Central England Law Centre (Coventry) – Welfare Benefits Caseworker

Young Legal Aid Lawyers; Coventry; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

Central England Law Centre (Coventry) seeks a Welfare Benefits Caseworker or Senior Caseworker to provide specialist advice, casework and representation to help clients secure entitlements and challenge incorrect decisions.

Working within CELC’s multidisciplinary team, you will help clients understand their entitlements, resolve problems early, and contribute to projects aimed at improving policy, practice and access to rights.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of welfare benefits systems and related legislation.
• Experience in welfare benefits advice and casework with success in challenging decisions.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and commitment to empathetic client service.
• Ability to work collaboratively with teams and stakeholders to support clients.

Responsibilities

• Provide in-depth welfare benefits advice and manage cases from start to finish through face-to-face appointments, phone calls, and home visits when needed.
• Prepare appeal papers, gather medical and financial evidence, and represent clients at tribunals; identify when to appeal further.
• Help clients resolve benefit problems early through casework and targeted projects (e.g., benefit cap, sanctions, bedroom tax).
• Maintain high standards of case management, recording and client care in line with Lexcel and Legal Aid Agency requirements.
• Support colleagues within the welfare benefits team and wider organisation; provide training and policy briefing material as needed.
• Attend key forums/networks to support policy objectives and build partnerships with agencies and community groups.

Skills

Welfare benefits expertise

Casework management

Interpersonal skills

Collaborative teamwork

Organisational skills

Job description

Central England Law Centre (Coventry) – Welfare Benefits Caseworker

• Job title: Caseworker or Senior Caseworker
• Contract: Permanent (Full-time 37 hrs/wk or Part-time min 30 hrs considered)

CELC are hiring for a welbare benefits caseworker to provide high-quality specialist advice, casework, and representation to help clients secure entitlements and challenge incorrect decisions.

About the Role

To provide high-quality specialist welfare benefits advice, casework and representation to people referred to the Law Centre through CELC’s projects and trusted community and voluntary sector partners.

The role will help clients understand and secure their entitlements, challenge incorrect decisions and resolve problems as early as possible, reducing the risk that financial hardship leads to wider difficulties in their lives. Working as part of CELC’s wider multidisciplinary team, the postholder will contribute to projects designed to reach people who may otherwise struggle to access advice and ensure that welfare benefits issues are addressed alongside other legal and social welfare needs.

Learning and evidence from casework will be used to support CELC’s work to improve policy, practice and systems, helping to prevent problems, strengthen access to rights and achieve lasting change for individuals and communities.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide in-depth welfare benefits advice and manage cases from start to finish through face-to-face appointments, phone calls, and home visits when needed.
• Prepare appeal papers, gather medical and financial evidence, and represent clients at First-tier Social Security Appeal Tribunals. Identify when a decision should be appealed to the Upper Tribunal.
• Help clients resolve benefit problems early through casework and dedicated projects-focusing on issues like the benefit cap, sanctions, bedroom tax, deductions, and right-to-reside rules.
• Maintain high standards of case management, recording and client care in accordance with CELC’s quality requirements, Lexcel and Legal Aid Agency requirements.

Dependent on experience you may also be expected to undertake the following:

• To support colleagues within the welfare benefits team and the wider organisation.
• Provide training and support to frontline staff and stakeholders on key welfare benefits policy and its implementation.
• Prepare and present policy briefs, reports, and position papers to influence decision-making.
• Attend and actively participate in key forums and networks in support of the policy objectives.
• Build and maintain relationships with government agencies, voluntary sector partners and community groups.
• Review colleagues’ files and carry out internal quality audits to make sure work meets Lexcel standards.
• Help less experienced advisers with technical questions, case planning, and difficult appeals.
• Draft applications for permission to appeal to the Upper Tribunal, and spot cases that may need judicial review.
• Help assess new enquiries and decide how cases are shared out across the team.
• Help track project targets and report case outcomes to funders.

What We Are Looking For (Please see the recruitment pack for full details)

• Have a strong understanding of welfare benefits systems and related legislation.
• Possess experience in providing welfare benefits advice and casework, with proven success in challenging incorrect decisions.
• Can demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills and a commitment to delivering high-quality and empathetic client service.
• Are able to work collaboratively with teams and stakeholders to support clients effectively.
• Are organised, proactive, and capable of managing their own caseload efficiently.