Community Support Officer - Abingdon, United Kingdom - South Oxfordshire District Council

South Oxfordshire District Council

Verified Company

Abingdon, United Kingdom

2 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

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Description

Job Advert

Location:

Hybrid working - primarily from home but also at Council Office at Abbey House, Abbey Close, Abingdon OX14 3JE.

Some on site attendance across the districts is also likely to be required.

Contract Type:
fixed term for 2 years

Hours:
Full time, 37 hours per week

Salary and grade:
£33,833 - £39,977 Grade 5

Closing Date**:
Tuesday 25 July 2023

Interview Date:
Tuesday 1 August & Thursday 3 August

We are establishing an exciting new team to deliver and manage our Refugee Housing Programme.

The programme is working to provide transitional housing for a number of refugee groups through a number of different government schemes.

The programme involves the acquisition and management of transitional accommodation and community integration support for refugees while they settle in the UK.

If you would like to deploy your current skills while further developing yourself in this exciting and fast-moving environment, please keep reading below.

If you have any questions or queries about the programme or the role do get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you.

About the role and what we're looking for

We are recruiting for a Community Support Lead Officer to join our Community Hub Team and to lead the community support team working to support migrant families into permanent settled accommodation.

The aim of the community support team is to ensure tenants in the Settled Families Accommodation (SFA), Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) & Homes for Ukraine (HfU) schemes have the necessary support to settle them into longer term stable accommodation.

This will include supporting them into education, ESOL, training and employment and helping them to settle into their new homes.

Main duties and responsibilities:

Provide ongoing practical and integration support to families accommodated under the migration schemes
Manage an assigned caseload offering appropriate individual support to families with the aim of assisting them to be able to live well and independently This will involve regular visits to people's homes around the districts
Work closely with the housing needs team to prepare properties for the families' arrival
Under the supervision of the supervisor work closely with the housing needs team to ensure coordinated package of support is offered to families to settle them into initial short term and ultimately longterm accommodation.
Assist families to register with GP and dental services
Support migrant families to settle and integrate in the districts
Regularly visit and assist formal and informal support groups to understand the programme and provide the best support to hosts and guests in their own community
Any other duties relevant to the position and appropriate to the grading of the post

About You
- experience of dealing with vulnerable, and in some cases distressed people
- strong levels of personal resilience
- effective negotiation, communication and interpersonal skills
- experience of community working
- understanding of confidentiality and GDPR
- full driving license and use of a car insured for business use
- ability to achieve targets and deadlines
- strong and clear oral and written skills
- ability to identify and then resolve problems

Your essential qualifications

5 GCSE's or equivalent level of experience

If you have the following experience or qualifications - it's a bonus
- experience of working with refugees or asylum seekers
- high levels of written and speaking skills in Pashto, Dari or Ukrainian
- knowledge of welfare rights
- familiarity with the districts
- experience of working in local government
- knowledge of safeguarding policies and procedures such as Child Protection, Safeguarding Adults and

MARAC

Your style and behaviours
- commitment to customer care
- ability to deal calmly and sympathetically with customers who may be angry or distressed
- ability to problem solve and adapt to unforeseen circumstances
- willingness to attend meetings and undertake visits out of office hours when necessary
- the post holder must be mobile enough to undertake visits to customers in their homes, this will involve climbing stairs

About us

Our vision and values are important to the councils and we expect you to support them and embed them in the way we work.

Our vision
We are seen as being customer-focussed, approachable and business-like. We are honest and open and are renowned for providing high quality, cost effective services.

Our values

We act with integrity and show respect
We are all accountable
We are passionate about our business
We strive for simplicity
We love success

The benefits we offer

A basic 24 days annual leave per annum, rising to 29 days after five years. You also have all the bank holidays to look forward to and time off between Christmas and New Year.
Flexible working and annualised hours a flexible approach to work that our emplo