Housing Advisor Hospital Discharge

Hours: 37 hours per week
Contract: Temporary

As a Housing Advisor Hospital Discharge, you’ll thrive on working with vulnerable adults and helping to enrich their lives. You’ll enjoy partnership working to ensure positive outcomes for our customers. The Housing Advisor Hospital Discharge will be responsible for providing targeted and personalised housing advice and support to individuals with complex health needs, to enable them to achieve sustainable independent living in the community and avoid homelessness.

The post holder will assist individuals to access independent housing through mainstream housing services alleviating blockages and promoting throughput within the system. The post will also be linked into Leeds NHS Discharge Team to support timely discharges from hospital for individuals who are requiring access to general needs housing.

The post holder will contribute to providing integrated packages of housing advice and support to people to enable them to live independent, safe, and fulfilling lives in the community using a strengths-based approach. The post holder will be customer focused and motivated to give the best possible service to the people we support.

Within this role you will have the opportunity to build and develop excellent partnership skills by working with a range of independent and third sector organisations and building connections with supported accommodation providers securing suitable accommodation for individuals who are ready to move on. You will be responsible for managing your own caseload, including completing housing applications and referrals for support and accommodation.

About you
As a Housing Advisor Hospital Discharge, you will bring to the role:

• Passionate about partnership working with vulnerable adults
• Building pathways with hospitals
• Customer focused and motivated to give the service to the people we support
• Knowledge of general housing advice

About the role
Provide appropriate housing advice and support to people leaving acute wards and homeless and ready to be discharged from hospital to placements who may have high risk behaviours and histories, complex physical health issues and limited options to move into community mainstream housing, e.g., local authority, private lets, housing associations etc.

Support individuals who are ready to be discharged to progress along their housing pathways to move to mainstream housing, working closely with the NHS Health Accommodation Gateway workers. Work closely with Leeds and York Partnership Foundation through patient discharge meetings. Link closely with the Working Age Adults Commissioning Team, Discharge Accommodation Gateway Team, Adult Social Care Social Workers, and the Reassessment Team to have an oversight of move-on need within the sector.

Provide ICB, Adults and Health Commissioners and operational managers with updates of gaps in provision and key themes that are barriers to move on plans. Understand the needs of and work with people who are being supported by multiple agencies and contribute to the package of care in relation to housing to promote independence in a safe environment.

Promote the support and development of tenants by the provision of practical, social, and therapeutic support services. Link in effectively with wider support services supporting individuals throughout the housing process and transition into secure accommodation. Facilitate tenants with housing applications and housing related appointments.

On rehousing, support tenants to make links with other housing services for ongoing support to ensure maximum resettlement success. Liaise with other agencies concerned with the health and welfare of tenants. Promote the provision of advocacy services to tenants where required. Organise and attend professionals and care plan meetings where appropriate.

Accurately complete all necessary documentation on the Client Information System (CIS), records and reports as necessary and determined by the Leeds City Councils procedures including the Code of Conduct. Respect the confidential nature of the work and ensure that tenants and carers are aware of the Councils policies relating to customers access to files and to work within the appropriate information sharing protocol and the General Data Protection Rules (GDPR).

Mobilise outside resources where appropriate, i.e., family, recreational, educational, cultural, occupational, legal, physical aids, and adaptations, medical, psychiatric, benefit payments, volunteer services, and day opportunities services. Support people to access funding streams for furnishing and decorating their new property. Carry a caseload of individuals (identified by LCC/ Discharge Team) who require independent housing.

As our next Housing Advisor Hospital Discharge, you’ll be integral to our Leeds Housing Options Team, working alongside social workers and adults and health commissioning team.

What we offer you
We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• A competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• Membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• A clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• A range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply
Complete the online application form. Read our guidance for further advice on completing your application. If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role contact Kelly-Anne Simpson (Senior Housing Advisor) Housing Options Manager Anthony Hodgkinson@leeds.gov.uk

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s or Adults’ barred list as applicable will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description
Job Purpose:
The post holder will take lead responsibility for managing a portfolio of approximately 150 emergency access and other supported housing units commissioned by the Council as temporary accommodation for homeless people. The post holder will be responsible for the timely and appropriate move-on from these units, taking lead responsibility for all aspects of the re-housing process, to ensure that homeless people can be rehoused as swiftly as possible, placements are minimised and the cost to the Council of temporary accommodation placements is closely controlled.

The post holder will also be responsible for liaising with commissioned services to determine the suitability of referrals to the temporary accommodation units. In addition to the above, the post holder will also undertake the standard Housing Advisor functions including offering housing advice to prevent or relieve homelessness and carrying out assessments of housing need/duty in accordance with the statutory framework.

The post holder will be based with the Leeds Housing Options Service.

Responsibilities:
Take lead responsibility for case managing a portfolio of approximately 150 emergency and temporary accommodation units commissioned by the Council. Take lead responsibility for delivering swift move on from the commissioned temporary accommodation including all aspects of the re-housing process. Lead on the day to day contact with the commissioned temporary accommodation service providers. Be responsible for providing regular updates to service management on placements made, move-ons achieved and total number of placements.

Deliver a face to face housing options service, in accordance with Part VII of the 1996 Housing Act (as amended) to people who are homeless, threatened with homelessness or in some of housing need, at a variety of locations including the Leeds Housing Options Service at Merrion House. Deliver a telephone based, or using other mediums such as email, housing options service. Take responsibility for caseload of homeless and housing need cases.

Carry out homeless and other additional need assessments in accordance with Part VI and Part VII of the 1996 Housing Act (as amended). Write homeless decision letters in accordance with the legal framework. Liaise with supported housing and other temporary accommodation providers to secure suitable temporary accommodation for people owed such a housing duty. Help people to secure private rented options through the Private Sector Lettings scheme and through other routes such as requesting a Homeless Prevention Fund payment.

Help people to access mediation services as required. Help young people to access youth mediation services as required. Help people to access Sanctuary scheme funding as required. Help deliver a mortgage and tenancy advice service as required. Prepare Homeless Prevention Fund applications as required.

Assist service managers in the quality assurance of service delivery by providing case work information held in case files or IT systems, decision letters and financial payments. Help develop partnering arrangements between the Leeds Housing Options Service and other public, private and third sector organisations. Work flexibly to help deliver an effective Housing Options Service. Attend meetings and forums as required relating to the delivery of the Housing Options Service.

Undertake any other duties as required commensurate with the responsibilities and grade of the post. Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade. Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities as necessary to ensure up to date knowledge and skills. Improve own practice through observation, evaluation, discussion with colleagues and appropriate CPD programmes.

Work collaboratively with colleagues, knowing when to seek help and advice. Contribute to the overall ethos, work, and aims of the service by attending relevant meetings, training days/events as requested. Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures e.g., child protection, health, safety and security, confidentiality, and data protection, reporting all concerns to an appropriate person.

Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, and promoting the values, standards, and Equality & Diversity policies of Leeds City Council. Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse of equal opportunities, ensuring compliance with relevant policies and procedures.

The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post. The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and this role will be expected to work within these parameters.

Qualifications
PERSONAL SPECIFICATION
Method of Assessment will be through one or more of the following Application Form, Test, Interview, and Certificate

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS:
It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities: Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate on the application form that they meet all the essential requirements.

Skills Required:
Demonstrate evidence of problem solving, analytical and social skills required to provide a housing options service to vulnerable people. Demonstrate excellent communication skills both verbally and in writing. Ability to use a range of ICT applications including Word and email and to be able to word process reports. Ability to extract and analyse information sourced from different ICT systems. Ability to work as part of a team. Ability to work in partnership with a range of public, private and third sector organisations. Ability to identify support needs. Ability to identify safeguarding concerns and escalate them appropriately. Ability to deal with people who are displaying challenging behaviour.

Knowledge Required:
Aware of housing options law and policy. Aware of the needs of homeless people and others in housing need. Aware of services in Leeds for homeless people and others in housing need. Knowledge and understanding of Equal Opportunities law and policy. Aware of safeguarding policy and practice.

Experience Required:
Experience of working in a busy team environment. Experience of working in a multi-agency partnership environment. Experience of writing reports. Experience of working with homeless and other people in housing need.

Behavioural & other Characteristics required:
Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct. Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon. Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council equality and diversity policies. Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety Policies. Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities. Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade. Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.

Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures. Be aware of and support difference ensuring equality for all, working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity. Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person. The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.