Court Specialist (Housing) Debt Adviser

About the Role

Key duties and responsibilities

• Provide court representation for clients, including emergency actions, by attending hearings at Liverpool Civil and Family Court.
• Prepare and present cases ready for court hearings by checking time limits, adherence to pre-action protocols by creditors, completing relevant court forms and checking fees/remissions.
• Negotiate with and signpost/refer to third parties as appropriate.
• Assist clients with alternative dispute resolution cases e.g. Financial Ombudsman Service.
• 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 a range of debt issues.
• Ensure that all work meets the quality standards of the AQS Debt Advice Services, the Citizens Advice quality assurance scheme and the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) quality framework.
• Meet the individual performance targets and engage positively in discussions with the Line Manager to maintain required levels.
• Provide regular reports and feedback to the Line Manager as required.
• Assist with social policy work by providing information about clients' circumstances through the appropriate channel.
• Work collaboratively with partner agencies, Liverpool Civil and Family Court user groups, local authority and other local statutory and voluntary organisations to increase access to the service and to the range of support and advice needed according to individual circumstances.
• Work as part of the CAL Money Advice Team and contribute to effective service provision.
• Work independently in the Liverpool Civil and Family Court with clients as well as working from home and at different sites within Liverpool according to client appointment need.

General

• Ensure achievement of MaPS accreditation to Court Representation level within 3 months of starting the role, if not already achieved.
• Attend relevant internal and external meetings as agreed with the Line Manager.
• Maintain an up-to-date working knowledge of all new relevant legislation through reading monthly subscriptions including relevant case law.
• Keep up to date with Citizens Advice aims, policies and procedures and ensure these are followed.
• Ensure that work reflects and supports the Citizens Advice service's equality, diversity, and inclusion strategy.
• Abide by health and safety guidelines and share responsibility for your own health and safety and that of colleagues.
• Identify own learning and development needs and take steps to address these with your Line Manager, including engaging in team meetings and supervision sessions.
• Carry out any other tasks within the scope of the post to ensure the effective delivery and development of the service.

Requirements

• Knowledge and experience of court representation, complex debt casework, covering priority and non-priority debt advice, options and insolvency solutions.
• Experience of achieving performance and quality targets/KPIs.
• Ability and willingness to undertake training and development to comply with MaPS Caseworker accreditation to court representation level, and Citizens Advice quality standards.
• Effective oral and written communication skills.
• Numerate to the level required by the tasks.
• Ability to prioritise own work, meet deadlines, manage workload and targets in a pressured environment.
• Ordered approach to casework and an ability and willingness to follow and develop agreed procedures.
• IT literate with an ability to use software packages including Microsoft Office products in the provision of advice and preparation of formal written materials.
• Ability to give and receive feedback objectively and sensitively and a willingness to challenge constructively.
• Ability and willingness to work as part of a team.
• Understanding of and commitment to the aims and principles of the Citizens Advice service and its equalities and diversity policy.

Desirable

• Citizens Advice Generalist Advice learning/certificate.
• Institute of Money Advisers Certificate in Money Advice Practice or MaPS accreditation to court representation equivalent.

How to Apply

For more information and to apply, please click on the Apply button.

About us

The Court Specialist (Housing) Debt Adviser is responsible for providing a quality court representation service for clients facing court proceedings for housing and personal debt, including mortgages, secured and unsecured loans, who are not eligible for housing legal aid. The project joins a programme funded by the Access to Justice Foundation that aims to sustain and improve access to early social welfare and family legal support and advice, to enable people to resolve these problems as early as possible and avoid the need for court or tribunal proceedings where possible. Where court or tribunal proceedings are needed, the project will provide the support needed to help people navigate the process effectively, including where support to prepare for court and at court is required. The focus of this project will be to provide housing debt court/tribunal support and representation to increase homelessness prevention.

To be successful in this role, you will need to be confident, motivated and willing to try new things, have excellent communication skills with an ability to work under pressure to achieve targets and outcomes with minimum supervision. You will need to have knowledge and experience of complex debt casework, and (county) court money claim, and possession proceedings as well as priority and non-priority debt advice, options and insolvency solutions.