and relief duties and homelessness assessment duty.

Ensure the robust assessment and management of homelessness applications in accordance with homelessness legislation, code of guidance, policies and procedures, ensuring effective work allocation and legal challenges to decisions are kept under review, by assessing performance, risk, cost and the need for operational policy changes.

Ensure appropriate quality advice and assistance is provided to everyone in housing needs. Manage & develop the Council's function to defend possession proceedings at court, in order to fulfil the council's enforcement role in preventing illegal evictions, tenant harassment and ensuring that landlords follow the correct legal procedure to evict tenants.

Actively support the development, management and delivery of new projects, service products and initiatives within Assessment Hub as they relate to the Housing Advisory Service and its services. Build, develop and maintain positive partnerships with other council groups, external agencies and organisations including joint assessment panels for preventing homelessness and delivering quality housing options and advice services.

Actively contribute to the smooth running of the service, working collaboratively with a wide range of services, raising standards, working flexibly across teams, ensuring services are delivered in a consistent, standardised and efficient manner. Actively champion continuous improvement and the implementation of automation and efficient ways of working.

Key Accountabilities

• Through own behaviours, promote the development and adoption of the Council's behavioural competencies and attitudes.
• Ensure the effective use of allocated resources to deliver the required outputs necessary to achieve the overall outcomes.
• Ensure all team members are aware of expectations of the services and the individual contributions expected of them and that each makes an appropriate contribution to realising these expectations and delivering value for money services.
• Ensure an equitable allocation of work to individual team members.
• Develop and implement relevant/appropriate team and individual performance expectations, ensuring staff fully understand the contribution they are expected to make and how this will be measured/assessed.
• Ensure the team has cost effective access to enough levels of technical/professional knowledge and competence to deliver outputs to the required standard.
• Actively seek out and develop opportunities to enhance the delivery of required outcomes through engagement/closer alignment of teams/collaboration with colleagues across the Council and partner organisations.
• Ensure members of the team are aware and comply with any statutory/regulatory/professional and/or corporate standards, Council values and the code of conduct.
• Ensure all members of the team understand and apply the concept of putting the customer first.
• Identify areas for improvement in the service and develop appropriate initiatives to improve service delivery.
• Any other duties reasonably requested by management.
• Carry out all accountabilities in compliance with the Council's Policies and Procedures.

Job Specifics Skills, Experience, Knowledge & Abilities

• Detailed knowledge of current and emerging housing legislation and case law related to housing advice issues including private sector landlord and tenant law, security of tenure, homelessness law, housing benefit and other welfare benefit regulations, possession proceedings in the county court including court procedure rules.
• Significant experience of deciding homeless applications in accordance with Part 7 Housing Act 1996.
• Experience of successfully dealing with members, MPs enquiries and complex solicitors enquiries etc.
• Experience in researching, interpreting and explaining complex legislation and policy.
• Ability to plan and maximise use of resources and manage a budget effectively to deliver quality services.
• Experience of working effectively within a multi-disciplinary environment and in partnership with other staff agencies to ensure that the needs of the customer are met.
• Ability to work using own initiative as part of a team while managing workloads efficiently, prioritising work and adopting a flexible approach to changing and competing demands.
• Experience of costing, instigating, developing and managing new initiatives, projects and schemes including post implementation evaluation.
• Experience in managing and leading a team i.e. recruitment of staff, writing job descriptions, induction, appraisals, disciplinary issues, absence monitoring, staff training and development, monitoring staff caseloads, motivating teams/individual staff, setting objectives/targets, performance management etc.

Candidates: Please ensure you address these competencies in your responses to the essential (and desirable if applicable) criteria above.

• Deliver service performance.
• Focus on continuous improvement.
• Political awareness and context.

Knowledge

• Highly detailed knowledge of current and emerging housing legislation and case law related to housing advice issues including private sector landlord and tenant law, security of tenure, homelessness law, housing benefit and other welfare benefit regulations, possession proceedings in the county court including court procedure rules, Community legal Services funding rules etc.
• Good understanding of relevant national and local housing policy issues relating to housing advice and homelessness.

Qualifications & Professional registration criteria

Candidates: Please ensure you address these qualifications in your responses to the essential (and desirable if applicable) criteria, you will be expected to meet these requirements of the role and they will be explored with you at interview.