Debt Support Officer - ASC

The Methodist Church in Britain; Sunderland; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Job summary

Portsmouth City Council’s Financial Assessments, Income and Recovery Team within Adult Social Care works with clients who are struggling with debt, focusing on recovering unpaid care charges and taking a holistic approach to help clients regain control of their finances. The role carries an individual caseload with hybrid working and at least two office days a week for full-time staff.

The post requires experience in front-line services, debt recovery procedures, and building relationships with

Qualifications

• Experience working in a front-line service.
• Experience of debt recovery procedures and techniques.
• Experience forming good relationships with internal and external customers.

Responsibilities

• Support clients in financial difficulty to regain control of their finances and become debt free, taking a holistic approach
• Recover monies owed to the council for unpaid Adult Social Care charges
• Manage an individual caseload of clients at varying levels of financial difficulty
• Visit clients and their representatives in their homes, residential homes, day centres or elsewhere as needed
• Provide front-line customer service, including taking calls and payments and answering queries on care charges
• Raise disputes with care providers
• Identify risks such as financial abuse and put appropriate safeguarding measures in place
• Identify potential capacity issues and refer them to Adult Social Care to protect clients' finances
• Work with clients' representatives, Adult Social Care professionals and the Financial Assessments and Benefits team

Skills

Front-line experience

Debt recovery procedures

Customer relations

Job description

This post sits in the Financial Assessments, Income and Recovery Team within Adult Social Care at Portsmouth City Council, working with clients who are struggling with debt. The core of the work is recovering unpaid care charges while taking a supportive, holistic approach to help clients regain control of their finances. The role carries an individual caseload and involves home and day-centre visits, with hybrid working and at least two office days a week for full-time staff. Sponsorship is not offered and previous applicants are excluded.

What the job involves

• Support clients in financial difficulty to regain control of their finances and become debt free, taking a holistic approach
• Recover monies owed to the council for unpaid Adult Social Care charges
• Manage an individual caseload of clients at varying levels of financial difficulty
• Visit clients and their representatives in their homes, residential homes, day centres or elsewhere as needed
• Provide front-line customer service, including taking calls and payments and answering queries on care charges
• Raise disputes with care providers
• Identify risks such as financial abuse and put appropriate safeguarding measures in place
• Identify potential capacity issues and refer them to Adult Social Care to protect clients' finances
• Work with clients' representatives, Adult Social Care professionals and the Financial Assessments and Benefits team

What’s required

Experience

• Experience working in a front-line service
• Experience of debt recovery procedures and techniques
• Experience forming good relationships with internal and external customers

Skills & knowledge

• Excellent customer service skills
• Understanding of the chargeable services provided by Adult Social Care
• Understanding of how the Care Act 2014 underpins the work
• Strong analytical and negotiation skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Empathy, sensitivity and integrity when dealing with clients

Checks & eligibility

• Enhanced DBS check before any offer of employment
• Right to work in the UK

Other

• Explanation of any gaps in career history in the last 5 years
• Ability to attend the office at least 2 days a week (full-time staff)

What’s offered

• Hybrid working, subject to business needs
• Opportunity to develop your career and help shape services during Local Government Reorganisation