Advice Worker

Our advice workers, working alongside volunteer advisers, are responsible for providing generalist and specialist advice to clients, including advice about financial confidence, welfare benefits, debt, housing, employment, immigration, discrimination and other areas of public and social welfare law.

Advice workers seek to support and empower clients to address their needs, and provide tailored casework when this is needed.

Advice workers provide advice that is accessible by all clients, taking full account of clients' communication and other needs.

Advice workers are also, subject to their skills, experience and where necessary accreditation, responsible for providing specialist advice to clients.

Advice workers provide services in a wide range of settings, including our own offices and those of partner agencies. This will be done both in person and through the use of telephone and digital technologies.

Advice workers are required to undertake all their duties in accordance with Citizens
Advice Sheffield policies and procedures, utilising national and local sources of information and guidance.

Main duties and responsibilities

Advice provision
All advice workers are required to:

• Welcome clients to the service


• Enable clients to explain their needs


• Assess clients' needs


• Research the options for meeting clients' needs and advice on these


• Support clients to develop action plans to meet their needs


• Assist clients to implement their action plans, including liaising with relevant agencies


• Undertake casework for clients, including where appropriate court and tribunal representation


• Contribute to telephone, drop-in and pre-booked appointment services


• Contribute to multi-disciplinary and multi-agency service provision


• Create and maintain comprehensive client and service provision records, using information technology and other systems


• Provide services in accordance with all relevant quality standards


• Contribute to ensuring that service performance standards and targets are met


• Identify and report evidence to support social policy campaigns


Advice support
Advice workers may, subject to their skills and experience, and subject to the needs of the service be required to:

• Supervise other advice workers and volunteer advisers, including advice session supervision, case checking and independent file reviews


• Support and develop volunteers


• Support the design and delivery of training


Professional learning and development

Advice workers are all required to undertake learning and development including:

• Keeping up to date with legislation


• Keeping up to date with policies and procedures


• Attending internal and external training


• Obtaining and maintaining accreditation for specialist practice


Person specification

Knowledge
Comprehensive knowledge of:

• One or more of: financial confidence support and interventions, welfare benefits, debt, housing, employment, immigration, discrimination and public law


• Advice giving processes and systems


• The communities supported by Citizens Advice Sheffield
  
  High quality skills:


• listening, verbal, written and presentation communication skills


• to communicate well with clients, colleagues and other agencies


• to work in partnership in multi-professional and multi-agency settings


• to utilise case recording and other information systems that support advice provision


• to undertake analysis and research to support the formulation of action plans to meet clients' needs


• to represent clients and negotiate on their behalf


• to supervise advice sessions, and undertake case checking and independent file reviews


• to support and empower clients


Aptitude
Commitment to:

• the goals and values of Citizens Advice Sheffield


• working flexibly and to adapting to changing needs and priorities


• team working


• the delivery of service performance and quality standards


• personal learning and professional development


• equal opportunities and to valuing diversity


You must be willing and able to work at different locations around the city as required, While not essential the ability to effectively communicate in another community language or BSL would be an advantage.

Citizens Advice Sheffield provides a range of advice and advocacy services through digital means, by telephone and in person. We seek to empower our clients and support them to improve their confidence and capability on a wide range of issues.

We aim for excellence. Our ambition is to be among the best advice services in the country, and one of the leading voluntary and community organisations in Sheffield. We campaign for change to social policy to improve the well-being of the people and communities we support.