Thank you for your interest in working with one of the Citizens Advice charities in Somerset.
This is a shared recruitment site and will feature job opportunities from our five members, Citizens Advice: Mendip, Sedgemoor, South Somerset, Taunton and West Somerset.
As members of National Citizens Advice we are aligned by our aims and values. These include our commitment to value diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination.
We welcome applicants from all walks of life and backgrounds. The recruitment pack includes information and guidance to assist you through the process. We strongly recommend that you take time to review these. The pack also provides opportunities for you to tell us about any support needs or reasonable adjustment requirements you have.
Good luck with your job seeking endeavours.
Current Vacancies
Mental Health Discharge Support, Advice Caseworker
Hours: 37 per week
Responsible to: Team-leader, Wider Determinants of Health
Salary Grade: £23,000 – £25,037 pro rata per annum
Employer Pension: 3%
Job Share: Considered
Base: Citizens Advice South Somerset (CASS)
Geographic Remit: Somerset
DBS: Enhanced
Closing Date: 21st Jan 2021
Context of role
The role will work as part of a Somerset wide, multi-disciplinary team of personnel from voluntary and health sector agencies (Somerset Mental Health Alliance). The aim of this project is to provide holistic and person-centred support to clients preparing to move on following in-patient mental health care. Each client’s support network will be focused on their individual needs and recovery goals assisting them as they move from in-patient mental health services back into the community.
This role will be ideal for someone with demonstrable experience of advising clients who have mental health support needs including those recovering from a period of acute mental ill health. One of the biggest challenges for these clients’ recovery is often a lack of suitable accommodation and support. The role will focus on resolving clients’ barriers to recovery including accommodation, financial independence and other advice related needs. The role will require an adviser with considerable knowledge and expertise in housing advice and knowledge of supported accommodation.
Role purpose
The purpose of the post is to:
- Work in collaboration with the client and other members of their support network (Transition Team) to complete an advice needs assessment as part of the client’s transition support plan
- Provide advice and casework to the client in liaison with the client’s other support workers (their Transition Team)
- Adhere to the partnership’s systems and processes
- Undertake monitoring and evaluation including gathering and recording client outcome data
- Support the wider work of Transition Team
Letter to applicants CASS Covering Letter Advice Casework Mental Health Discharge Support
Background information about our organisation CASS Background Information 2020
Job description and person specification CASS Mental Health Discharge Planning Service Caseworker JD
Application Guidance CASS Application-form-guidance 2020
Application form CASS External Recruitment application-form Rich Text Format 2020
Diversity monitoring form CASS Diversity Monitoring Form 2020
For an informal chat please email [email protected]
Closing date: 21st January 2021
Citizens Advice Taunton is looking for a client-focused individual with experience of providing advice, to join us as a Universal Credit Help to Claim Adviser and to help ensure clients get the support they need either face-to-face, by telephone or web chat. This includes establishing if UC is the right benefit for the client, support to make a claim, the evidence required, and verifying identity.
The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate relevant recent experience and knowledge of the welfare benefit system including Universal Credit. Applicants should also demonstrate strong oral and written communication skills, be well organised and be proficient in using a range of IT tools to carry out their work, including case recording systems, Microsoft Office, benefit check programmes and be able to make and manage benefit claims.
Are you results-driven and supportive of the needs of others? Can you work on your own initiative and as part of a team? Are you committed to the aims and principles of the Citizens Advice service and willing to follow and help develop procedures? If yes, we want to hear from you
Download the job pack UC Help to Claim ADVISER – Job Pack Dec2020
Informal chat: Rhoda Cooke [email protected]
Applicants Diversity Monitoring Form: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CKW8TLL
Closing date: 25th January 2021
The Training and Advice Supervisor is a newly created role, which will work on two vital functions; the training of new advisors (most of which is delivered remotely using on-line training sessions and self-study), and the supervision of the core advice service that advisers deliver.
This is a dynamic role, and candidates who have the training and advice delivery experience, but lack advice supervision experience will be considered, and of course full induction and training will be provided.
Lots of our training and advice (and therefore supervision) is delivered remotely, so the successful candidate will be adept with the relevant ICT platforms and able to train and motivate other staff in using them.
We are working in increasing partnership with the other Citizens Advice offices in Somerset, and at present this role is part of a pilot project delivering training via a single countywide operation. So, we are looking for a candidate who will also embrace and exploit collaborative opportunities. Some home working may be possible.
Download the job pack TrainingAdviceSupervisorRevised JobPack12 Jan 2021
Informal Chat: Jon Shoesmith (Chief Officer) [email protected]
Application Form CAT External Recruitment application-form Rich Text Format 2020
Applicants Diversity Monitoring Form: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CKW8TLL
Mental Health Alliance Adviser
Hours: 21 per week
Base: Citizens Advice Mendip
Geographic Remit: Mendip
Closing Date: 21st Jan
Interviews: w/s 1st February
Context of Role
The role will provide advice to clients accessing help and support from a partnership of community based mental health services. As a partnership service the adviser will work within a multi-agency team supporting clients. This will involve delivering a programme of advice linked to each clients’ needs assessments and recovery goals. The postholder will be responsible for their client administration, completing partnership records and outcome measures This role will be ideal for someone with demonstrable experience of providing one to one services for vulnerable clients with mental health support needs.
Role Purpose
- To work within the ethos and values of the service in order to develop positive, trusting, and professional relationships with clients, colleagues, and partners
- Support and advise a designated number of clients continuing to work with them and recording the positive actions and changes reported by clients during their programme
- Provide services from within mental health services, community settings or other safe environments of clients’ choice
- Deliver advice with follow-on casework support where appropriate
- Co-ordinate our work with clients and liaise with the other agencies also working with the client
- Undertake monitoring and evaluation
- Participate in multi-agency client care planning and team meetings
Role Description
Partnership
Work in collaboration with partners and project teams to create a positive working environment in which equality and diversity are well-managed, dignity at work is upheld and staff, partners and clients are supported.
Advice
- Provide assessment and advice to clients face-to-face, by telephone and by email or other channels accordance with the policies and procedures of the organisation and the requirements of the partnership
- Undertake thorough and appropriate research and explore options and implications so that clients can be supported to make informed decisions
- Act for the client where necessary by calculating, negotiating, drafting or writing letters and telephoning
- Refer internally or to other specialist agencies as appropriate
- Develop specialism in one or more advice area (Welfare Benefits, Debt, Employment etc.)
- Ensure that all work conforms to the organisation’s office manual and the Advice Quality Standard/funding requirements, as appropriate
- Maintain detailed case records for the purpose of continuity of casework, information retrieval, statistical monitoring, and report preparation
Quality Assurance
Liaise with the Supervisors and quality assessors to make provision for the assessment and case-checking of an allocated number of cases as requested.
Learning, development, and training
Identify own learning and development needs and take steps to address these
- Keep updated on legislation, policies, and procedures
- Attend relevant internal/external meetings/training as agreed with line manager
- Support internal and external learning and development activities, related to debt advice, to ensure the competence and continuing development of staff and volunteers
Research and Campaigns
- Assist with research and campaigns work by providing information about clients’ circumstances through the appropriate channel
- Alert clients to research and campaigns options
- Contribute to drafting a research and campaigns plan, identifying priorities for campaigns and development
- Keep up to date with research and campaigns issues and ensure research and campaigns is promoted and integrated in a way relevant to the role
IT and Telephony
- Use telephony and IT equipment for multi-channel delivery of advice services including face-to-face, telephone, email and webchat
- Maintain and review daily, electronic diary for working locations, absences, etc.
- Use IT for statistical recording of information relating to advice delivery, record keeping, producing statistical information and document production
- Ensure IT information assurance training is completed on an annual basis
Generic duties and responsibilities
- Keep updated on CAM aims, policies and procedures, and ensure these are followed
- Develop and maintain effective admin’ systems and records relevant to the role
- Attend regular CAM and external meetings relevant to the role
- Monitor and evaluate activities appropriate to the role and contribute to CAM planning process by providing regular reports and feedback on responsibility areas
- Work cooperatively with colleagues and encourage good teamwork, clear lines of communication and common practices within the CAM team
- Abide by health and safety guidelines and share responsibility for own health and safety and that of colleagues
- Abide by CAM’s Information Assurance policies
- Carry out any other tasks within the scope of the post to ensure the effective delivery and development of the service
Person Specification
- Confident and professional approach to your work and the ability to take personal responsibility for your own actions and work plans
- Demonstrable experience of working safely and appropriately with vulnerable clients and of working to standards of best practice in relation to confidentiality, information assurance and safeguarding
- Give and receive feedback objectively and sensitively and a willingness to challenge constructively
- Proven IT, numeracy and literacy skills and the ability to use office software, cloud based programmes and CAM IT systems
- Maintain an electronic diary
- An understanding of and commitment to the aims, principles and policies of the Citizens Advice Service and the positive value of diversity effectively
- Prioritise own work and the work of others, meet deadlines and manage workload in a busy environment
- Research, analyse and interpret complex information and produce and present clear reports verbally and in writing
- Experience of providing public presentations and producing marketing and PR materials
- Work effectively as part of a team
- Experience of recruiting, training, and supporting volunteers to assist in project activities
Please note that this job description does not constitute a ‘term and condition of employment’. It is provided only as a guide to assist an individual in the performance of the job and is not intended to be an inflexible list of tasks
Salary: £20,280 – £23,400 pro rata
Hours: 22.5 – 30 per week
Closing Date: 5th Feb 2021
Interview: 17th Feb 2021
Role Outline
To supervise advice services
You will be a team player, flexible and friendly, with good IT skills and ideally have a good understanding of advice and social welfare law. Training and induction will be given, and all suitable candidates will be considered.
For further details or an informal chat please email
Susan Clowes
Application Form on the West Somerset Advice website www.westsomersetadvice.org.uk