Homeless Prevention Worker - Solihull

CLOSING DATE: Friday 25th April 2025

Job Title: Homeless Prevention Worker

Reports to: Homeless Prevention Coordinator

Salary: Scale 6, Points 26-28, £26,229 - £27,982 per annum, pro rata

Hours of work: 37.5 Hours per week

12 month Fixed Term Contract

Key Responsibilities:

ASSESSMENT/SUPPORT

• To provide good quality information, advice & signposting where required

• To process and triage referrals - agency and self-referrals via telephone, electronic and walk-ins.

• To undertake comprehensive and detailed assessments of housing and support needs and risks, to ensure the prevention of homelessness, where safe to do so.

• To undertake investigations into housing and personal history to ascertain eligibility, priority need and local connection, on behalf of the local authority.

• To ensure relevant background checks are undertaken to assist in the development of a robust risk management plan.

• To ensure the proper process is followed to obtain GDPR, Declaration & Consent from young people

• To maintain accurate and professional electronic case records, ensuring internal and external data and monitoring systems are kept up to date at all times.

• To provide high quality homelessness and housing options to young people, ensuring that their needs are met and expectations managed.

• To make and issue decisions in line with legislation under the Housing Act 1996 and the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

• To present cases where a homelessness main duty is owed under the relief pathway in a timely manner to the local authority.

• To manage a case load of young people through the prevention and/or relief pathways.

• To build and maintain effective and professional working relationships with internal and external partners/agencies.

• To provide a holistic multi agency response to young people's housing and support needs.

• To develop and maintain detailed Personalized Housing Plans (PHP) to ensure young people are:

• referred on and signposted appropriately to relevant services e.g. Floating Support, specialist agencies

• engaging with the actions of their PHP

• provided with the relevant support (56 day duty), leading to the prevention or relief of homelessness

• To operate within a duty system at the Youth Hub.

HOME VISIT & MEDIATION

• To undertake mediation sessions with young people and their excluders to improve relationships and prevent homelessness incl. initial meetings and family sessions.
• To utilize agreed assessment tools to identify the needs of a young person and their families, so that plans made are shared, evidence based and agreed to by all.
• To undertake home visits and accompany young people to appointments, where appropriate.
• To plan, implement, review and evaluate interventions to ensure positive outcomes for young people and their families, in line with prevention and/or relief pathway duties.

ADVOCACY

• To promote young people's comprehension of assessment and application processes, ensuring that they are supported to fully understand their rights, decision outcomes and the decision review process.

• To advise and advocate on issues relating to benefits, accessing specialist support services, housing rights etc. ensuring the young people are fully supported to access such services

To utilise legal advice services to effectively advocate on a young person's behalf.

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential:

• GCSE English and Maths - C Grade and above or equivalent

Desirable:

• NVQ 3 Advice & Guidance, Health & Social Care or equivalent or working towards Youth Work, Social Work or equivalent
• Housing qualification

ROLE EXPERIENCE

Essential:

• Working with young people in the following settings/Types of work - Youth Work, Residential or Social Work, Probation, Community Work, Education and Training, Housing.
• Delivering frontline triage or assessment service

Desirable:

• Working with volunteers/students

KNOWLEDGE:

Essential:

• Housing Rights, Welfare Reform Knowledge
• Housing Legislation; i.e. Housing Act and Homelessness Reduction Act
• Knowledge of Children's Act i.e. Section 17, 20 and 47
• Knowledge of and commitment to E.O.P/Anti-Discriminatory practice

Desirable:

• Knowledge of Social Skills/Job Training Skills
• Ability to work with figures
• Ability to maintain and improve standards

Locations Solihull, Birmingham