Debt Support Officer - ASC

Portsmouth City Council; Portsmouth; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Portsmouth City Council is seeking an ASC Debt Support Officer to recover monies owed from non-payment of Adult Social Care charges. You will manage a caseload, visit clients in various settings, and provide frontline customer service to handle payments and queries.

The role requires empathy, strong communication, and safeguarding awareness, working with clients, representatives and care professionals to support financial recovery and protect vulnerable adults.

Qualifications

• Experience in debt recovery procedures and techniques.
• Ability to form good relationships with clients and professionals.
• Strong analytical, negotiation skills and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Recover monies owed to Portsmouth City Council from non-payment of Adult Social Care charges.
• Manage an individual caseload of clients and visit them in homes, residential homes, day centres or other locations.
• Provide front line customer service by taking payments and answering queries about care charges, and raising disputes with care providers.
• Identify potential risks such as financial abuse and implement safeguarding measures to ensure high-quality service for all clients.
• Coordinate with Adult Social Care and the Financial Assessments and Benefits team to protect clients' future finances.

Skills

Debt recovery

Customer service

Empathy

Communication

Safeguarding

Job description

Within this role you will be providing a first class service to Adult Social Care and their clients. The ASC Debt Support Officer is part of the Financial Assessments, Income and Recovery Team, assisting and supporting Adult Social Care clients who find themselves in financial difficulties. You will take a holistic approach in dealing with money matters and support clients in finding the most effective way to regain control of finances and become debt free.

The role requires an empathetic debt recovery approach as you will be working closely with clients, their representatives as well as Adult Social Care professionals and the Financial Assessments and Benefits team.

The primary role is to recover monies owed to Portsmouth City Council from the non-payment of Adult Social Care charges, so this requires a supportive and inclusive approach to debt recovery. Managing an individual caseload of clients in varying levels of financial difficulties, you will be visiting clients and/or client's representatives in their own homes, residential homes, day centres or anywhere necessary.

There will also be an expectation to provide front line customer service by receiving calls from clients and/or their representatives, taking payments, dealing with queries in relation to care charges and raising disputes with care providers. In addition, you will identify any potential risk(s) such as financial abuse and instigate appropriate safeguarding measures to ensure that all clients have the same quality service.

Identify potential capacity issues, referring to Adult Social Care to ensure client's future finances are protected and vulnerable clients are not at risk., Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act.

We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed. These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals.

Learn more about our values and behaviours.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

As part of Local Government Reorganisation, current plans will see Portsmouth City Council combine with the district and borough councils of Fareham, Gosport and Havant and parts of East Hampshire and Winchester district councils to form a new, larger unitary authority for south east Hampshire.

We are working towards an implementation date of 1st April 2028, known as vesting day, subject to Parliamentary approval. Until then, we remain focused on maintaining continuity, supporting our workforce, and continuing to deliver excellent services to our residents throughout the transition to the new unitary authority.

This is an exciting time to join us, offering the opportunity to contribute to organisational transformation, develop your career, and help shape future services for our communities.

As well as experience in working within a front-line service with excellent customer service skills you will have an understanding of the chargeable services provided by Adult Social Care and how the Care Act 2014 underpins the work we do. You will have the ability to form good relationships with internal and external customers and have experience in Debt recovery procedures and techniques. With strong analytical and negotiation skills you will have an excellent attention to detail and empathy, sensitivity and integrity when dealing with clients.

You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it.

Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of adults at risk and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Every post is subject to PCC and Portsmouth Safeguarding Adults Board safer recruitment procedures.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) at Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Please read the relevant DBS