Independent Living Officer
Please note: Following a job evaluation this role has been moved to a Band 4, starting salary of £28,176, to increase depending on experience
Are you a pro-active, motivated and confident individual who is seeking a challenging, yet rewarding, role working in our Sheltered Housing Schemes? If the answer is “yes” then we’d love hear from you.
Please note this is a Monday to Friday role during normal office hours.
What you’ll do on a typical day:
You will be a Peripatetic Independent Living Officer, travelling between multiple Sheltered Housing Schemes in Guildford Borough. Our schemes are for people aged 60+ who can live independently, your duties will duties include;
- Carry out Housing Needs Assessments , identifying support needs and ensuring all incoming can live independently.
- Ensure tenants remain safe in their home and are referred to services in order to safeguard and support them where necessary.
- Complete and review risk management plans where appropriate.
- Liaise with tenants, their families and other internal and external partner organisations as appropriate
- Report and monitor on site repairs
- Liaise with contractors to oversee any building works, electrical upgrades and planned improvements.
- Liaise with other council departments such as Housing Advice, Allocations, Repairs and VOIDS teams.
- Undertake health and safety tasks such as smoke and fire alarm, emergency pull cord and Tunstall unit checks.
- Complete day to day administrative tasks, responding to correspondence, emails and phone calls as required
- Maintain records and record tenant contact appropriately.
What you need to succeed in this role:
At a minimum, you will be able to demonstrate:
- Previous experience in housing, community care, working with elderly clients
- Experience of working with vulnerable people
- Experience of working with those living with poor mental health
- The ability to effectively manage your time and diary
- The ability to manage risk effectively through risk management plans
- An ability to demonstrate sound judgment in a wide range of situations
- A proactive, practical, flexible approach
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Confidence in dealing with people at all levels
- Conscientious attitude and attention to detail
- A good standard of numeracy and literacy
- Strong administration and IT skills
- An ability to work autonomously as well as part of a team
- Some experience of housing management is desirable but not essential
- The ability to think on your feet and stay calm in a crisis
You will be working across two small schemes, therefore you are required to have your own transport and business insurance.
An enhanced DBS check will be required for the successful applicant.
If you would like an informal discussion regarding this post please phone Laura Mackie, Specialist & Team Leader Independent Living Services on 01483 444294.
Job Profile
To provide housing related support to tenants normally under pension age who require help to manage their tenancy and maintain their ability to live independently in the community.
Supported Housing Officer Level 1 & 2:
- To maintain the package of support to residents in supported housing under the direction of the Specialist & Team Leader – Independent Living
- To assist with routine housing management duties for all supported housing schemes as necessary. This will include:
- health and safety duties
- supporting void management duties
- rent and other income collection
- enforcement of Conditions of Tenancy
- To produce and maintain accurate and useful information in a range of formats in order to promote effective service delivery and evaluation. This will include:
- being self-servicing in day-to-day administration and following service administrative procedures
- dealing with correspondence and emails
- producing written reports and some statistical data in a variety of formats
- recording all contacts with clients appropriately and maintaining all relevant files and recording systems up to date
- Maintaining and collating a range of accurate monitoring information in relation to tenant work and other activities
- To work to agreed codes of conduct and confidentiality at all times. To ensure individual rights to privacy and confidentiality are safeguarded and that personal information about individuals is handled sensitively whilst balancing the need to protect the interests of the wider community – to ensure for example information is shared with agencies in accordance with the agreed protocols and the Data Protection Act 1998
- To comply with the Council’s statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people and vulnerable adults
- Any other duties as may be reasonably requested by management
Supported Housing Officer Level 3 & 4 (in addition to the above):
- To develop, co-ordinate and maintain the package of support to residents in supported housing by:
- assessing need and risk through thorough assessments with prospective clients
- negotiating support plans with each service user; motivating them to identify and work towards individual goals consistent with sustaining their tenancy/home; working towards independence and the planned, agreed withdrawal of support
- managing risk though effective risk management planning
- offering practical support to make their homes habitable, e.g. accessing furniture projects, setting up utilities etc
- monitoring tenants’ physical/mental health and liaising with Guildford CMHRS and other services as appropriate to ensure adequate care and support is provided
- addressing issues of social isolation and exclusion; facilitating tenant involvement in the community and promoting independence
- advising and signposting tenants to maximise their income from benefit entitlement
- assisting tenants in developing budgeting and social skills necessary to maintain a tenancy effectively
- advising and signposting on training, employment and related issues
- assisting tenants in accessing specialist help and co-ordinating the involvement of external support agencies, as appropriate
- accompanying clients to interviews and appointments with other service providers, where necessary
- negotiating and advocating on behalf of service users to obtain services, funds, and resources
- attending case conferences and care planning/CPA’s to facilitate effective multi-agency working on behalf of the service user; developing and maintaining effective working relationships with external agencies and partners.
- To enable the service user to develop skills to manage their tenancy and to motivate and encourage them, where appropriate, to move on and live in the wider community
Qualifications:
Good standard of general education including 5 passes at GCE ‘O’ level/GCSE grades A*-C including English and Mathematics
2 A’ levels or equivalent
Skills, Knowledge and Experience:
- Good working experience and knowledge of specialist area
- Good working knowledge of legislation and developments in specialist area
- Proven ability to give sound advice and guidance on a limited range cases, topics or issues
- Experience of working with systems relevant to specialist area
About Guildford
Guildford is a regional centre for leisure, business, education, shopping and culture set in beautiful countryside that includes the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Guildford is a thriving market town and is a principal shopping destination with a vibrant night time economy. The town’s geographical location provides excellent transport links in all directions, London is just 30 minutes away on the train and the town is well-served by frequent bus routes and subsidised Park and Ride facilities. All of this contributes to a quality of life that attracts many people to live, work in and visit Guildford.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expects all staff and post-holders to share this commitment. To fulfil this commitment we have robust systems in place for the safe recruitment of staff and volunteers.