To ensure the effective, efficient and fair provision of a Choice Based Letting Service in Northern Lincolnshire in partnership with other providers.

Transcription

1 JOB DESCRIPTION POST TITLE: Home Choice Lincs Assistant POST NO: DEPARTMENT: Strategic Housing GRADE/SPINAL COLUMN POINT: 14 REPORTS TO: Home Choice Lead Officer 1. PURPOSE OF JOB: To ensure the effective, efficient and fair provision of a Choice Based Letting Service in Northern Lincolnshire in partnership with other providers. To maintain the Housing, Transfer and Mutual Exchange Registers 2. MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES Ensuring the scheme and its processes are all fully accessible to all in a fair and open way. Ensure customers are able to make bids for property irrespective of age, gender, disability, ethnicity and vulnerability. Liaising with those who represent customers eg. Relatives or statutory and voluntary agencies to ensure that the CBL process is accessible. Informing the Home Choice Lincs Lead Officer if there are irresolvable problems or identified areas for improvement. Ensuring that the Common Housing Register, Transfer and Mutual Exchange lists run effectively and contain accurate information. Identify, action and remedy inconsistencies in customer data. Dealing with customer enquiries by phone, , text, letters etc, to deal with problems and queries about their bids and priority. Give advice about a customers relative priority and rehousing options and prospects. Dealing with vulnerable clients. Contacting customers, particularly those with high priority, who are not engaging with the CBL process and signposting them to relevant support and advice. Page 1 of 6

2 To advise applicants on shared ownership, homebuy and other low cost homeownership schemes. To ensure applicants meet the minimum financial criteria. Verify applicant s eligibility and liaise with Registered Providers and developers regarding new shared ownership schemes. Liaise with private landlords participating in the scheme. Editing and approving applications for registration and validating supporting medical evidence. Implementing policy on which band and type of applicant is eligible to bid for a particular home. Monitoring bids made through a variety of mediums Receiving information about empty properties from registered providers and other participating landlords. Checking content, consistency and quality of adverts prior to them being published on a bidding cycle. Working with housing providers to ensure that offers are made to the top applicants by band in each round of bids. Dealing with refusals. Administering the offer process and checking that empty homes are being filled. Eg Contacting landlord where no bids are received. Assisting with monitoring who is bidding for homes and their relative priority in relation to waiting time and equality and diversity. Alerting Home Choice Lincs Lead Officer to problems. Monitoring the distribution of offers and acceptances in accordance with the current policy and Partnership Agreement. Logging system and web site down time and keeping records of system issues and informing Home Choice Lincs Lead Officer. Organising meetings of the CBL Partnership Board and appeals panel. Publicising the CBL process to customers and partners. Monitoring the quality and availability of public information across all mediums and advising the Home Choice Lincs Lead Officer when changes or new stock is required. Ensure there is an encompassing distribution of good quality public information and that the Home Choice Lincs website is kept up to date. Organising marketing events in liaison with the Home Choice Lincs Lead Officer. To carry out any other duties as are required from time to time in order to sustain and enhance the Choice Based Lettings service. Page 2 of 6

3 Providing the Home Choice Lincs Lead Officer with information necessary to enable them to raise invoices for contributions and other relating to the scheme. Providing Home Choice Lincs Lead Officer with management reports and information necessary for him/her to produce reports on bidding and other scheme activity as required by the CBL Partnership Board or partner organisation. Maintaining filing and data analysis systems for the CBL service. Maintaining Policy & Procedure files. To carry out any other duties commensurate with the grade as required by your line managers. 3. SUPERVISION / MANAGEMENT OF PEOPLE This post has no supervision or line management responsibility. 4. CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION The post holder will be responsible for the maintenance of the Common Housing Register using appropriate I.T. systems. Maintain and introduce effective administration and I.T. systems in consultation with the Home Choice Lincs Lead Officer and other line managers. Assist colleagues across the partnership to reach appropriate solutions to meet the needs of a diverse customer base enabling them to fully access Home Choice Lincs. Ensure that all administrative procedures comply with agreed Partnership and departmental practices and Council policy. The post-holder will be required to have a good customer care skills and effective written and oral skills in terms of responding to general enquiries etc., from a wide cross section of society, including timid and vulnerable members of the general public, partnership employees at all levels and members of voluntary and professional bodies. The post holder will be required to design, create, amend and improve various legal documents, leaflets, spreadsheets and prescribed forms. 5. CONTACTS AND RELATIONSHIPS The post holder will deal with requests from and provide statistical and general information to a number of stakeholders as required. The post holder will answer queries and give advice relating to Home Choice Lincs to: Page 3 of 6

4 Residents across Northern Lincolnshire registering with and using the scheme. Landlords and Tenants both social and private sector Voluntary and statutory agencies acting on behalf of their clients Appropriate personnel of the Council and partner organisations. Elected Members for general enquiries Abritas representatives providing the ICT system DECISIONS a) Discretion Responsible for work carried out within clearly defined rules and procedures involving decisions and advice. Responsible for the clerical administration of the scheme. b) Consequences Effective decision making will assist with the development of sustainable multi-agency partnership working which will benefit the Council, the Directorate and the Partnership. Ineffective decisions could lead to service users not receiving appropriate services and ultimately being at risk Appropriate implementation of legislation, policies etc. shall safeguard the Council as Lead Authority, against legal challenge Poor decision making would be damaging to the authority and the Partnership leading to such things as judicial reviews, county court challenges and poor media coverage 7. RESOURCES The post holder has no responsibilities for physical / financial resources Responsible for purchasing, holding and monitoring stamps used for freepost return envelopes. 8. WORK ENVIRONMENT. Work Demands - The post holder is required to deal with problems and will be subject to frequent interruptions from customer queries and operational issues. Page 4 of 6

5 There are times when the post holder will be required to deputise for the Home Choice Officer during periods of annual leave and business absences. This may include out of normal office hours. Previous experience in an administrative background relative to the allocation of social housing is desirable. Physical demands - The work requires normal physical effort and any lifting and handling of stationery, files etc, should be carried out strictly in accordance with Health and Safety Legislation. Working Conditions - Predominantly office based, the post holder will be required to travel to meetings and venues across Northern Lincolnshire. Work context - There is minimum risk to personal safety as work is carried out in a predominantly well managed safe environment. 9. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS Working within generally defined guidelines will be required to use judgement/discretion in dealing with non-routine matters for which there may not be a readily available precedent. Knowledge of a range of IT packages, in particular the internet and Microsoft Office applications (e.g. Word, Excel and Power point). Knowledge relating to the allocation of social housing Customer Care Skills. Knowledge of design for display boards/project work. High levels of literacy and numeracy Telephone and Switchboard skills. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Effective organisational skills. Ability to prioritise effectively. Excellent keyboard skills. Work as a team member Presentation, verbal and written, in a succinct form Page 5 of 6

6 Decision-making, problem solving and prioritising work loads Ability to manage a heavy and demanding workload and deliver to meet deadlines Able to communicate effectively at all levels and within a multi-agency culture. Experience Minimum of two years working in a housing related environment 10. GENERAL This job description has been prepared and set out in such a way as to permit job evaluation using the Greater London Employer Association Scheme as adopted by North East Lincolnshire Council. a) Job Evaluation - This job description has been set out in such a way as to allow for job evaluation using the GLEA Scheme as adopted by North East Lincolnshire Council. b) Other Duties - The duties and responsibilities in this job description are not restrictive and the post holder may be required to undertake any other duties which may be required from time to time. Any such duties should not however substantially change the general character of the post. c) Equal Opportunities - The post holder must carry out his/her duties with full regard to the Council s Equal Opportunities policy. d) Health and Safety - The post holder must carry out his/her duties with full regard to the Council s and Departmental Health and Safety procedures. e) Policies and Standing Orders The post holder must carry out his/her duties with full regard to the Council s Policies and Standing Orders. Signature: Designation: Date: Job Description prepared by: Debbie Fagan 12/4/2010 Service Manager Strategic Housing Job Description evaluated by: Received by post-holder: Add date job description was drafted:13/4/2010 Page 6 of 6