Housing Support Officer, Letham Area Office, Perth - PKC13843

Working within Perth & Kinross Council is more than a job, it's about being part of an organisation that puts people at the heart of all we do and provides opportunities to make a real difference by enhancing every life we touch.

We have an exciting opportunity for individuals who would be interested in being a Housing Support Officer based within our Letham Support Team. This Support Officer role has the ability to make a positive difference to the lives of people who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. It involves providing practical support and guidance to prevent homelessness through the provision of person-centred housing support; to support households moving into their accommodation; to assist and support households to settle into permanent accommodation and minimise repeat homelessness.

You will provide advice and support in relation to the following areas:

• Accommodation - such as resettlement and tenancy support to help tenancy sustainment; advice about rent arrears; advice on household maintenance; advice on maintaining a property in good repair.
• Health - such as finding and registering with a GP; accessing other services and agencies for the benefit of your health and wellbeing; a listening ear and support through a crisis; signposting to other services and specialist agencies who provide particular types of support, e.g. Women's Aid, The Scottish Association for Mental Health, Citizens Advice Bureau.
• Safety and security - such as advice on reporting repairs; advice about home security; support for those affected by different forms of abuse.
• Social, Economic and Wellbeing - such as support to claim different types of benefits; help filling in forms; referrals to Welfare Rights services to maximise your income; support when dealing with the Department for Work and Pensions; assistance and support with Council Tax and issues with utility bills/providers; advice on fuel poverty; support to address underlying issues that may be affecting your personal confidence or behaviour; general advice on cooking and nutrition.
• Employment and Meaningful Activity - support to access a range of activities such as voluntary work; work with careers services to provide advice and access to training and employment.

You will be managed by the Hostel and Support Co-ordinator and will be part of the Letham Support Team. You will also at times work closely with colleagues in the wider Support Team such as Central Team, Locality Support Officers and Greyfriars Support Officers.

Skills & Experience Required

You will generally be required to work standard office hours - 5 days per week - Monday to Friday 8.45-5pm. It is essential that the successful candidate is flexible in terms of their working hours as there may be times where there is a requirement to work at evenings or weekends.

You should have experience of working in a housing/housing support setting. You should have experience of working with customers on a one to one basis using a person-centred approach. You will deal with a variety of customers - some of whom will have a diverse range of complex needs. We are looking for a people-person who is enthusiastic, innovative and creative. You will be able to communicate effectively with customers to build relationships. You will also work closely with a range of internal colleagues and external agencies to provide a multi-agency approach and identify the best possible solutions/outcomes for individual clients. You should be a resilient, tenacious individual who can deal with the challenges and hurdles you may encounter and you should have strength of character and be solution-focused to work with individuals to help them achieve their goals and outcomes. You will have a non-judgemental attitude, be empathetic and sensitive to customers’ needs. You will understand and have an awareness of the wellbeing and individual needs of people. You should be highly organised and have the ability to prioritise your own workload. You will be required to use various computer systems and databases to keep accurate records and produce support plans and as such, you will need to have good digital skills. You should have a good awareness of Health and Safety Legislation including lone working and keeping yourself safe. You should be registered with or are required to register with the Scottish Social Services Council within 3 months of commencing employment and are responsible for maintaining your annual membership. The successful candidate will be required to complete a PVG as there requires to be a fitness to practice when working with vulnerable individuals. You should have SVQ3 in Social Services and Healthcare (or equivalent in a relevant discipline) or a willingness to work towards it. You must have a valid UK driving licence as this post requires you to travel to a variety of locations across Perth and Kinross.

Working at Perth & Kinross Council

Our values and behaviours influence our work and support us in the delivery of our key priorities. In your application, and should you be invited to interview, you will be asked to describe situations that support the criteria required in the role and which also demonstrate our values and behaviours. Find out more about Perth & Kinross Council and you could soon be joining our team!

Here's what we can offer you:

• A generous annual leave package
• 6 days public holiday and an additional discretionary day
• Eligibility to join our pension scheme
• Family friendly and positive work/life balance policies such as Flexible Working, Maternity, Paternity & Adoption leave, time off for volunteering and our Wellbeing Framework
• Flexi time
• Access to a range of benefits
• Paid SSSC annual membership for relevant positions

We recognise there can be benefits to flexible working and where individual jobs allow, we seek to support this. You are encouraged to discuss potential options with the recruiting manager, if this is of interest to you. A healthy work life balance is important to us and we provide supportive management and, where possible, flexible working arrangements to help you achieve that balance. You will have access to training and support for continued professional development.

All new employees have a four-month probationary period. Further details are available in the FAQs at “How to apply for a job or apprenticeship with us”.

Next Steps

We would love to hear from you and would encourage you to get in touch with Lesley Gray or Karen McNamara on 07345548666 to find out more.

External candidates are required to provide 2 references, including email addresses. One of these must be your current or most recent employer. Internal applicants applying for secondment must obtain line manager approval through the secondment form available under My Forms – Secondment Request Form on MyView. Please note that secondment requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.

We welcome applications from everyone and as a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to interview applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential requirements of the post. Please contact the hiring manager above or the Recruitment Team on (01738) 475555 or recruitment@pkc.gov.uk to discuss any reasonable adjustments. Appointments are based on evidence supplied during the selection process.

Diversity is important to us and although some of our jobs may be perceived to be traditionally gender specific, we welcome applications from everyone and would encourage you to apply if you meet the job requirements. That includes welcoming applications from former armed forces personnel/reservists. Many of the skills picked up during your military career could be transferred directly into a role with local government.

Working with children and/or protected adults is regarded as a regulated role and under the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 you will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check and maintain your membership. If you have lived overseas for a period of 12 months or more (continuous or total) within the last 10 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check. A confirmed offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of the above mentioned mandatory pre-employment checks (including references) and will also include eligibility to work in the UK, qualifications and fitness to undertake the post.