Advice and Prevention Team Leader

London Borough of Sutton; Greater London; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

London Living Wage

Flexible Working

Learning & Development

Job summary

London Borough of Sutton seeks an experienced Advice & Prevention Team Leader to guide frontline housing advisers and ensure housing needs are assessed in line with statutory guidance and council policies.

You will oversee casework, provide expert guidance on tenancy and welfare matters, monitor performance, and foster multi-agency collaboration to prevent homelessness and improve outcomes.

Qualifications

• Experience in homelessness, housing advice or housing support environments.
• Proven track record in leading a team in housing needs.
• Strong knowledge of housing law, including Act provisions.
• Ability to interpret legislation, assess evidence and make decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication for complex cases.
• Experience accessing and analyzing performance data and IT case systems.

Responsibilities

• Line management and workload planning for Housing Advisers.
• Carry out supervision of casework and statutory decisions.
• Provide specialist guidance on tenure, eviction, welfare rights and related areas.
• Monitor KPIs, manage caseload progression and improvements.
• Build partnerships with council services, housing providers and external partners.
• Handle complaints, safeguarding referrals and risk management.
• Act as deputy for the Team Manager when required.

Skills

Homelessness experience

Team leadership

Housing legislation

Decision making

Communication skills

Data analysis

Job description

Salary Basis

Per annum

Enhancements/Additional Payments

not applicable

Leave Entitlement

28 days

Application Deadline

30/09/2026, 23:55

Anticipated Interview Date(s)

01/10/2026

About the Borough

The London Borough of Sutton is situated less than 30 minutes by train from Central London, with direct connections to London Victoria and London Bridge. Found in zone 5 with good transport links in and out of London, Sutton boasts award winning parks and open spaces, low crime rates, affordable housing and great schools. As well as high levels of resident engagement and satisfaction, providing quality services and success in addressing our financial challenges, whilst involving residents in key issues and high street changes.

Sutton is continuously investing in the health, wellbeing and education of our residents and the future generation, as set out in the “Ambitious for Sutton” corporate plan. We are home to the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research. Together with the development of the London Cancer Hub, Sutton will be the world’s leading life-science district, specialising in cancer research and treatment. Our vision will create around 13,000 jobs while contributing £1.2bn to the UK economy each year, a vibrant community of scientists, doctors and innovative companies intended to deliver real benefits for cancer patients and drive economic growth. With the regeneration of the local areas with new homes and schools, Sutton is passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living.

The Council is seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment. As we strive to improve our services and spaces for our residents as set out in the ‘Ambitious for Sutton’ corporate plan, Sutton aims to shape the future of the borough and adapt to the needs of its residents to make our Borough a great place to live, work and raise a family.

About the Role and our Ideal Candidate

As the Advice & Prevention Team Leader , you will lead a dedicated frontline team to ensure applicants’ housing and support needs are assessed and met in full alignment with statutory legislation, government guidance, and council policies.

Key duties include:

• Line Management & Supervision: Responsible for the day-to-day management of Targeted Housing Advisers, including workload planning, regular 1-to-1s, annual appraisals, performance target setting, and identifying training needs.
• Casework Oversight & Statutory Decisions: Carrying out robust casework supervision to ensure decisions under Part VI and Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended) are legally sound, statutory obligations are met, and performance standards are exceeded.
• Expert Technical Guidance: Providing specialist advice on security of tenure, possession proceedings (Protection from Eviction Act 1977, Housing Act 2004), domestic abuse, housing rights upon relationship breakdown, welfare benefits, debt counselling, and long-term accommodation options.
• Service Improvement & Performance: Monitoring team KPIs, managing caseload progression (including 56-day relief duty targets), analyzing management statistics, and implementing procedural improvements to enhance homelessness prevention outcomes.
• Multi-Agency Collaboration: Building effective partnership arrangements across Council services, housing providers, and external stakeholders to deliver coordinated, person-centred advice.
• Complaints & Risk Management: Investigating complex customer enquiries, MP/Councillor letters, and formal complaints, while actively managing safeguarding referrals and operational risks.
• Deputising: Acting on behalf of the Team Manager for day-to-day service delivery as required.

About You

We are seeking an experienced, resilient, and customer-focused housing leader with high professional expertise and proven management capabilities.

Essential Requirements:

• Homelessness Field Experience: Relevant experience working within a homelessness, housing advice, or housing support service environment (statutory or voluntary sector).
• Leadership & Team Management: Proven track record of managing or leading a team in the field of housing needs, setting clear objectives, monitoring performance, conducting casework supervision, and engaging staff.
• In-Depth Legislative Knowledge: Comprehensive working knowledge of housing legislation—specifically Part VI and VII of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended) , Protection from Eviction Act 1977, Protection from Harassment Act 1997, Renters Right Act 2025, Housing Act 2004, security of tenure, welfare benefits, and allocations.
• Decision-Making & Problem Solving: Demonstrated capability to interpret complex legislation and guidance, evaluate evidence, make clear and consistent decisions, and handle complex escalated casework.
• Communication & Negotiation: Outstanding written and verbal communication skills to explain complex information clearly, resolve complaints, negotiate with landlords, and build positive multi-agency relationships.
• Data & Performance Systems: Ability to collate and evaluate performance information, analyze management statistics, and precisely record information on IT case management systems.

About Us

Based within the Housing Advice, Information and Assessment Service.

Our Offer To You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 26-32 days plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade
• Enhanced Maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
• Two volunteering days per year
• Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme (dependent on the role)
• Adjustable and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle leasing scheme
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support

Application Process

We understand and recognise the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and are embracing AI where appropriate, to boost our productivity and streamline how we deliver our Council services efficiently; to provide the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities.

However, we reserve the right to reject applications where it is apparent that AI-generated content has been used in isolation and without personalised responses. At Sutton we value authenticity and are looking for individuals who can clearly demonstrate their own skills, experience and motivation for the role that they are applying for and embrace and demonstrate our PRIDE values.

Here at Sutton we have core values of Transparency and this is to be demonstrated during the application process and completion of the supporting statement and will be further tested at interview and selection stage for those who progress forward.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

As part of our award winning Diversity Programme we anonymise all applications received to reduce conscious and unconscious bias enabling every application to be reviewed on the knowledge, skills and experience shown in your application. We encourage our interview panels to be as diverse as possible (age, cultural, neurodiverse etc.) to reduce bias where possible. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.

To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.

The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.

Additional Information

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.

To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.

The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.

Important Information - Criminal Records

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory result to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).