Senior Accommodation Support Officer

Job Description

Senior Accommodation Support Officer LOCATION: Hybrid (Cawley, Guildford and occasional coverage at HMP Lewes)SALARY: £26,150 - £32,668 per annum DOEDURATION:PermanentHOURS: Full Time 37hrs a week (Mon-Fri)Day-to-day duties:

• To assist the Accommodation Team Support Manager in continuous improvement to practice and the delivery of a high-quality service.
• To provide specialist housing law/process advice and guidance in Housing to participants, accommodation staff and other employees where required.
• To provide coaching, mentoring and workshops to all members of the team to develop their standards of practice and knowledge.
• To ensure the maintenance of up-to-date knowledge and skills in relation to housing advice, law and support for participants.
• To provide a link between the work of the Excellence and Effectiveness (E&E) Directorate and frontline practice.
• Work in close partnership with Probation Practitioners in order to understand and respond to the housing needs of participants, carrying out initial assessments and constructing a housing resettlement plan, taking account of risk and the needs to facilitateappropriate actions and outcomes.
• Build and maintain an effective relationship with actual and potential referral agencies, authorities, stakeholders and organisations in order to facilitate referrals to programmes/ activities/ services as required and support participants housing needs.
• Maintain responsive, accurate and timely use of the Authority case management system to ensure probation practitioners are aware of any contact and progress.
• Maintaining contact on a regular basis with participants, actively and collaboratively engaging with them in relation to decisions that affect them, ensuring they have input in shaping the nature of services delivered to them.
• To forge effective relationships with housing law experts in order to increase successful housing outcomes for participants.
• To work with individuals and groups of staff in the team to identify learning needs and areas for development both in terms of housing and the skills required to work effectively with participants in custody and the community.
• To provide regular supervision to a team of Accommodation Support Officers and to manage and monitor caseloads to meet contractual requirements.
• There will be a requirement to attend Prisons on a regular basis to support custody-based employees. This will require prison vetting.
• To coach and mentor staff to develop specialist housing skills, knowledge and understanding to deliver a high quality, outcome-based service.
• To support the induction of new practitioners into the team.
• To facilitate workshops, action learning sets and case discussion among colleagues to support more formal learning, peer learning and professional development.
• To support staff to confidently challenge local authorities to correctly discharge their housing responsibilities and to review incorrect decisions.
• To work directly with a caseload of individuals who, in particular require specialist advice to overcome legal barriers to gaining housing.

Essentials:

• Essential to have a good working knowledge of the Housing Act 1996 and a thorough knowledge of housing options.
• A thorough understanding of the homelessness reduction act 2017
• A good understanding of the work of the Probation and Prison Service

For more information on this role please contact Nathan Jackson on or apply with an up-to-date CV

Keyskills :
substance misusemanagementhousingsupportprobationcriminal justicehomelessnessoffendershousing managementhousing support workerhousing advicecommunity support workerfloating support workerprison leavers