APPLICATION PACK

JOB TITLE: Housing Brokerage Officer

LOCATION: Littlehampton

HOURS: 20 hours per week

SALARY: (see further information)

Salary: £12,318 per annum £22,790*

CLOSING DATE: Monday 1st July 2019

INTERVIEW DATE: Thursday 11th July 2019

FURTHER INFORMATION

All salary scales at Southdown include several points. This recognises the value of staff who we believe generally develop their skills through experience within the job and the Association. New staff are usually appointed at the bottom of the scale with further increments awarded in April with each year of service, until the top of the scale is reached.

This a fixed term post until 31st March 2020

This post requires you to be a driver with access to a car for work.

Plus essential car users allowance of £601 per year

* Full time equivalent

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title Housing Brokerage Officer

Accountable to Team Manager

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

To work in partnership with KSS CRC supporting ex-offender service users, to retain or access and sustain suitable housing, which in turn will reduce their likelihood of reoffending.

To source accommodation via a range of housing options including private landlords and supported housing providers; building and maintaining professional working relationships with all accommodation providers.

To provide a flexible and responsive service to landlords and service users throughout the lettings process

To manage a fluctuating caseload of service users and support service users effectively to deliver positive outcomes

To work in collaboration with KSS CRC’s community and custody teams, integrating the service including working out of custody settings (HMP Lewes/Ford) and community hubs.

MAIN DUTIES WITHIN THE JOB

Housing Assessment To maintain good working relationships with KSS CRC staff and Prison staff whilst maintaining a

consistent, efficient and helpful attitude at all times To input referral information and contact sessions into our database and KSS CRC’s IT system,

ensuring all mandatory information is completed To receive client referrals via the Housing Advice Officer. To work closely with other staff involved and the service users, developing a timetable of action,

providing regular updates and joint working to achieve successful housing outcomes. To liaise with managers and other staff to ensure accurate referral information is collected and

recorded To work to deadlines To assist in the promotion of the Housing Brokerage service to external agencies

Establishing Tenancies To provide support to service users to help them identify suitable properties including searching for

properties in papers and websites as well as contacting private landlords and letting agents To arrange and accompany service users to viewings of properties (Community post holder only) To support service users in negotiating with landlords and supported housing providers where

appropriate, including that the property meets minimum safety standards and is well maintained To agree rents with landlords, including negotiating rents within LHA rates, prior to service users

taking up the tenancy To make or assist with funding applications, budgeting loans or charitable grants as appropriate

and/or liaise with local authority housing departments or social services To ensure that service users fully understand their rights and responsibilities of their tenancy

agreement prior to commencement of tenancy

To assist service users to set up regular rent payments to their landlord e.g. standing orders To assist service users to make a housing benefit application and arranging direct payments to

landlord where appropriate, including notifying the local authority if the client is in custody and expected release dates

To accompany service users to the tenancy sign up and take lead responsibility with the practicalities of setting up the tenancy (e.g. tenancy agreement, inventory, housing benefit claim/direct debit etc)(Community post holder only)

To identify additional support needs of service users and make appropriate referrals to specialist agencies as required

To prepare reports and case studies at the end of support and as required To promote client consultation and involvement as a core function of the role

Landlord Liaison tasks: To build up a portfolio of private landlords and letting agents willing to let properties to service

users To be the main contact and to develop strong pro-active relationships with private landlords

and letting agents To creatively address barriers by landlords accepting benefit claimants, through negotiation

and relationship building To be the conduit between landlord and client at all stages of the process from the pre-tenancy

stage until move-in To liaise with landlords on legal obligations, e.g. deposit protection, tenancy agreements or

other good practice information about letting and property management To assist landlords with pre-tenancy administration tasks ( e.g. tenancy agreements, inventory,

housing benefit claim/direct debit) To attend relevant network meetings and forums To offer advice to landlords around issues with challenging tenants

Other generic tasks: To contribute to the networking and promotion of the scheme within Southdown and with

external agencies To maintain electronic files and appropriate recording in line with Southdown’s client data recording/protection policy To observe the quality of standards within the service and abide by policies and procedures To adhere to all of the policies set by Southdown - specifically, Equal Opportunities, Confidentiality, Data Protection, Safeguarding Children & Adults, Integrity at Work To ensure the health and safety for yourself and the client whilst working To be able to set clear boundaries and work within the confines of the professional role To attend appropriate training and provide feedback as appropriate To participate in supervision as set by Southdown’s’ supervision policy To participate in team meetings as required To participate in any office duty cover systems as required by managers To have a flexible and imaginative approach to service provision

This is a developing service and post holders should be aware that their Job Description may change to meet future service development needs.

Person SpecificationHousing Brokerage Officer

Essential Desirable

Experience Experience of delivering front-line support to complex vulnerable service users. Specific client groups might include ex-offenders, care leavers and vulnerable young people (16-25), working age adults with mental health needs, substance misuse issues and/or other support issues

Experience of working in a prison setting or equivalent experience of working in housing or support environment e.g. homelessness, outreach work within a community setting.

Experience of liaising effectively with other professionals and working in partnership with other agencies e.g. Probation Teams, Housing Needs Teams, Social Workers, Landlords, Specialist Support services etc

Experience of risk management lone working

Experience of developing and delivering client training, workshops and of facilitating group sessions

Experience of supervising volunteers

Experience of encouraging and motivating disengaged and challenging service users

Experience of undertaking agile assessments of the housing and support needs of vulnerable people and making external referrals

Experience of skills teaching or coaching others to learn new things

KnowledgeKnowledge and understanding of how insecure housing and ongoing support needs might impact differently on individual client wellbeing, resilience and ability to sustain independence e.g. those with mental health needs, addictions, care leavers, ex-offenders

Knowledge and understanding of issues surrounding homelessness, including the barriers faced by specific groups such as ex-offenders, young people (16-25), and those threatened with or experiencing homelessness in relation to securing accommodation in social, private rented sectors or supported housing/ hostels.

Knowledge of issues and processes relating to a wide range of housing options and tenures including social, supported and private sectors

Up to date knowledge of the role played by Statutory Services in relation to specific client groups e.g. care leavers, offenders and their obligations in relation to ongoing support

Understanding of the underlying principles of peer support and ability to promote and drive forward initiatives within a service

Knowledge of a wide range of services and resources available to specific client groups in the local area including rural areas

Essential DesirableAwareness of welfare benefits, their interaction with housing costs and how to promote financial inclusion

Knowledge and understanding of user ‘self-management’ programmes

Knowledge of Pan Sussex Safeguarding Adults at risk procedures

Knowledge of health inequalities and an understanding of how to reduce them

An understanding of the Local Authority current priority outcomes and policy drivers

SkillsAble to deliver flexible and individual support packages tailored to each client, taking into account motivation and ability level; adapting the delivery method and pace accordingly

Ability to fully prepare a client for move-on and resettlement into an independent tenancy using creative education methods and tools

Excellent IT skills. Able to enter and update accurate and succinct data to online databases, use Microsoft Office, and other packages.

Able to learn new software & use portable equipment (e.g. tablet) competently with appropriate training

Resilience to deal with a complex caseload of service users with multiple needs and conflicting priorities

Able to work autonomously in both office and community settings, with excellent time management and organisation skills to pro-actively managing workload and time

Ability to assess support needs and write personalised action plans with service users which identify and address skills, knowledge or motivation based gaps

Ability to assess risk with a client and to agree a risk assessment and management plan.

Excellent communication skills in a variety of situations e.g. with service users, in meetings, liaison with other agencies, liaison with landlords and representing the organisation.

Excellent literacy skills - to write up client visits, compose emails to external agencies, support service users to write letters, case studies etc

Understanding and awareness of data protection and confidentiality issues.

Ability to provide basic training and support to volunteers A non-judgmental attitude and empathy with the challenges faced by vulnerable people, with the ability to build rapport and engage with service users

Resourcefulness in supporting service users to identify the barriers to independence, including considering the emotional and psychological needs of the client

Ability to use reflective practice to improve support and achieve measurable outcome

Essential DesirableAbility to promote digital inclusion to service users and utilize technology as an integral part of support

Ability to promote social inclusion, neighbourliness and engagement in democratic processes

Ability to deliver a personalised and needs led service that involves service users and captures meaningful feedback

Values and Personal AttributesUnderstanding and personal commitment to the values, standards and aims of the organisation.

Belief in the promotion of equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice.

Commitment to the promotion of service users’ rights and client empowerment.

Confidence to deal with emergency situations when necessary.

Personal resilience to be able to manage conflicting demands, pressures and priorities of the role effectively.

Commitment to training and personal development and able to accept feedback and develop practice accordingly

Specific Requirements

Able to work service hours which are generally 9 -5 Monday to Friday with flexibility to work occasionally outside these core hours.

Able to drive and have use of car for which mileage and essential car user allowance will be paid (Community post holder only)

Ability to deliver an outreach service requiring travel to and from a designated geographical work location (Community post holder only)

Able to work to the Smoke Free Workplace policy

Able to carry reasonable sized files and equipment e.g. laptops

Overview

The key purpose of the Housing Brokerage service is to help probation service users referred by Kent, Surrey and Sussex Community Rehabilitation Company (KSS CRC) to secure suitable, sustained accommodation to reduce their likelihood of reoffending.

The Housing Brokerage service is provided by Southdown alongside KSS CRC teams as part of their ‘My Solution Rehabilitation Programme’ (MSRP). This programme delivers rehabilitation services to support people who have offended to secure crime free futures. The Housing Brokerage service forms part of the ‘Home’ rehabilitation and resettlement elements of MSRP.

Southdown’s Housing Brokerage service will supplement the support KSS CRC’s provide. They will do this by offering additional intensive support to help service users, without settled accommodation, understand their realistic housing options, source appropriate housing and know their rights and responsibilities as tenants.

Eligibility criteria

The Housing Brokerage service is available to probation service users referred by KSS CRC’s Responsible Officers. Referees will have complex housing needs or require intensive support to resolve their housing issues. This service is eligible to both:

Service users who are on a community order or suspended sentence order, or

Prisoners on a custodial sentence who are due for release within 12 weeks.

Housing support service

Referrals are made by KSS CRC Responsible Officers using their standardised forms. They are accepted through a single referral point into the Housing Brokerage Service, administered by Southdown’s Housing Advice Officer.

Referrals are acknowledged within one working day and the first support meeting will be offered within a target of five days.

Southdown’s Housing Advice Officer will conduct an initial assessment to establish the level and type of support required for each service user. The options they can offer are:

A. One-off Brief Information and Guidance

If housing issues are straight forward, or there is an urgent need, the Housing Advice Officer will offer immediate telephone information and support on housing options, including signposting onto other relevant agencies.

B. Short term housing support/brief interventions (1-3 interventions)

Housing Brokerage Service

If it is assessed that the housing issues are straight forward and could be resolved following a short time-limited amount of follow up work, activities may include:

- Providing relevant housing legislation information- Completing a financial capability/welfare benefit assessment- Liaising with current landlords to retain accommodation- Supporting administrative tasks in relation to current accommodation- Liaising with family and networks of support

C. 1:1 Specialist support (up to 12 weeks)

Where the service user is identified as having complex housing and/or support needs the referral will be allocated to a Housing Brokerage Officer. They will provide individually tailored support to help secure and sustain settled accommodation. Activities may include:

Securing accommodation:

- Supporting service users to apply for social or supported housing

- Searching for affordable private rented sector properties and liaising with lettings agents - Accessing and using the Tenancy/Rent Deposit Protection Schemes- Gathering evidence of income, references and guarantors - Accessing additional advice and support from community-based schemes such as housing access projects and

credit unions- Viewing properties and signing up to tenancies- Landlord liaison and advocating on behalf of service users

Housing Sustainment:

- Understanding and fulfilling tenancy rights and responsibilities including; paying rent/service charges, maintaining the property and reporting repairs

- Gaining the confidence to talk to landlords or access appropriate services if they encounter future problems related to their housing

- Providing intensive support should issues arise that place service user’s tenancy at risk

Southdown staff can meet service users at CRC offices or in the community, and for those still in custody appointments will be scheduled within prisons.

Duration of support

The average maximum duration of support is 12-16 weeks. For service users with custodial sentences, support will commence three months prior to release (or shorter where the sentence is below three months). In agreement with Responsible Officers, resettlement support may be offered to service users who move to accommodation within Sussex for four weeks post release.

Staffing resources

The Housing Brokerage service has a team of five Housing Brokerage Officers, a Housing Advice Officer and a Team Manager. Housing Brokerage Officers are co-located within KSS CRC regional community offices (Brighton, Crawley, Littlehampton and Hastings) as well as at HMP Ford and HMP Lewes.

For more information contact Roland Williams, Operations Manager:

Roland.Williams@southdown.org

GENERAL INFORMATION

Southdown Housing Association Limited is a registered society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014. Southdown is also regulated by the Homes and Communities Agency as a registered provider of social housing.

Southdown was established in 1972 and is one of the largest not-for-profit specialist providers of care, support and housing services to vulnerable people in Sussex.

We support people with learning disabilities, people facing mental health challenges and those at risk of homelessness or severe hardship. We provide holistic and tailored care and support that focuses on all of a person’s needs be they physical, economic, psychological, social or spiritual.

Everything we do is driven by the individual needs and aspirations of the people we provide care and support for. We involve our clients in the quality review and ongoing development of our services.

We believe the best way to increase people’s independence is for staff to work alongside them and coach them to develop their skills and confidence to take action and responsibility to achieve their personal goals.

We track and monitor the impact our services have on the people that use them. As well as regular satisfaction surveys, we also undertake detailed research to look at what works, for whom and in what circumstances.

We are a robust and successful organisation with a turnover of £24.5 million. We are governed by a Board of 12 members. We employ over 950 staff who we value and invest in. We have an excellent reputation for staff training and development.

We provide value for money. Whilst we’ve had to find ways to reduce our costs due to public sector budget cuts, we have not compromised on quality. We work with commissioners to deliver cost-savings whilst keeping people’s needs at the heart of what we do.

Contracts with local authorities and NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) for East and West Sussex and Brighton and Hove supply most of our income to provide our services.

Data Protection Statement The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires that any employees handling personal data on others must follow certain principles in relation to the data that they hold. Individuals have rights of access to data that is held on them and rights to claim for damages if various offences occur. This covers manual as well as computerised records.

In implementing the legislation Southdown Housing Association (Southdown) will adopt a simple and straightforward policy that will, so far as is possible, be easy to understand and unambiguous in its application. This is best achieved by adopting the principles of openness, which will, in turn, contribute to the fostering of open and honest management. Southdown should not keep in record form any information, opinion or judgement that we would not be comfortable showing to its subject and explaining and justifying if called upon to do so.

Application RecordsApplicant records will only be made available to appropriate persons involved in the selection process. Details will be stored securely at all times.

Where individuals have not been successful, applicant records will be held for a period of twelve months.

Diversity and Equality Monitoring Form – This is destroyed after twelve months whether the applicant is successful or not.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Southdown, we pride ourselves on creating a culture that challenges prejudice and values diversity. We are committed to ensuring that all staff and service users feel welcome and are not discriminated against or treated unfairly.

We recognise that certain groups and individuals in society are disadvantaged because of discrimination experienced as a result of, race, nationality, belief or religion, physical or mental disability, health status, marital status, sex, sexuality, trade union activity, caring responsibilities, criminal convictions unrelated to the job, age or class.

Southdown believes that such direct or indirect discrimination is wrong and will ensure that the policies and practices of the Association in recruitment provide equal treatment for everyone. Adherence to our Diversity and Equality Policy is a condition of service for staff, and a copy of the policy is given to all staff and job applicants.

All managers are trained in anti-discriminatory recruitment practice. The diversity of our staff is monitored to ensure we continue to represent the diversity of the local communities. We are accredited by several national bodies for recruiting staff to best practice standards including Investors in People (Gold), Mindful Employer and Disability Confident.

EX-OFFENDERS & THE RECRUITMENT PROCESSIntroduction

As an organisation using the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to assess applicants’ suitability for positions of trust, Southdown Housing Association complies fully with the DBS Code of Practice and undertakes to treat all applicants for positions fairly. It undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure on the basis of conviction or other information revealed.

Southdown is committed to the fair treatment of its staff, as indicated by its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy Statement, including those with an offending background.

Southdown welcomes applications from a wide range of candidates and would consider those with criminal records. We select candidates for interview based on skills, qualifications and experience.

However, we will exclude candidates who do not comply with the requirements imposed by regulatory bodies that set standards for the staffing of the services we provide.

Recruitment1. For those positions where a Disclosure is required, application forms and job adverts will specify that a

Disclosure will be requested in the event of an individual being offered the position.

2. Where a Disclosure is to form part of the recruitment process, we encourage all applicants called for interview to provide details of their criminal record at an early stage in the application process. We request that this information is sent confidentially to the Human Resources Department and we guarantee this information is only to be seen by those who need to see it as part of the recruitment process.

3. The nature of jobs within Southdown allows the Association to ask questions about an applicant’s entire criminal records including ‘spent’ convictions.

4. We ensure those within Southdown with a decision making role in the recruitment process have been trained to identify and assess the relevance and circumstances of offences. We also ensure they have received guidance and training in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

5. For shortlisted candidates we ensure discussion takes place on the subject of any offences that might be relevant to the position. Failure to reveal any relevant information relating to any such offences is likely to lead to withdrawal of an offer of employment.

6. We make every subject of a DBS Disclosure aware of the existence of the DBS Code of Practice and make a copy available on request.

7. We will discuss any matter revealed in the Disclosure with the person seeking the position before withdrawing a conditional offer of employment.

Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar someone from working with the Association. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the person’s offences.

December 2012 – reviewed May 19

INFORMATION ON CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

Pension SchemeSouthdown automatically enrols eligible staff in the organisations pension scheme to which Southdown will contribute 4% in addition to the 5% paid by you. Other alternatives are available to enable staff who are not eligible to join the pension scheme.

Sick PayIn the event of your being unable to work because of illness, you would be eligible for occupational sick pay, as set out below:

Length of Service Occupational Sick Pay0-12 months 10 days (no more than 5 in the first six months)12-24 months 15 days24-36 months 20 days36-48 months 30 days48 months or more 3 months

NB these figures apply to occupational sick pay only and do not affect your entitlement to statutory sick pay.

Annual LeaveOur annual leave year runs from April to March. The initial leave entitlement is 25 days rising to 30 days after 5 full years of service.

If you work part-time you would receive a proportionate entitlement to annual leave and statutory leave.

Training and DevelopmentSouthdown is committed to providing a good standard of training for its staff and you will be encouraged to participate in appropriate training courses. Southdown holds the Investor in People award which acknowledges the emphasis we place on staff learning and development.

The annual Staff Appraisal Review should help reinforce a planned approach to your career development.

All new staff may be required to undertake induction training in house and on specially designed courses.

SupervisionRegular support and supervision sessions are offered to all staff.

Stress ManagementAdvice, support and training are offered to promote staff well-being

New Employee Staff Support ProcedureNew staff joining the Association will be subject to 26 weeks probationary period, which will be reviewed through our Staff Appraisal Scheme at 10 and 22 weeks. Providing that staff satisfactorily

complete this period, they will become a permanent member of staff of the Association. On appointment to permanent staff, employees are obliged to give and entitled to receive a minimum of one month's written notice of termination of employment (the notice period will be outlined in the Statement of Particulars of Employment on appointment).

Salary PaymentsYou will be paid monthly on the last banking day of each month. Your salary will be paid by direct transfer to your Bank.

Other Conditions of EmploymentFull details of all conditions are contained in the Staff Handbook.

Disclosure and Barring Service – Enhanced Checks for Regulated Activity

As a safeguard for our clients, Southdown is required to liaise with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), which makes a thorough check into the background of those candidates to whom we have made provisional job offers to work in regulated activity. This is a process we are legally entitled to follow by the Police Act 1997 and the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

Obtaining information about an individual via the DBS is called ‘Disclosure’. A DBS Disclosure informs us of information about criminal behaviour, and the details of such record. This then enables Southdown Housing Association to make a judgement about whether the criminal record is such that we consider there potentially to be a danger to our clients.

Please be aware that having a criminal record will not necessarily prevent you from working either directly or indirectly with vulnerable adults. This will depend on the type of offence and the circumstances involved.

At Southdown, an Enhanced Check for Regulated Activity is requested for posts such as : Support Workers Senior Support Workers Deputy / Service Managers

Floating Support Officers and Assistants Employment Specialists Senior Posts

Enhanced checks for regulated activity include details of unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings held on the Police National Computer, and local Police Force information considered relevant by Chief Police Officers. This check also requests information from the Adults Barred list which is maintained by the DBS and replaces the former ISA Adults Barred List. Adults Barred List:The DBS Adults Barred List is part of the DBS process for staff undertaking work in regulated activity, and is designed to ensure that anyone who presents a known risk to vulnerable adults is prevented from working with them. It is an offence for barred individuals to seek or undertake work with vulnerable adults and for Southdown, as an employer, to knowingly employ someone on the Adults Barred List.

(Referral of individuals to the DBS Adults Barred List is a statutory requirement where it is considered that the individual has harmed or poses a risk of harm to a vulnerable adult.)

When applying for a post at Southdown please ensure you enter any details of unspent criminal records on your application form.

Disclosure and Barring Service checks are only requested if your application is successful and an Enhanced Check for Regulated Activity is applicable. Further documents will be sent to you at the time a provisional job offer is made to enable us to take up the Enhanced DBS Check for Regulated Activity if this is the case. (Alternatively we will be able to undertake a ‘status check’ with the DBS Update Service if you are registered and you have a DBS check which meets criteria set for the role you are applying for.)

All disclosures provided by the Disclosure and Barring Service are stored securely and destroyed within 6 months of issue (for job roles in services regulated by the Care Quality Commission, we are required to retain information to confirm a DBS Check has been obtained – this will include only personal information e.g. name, address, date of birth, Disclosure number and issue date - no details of convictions or cautions are retained).

By completing and signing the application form for a job vacancy at Southdown Housing Association, you are agreeing to participate in the DBS disclosure process (including a DBS Adults Barred List check), if applicable,

should your application be successful.

OUR VISION

Everyone, no matter what their life experience, background or challenges will have the opportunity to lead their life to the full.

OUR MISSION

To offer vulnerable people the support they need to lead a fuller life

OUR VALUES

Responsive to need Ethical in all we do Dedicated to quality Competitive on cost Focused and stable