Supported Employment Referral Adviser

BCP Council; Dorchester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in the UK is seeking a Supported Employment Referral Adviser to provide a welcoming triage service. This role focuses on helping individuals make informed choices about employment and training, offering guidance and support as needed. The adviser will engage with clients in various community settings to facilitate access to services and maintain positive relationships with local partners. Ideal candidates will possess strong customer service and communication skills, contributing significantly to enhancing employment outcomes within the community.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Career development opportunities

Enhanced benefits package

Qualifications

• Experience in providing information and guidance to clients.
• Strong interpersonal skills to manage customer interactions.
• Ability to collaborate with external agencies effectively.

Responsibilities

• Provide front-door triage service, guiding individuals on employment choices.
• Develop and maintain relationships with partners for better service delivery.
• Record all enquiries following data protection protocols.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Empathy

Problem-solving

Job description

Pay range for this role: £30,024 – £33,143 (pro rata for part‑time colleagues).

We’re looking forward to welcoming new colleagues under this refreshed framework of pay, terms, and conditions. To promote fairness and consistency, all new starters will begin at the bottom of the pay band. This reflects our commitment to equity across the organisation and aligns with the approach taken with existing staff during the transition. While the starting salary is fixed, the role offers excellent scope for growth, meaningful contribution, and being part of a forward‑thinking team.

More information about the new terms and conditions can be found on our careers site in the “More than just a job” brochure.

Are you passionate about helping people into sustainable employment?

Join us in delivering the Connect to Work programme – a dynamic, person‑centred employment support initiative designed to help individuals living in Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP). Connect to Work is a voluntary employment support programme that helps people with disabilities, long‑term health conditions, such as mental ill‑health and other complex challenges, secure and retain employment. Through personalised support and strong partnerships with local employers, we aim to empower people to overcome barriers and thrive in meaningful employment.

We’re building a passionate and dynamic team to deliver the Connect to Work programme across Dorset and BCP—and we’re currently recruiting for a range of exciting roles! If you’re enthusiastic about helping people into meaningful employment and think you’ve got the skills, experience, or potential to make a difference, we’d love to hear from you.

Supported Employment Referral Adviser

In this role you will be providing a welcoming front‑door triage service—offering information, advice, and guidance to help people make informed choices about employment, careers, and training that align with their aspirations. You’ll signpost and refer individuals to the most appropriate support, including supported employment programmes, health and wellbeing services, and education provision.

It is a community‑based role requiring travel to different locations around Dorset from a base at one of our learning centres in either Dorchester or Weymouth. Referral Advisers will use local authority contact points, including family hubs, customer service points and early help team access points, to speak to potential Connect to Work participants. There may be times when Referral Advisers will be required to work outside of normal office hours to support individuals.

Please use your personal statement to tell us why you’d be a great addition to our team. If you have any questions, contact [e-mail].

Why Join Us?

This is your opportunity to be part of a forward‑thinking programme that puts people at the heart of everything we do. Connect to Work follows a place, train, and maintain model—supporting individuals to move into employment quickly, while providing tailored training and ongoing support to help them succeed and stay in work.

As a “work‑first” intervention, the programme is designed to help people achieve lasting employment outcomes through personalised, person‑centred support and strong partnerships with local employers. You’ll be part of a team that makes a real difference in people’s lives by helping them build confidence, develop skills, and thrive in meaningful employment.

Job Overview

Provide a front‑door triage service that delivers information, advice and guidance to support people in making employment, career, training and educational choices that are right for them and their aspirations. Signpost and refer to the most appropriate programme of support, including supported employment programmes and health, wellbeing and education provision.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide information, advice and support to adults and young adults to ensure they receive relevant and appropriate information to enable them to access suitable support and achieve positive outcomes.
• Provide excellent front‑of‑house customer service for anyone attending various information service areas and events across BCP and Dorset, ensuring that their needs are listened to, understood and met in a respectful way.
• Support an effective admissions and onboarding service that aligns to Matrix quality standards for potential participants for supported employment or adult education programmes.
• Agree personalised action plans with individuals accessing the service.
• Manage interactions with customers in a professional manner, seeking to collaborate to find the best solution to their issue. This includes using empathy and diplomacy when dealing with contentious situations to lead to improved communications and more successful outcomes.
• Develop and maintain positive, productive relationships with current and new partners and external agencies to ensure the service is always up to date, to make recommendations to managers about gaps in provision and to maximise work‑experience, employment and volunteering opportunities for customers.
• Make referrals and escalations to other services, agencies and organisations when required, to ensure the appropriate support and information is provided.
• Record all enquiries on the appropriate database in line with agreed processes and data protection protocols to gather feedback, produce reports and support the development of more effective ways of working.
• Maintain accurate records so that information is accessible and auditable.
• Provide information about participants to Employment Specialists so that customers only have to tell their story once.
• Provide feedback to improve processes and systems.

Applications are welcomed from people with lived experience. We are a flexible employer and provide a variety of working arrangements tailored to the needs of each role.

Applications close when the role is filled. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship and we can only consider applicants with an existing right to work in the UK.

About BCP Council

BCP Council provides services to a diverse community of 400,000 residents and employs more than 5,000 people. Our area includes over 15 miles of beautiful world‑renowned coastline. We can offer career‑defining roles to transform and improve services. By working with us, you can help deliver a vision of a thriving, world‑class, prosperous and inclusive place for generations to come.

Our Benefits

At BCP Council, we’re not just building a workforce— we’re transforming how we recognise and reward our people. Check out our attractive enhanced benefits and find out more about the new Pay and Reward package on the employee benefits page.

DBS

BCP Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the community and expects all staff and volunteers to share the same commitment. Applicants for this post will be required to complete the appropriate level of Disclosure & Barring Service Check. Please refer to the Job Description or Role Profile for more details.