Information & Advice/Welfare Benefits Officer
Reporting to: Service Manager
Salary: £12,135 (£21,237 FTE)
Terms: Permanent
Hours of work: 20 hours a week
Background
Buckinghamshire has a growing older population who are the heart and soul of our communities. Age UK Bucks is there to support them when the challenges of older age feel overwhelming.
Based in Aylesbury and working across the county, our services support older residents to maintain their independence and well-being through a range of services, including:
* Information and Advice service
* Welfare Benefits service
* Befriending service supported by over 190 volunteers
* BOOST service focusing on supporting older people to connect with local activities and groups
* Home Services team managing referrals to self-employed and verified housekeepers, gardeners, and handypeople
* Hospital Discharge Support Service featuring transport home after a hospital stay and short-term community support
* Supporting Buckinghamshire Council’s Healthy Ageing strategy and the Age Friendly Bucks programme
Our Information & Advice and Welfare Benefits services offer clients access to trained advisors for free, confidential and independent information and advice on matters affecting older people, including support to establish awareness of and eligibility for benefits. Last year, the team helped secure £2.3m of annualised benefits for older Bucks residents.
The role
This role sits within an established Information and Advice and Welfare Benefits team. You will provide information and advice to support and empower older people on various issues associated with ageing, from signposting to other services to helping them maximize their income with benefits eligibility support.
Job purpose
Provide friendly, accurate, and timely signposting, guidance, and advice to older people in Bucks via telephone, online, and email platforms, ensuring appropriate levels of service and support based on individual needs and/or vulnerabilities.
Main tasks and responsibilities
* Provide friendly, responsive, and timely support to clients and their families.
* Explore the nature of the client enquiry and their wider circumstances.
* Identify and research information relevant to the client’s situation.
* Process queries using our database and other tools.
* Monitor the welfare benefits voicemail inbox and triage calls.
* Respond to welfare benefits queries by telephone and transfer to the Welfare Benefits Officer as necessary.
* Signpost and/or refer to other services, processing internal and external referrals as appropriate.
* Undertake administrative duties to support the work of the team.
* Develop your role and skills by attending meetings, training sessions, and supervision meetings.
* Support the team to effectively record and code the types of enquiries we receive.
* Support the team to achieve quality standards and protocols.
* Support our communities by delivering service presentations and outreach events.
* Support events and fundraising activities as appropriate.
Person specification
Essential requirements
* Friendly, personable, and calm under pressure.
* Strong research and info-finding skills.
* Good telephone and in-person communication skills.
* Sensitivity to older people’s needs.
* Resilience and sensitivity to callers in distress.
* Ability to prioritise tasks and follow data recording processes.
* Ability to work as part of a team.
Desirable
* Experience of inputting data onto database systems.
* Knowledge of welfare benefits and processes.
* General administrative experience.
* Knowledge of health and social care systems.
* Excellent standards of literacy and numeracy.
* Experience working with older people.
Equal Opportunities:
Age UK Buckinghamshire encourages equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and encourages applications from all backgrounds.
Job Types: Part-time, Permanent
Pay: £12,135.00 per year
Expected hours: 20 per week
Benefits:
* Company events
* Company pension
* Free parking
* Health & wellbeing programme
* On-site parking
Schedule:
* Monday to Friday
Ability to commute/relocate:
* Aylesbury: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)
Education:
* A-Level or equivalent (preferred)
Experience:
* Customer service: 1 year (preferred)
Licence/Certification:
* Driving Licence (preferred)
Work Location: In person
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