Debt Prevention Officer

• Location: Surrey - Please see advert for details

Description

We are committed to the development of our workforce. This position is only available to applicants who already work for Surrey County Council. We thank you for your interest in our roles and would encourage you to review our vacancies which are open to all.

This role has a starting salary of £35,730 per annum based on a 36 hour working week.

We are excited to be hiring a newDebt Prevention Officerto join our fantastic Financial Assessment & Income Collections Team, which is part of the Adults, Wellbeing and Health Partnerships Directorate, on a full-time, permanent basis.

The team is located in various sites across the county and your preferred location can be discussed at interview. This role is open tohybrid workingand as a team we split our time between working from home and collaborating in the office.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Role

As a Debt Prevention Officer, you will play a critical role in ensuring that all fees and charges due to the Council for the provision of Adult Social Care and support services are paid by residents when due. You will ensure overdue care charges are minimised, secured and facilitate the various options available to the council. Where necessary, and only once all other reasonable attempts to support individuals to make payment have failed, you will pursue overdue sums using Money Claims Online or coordinate referrals through to the council's litigation team.

In this role you will also support training delivery to staff on debt recovery procedures and raise awareness of Adult Social Care's debt prevention strategy with internal stakeholders. We embrace supportive technology to work inclusively and continuously improve customer engagement and deliver positive outcomes.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position your CV and answers to the application questions below will clearly evidence:

• Ability to prioritise your workload and be able to respond to work pressures
• Experience of debt prevention, recovery and pre-action procedures
• Effective communications skills within a challenging environment
• Examples of when you have had a positive outcome to prevent a debt from accruing, and what you did to achieve this
• Knowledge of the charging principles for social care services

Part of this role will involve facilitating training sessions and workshops across the county, therefore a willingness and ability to travel around the county will be required.

As part of your application, you will be asked to submit a CV and answer the following questions:

• Please tell us how you ensure you effectively prioritise your workload, including how you respond to work pressures
• Please evidence your experience of debt prevention and recovery procedures within an organisation
• Please provide examples for when you have had a positive outcome to prevent a debt from accruing, and what you did to achieve this
• Please give an example of a time when a service user disputed their care debt and the steps you took to resolve it
• Please evidence any knowledge you may have of the charging principles for social care services

Contact Us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment. For an informal discussion please contact Kavey Ang or Sally Brice.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 01/05/2025 with interviews planned for week commencing 5th May 2025.

A basic DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity will be required for this role.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Our Values

Our values are as important as our abilities and shape who we are as an organisation. Discover more about our values.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.