Local Welfare Provision Officer - Kirklees

Local Welfare Provision Officer - Kirklees

Salary: £13.17 Per Hour

Full Time: Monday to Friday – 9:00am to 5:00pm

Role Purpose:

The job is based in the Local Welfare Provision Team, part of Customer and Exchequer Services, our clients major front-line service area, communicating with customers from all domestic and commercial properties within Kirklees. The service leads work for our client on customer services, revenue collection and welfare and financial support.

The team’s main responsibility will be processing applications for urgent financial assistance from residents experiencing crisis or emergency needs or needing support to establish or maintain themselves in the community. Recognising the similarities involved in discretionary provision the team will also undertake all processing and decision making of Discretionary Housing Payment applications.

You will deal with people seeking urgent assistance with difficult situations for a wide variety of reason. An empathetic, non-judgemental, and flexible approach is essential to effectively assess their needs and decide on appropriate assistance within the limits of the scheme and related provision.

You will process and decide applications in line with relevant legislation, policies and procedures.

You will ensure that sufficient information and evidence has been supplied and verified to support applications or consider reviews of decisions already made.

Using a range of appropriate methods e.g., phone, electronic communication, letter, or face to face, you will ensure that contact is handled sensitively and confidentially to high levels and standards of customer care to support the achievement of service objectives. You will take responsibility for items of work until they are fully resolved.

You will have a thorough, flexible, and sensitive approach to assessing applicant’s needs and experience of using IT systems to input and extract relevant information and accurately maintain records.

According to service needs you may be required to work on other teams as appropriate with support from a Senior Officer and Team Manager. You will work in a supportive team environment but will work efficiently, on your own, making decisions which are relevant to facts in the case that determine benefit entitlement, delivering quality outcomes within timescales.

To support service objectives, you will attend relevant internal and external meetings. You may also be required to mentor new staff.

Responsibilities:

• Provision of a high-quality Local Welfare Provision and Discretionary Housing Payment service with applications dealt with competently, efficiently and to rapid turn round times, as appropriate to customer needs, legal requirements, corporate and service standards, and procedures.
• To monitor levels of demand for Local Welfare Provision, Discretionary Housing Payment, and related provision in relation to the resources available to fund provision. To assist in using analysis of demand to inform and development of team and individual work targets and performance standards. Achievement of individual work targets and performance standards supporting the achievement of service objectives.
• To maintain and develop the effective partnership links with other colleagues, services, and organisations to which the Local Welfare Provision scheme is based.
• The service achieves objectives through continues high quality team and individual performance, the provision and use of relevant information and the active involvement of all staff in continuous improvement.
• Working to develop a new service you will contribute to the development of action plans and work objectives with relevant management support to ensure an effective response to changing customer needs.
• Delivery of a high-quality customer focused service, enabling customer applications, enquires and complaints to be dealt with sensitively, competently, efficiently, and flexibly until they are resolved, within the limits of provision available.

We offer:

• 24 hour one on one specialist consultant based within your geographical area
• 4Recruitment Services Employee Benefits Programme
• Our own dedicated payroll support ensuring you get the full benefits of your payment

Recruitment is done in line with safe recruitment practices. 4Recruitment Services is an equal opportunities employer.

To discuss this vacancy or other vacancies in your area please contact Megan Eastop- Stanley  on 07587327813 or via email Megane@4recruitmentservices.com