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 – for example as employers, workers, volunteers, mentors, carers and child minders. They help make our worlds go round. But when the challenges of older age feel overwhelming, and someone’s own world shrinks, Age UK Bucks is there to support them.
Based in Aylesbury and working across the county, our services support older residents to maintain their independence and well-being, especially when times are difficult. We do this through a range of services, including: - Information and Advice service
- Welfare Benefits service
- Befriending service supported by over 190 volunteers
- BOOST service which focuses on supporting older people to connect with local activities and groups
- Home Services team managing referrals to a team of self-employed and verified housekeepers, gardeners and handypeople
- Hospital Discharge Support Service which features transport home after a hospital stay and short-term community support
- Supporting Buckinghamshire Council’s Healthy Ageing strategy and the Age Friendly Bucks programme
Many older people don’t know where to go for support, especially when their own world shrinks or their circumstances take a turn for the worse. Our Information & Advice and Welfare Benefits services offer clients access to trained advisors for free, confidential and independent information and advice on all matters affecting older people. This includes support to establish awareness of and eligibility to benefits to which they may be entitled. Many older people are unaware of the benefits they are entitled to, and last year the team was able to help 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 be providing information and advice to support and empower older people on a wide variety of issues associated with ageing, from signposting to other services, providing deeper support and guidance, and helping them maximise their income with benefits eligibility support. Enquiries come directly from older people in Bucks, their families and professional referrers. You will progress and process these enquiries, liaising with colleagues, clients, partners and other organisations to ensure we provide timely, accessible and accurate information and advice so that the individual can make an informed choice regarding their circumstances.
Job purpose
Provide friendly, accurate and timely signposting, guidance and advice to older people in Bucks via telephone, online and email platforms, so they can make informed choices and maximise their income through benefits support when eligible. Ensure appropriate levels of service and support based on individual needs and/or vulnerabilities. Manage, record and protect client data. Champion their needs and stories, as appropriate, internally and externally.
Main tasks and responsibilities
-Provide friendly, responsive and timely support to clients and their families and advocates
-Explore the nature of the client enquiry and, where appropriate, their wider circumstances to gain as full an understanding as possible – including any safeguarding or vulnerability concerns
-Identify and research information relevant to the client’s situation, drawing on all relevant resources.
-Process queries appropriately using our database and other tools.
-Monitor the welfare benefits voicemail inbox and triage calls as necessary.
-Respond to welfare benefits queries by telephone and where appropriate transfer to the Welfare Benefits Officer.
-Signpost and/or refer to other services, both within and outside of Age UK Bucks, processing internal and external referrals as appropriate.
-Undertake administrative duties to support the work of the team and wider Age UK Bucks services.
-Develop your role and skills by attending meetings, training sessions and supervision meetings as required.
-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 comms 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 and the ability to retrieve statistical information as required
· 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 wants to become more representative of the community we serve. We encourage equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and encourage applications from our wonderful rainbow of talent in Bucks and people of all ages.
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:
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
