Accommodation Assistant, Greyfriars Hostel, Perth - PKC14029 in Renfrew

Main Purpose of the Role

Working within Perth & Kinross Council is more than a job, it's about being part of something meaningful. 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 currently have the following opportunity: Accommodation Assistant – PKC14029 £14,406- £15,673 (18 hours per week) Greyfriars Hostel, Perth. Greyfriars House is a homeless hostel which provides temporary accommodation for adults, both male and female. This is a valuable service for individuals with no access to accommodation or permanent address.

This post is to enable Greyfriars to form a pool of casual workers who will assist with holidays and sickness absence as and when required. As an Accommodation Assistant, you will work as part of a team to promote the safety, security and general welfare of residents and the building. You will be required to work shifts, which consists of early shifts, backs shifts and night shifts. This includes weekend work and lone working. As a result, you will be paid a generous shift allowance.

You will carry out a range of duties which will include:

• booking-in residents
• monitoring CCTV
• cleaning of vacant rooms and communal areas
• ensuring that the hostel is a well maintained and safe environment for residents
• ensuring residents pay service charges/service charge arrears
• ordering goods and services
• a variety of form filling
• communicating/liaising with multiple internal and external agencies
• handling sensitive and confidential information
• dealing with challenging situations as and when they occur

No two days are ever the same. The role provides lots of variety, some challenges and many rewards. Greyfriars can be a fast-paced environment with lots happening at the same time. You will build relationships with the residents providing them with advice and assistance with the aim of helping them to move on from Greyfriars and take the next step in being able to manage in their own tenancy and ultimately, play a role in helping them to improve their quality of life.

Please note, we are currently unable to offer sponsorship for this post.

Skills & Experience Required

The operation of the CCTV cameras is a vital part of the role, to enable you to operate this effectively along with all other relevant systems and equipment, you are required to have good IT skills. Accuracy, attention to detail and a factual approach are all essential.

You will be able to communicate effectively with clients and service users to build relationships along with internal and external agencies to ensure the provision of a high quality service. You will have experience in dealing with or working in at least one of the following areas:

• Drug and alcohol
• Mental health
• Social Care
• Any form of abuse

You will have a non-judgemental approach, be caring and sensitive to residents’ individual circumstances. You will understand and have an awareness of how to help residents with a range of issues they may need advice and guidance with. You will also need at times to take a firm but fair approach when dealing with more challenging behaviours or situations. Through the course of your role, you must ensure that you maintain confidentiality of all Council information.

To ensure the smooth running of the hostel, you will be a highly organised individual and have the ability to prioritise your workload. As it is a fast-paced working environment, there will be times when you will need to carry out a number of tasks in quick succession and you will need to make decisions on the spot often in emergencies. You will need to have high levels of personal resilience to cope with the demands of the role.

You should have a good awareness of different types of Health and Safety legislation as it is important that you ensure your own safety and wellbeing. It is crucial that the Hostel is safe and well maintained. Residents’ safety and wellbeing is also extremely important.

In addition, you should keep up to date with relevant Housing and Homeless legislation as well as the Hostel’s processes and procedures to ensure the high standards are maintained. You should also have a good understanding of Scottish Social Service Council’s Codes of Practice. There will be a thorough induction training programme and ongoing training and development opportunities which include both internal and external training.

Whilst not essential, it would be beneficial to have an SVQ2 in Health and Social Care/Social Services and Health Care (or equivalent in a relevant discipline) or a willingness to work towards it.

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
• Access to a range of benefits

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 to find out more.

External candidates are required to provide contact details for 2 referees, including email addresses. One of these must be your current or most recent employer.

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 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.