Housing Support Worker

Job responsibilities

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

To offer advice and support to tenants with regard to Homes4Wiltshire and the choice based lettings procedure.

To make applications for Personal Independence Payments for appropriate tenants.

To represent tenants at DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) Tribunals. Compiling written reports based on evidence from tenants, medical practitioners and own observations.

To maintain an up to date knowledge of all changes to health and social care legislation and welfare benefits e.g. attending Dementia Care Conference

To encourage Team staff to look after their own mental wellbeing.

To run regular workshops to support Team staff to manage change and stress and develop their understanding of mental health issues.

To run a tenant self-help support group. Sending out monthly invitations, analysing evaluation forms, organising speakers.

To instigate care from the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) and /or GP when a tenant is seen to be at risk. Instigating the formal assessment process by written or verbal reports.

To provide short term practical advice and assistance to mental health tenants for setting up home (i.e. arranging finance, furniture, setting up utilities).

To liaise with statutory and non-statutory agencies in the provision of support to applicants and tenants before and after the take-up of any public tenancy. To be aware of care plans and care co-ordinators of particularly vulnerable tenants and prospective tenants who are known to the Mental Health Services.

To ensure that tenants and other agencies are able to understand the implications of a Tenancy Agreement, the responsibilities and consequences of non-compliance.

To offer advice and support to housing applicants and tenants in their dealings with statutory and voluntary agencies over such matters as their welfare rights.

To act as a point of contact between statutory agencies when an existing tenant may be thought of as possibly having a mental illness which is resulting in disruptive behaviour, such as in neighbour disputes.

To ensure that the Council is actively represented on conferences where an individual's care plans are to be agreed.

To supplement, and not to replace, any statutory agency support.

To participate in community care training and accreditation to enable the post-holder to participate fully in decisions on individual care plan conferences.

To maintain a list of all clients dealt with and record their occupancy data.

The post holder directs and monitors all queries relating to mental health issues and is solely responsible for running the Housing Team staff workshops and tenant support group.

On a daily basis the post holder is presented with problems which are complex and not at all straightforward to resolve. This may mean that a multi-disciplinary approach is called for or perhaps a more creative interpretation of policies. The post holder is expected to resolve issues without discussion with others in an often changing environment.

The post holder is frequently required to make ad hoc decisions, especially when visiting unwell tenants at home. Considerable skill and knowledge is needed to make an appropriate decision about when to leave somebody alone to recover and when it is best to call in other agencies, even when this may be against the tenants will. Informed judgement is used on a daily basis to decide what may be in a persons best interests.

Experience

Essential

• Knowledge
• Qualified to HNC with profession support and advice qualification (such as NVQ Level 3 in
• Advice and Guidance) or relevant experience in support provision e.g. floating support.
• Experience of dealing with clients who have mental health issues or vulnerabilities
• A high level of understanding surrounding mental health issues
• An advanced working knowledge of welfare benefits
• A good working knowledge of personal finance i.e. budgeting, debt management
• A good working knowledge of the issues around rent arrears / tenancy management issues for
• tenants and landlords
• Knowledge of relevant legislation around social care, mental health and welfare reform
• A proven track record of multi-agency work
• Initiating contacts and making effective contribution to meetings
• Dealing with demanding and challenging people in difficult/sensitive situations.
• Understand data protection and confidentiality and the need for accurate and timely recording
• CE08-1283 Housing Support Worker (Mental Health) October 2017 Page 6 of 8
• Understanding of current social housing policies and initiatives
• Skills
• Reasoning skills
• Accuracy and attention to detail
• Good team worker who can work collaboratively with others
• Communication skills, verbal and written
• Ability to provide a high standard of Customer Care
• Ability to work under pressure
• Demonstrates a desire to achieve results and work to high standards
• Time management and ability to prioritise workload
• Efficient and effective
• Negotiation and diplomacy skills
• Planning and organisational skills
• Innovative and enthusiastic
• Analytical and judgement skills
• Good computer literacy skills
• Advisory and co-ordination skills
• Good decision making skills
• Makes effective use of network and inter agency contacts
• Fluent in English

Desirable

• An operational knowledge of public sector (or Registered Social Landlord) generic housing
• management, including a working knowledge of current housing legislation and practice, and the
• appropriate statutory provisions
• Techniques of mediation and conciliation
• An operational knowledge of the court system, tribunal and benefit appeals

Qualifications

Essential

• HNC or equivalent experience/skills.
• ITQ 2 or equivalent skill and ability.
• Working towards relevant professional qualification.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).