Job Title: Benefit Visiting Officer
Salary Range: £26,157 - £39,933
Type: Permanent Part-time/Full-time (Up to 36 hours)
Location: London Borough of Richmond
Objective of Role
You will be a unique individual who enjoys direct contact with vulnerable residents for both LB Richmond and LB Wandsworth, supporting them in their claims for Housing Benefits and Council Tax Reduction.
Your responsibilities will include visiting individuals in their homes as a lone worker, assisting with the completion of application forms, verifying evidence, providing welfare benefit guidance, undertaking residency checks, and other project visiting work.
You will need to organise your own workload and visiting schedule to ensure that customers are seen within set performance targets and provide statistical information as required.
Additionally, you will be required to attend surgeries/advice days to provide advice and promote the take-up of welfare benefits within the community.
About the Role
Training will be provided, as you will need an up-to-date knowledge of all services and systems used within the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction Service to assist customers and resolve their enquiries.
You will need excellent customer service skills, as you will be dealing with customers in their own homes, providing a service to those who may be elderly or vulnerable.
IT skills are essential to maintain accurate records and information relating to the provision of Housing Benefit & Council Tax Reduction Visiting Service.
Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience
The successful candidate will need:
1. Knowledge of Housing Benefits and Council Tax Reduction
2. Understanding of other Welfare Benefits
3. Outstanding customer service skills
4. Confidence as a lone worker
5. The ability to work closely with colleagues as part of a small team
6. Basic knowledge of and ability to use standard IT packages (Microsoft Office and Outlook)
The post is based within the Benefit Service, located in the Finance Directorate, and will report directly to the Benefits Team Leader, mainly based in Wandsworth.
Contact Information
For an informal discussion, please contact Martin West on 0208 871 7092 or email Martin.west@Richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk.
Indicative Recruitment Timeline
Closing Date: Sunday 6th October 2024
Shortlisting Date: Week commencing 7th October 2024
Interview Date: TBC
Useful Information
Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We promote equality and diversity and develop a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from various backgrounds bring important contributions to the Councils and can improve service delivery.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please let us know.
We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts may be exempt under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and appointment will be conditional upon a satisfactory response to a police records check via the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
We offer a wide range of benefits designed to attract, develop, and reward our employees, such as 40 days of annual leave (including Bank Holidays), flexible working, and a generous pension plan.
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