Information and Advice Officer

Age Cymru Dyfed; Aberystwyth; On-site; GBP 20,000; Full time

Job summary

A community-focused charity in Wales seeks an experienced Information & Advice Officer to deliver essential information and support to older individuals. Responsibilities include providing advice on welfare benefits and social care issues while maintaining quality standards. You will work collaboratively with others and may have home visits as needed. Essential skills include effective communication and a strong understanding of the challenges faced by older people. A minimum of spoken and written Welsh to level 3 is preferred.

Qualifications

• Ability to listen and communicate effectively.
• Understanding of complex issues faced by older people in West Wales.
• Experience with welfare benefits advice and case work.
• Spoken and written Welsh to a minimum of level 3 preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide a high-quality information and advice service to older people.
• Assist clients with welfare benefits and social care inquiries.
• Maintain records in line with data protection regulations.
• Liaise with outside agencies on behalf of clients.

Skills

Effective communication

Understanding complex issues faced by older people

Understanding clients with complex health issues

Knowledge of welfare benefits framework

Ability to work autonomously

Collaborative working

Job description

PTE salary is £19,248 per year

We are looking to recruit a self-motivated, enthusiastic, hard-working experienced Information & Advice Officer to join our organisation.

You will be committed to providing up-to-date information and advice to older people and their carers in outreach locations, via telephone, online and face to face. Working to approved quality standards, you will be responsible for the effective delivery of providing advice covering a range of topics including (but not exclusively); Welfare Benefits, Social Care and local services.

Experience of delivering Welfare Benefits Advice is required.

Key responsibilities

• The key part of the service is to provide a high-quality information and advice service, with case work (level 4), to older people and their carers
• To assist in the provision of a high-quality Advice Case Work service for older people and their carers
• Act for the client where necessary by calculating entitlement, negotiating, drafting, and writing letters
• Maintaining up-to-date files and records of interviews in line with the I&A Quality Programme benchmarks and the Advice Quality Standard
• Ensure that the policies of Age Cymru Dyfed, particularly the Equality and Diversity, Health and Safety and Confidentiality policies and other client care practices, are correctly adhered to
• Work with other members of the team to improve the effectiveness of Age Cymru Dyfed, and provide relief cover for other staff when required
• Contribute to Age Cymru Dyfed’s social policy work

Age Cymru Dyfed has a team of trained Information & Advice officers throughout the three Counties. This role will provide both short term and long term support for people living within Ceredigion. Service provision will be adaptable and could either be face-to-face in the home/office, and/or telephone to meet the needs of the individual.

Role description

• Provide advice covering a range of topics including (but not exclusively) Welfare Benefits, Housing, Social Care and local services
• Develop a working knowledge of the information resources and office systems, which support the advice service, using them effectively and contributing to their continuous improvement
• Keep up to date on relevant changes in the law, policies, and procedures, both locally and nationally, as they apply to and affect older people and their carers
• Maintain statistical information and case records in line with data protection regulations
• Negotiate on behalf of clients, ensuring that the client’s best interests are represented
• Contribute to the maintenance of local information systems
• Work as part of a team with other advice staff and volunteers
• Liaise with outside agencies including Social Services and Department for Works and Pensions on behalf of clients, and for the purpose of establishing close working links
• Make home/outreach visits as necessary
• Assist with the training and supervision of the advice volunteers
• Promote the service to local partners and those over 50

Skills, Qualities and Experience

Essential (E) or Desirable (D)

• The ability to listen and communicate effectively and establish a good rapport with people (E)
• A knowledge and understanding of the complex and difficult issues faced by older people living in West Wales (E)
• An understanding of clients with complex health issues (E)
• An ordered approach to the delivery of information and advice and a willingness to work within agreed procedures (E)
• An awareness of primary legislation in Wales seeking to address these issues (E)
• A broad understanding of health and social care issues for older people and those who care or support them (E)
• Experience of adhering to policies and procedures, including those linked to consent, GDPR, adult safeguarding, etc (E)
• The ability to work objectively, in a person-centred way, effectively liaising with others including but not limited to clients, their carers, health and social care professional, other providers of service, etc (E)
• The ability to work with a high degree of autonomy; to manage time effectively and prioritise referrals that target those in greatest need (E)
• Experience of and commitment to collaborative working and co-production
• The ability to make home visits as necessary (E)
• Knowledge of the welfare benefits framework and the ability to undertake benefits checks and provide advice to level 4 of the advice framework (E)
• Spoken and written Welsh to a minimum of level 3 (D)
• Previous experience of working with older people (D)

Additional requirements

• Satisfactory Enhanced DBS check and personal references
• Current full UK driving licence and full use of a car for work purposes with the appropriate business insurance cover in place