Court Deputy Officer - Yate

As a Court Deputy Officer, you will manage the financial affairs for some of our most vulnerable residents who don't have the mental capacity to manage this themselves. Dedicated to making a real difference for these individuals, you will support them to remain independent, safeguard their finances and maximise their income and capital. This can include dealing with everything from paying household bills to selling property or investing capital.

Working with minimal supervision and with delegated authority of the councils' Court of Protection appointed Deputy, you will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the financial affairs for vulnerable individuals. This can include reconciliation of clients’ income and expenditure and paying social care and other bills.

Always advocating in the best interest of the client, you will ensure procedures are followed, financial affairs are constantly monitored and that records are accurately maintained. You will act as the Corporate Appointee for our service users, making sure they receive their full entitlement to benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions.

Arranging personal budgets with the co-operation of key workers and the client, you will ensure that suitable accounts are operated, savings levels are monitored and complete detailed financial information is kept up to date, so they can be used for financial assessments and debt management. It will be key for you to create accurate annual reports for each individual managed by the authority, which are then submitted to the Office of Public Guardian.

You will attend visits to service user homes, carers or other agencies, and be responsible for various aspects of protecting our service user’s property and belongings, including the administration of any house/asset sales and arranging and carrying out house clearances.

You will hold a minimum of 5 GCSEs, including maths and English or equivalent qualifications. We require you to undertake the Association of Public Authority Deputies Accreditation. Given the nature of the role, you must be compassionate, empathetic and understanding to the needs of the service users, with excellent written and verbal communication skills to be able to engage with people at all levels.

It is essential that you can work under pressure and demonstrate clear and logical thinking, whilst working on your own initiative to organise and prioritise your workloads. You will be experienced in using modern IT systems, including Microsoft Office suite and in particular Excel.

This role is hybrid, with a mixture of working at our office in Badminton Road and from home. Please note that due to the nature of this role, it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained. You will be expected to travel throughout the authority and surrounding area, as well as further afield on occasion, so you must have a full, valid driving licence with regular access to a vehicle or have an alternative means of travel.

As part of our benefits package, you will receive generous annual leave (pro rata), employee wellbeing support and you will have access to a range of staff discounts, including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities. We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities.

We know our team work best when they have balance in their lives, and we offer genuine flexibility to help them achieve that work/life balance. We value our staff as individuals, investing in their careers and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps make the greatest long-term difference in work.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Ensuring all our staff are given the right skills, knowledge and support to recognise and respond effectively to potential abuse or neglect. Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here.

We’re building and shaping communities which people are proud of. We’re working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve what they want in life. We’re investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential. We’ve achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference.

We’re making a difference, be part of it!