Specific duties and responsibilities include: Provide support to both the team leader and other members of the team regarding the scheduling of key events and ensuring the service is adequately staffed to maintain the production of statements, invoices and reminders. Responsible for supporting the wider team, providing knowledge and guidance on more complex areas of debt recovery, and debt collection whilst monitoring an allocated number of more complex customers who have been financially assessed to contribute toward the cost of their care packages. Ensure that the appropriate amount of debt is being recovered on behalf of the council, supporting and protecting the financial status of the organisation. Using detailed knowledge of the benefit system with consideration to a number of financial factors, understand how the contribution is calculated (including Welfare benefits and NHS Funded Nursing Care - FNC and Continuing Healthcare - CHC), work closely with colleagues to maintain information on client benefits, other council debts etc. and provide a sound but responsive financial standing through the maintenance of relationships with the client and or their representative, attorney or Deputy. Assess and review customers personal and financial circumstances, ensure that the best interests of the client are served in terms of appropriate payment plans that are manageable in line with their financial portfolio and mitigate the need to progress with third party debt recovery. Record decisions, conversation and any communication to ensure information held about the customer is up to date and in a format that can be understood by others should debt need to be escalated to Debt Management Panel and to the satisfaction of the Legal Department. Understand and inform ASC Finance teams of changes in customer circumstances in terms of: - financial capacity including annual income / pension/ benefit upratings, rising and falling capital, questioning significant changes in capital as well as change of address, and particularly sale of property/ assets, to ensure that the contribution is based on current financial standing and does not exceed the cost of their care and support packages. Their needs for any addition or reduction in care due to a decline or improvement in health, change of care provision/ provider or death. Ensure that all debts are paid / managed following the cessation of any care package. Negotiate payment terms for unpaid debt with customers / attorneys and work in conjunction with other departments to prepare statements and cases for county court claims where appropriate. Assist with debt management procedures including the resolution of customer queries, working with the appropriate department to resolve queries. Managing competing priorities to ensure a timely and accurate approach on behalf of the council and clients. Selecting and instigating appropriate recovery process, monitoring and updating customers accounts, pursuing payment and making arrangements or implementing appropriate debt recovery option according to customers circumstances within a pre-determined framework. This includes recommending debt write-off for unrecoverable debt according to the Debt Management Policy, Financial Regulations and debtors individual circumstances. Offer guidance on debt recovery and the appropriate and timely passing of debt to third parties and external agents, (Enforcement Agents, Tracing Agents and guidance on the use of internal databases to gather debtor information). Ensure direct debits are properly claimed and applied, BACS notifications are processed, investigate failed direct debits, unallocated payments, suspense accounts and reconcile payments on a monthly basis. To ensure that accurate payment information is maintained, and any issues are followed up to avoid non-payment of debt. Ensure Wiltshire Council receives interest on late payments from agreed Customer Types, in accordance with the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. Have oversight of cases as they progress and become more complex, responsible for attending and advising the Debt Panel and provide up-to-date evidence to agree suitable action on larger debts, recommend solutions or actions for the more challenging debts. The information and advice provided will impact the way in which the debt is recovered from the client. Providing guidance and information to a number of partners and third parties, this may include clients, representatives, attorneys and solicitors. Responding to queries and supporting the council to recover debts.