Assistant Homeless Assessment Officer

An opportunity has arisen for an Assistant Homeless Assessment Officer as a development post in our Homeless Advice Team.  The post is full time, working 37 hours per week and is offered as a permanent contract.

The role will be to deliver a front-line housing advice service, delivering the Council’s legal responsibilities to homeless and potentially homeless persons. You will work within the team to develop new initiatives to assist residents of the Borough experiencing difficulty finding accommodation without assistance.

The successful applicant will be customer-focussed, self-motivated, non-judgemental and have the necessary interpersonal skills to deal with customers often in crisis, in need of advice and assistance.

It would be advantageous if you have experience of working in a housing-related role within a local authority. 

You must be able to demonstrate you have a proactive problem-solving approach to the delivery of the service, coupled with the ability to prioritise a demanding workload effectively.

This is designated as a development position and the successful candidate will be expected to develop their skills through training in homelessness legislation, self-development through study and mentoring by experienced colleagues in the team.

The successful candidate will have 5 GCSE’s A* to C or equivalent including Maths and English or be able to demonstrate equivalent skills and ability through current role.

The ability to travel efficiently around and outside of the Borough to conduct visits and attend meetings is desirable.

Experience of using business applications/in-house IT systems is also desirable.

The ability to converse at ease with customers and provide information, advice and instruction in accurate spoken English is an essential requirement.

The successful applicant will be required to complete a declaration of their criminal record history and apply for an Enhanced DBS check from the Disclosure & Barring Service prior to appointment.

The successful candidate will be automatically enrolled in the Local Government Pension Scheme.

For more information and an informal discussion about the position, ring Amanda Brierley (Homeless Team Manager) on (01229) 876332/07870515710.

To apply for this vacancy you need to complete an application form.  Please visit the Council’s Intranet site where this can be downloaded.

Any queries please contact the HR Department, Town Hall, Duke Street, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria LA14 2LD on (01229) 876543 or e-mail hr@barrowbc.gov.uk.

There is no closing date for this post until a suitable applicant is appointed.   Any applications received will be assessed within two weeks of receipt.

The Council welcomes applications from people with disabilities and from the minority ethnic community who are underrepresented within our workforce.

Being Disability Confident demonstrates that the Council is committed to the recruitment and retention of disabled people.  The Council is recognised as a Disability Confident Employer and will guarantee an interview to all applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the job.

Barrow Borough Council is committed to protecting people’s privacy and complying with the General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR (Regulation EU 2016/679).

Please use the following link to our website to view how we will manage and process your personal data should you apply for this position:

https://www.barrowbc.gov.uk/about-the-council/data-protection-and-privacy-statement/