Direct Payments Advisor

This is an exciting opportunity to join Ideal for All, a user-led charity empowering disabled people and those with support needs to live independently. As a Direct Payments Advisor, you will play a vital role in helping people understand and manage their Direct Payments, giving them greater choice, control, and independence over the care and support they receive. You will provide practical advice, support, and guidance to individuals, enabling them to feel confident in using their Direct Payments effectively. What you'll be doing In this role, you will:

• Supporting service users Act as the first point of contact for Direct Payment recipients and their families. Provide clear advice on Direct Payments, Managed Accounts, and Personal Health Budgets. Visit service users in their homes to explain the scheme and answer questions. Support with HR and payroll matters, including contracts, pensions (auto-enrolment), and DBS checks. Help coordinate training and development opportunities for service users.
Managing caseloads and administration Manage your own caseload, prioritising effectively to meet deadlines. Maintain accurate records on our database, supporting service monitoring and producing reports as required. Contribute to the continuous improvement of processes to ensure effective delivery of service level agreements (SLAs). Building partnerships and promoting the service Develop strong relationships with local authorities, health partners, and other professionals to build referrals. Promote Ideal for All's Direct Payments Service locally and nationally by attending meetings, conferences, and seminars., To empower and enable disabled and disadvantaged people and their families, carers, support workers and local communities, regardless of age, or background to fulfil their potential as active citizens and fully participate in society and the neighbourhoods in which they live. Our Values Our person-centred approach considers the whole person, focusing on individual's unique qualities, abilities, preferences and needs. Equality and inclusion are at the heart of everything we do. By working in partnership with local people, statutory and voluntary sector organisations, Ideal for All aims to create environments and communities where the abilities of disabled people are recognised and promoted to support independent, positive, and meaningful lives. We involve and enable users to continually develop our services to meet their changing needs; recognising areas of sustainable development and working hard to utilise these for their benefit. We support and encourage positive involvement and opportunity for:
• Pro-active joint working initiated at community and professional level: combating isolation and supporting diversity through building trusted networks and business.
• Positive environmental impact: working to increase and maintain urban biodiversity long term, utilising innovative ways to reduce our impact on the world we share.
• Economic revitalisation of communities: ensuring funds and income generated is spent locally, using disabled peoples skills, experiences and our own proven track record to lever additional funding and attract business.
  
  A strong communicator, able to explain complex information in a clear and supportive way. Organised and able to manage a varied caseload independently. Empathetic, with a passion for empowering people to live more independently. Confident working with sensitive information and maintaining confidentiality. Skilled in building positive relationships with individuals and professionals.
A background in social care, HR, or a related field would be ideal, but we also welcome transferable skills and experience.

Making life better for all of us Ideal for All is a user-led registered charity and social enterprise working to make life better for disabled, elderly and vulnerable people and their carers. We are proud to be a user-led organisation with an active membership of nearly 2000 individuals who are heard, engaged, and represented in our vision, values, and principles and in the way we co-design and deliver services to meet their needs. We have supported more than 45000 individuals since we were established in 1996 with information, guidance, and access to a range of independent living activities, direct payment services, employability programmes, health and wellbeing projects, and peer support groups. Based in Sandwell, our team deliver services across the West Midlands and neighbouring regions. We are an award-winning provider of person-centred services that achieve positive outcomes for people in terms of improvements in mental and physical health and wellbeing, reduced isolation, improved knowledge, skills and opportunities, employability, and increased independence.