Job responsibilities
Specific duties and responsibilities include:
Housing Advice
Responding to the inquiries of customers, internal and external, who require free,
independent advice and information on all housing-related issues, ensuring compliance with
the Councils policies and procedures
Communicating well with customers, strongly focusing on their housing concerns, the
improvement of their housing conditions, the development of greater independence and the
prevention of homelessness by offering timely, bespoke, good quality and consistent housing
advice
Advising customers in a timely way on all housing solutions appropriate to their personal
circumstances, including improving the current housing conditions to relieve their housing
need
Providing housing costs and money management advice and appropriately signposting to
specialist services individuals experiencing financial issues, debt and/or welfare rights
problems
Appropriately identifying and referring customers with tenancy sustainment issues to internal
tenancy sustainment services for in-depth upstream advice and support
Under the Councils safeguarding responsibilities, identifying and making appropriate and
timely referrals to the MASH or Advice & Contact to support a customers wellbeing, safety
and independence
Maintaining and efficiently managing a demanding case load with competing demands,
effectively prioritising and re-prioritising cases as necessary to ensure that customers receive
attention appropriate to their needs
Ensuring, alongside other team members, that inquiries receive a prompt response, taking
part in a rota to cover telephone and digital workstreams
Working to develop strong partnerships with colleagues and stakeholders in the local
community, statutory and third sector agencies, private landlords and letting agents alike
Working with other agencies and statutory and third sector bodies to raise awareness of the
housing challenges and options for residents of Wiltshire and help implement any education
or advice programmes in the community
Attending on behalf of housing and be involved in decision making at MAPPA, MARAC,
DACC, Rough Sleeper Operational Panel and CIN/safeguarding meetings to ensure we meet
our statutory requirement to co-operate
Using the councils homelessness prevention fund appropriately, effectively and in
accordance with reporting requirements to relieve housing stress in particular cases
Being aware at all times of the imbalance of power between the local authority and private
individuals
Housing Allocations
Sensitively interviewing prospective housing applicants in unsuitable, insecure or unaffordable
housing and advising them about the solutions available make their homes suitable, secure
and affordable
As part of holistic assessments of customers housing needs, assessing their eligibility to join
the councils allocations scheme, supporting them to make the relevant application and
provide the necessary supporting information and documentation for their housing need to be
assessed
Making timely and appropriate inquiries to inform housing needs assessments under the
Councils Allocation Policy and Part VI Housing Act 1996, liaising as necessary with landlords,
social care professionals, clinicians and other professionals and determining any tenancy
sustainment issues in particular cases. These assessments are based on the whole
households needs and can be complex, the statutory decisions the postholder makes on
behalf of the Council being challengeable
Discretion and interpretation of general guidance is required making and issuing decisions in
relation to housing need, ensuring that customers understand the allocations schemes
processes, receive support to actively participate in the scheme where necessary and
understand the review process where they do not qualify to participate or with to challenge
their priority
Performing re-assessments and reviews as necessary when customers circumstances
change
Actively helping customers with urgent or emergency housing needs to access relevant
housing including but not limited to adapted housing, specialist housing, supported housing
and Extra Care Housing, exercising initiative and creativity in pursuing all available solutions
Liaising with health, occupational therapy, social care, housing provider, care provider and
other colleagues as necessary to achieve moves to suitable accommodation to facilitate the
greatest possible independence and make the most effective use of adapted and adaptable
homes in the social rented stock
Attending professionals meetings as appropriate and taking a lead in multi-agency work for
customers with complex needs and/or on the edge of services. This can include difficult
conversations with customers and professionals to manage expectations of what is realistic
and achievable
Continually ensuring customers understand the limits of the social rented sector to provide
housing solutions and the benefits of other options
Promoting positive outcomes for individuals that support their health, well-being and socio-economic development
Homelessness
Sensitively interviewing households who may be homeless or threatened with homelessness
and assessing them in accordance with the statutory duties laid out in the Homelessness
Reduction Act 2017. These assessments must be based on the whole households needs and
can be extremely complex, involving a multi-disciplinary approach. It will include detailed
investigations leading up to making statutory legal decisions on behalf of Wiltshire Council.
Advanced knowledge of homelessness law and experience of making legal decisions is
required to be able to conduct these interviews
Assessing what duties, if any, are owed to households under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996
(as amended by the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017) and producing your own statutory
decision letters that explain clearly and in good English how those decisions have been
reached.
Carrying out an assessment of customers needs and circumstances under s189A Housing
Act 1996 (as amended) and, working alongside customers to draft a jointly owned
Personalised Housing Plan which will lay out the steps both parties will undertake to secure
accommodation, regularly reviewing the document to ensure it remains relevant to changing
circumstances
Discretion is required when deciding what course of action or investigation is required. You
must demonstrate professional curiosity and an enquiring mind in undertaking statutory
enquiries and investigations into homeless applications, including detailed casework and
proactive and timely enquiries. This will require investigations of customers individual
circumstances and, in certain cases, forensic analysis of financial information and other data
to ascertain the facts of each case. It will involve liaising with professionals and also third
parties, who may be hostile and unhelpful, carefully weighing up the information received
whilst accounting for conflicting or contrary accounts. No two cases are the same and all
decisions are fact specific requiring the post holder to consider lines of enquiry that will be
required in each case and show creativity in those enquiries.
Working to prevent homelessness through the provision of tailored housing advice, liaison
with statutory and third sector agencies and through signposting and referrals to appropriate
agencies
To be actively involved in the care and support of homeless households by attending
meetings and liaising with relevant statutory and voluntary agencies to ensure that all parties
are working together for the benefit of the client. This will involve explaining a households
circumstances, gathering information, seeking consensus from professionals on the best way
forward and ensuring other services are fulfilling their own statutory duties towards applicants,
whilst being aware of legislative housing framework. This can include difficult conversations
with customers and professionals to manage expectations of what is both realistic and
achievable
Giving advice to tenants about their rights and responsibilities, how to enforce rights in
dialogue with landlords and to fulfil their responsibilities and sustain their accommodation
Proactively engaging tenants and landlords in constructive discussion where complaints are
made to the Council made under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977
Promoting positive outcomes for individuals that support their health, well-being and socio-economic development
Administration
Establishing and maintaining timely, accurate and appropriate administrative and
computerised records, ensuring that they are kept up to date and comply with GDPR
requirements
Compiling and maintaining accurate and appropriate records of all casework on Abritas and
other IT systems and provide information and statistical data as required.
