Personal Advisor

London Borough of Bexley; Bexleyheath; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Pension scheme

Generous annual leave

Job summary

London Borough of Bexley is seeking a Transitions and Leaving Care Personal Advisor to manage a caseload of 16–25-year-olds in care or post-care. You will provide information, guidance and coordinated support to enable a successful transition to adulthood, including Pathway Plan development and reviews.

The role involves liaising with multiple agencies, maintaining records, and frequent travel across the UK and overseas as needed.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering information, advice and guidance to young people.
• Ability to assess needs and inform Pathway Plans.
• Willingness to travel throughout the UK and overseas.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of young people, prioritise workload, diaries, and visits using Signs of Safety.
• Engage young people in decision making with structured, impartial support and guidance.
• Attend Signs of Safety training and apply the model to pathway plans.
• Regularly visit and contact young people; travel may be required throughout the UK and overseas.
• Understand legislation around immigration issues to support asylum-seeking young people.
• Support care leavers at meetings with external agencies (health, probation, education, housing).
• Provide advice on budgeting and financial matters; signpost to services when needed.

Skills

Caseload management

Advice and guidance

Decision making

Pathway planning

Interagency liaison

Signs of Safety

Job description

About The Role

The Transitions and Leaving Care Service works with young people aged 16-25 who are in care and those who were previously in care.

• Following ongoing assessments, the service provides information, advice, guidance and support to enable young people to make a successful transition into adulthood.


• To hold an allocated caseload of young people. To signpost and support young people that are leaving care to access direct appropriate services according to departmental policies and procedures and statutory guidance.

The key roles of a Transitions and Leaving care Personal Advisor are to:

• To provide information, advice and guidance; based on the individual needs of the young people


• To complete assessments of need to inform the Pathway Plan


• To take a lead role in the preparation and completion of the Pathway Plan


• To regularly monitor the progress of the young person’s Pathway Plan


• To facilitate the reviews of the Pathway Plan


• To liaise with various agencies, including other local authorities in the implementation of the Pathway Plan and to advocate for the young person


• To coordinate the provision of services under the Pathway Plan and take steps to encourage and support the young person to access such services


• To build and maintain supportive, professional relationships with all care leavers


• To maintain regular contact with young people wherever they live. This may mean travel throughout the UK and overseas depending on the young person’s individual circumstances


• To complete full and concise records of contact with the young person within timescale and using Signs of Safety model (training given)


• To provide support cover as part of the office duty rota

Please note that the successful candidate will be required to be office based at least 3 days a week.

Candidate Profile

For the full list of essential and desirable criteria for this role then please refer to the Person Specification within the Job Description attached.

Job Activities

• To manage a caseload of young people, prioritise workload, manage diaries, and visit and record all contact using Signs of Safety model (training given) and within set deadlines.


• Actively engage young people in decision making about their future providing structured, individual and impartial support, advice and guidance using the Pathway Planning tool, to help guide and enable SMART personal development outcomes and transition into successful adults.


• Ability to attend Signs of Safety training and thereafter use the model in a range of ways including (but not limited to) to support direct work with young people and develop suitable, strength based pathway plans


• To regularly visit and have contact with young people in line with a regular assessment of their needs and with policies and procedures. This may involve travel throughout the UK and overseas depending on the young person’s individual circumstances. This may also involve overnight stays.


• To have an understanding of the legislation relating to and the needs of young people who have unresolved immigration issues; for example, those who were unaccompanied young people, those who have been given limited leave to remain or those who have had their immigration claims refused in order to support them appropriately.


• Where required, to complete Human Rights Assessments to help find next steps for young people whose asylum claims may be refused.


• To have a knowledge and understanding of the Voluntary Returns Scheme, in order to support, guide and assist completion of the NASS 95 & 4 applications in accordance with social care policies and procedures.


• To support care leavers to manage formal meetings. This could include supporting their attendance at court, in a tribunal hearing, placement meetings or mental health and medical assessments. This may also involve arranging translators.


• To support care leavers to attend meetings with external agencies such as; Health, Probation, Solicitors, Job Centre, College and University appointments


• To work closely with young people and partner agencies including Job Centre+, colleges and employers to support young people to access suitable employment, education or training opportunities


• To support young people to access appropriate college and university courses including attending interviews, open days and graduation ceremonies as appropriate.


• To complete risk assessment, referral and application for appropriate social housing. To liaise with the Housing Team within Bexley and other authorities nationwide and to support young people to move into appropriate accommodation


• To manage and formally monitor young people’s setting up home grant.


• To utilise a Purchasing card where required ensuring that expenditure is undertaken with the agreement of a manager within the service in accordance with a young person’s assessed needs and to input financial data onto Purchasing Card account receipting system (Smart Data- training given).


• To manage and formally monitor the allocation of a young person’s leaving care university bursary.


• To have an understanding of the benefit system in order to offer information and advice to the young person if required and liaise with the appropriate Benefits agencies within the local authority of Bexley and local authorities outside of the borough.


• To have an understanding of the referral for early years assessments process, to support a young person preparing for parenthood and to ensure the safety of the child.


• To offer advice and guidance with budgeting, and if applicable, signpost to appropriate external agencies for financial advice and support.


• To have an understanding of substance misuse, domestic abuse and mental health issues to enable appropriate support, advice and guidance to the young person in these areas and to complete risk assessments, safety plans and referrals to relevant organisations for further support where necessary


• Identifying the appropriate manner in which to communicate with young people, their parents and carers, specifically where a young person has additional needs.

Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

About Us

Bexley is a vibrant and diverse outer London Borough nestled in the Thames Gateway between London and Kent which means it combines the perfect blend of city vibe and the tranquillity of Kent. It's got award-winning parks, open spaces, and heritage sites. The borough has excellent transport connections, including the Elizabeth Line and proximity to the M25. Bexley offers fantastic amenities such as libraries, leisure centres, and shopping areas. Our borough is also home to numerous primary and secondary schools, as well as further education institutions.

Our Offer to you

We will offer you in return a package that includes a competitive salary, coaching and mentoring programmes, an excellent pension scheme and generous annual leave plus bank holidays. For more information on the benefits package on offer please refer to the Candidate Information document attached.

Recruitment Information

As a disability confident employer Bexley welcomes applications from people with all disabilities, including hidden disabilities and mental health conditions. We will interview any disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made to any part of the recruitment process due to your disability, please contact us on [e-mail].

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

This role may be available as a development opportunity through secondment for the Council’s existing employees. The Council’s Secondment Scheme can be found here.

We reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date.