PLEASE READ THESE IMPORTANT NOTES FIRST...
The closing date for applications is Fri 21st August or before if we have sufficient interviewable candidates. Interviews will be on Mon 24th and Tues 25th August.
Applicants MUST be able to work from 8.30am to 2.30pm on Wednesdays (the other 7 hours to be worked in 2 or 3 sessions on Mon/Thurs/Fri 8.30am - 12.30pm).
You MUST include a 1-2 page letter with your cv or email it to [email protected] to explain how your experience, skills, knowledge and personal qualities make you the person we’re looking for. Please don’t use AI to write this – we want to hear from you!
Our clients in a nutshell
People come to @The Hub because something in their life is going badly wrong and is causing them stress and distress. They may be homeless or at risk of losing their home. And/or their benefits may have stopped so they have literally no money for food or electricity. They may be struggling with forms, letters, landlords or public services. Or fleeing domestic abuse. Rarely is there just one problem.
Your job is to help them work out what needs to happen next, then help make it happen. It does not mean taking over people's lives or doing everything for them.
That means listening properly, finding out what's really going on, giving information and advising on rights and responsibilities, helping people navigate systems, advocating for them when necessary and supporting them to take practical steps forward.
You need to be on the client's side without always agreeing with them. Sometimes good support means listening and encouraging. Sometimes it means challenging a decision made by an organisation - or being on the phone all morning to get a decision. And sometimes it means being able to say to a client, with compassion and respect, “This isn't working. What are we going to do differently to resolve your problem?”
What you'll actually do...
Work with people
You'll be working with people with very different lives, needs and abilities. A few will know exactly what help they need. Others will arrive with several problems tangled together and no idea where to start.
You'll:
- listen, build trust and help people identify what the real problem is;
- give practical information, advice and support on issues such as housing,homelessness, benefits, money and access to services;
- help people understand their options and decide what they want to do;
- support people to complete forms, make applications, gather evidence, make phonecalls and attend appointments where appropriate;
- help people develop the confidence and ability to deal with things themselveswherever possible;
- stay compassionate and non-judgemental while maintaining clear boundaries and expectations.
Advocate – and persist
Systems don't always work as they should. Decisions can be wrong. People get passed from one service to another and no decisions get made. You will need to keep asking the question until it is answered, and then challenge it respectfully if it’s incorrect or unlawful.
You'll advocate with local authorities, housing providers, the DWP and other organisations to help clients get the benefits, support, services or decisions they are entitled to.
We want you to be persistent without being unnecessarily combative. The aim isn't to win an argument. It's to get the problem resolved.
Building good relationships with the people in other organisations is therefore part of the job too. Today's difficult conversation may be with an officer or manager whose help we need for another client next week.
Use your judgement
This is a small and constantly evolving organisation. Not everything will arrive neatly packaged as a task with instructions attached.
We need you to be able to get on with things.
That doesn't mean knowing everything or never asking for help. It means using your judgement: knowing what you can deal with yourself, what you need to find out, when you should consult a colleague and when something needs to be escalated.
You'll be expected to take responsibility for moving your casework forward rather than waiting for somebody else to tell you what to do next.
Keep track of what you're doing
Yes, there is ‘paperwork’ (actually it’s computer-based client records, monitoring data etc).
Good advice and advocacy for our clients depends on other team members being able to understand what has happened, what has been agreed and what needs to happen next.
You'll keep clear, accurate and timely client records; record clients’ outcomes; handle personal information appropriately; follow safeguarding and confidentiality procedures.
The record-keeping isn't separate from helping people. It's part of helping people well.
Be part of @The Hub
@The Hub is a small grass-roots charity. We work closely together and things can change quickly because people's lives change quickly.
You'll share information and knowledge with colleagues, contribute to improving the way we work, develop your own knowledge and skills and help us build strong relationships with other local organisations.
We don't expect you to arrive knowing everything. We do expect you to be curious, resourceful, willing to learn and prepared to find things out and work things out.
What success looks like
A few months into the job, we'll know it's working if:
- ✓ Clients trust you.
- ✓ Things move forward because you've got involved.
- ✓ You know when to act, when to ask and when to escalate.
- ✓ Other organisations know you as someone constructive, credible and persistent.
- ✓ Your colleagues can see what you've done and pick things up when you're not there.
- ✓ You care about the people you're supporting without taking over responsibility fortheir lives.
- ✓ And when something needs doing, more often than not, you just get on with it.
What kind of person are we looking for? (This is the Person Specification.)
We are looking for someone who combines compassion and strong relationship skills with practical problem-solving, sound judgement and the confidence to get things done.
The successful applicant will be able to demonstrate many of the following:
- Strong advocacy and problem-solving skills – able to understand what a client needs, navigate systems and bureaucracy, challenge decisions appropriately and persist in seeking a positive outcome.
- Initiative, resourcefulness and sound judgement – able to take responsibility for moving things forward, work confidently without needing continual direction, recognise the limits of their own knowledge or authority, and know when to seek advice or escalate a concern.
- The ability to remain calm, compassionate and effective in difficult or unpredictable situations, maintaining appropriate professional boundaries and responding constructively when things do not go to plan.
- The ability to build and maintain constructive working relationships with other professionals and organisations, communicating confidently and assertively where necessary while looking for solutions rather than creating unnecessary conflict.
- Experience of advice, advocacy or casework.
- A responsible and organised approach to casework, including accurate and timely record-keeping, handling confidential information appropriately, following agreed procedures and understanding that these are integral to good client support.
- The ability to build trust and rapport with a wide range of people: with those who are distressed, frustrated, distrustful of services or living chaotic lives in complex circumstances; and with professionals in other organisations.
- Treating people consistently with patience, warmth, respect and without judgement.
- A practical, strengths-based approach – able to listen and understand what matters to the individual, while helping people identify solutions, make their own choices and take practical steps forward rather than creating dependency.
- Knowledge of welfare benefits, housing or homelessness rights and responsibilities – or the ability to learn from training and apply the learning.
- Dealing with statutory services and other agencies on a person’s behalf.
- Safeguarding adults.
- Knowledge of local services and community resources in and around Ross-on-Wye.
- Experience of supporting people facing difficult or complex circumstances.
- The ability to work flexibly and collaboratively in a small and sometimes chaotic- seeming organisation, adapting to changing needs and priorities, contributing positively to the team and being willing to learn and share knowledge.
- A commitment to safeguarding, equality, dignity and respect, and to supporting people without discrimination while recognising their individual strengths, choices and responsibilities.
We are particularly interested in what you can do, how you work with people, how you approach problems and how you think you’ll do this rather unique job... so do tell us this in your covering letter.
Pay: From £14.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company pension
Work Location: In person
