Advice and Advocacy Officer

Funded until June 2020, this post provides an opportunity for someone with passion and commitment to work in a progressive organisation and help us achieve our vision – a world where everyone can love later life.

Advice and Advocacy Officer

The main purpose of this role is to deliver the telephone advice and advocacy service for older people in Northern Ireland.

The main responsibilities of the role are:

• Meet or exceed targets as per business plans
• Keep informed on issues/legislation affecting older people to ensure advice given is up to date and accurate
• Operate and utilise computer system effectively for information retrieval and to ensure data is stored accurately
• Monitoring / reporting of call data
• Ensure social policy issues are recorded accurately for use by other charity departments as per procedures manual
• Work collaboratively across departments, across the UK and with other stakeholders/ partners to inform business development, social policy development and campaigns as required,
• Work collaboratively with other departments to maximise the Age NI experience for clients
•  to maintain agreed standards of service delivery and quality of advice and advocacy work
• Operate an effective and confidential system for service delivery
• Maintain standards for call answering with particular emphasis on confidentiality, empathy, patience, understanding and impartiality

Applicants must have:

• Demonstrate experience of providing advice and advocacy in the areas of welfare rights, benefits, housing and community care
• Experience of maintaining computerised and manual information systems
• Up to date knowledge and awareness of the benefits system, community care, housing and other issues affecting older people and their carers
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including report writing skills
• Problem solving skills and ability to analyse and breakdown complicated information
• Planning and organisation skills
• Ability to work on own initiative and within a team
• Ability to research/interpret complex legislation/ reports
• Keyboard skills
• Post-holder will have completed at least one of the following training courses:
  • Citizens Advice Adviser Training Programme (ATP) certificate in Generalist Advice; or
  • Advice NI certificate/diploma in Advice & Guidance; or
  • Law Centre Welfare Rights Adviser Programme.
• Post-holder will be subject to an enhanced Access NI disclosure

What we can offer you:

Salary Scale £ 23,539 – £24,778

Hours: 35 hours Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm, with flexible working policy.

Fixed Term Contract to 30 June 2020

Annual Leave: 26 days plus 12 Bank Holidays

Westfield Health Foresight Plan

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Age NI reserve the right to enhance the essential criteria to facilitate shortlisting.

For an applicant pack, please e-mail [email protected], apply on-line at www.ageni.org or telephone the People and Development Team on 028 9024 5729.

The closing date for completed applications is Wednesday 30 May 2018 at 4:00pm

Age NI is committed to providing Equal Opportunities to everyone.