Housing Officer- MHIST

My Mind; Chester; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP) is recruiting a Housing Officer to join the Mental Health Intensive Support Team (MhIST). You will support people with complex housing needs to access and maintain suitable accommodation, working with patients, carers, housing providers and local authorities to prevent homelessness and support recovery.

You will work as part of a multidisciplinary team to identify and secure housing options, assist with welfare benefits, and help with

Qualifications

• Experience of working with vulnerable adults.
• Ability to manage a caseload and work with complex clients.
• Experience of multi-agency working and escalation of concerns.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of individuals with complex housing needs, providing practical advice, support and advocacy around housing and welfare benefits.
• Work with the multidisciplinary team to ensure housing needs are considered in care and discharge planning; liaising with Local Authorities, housing providers and welfare agencies.
• Support individuals with housing applications, tenancy sustainment, welfare benefits issues and homelessness prevention.

Skills

Experience with vulnerable adults

Caseload management

Multi-agency working

Job description

We are looking to recruit a motivated and enthusiastic Housing Officer to join the Mental Health Intensive Support Team (MhIST), an award-winning and forward-thinking community mental health rehabilitation service.

The Housing Officer will support people with complex mental health needs to access and maintain suitable accommodation. Working closely with patients, carers, housing providers and local authorities, you will help prevent homelessness, support recovery and remove housing-related barriers to successful discharge and independent living.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone with housing experience who is passionate about improving outcomes and helping people achieve stability within their local communities.

Main duties of the job

As a Housing Officer, you will manage a caseload of individuals with complex housing needs, providing practical advice, support and advocacy around housing and welfare benefits.

You will work as part of the multidisciplinary team to ensure housing needs are considered throughout a person's care and discharge planning. This will include liaising with local authorities, housing associations, supported accommodation providers, landlords and welfare agencies to identify and secure appropriate housing options.

You will support individuals with housing applications, tenancy sustainment, welfare benefit issues and homelessness prevention, helping them maintain stability and independence within the community.

We are looking for someone with experience of working with vulnerable adults, managing complex cases and developing positive working relationships with partner agencies. Experience within housing, welfare benefits or support services is essential, and experience of working alongside mental health services would be an advantage.

As a service we value partnership working, innovation and personal development, and we are looking for someone who shares our commitment to supporting recovery and improving outcomes for the people we serve.

Working for our organisation

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership (CWP) provides health and care services for a population of over one million people, including mental health, learning disability, community physical health and all-age disability care, as well as the provision of three GP surgeries in Cheshire.

We employ around 4,500 staff across 73 sites and have services across Wirral and Cheshire, as well as Trafford, Warrington, Bolton, Halton, Liverpool and Stockport.

Our aim is to help improve the lives of everyone in our communities, adopting a compassionate, person-centred approach to everything we do. We are rated as Outstanding for Caring by the Care Quality Commission, with a Good rating overall.

As a Disability Confident Employer, Rainbow Badge Scheme member, Veteran Aware organisation and proud holder of the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award, CWP is committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible and developing a culture that values differences, and welcome applications from people who have direct experience of accessing our services.
All new starters will commence in post on one fixed start date each month, in line with our Prepare to Care (P2C) induction programme date. P2C offers up to 3 weeks training to support you to meet the induction / initial training requirements of the role.

Whether you are just starting out in your career or looking to use your existing skills and experience in a new role, you’ll find something to suit you at CWP.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please download a copy of the job description (see ‘documents to download’ section below) for full details of the main responsibilities for this role.

At CWP, our recruitment selection processes are based on both competence (see person specification for details) and values.

CWP recruits people that can demonstrate the Trust’s Values in their everyday life and we use a values-based approach in our interviews, which explores not only what you do but how and why you do it.

Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trust’s Values and think about how these align with your own personal values. The supporting information section in your application should reflect your understanding of the Trust’s Values and associated behaviours and you should provide examples from your work experience and/or personal life which demonstrate these values through your behaviours.

An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page. Further help and support for completing your application can be accessed via our website. If you need any further guidance to help you complete your application, contact our recruitment team via email at: [e-mail] or by calling 01244 393100.

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the ‘essential’ criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer ‘YES’ to the question: ‘Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?’

Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.

The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post and encourages applications from armed forces reservists or cadet force adult volunteers.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £15 per year applies.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team CWP very soon!

Person specification

Qualifications

• Good literacy and numeric skills

Knowledge and Expertise

• Detailed working knowledge of welfare benefits legislation and application processes and ability to manage complex benefit cases including appeals or sanctions.
• Knowledge of tenancy sustainment strategies
• Understanding of supported housing pathways and eligibility
• Good level of knowledge and understanding of the current Homelessness/ key housing legislation relevant to supporting vulnerable adults, such as the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
• Awareness of safeguarding principles when working with vulnerable adults and the need to escalate concerns appropriately
• Understanding of the importance of mult-agency working, including collaboration with local authorities, housing services and community organisations.
• Understanding of the importance of confidentiality, data protection (e.g. GDPR), and accurate record keeping in a healthcare setting.
• Knowledge of Health systems/services
• Previous knowledge of mental health care provision

Experience

• Experience of working with vulnerable adults
• Experience of managing a caseload and working with complex clients
• Experience of multi-agency working
• Attending meetings and escalating concerns
• Experience of identifying risk levels, vulnerability and needs
• Experience of working in housing services, benefits offices, voluntary sector, local authorities or other agencies relating to housing and/or other benefits
• Experience of working with vulnerable adults who are at risk of homelessness or in unstable housing situations
• Experience advising and supporting individuals to apply for and manage welfare benefits, including resolving complex benefit issues
• Experience of liaising with local authorities, housing providers and voluntary sector agencies.
• Previous knowledge of mental health care provision.
• Demonstrate alignment with Trust Values (6 C’s: Commitment, Communication, Care, Courage, Compassion, Competency)

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name Samantha Webster Job title Team Manager Telephone number 01244 393229 Additional information

If you consider yourself Neurodivergent and need help to complete your application form, please contact [e-mail] or telephone [phone]

Giving you time to care, space to think and opportunity to grow

We are Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP). We provide health and care services for local people, including mental health, learning disability, community physical health and all-age disability care – including the provision of three GP surgeries.

We have services across Wirral and Cheshire, as well as Trafford, Warrington, Bolton, Halton, Liverpool and Stockport. We also provide specialist services for the North West as a whole.

Our services are provided in partnership with commissioners, local authorities, voluntary and independent organisations, people who access our services, their carers and families. The Trust has over 14,500 members and employs more than 4,000 staff across 62 sites, serving a population of over one million people and highly specialist services for two million people.

We offer career opportunities to staff across a range of professions, including:

• Allied health professions - including occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry, and speech and language therapy
• Medical - including psychiatry and general practice
• Pharmacy
• Clinical support roles
• Estates and facilities
• Support services roles - including HR, communications, ICT,finance and more

At CWP, we believe in giving our staff the time to care, the space to think and the opportunity to grow.

With vacancies across a range of professions, wherever you’re at in your career journey, you’ll find something to suit you. So why not join our team today?

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS FT 664 subscribers