Welfare Rights Officer

Job Introduction

Welfare Rights Officer
Permanent | Full time | Blyth | NCC Band 7 salary £36,581 - £40,444

Do you want to make a real difference to the lives of people across Northumberland?

The Welfare Rights Service exists to increase the income of vulnerable residents by ensuring they receive the welfare benefits and financial support they are entitled to. Through specialist advice, representation, training and partnership working, the team helps improve financial wellbeing, reduce poverty and support positive health and social care outcomes across the county.

We are looking for a dedicated and knowledgeable Welfare Rights Officer to join our established Welfare Rights team based at Eddie Ferguson House, Blyth.

This is an opportunity to join a respected team that provides expert welfare benefits advice and support to Adult Social Care staff, residents and partner organisations across Northumberland. You will play a key role in helping vulnerable people maximise their income and access the support they need to live independently and with dignity.

About the role

As a Welfare Rights Officer, you will manage a caseload of complex welfare benefit matters, providing advice and support to Adult Social Care and finance team colleagues, in order that they can advise clients on their entitlements; supporting them from initial enquiry through to appeal and tribunal stages where required. You will also work directly with residents and partner organisations, helping them to navigate complex social security legislation and ensuring people receive accurate and timely advice about their entitlements.

You will deliver welfare rights advice through telephone, face-to-face and written channels, including home visits where necessary. The role also involves supporting benefit claims, preparing submissions, representing clients at appeal tribunals, and helping resolve disputes with government departments.

Alongside direct casework, you will contribute to the development and delivery of high quality training sessions, briefings and information resources for social care staff, voluntary organisations and partner agencies. You will help raise awareness of welfare benefits, support professional development across the sector and contribute to improving access to financial support for Northumberland residents.

The role requires excellent analytical skills, professional judgement and the ability to interpret changing legislation and communicate it clearly to a wide range of audiences.

What you will be doing:

• Managing a caseload of complex welfare benefit enquiries, claims, disputes and appeals.
• Providing specialist advice and support to service users, council staff and partner organisations.
• Representing clients at appeal tribunals and preparing supporting evidence.
• Interpreting complex social security legislation and communicating it clearly and accurately.
• Delivering welfare rights training, briefings and awareness sessions to staff and external partners.
• Producing and maintaining up-to-date information materials and guidance.
• Working closely with statutory, voluntary and community organisations across Northumberland.
• Supporting targeted benefit take-up initiatives to maximise residents' incomes.
• Visiting clients in their homes or other community settings where required.
• Contributing to policy development and service improvement initiatives relating to welfare rights and financial inclusion.

About you
We are looking for someone who is passionate about improving the lives of vulnerable people and has a strong understanding of welfare rights and social security benefits.

You will be able to demonstrate:

• A degree or equivalent experience and/or qualification.
• Significant experience of welfare rights work, including appeals to Tribunal.
• Up-to-date knowledge of social security legislation and relevant case law.
• Experience of interviewing and supporting clients from a range of backgrounds.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• The ability to explain complex information in a clear and accessible way.
• Good organisational skills with the ability to manage and prioritise your workload effectively.
• Competence in using Microsoft Office and maintaining accurate case records.
• A commitment to delivering high-quality, customer-focused services.
• Experience of developing and delivering training sessions and presentations would be advantageous.
• A working knowledge of social care charging and policy would also be advantageous.
  
  

Working arrangements
This full-time, permanent role is based at Eddie Ferguson House in Blyth, with opportunity for hybrid working dependent on the needs of the service. The successful applicant must also be prepared to travel throughout the county and could potentially be based at any council building within Northumberland.

Please note that this is a full time position but applications on a part-time basis would be considered for the right applicant.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Jo Morris, Welfare Rights Service Manager at Jo.Morris@northumberland.gov.uk

Further information

Northumberland County Council’s (NCC) vision is ‘Land of Great Opportunities’, for current and future generations. We believe there is no better place to live and work.

For further information about working for NCC, please visit our website here.

Why choose us?

We have some outstanding benefits and perks to offer you, including:

• 26 days annual leave plus public/bank holidays, rising to 31 days after 5 years of service (pro rata for part-time employees)
• Automatic enrolment into the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Flexi scheme (if applicable) – up to 2 days flexible leave available per month (pro rata for part-time employees)

To see all our excellent benefits and perks, please click here.

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For guidance on completing your application and for information about our Equality and Diversity principles, please see the attached guidance notes here.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format, please see the alternative methods below. This information will be treated as confidential and will only be used to check that you meet the essential requirements of the post.

Alternative application format:
British Sign Language: northumberlandcc-cs.signvideo.net
For those with speech difficulties or hearing loss: Text relay service dial 018001 01670 623930

Although we advertise on North East Jobs, and other websites, your application process will be directed to our Tribepad system. Please note that all communication regarding your application for this post will be sent to the email address that you have registered on Tribepad, including your invite to interview if you are shortlisted. Please check your emails regularly, including Spam/Junk, after the closing dates for notifications.