Under the direction of the Service Manager and Team Leader,toprovideaneffective and efficientperson-centredcasework support serviceto disabled people,vulnerableadultsandpeople withmentalillhealth.The postholder willbe requiredto be compliantwith andadhere to DRC's contractual arrangementsin place for the delivery of IAGPhysical Disabilities/Neurological Conditions Service
16 Hours per week
Fixed Term Contract until September 2027
Salary (16 Hours) £12,999.08 per annum
Key Tasks:
- To provide an effective information and advice service, comprising telephoneand online enquires received via email and the website,for disabled people- vulnerable adults and people with mental ill health,working to agreed organisational&Contractualstandards and ensuring that all targets and outcomes are met.
- To deliver effective information and advice support by telephone, email, virtually, face to face, home visits and via outreach.
- To work effectively withthe service commissioner and/orthe lead provider andwithDRC to providehigh quality, impartial information and advice to clients that comply with Matrix and other organisational standards - supporting and empowering them to address presenting issues relating to housing, welfare benefits, debt, personal budgets, health, employment, access to statutory services,discrimination,and social exclusion.
- To provide IAG casework to clients accessing the service.
- To ensure that the information and advice service stayscurrent, and up to date with disability related legislation and policy guidance.
- Toestablishand maintainstrong contacts with other partners tomaintainan effective informationand resourcebankto support clients.
- To develop DRC's on-line information resources and ensure these are kept up to date and continue to meetclients'needs.
- To provide person-centredsupport across a range of presenting issues relating to housing, welfare,income maximisation and welfarebenefits, debt, personal budgets, grant applications, Personal IndependentPayments, social care and health, safeguarding, employment, advocacy, access to statutory services, energy efficiency,discriminationand social exclusion.
- To support the establishment and maintenanceof externalreferralprocedures with relevant statutory and specialist Third Sector providers to achieve positive outcomes forclients.
- Toestablishand maintain internal referraland joint workingwith other DRCteams and serviceswhere this isappropriate tomeetclient need and achieveeffective outcomes.
- To maintain accurate and up to dateclientrecords and statistics through DRC's CRM system,including details of advice, casework, attendance, monitoring of progress against client action plan and SMARTtargets,supporting the provision of service reports and key performance indicators information toDRC's Executive Team Board of Directors and funders.
Personal Specification
- Good standard of education including English & Maths - Essential
- NVQ 3 in Information, Advice and Guidance(IAG) or willingness to complete a qualification within first 12 months of employment - Essential
- Degree or equivalent qualification - Desirable
- A minimum of 12 months' experience working in an advice/support/legal setting with disabled people or other social excluded groups. - Essential
- Proven track record of advocating on behalf of excluded groups, supporting them to achieve positive outcomes in relation to housing, welfare, debt, personal budgets, health, employment, access to statutory services - Essential
- Experience of caseload management, including developing and maintaining client case files - Essential
- Experience of working in a multi- faceted role within a small organisation - Essential
- Proven track record of meeting targets and working to deadlines - Essential
- Proven track record of networking and undertaking outreach work - Essential
- Proven track record of working with disabled people - Desirable
- Excellent ICT skills and the confidence to use ICT Packages to coordinate events and communications and record beneficiary data. - Essential
- Awareness and understanding of equal opportunities - Essential
- A clear understanding of the issues affecting disabled people and/or their families and carers - Essential
- A good knowledge and understanding of housing, welfare benefits, personal budgets, education, health and social care legislation and its impact on the rights and entitlements of disabled people - Essential
- A good knowledge and understanding of the support services available to the client group and referral processes to the statutory and non-statutory agencies - Essential
- A good understanding of safeguarding procedures for vulnerable adults - Essential
- Communicates clearly and is able to effectively remove barriers to communication - Essential - Essential
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills - Essential
- The ability to produce correspondence, reports and written documentation using Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook - Essential
- An understanding of the purpose of outcomes monitoring and project evaluation and the ability and willingness to capture outcomes data - Essential
- Excellent time management skills with the ability to prioritise workload and effectively multi-task - Essential
- Understanding of the Social Model of Disability - Desirable