Able to Understand and Apply the Councils Financial Procedures and Audit Requirements

Job Title: Financial Support Assistant / Service: Prevention & Commissioning
Post Number: / Division: Resources
Grade: 3 / Business Unit/Section: Customer Support
Overall Purpose of Job:
To assist in the provision of an effective and efficient Customer Support service in respect of welfare benefits, financial assessments and managing people’s affairs to customers, other staff in Adult Services and partner organisations.
Main Responsibilities:
1 / Undertake routine data processing functions and maintain electronic systems within Adult Services and financial management systems, data entry, systems for payment, collection, collation, analysis and reporting of data to Adult Services, partners and organisations in line with council policies and procedures.
2 / Provide a comprehensive clerical and administrative support service to the Team, including updating files and records, dealing with post and franking mail, photocopying collating and distribution of documents, routine mathematical and statistical work and other related duties.
3 / Take routine telephone, email and personal enquiries. Answer questions within previously determined guidelines or take messages / refer matters to more senior colleagues as appropriate.
4 / Service meetings, which involve taking and preparing minutes of a routine nature, provision of refreshments, and undertaking any follow up action as required
5 / Advise staff and members of the public by providing and explaining information. Seek alternative sources of assistance / information when necessary.
6 / Produce assessments by entering personal and confidential customer information, ensuring accuracy and consistency are kept to high standards. Review and revise assessments if further financial information is provided, and monitor benefit claims and reviews charges if appropriate.
7 / Record and notify customers of their assessed charge in line with regulatory requirements.
8 / Advise customers and staff on assessments and managed budgets by providing relevant and up to date information, seeking assistance when required.
9 / Notify care providers of customers assessed charges and assist them with any queries.
10 / Support customers who require help and support in respect of financial assessments, welfare benefits and personal budgets.
11 / Maintain good relationships with Adult Services staff, partner organisations and key stakeholders to deliver an effective service using appropriate communication methods and behaviours.
12 / Constantly check and review procedures and processes used to ensure the continual development of the service, proposing any changes and ideas to the Senior Financial Support Officer.
13 / Ensure information and records held are maintained to a high standard of accuracy and appropriateness, identifying and reporting on data quality issues and taking appropriate action, to meet audit and financial procedure requirements.
14 / Have an awareness of Safeguarding Adult issues and support the team by providing information for complaints, Freedom of Information requests, Safeguarding Adults investigations.
15 / Manage own workload to deliver an affective Financial Support service to Adult Services and provide cover for colleagues in order to maximise operational effectiveness.
16 / Identify own training needs, fully participate in own supervision and employee development review to support development of the Team.
17 / Ensure compliance with the council’s policies and procedures and support Adult Services performance management systems.
Knowledge, Skill and Experience:

Has awareness of the relevant legislation, national guidance, good practise and local procedures in relation to financial assessments and welfare benefits.
Able to understand and apply the Councils financial procedures and audit requirements.
Has a basic knowledge of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults policies, Data Protection and Caldicott guidelines.
Ability to develop and maintain successful relationships with others.
Able to work as part of a team or to motivate self and work on own initiative.
Ability to use various methods to communicate effectively with other Adult Services and Council staff, partner organisations, customers and other stakeholders.
Customer care skills so able to deal with service users, their representatives and families in a sensitive and compassionate way.
Ability to deal with challenging behaviour through good negotiating and mediation skills.
Skilled in the use data entry and information systems to record and retrieve operational and statistical information.
Proficient with different software packages including MS Word, MS Excel and email.
Literate and numerate.
Work is meticulous and accurate.
Able to draft confidential notes, minutes, reports and information.
Ability to undertake straightforward financial assessments and benefit calculations and explain them in a clear and easy to understand way to a variety of people.
Ability to provide basic welfare benefits advice and consultative service to a high professional standard.

Creativity and Innovation:

Creatively use own time and available resources to respond to varied incoming workflows from multiple sources to deliver best value and achieve agreed outcomes.
Able to propose to manager solutions to problems to achieve positive outcomes for customers and Adult Services.
Use appropriate oral and technical skills with professionalism, sensitivity and tact.

Decision Making:

Make decisions in relation to own workload priorities and the use of resources, to ensure meeting timescales and deadlines.
Decides on the appropriate method of communication based on the nature of the contact.
Make appropriate decisions within agreed delegation in respect of processing items, which may impact on the service user’s income and benefits.
Apply policy and established practice to determine when non-routine, urgent or complex matters should be referred to a more senior colleague.

Contacts and Relationships:
Daily Contact

Advise staff and members of the public by providing and explaining information. Seek assistance / information from colleagues when necessary.
Communications from Service users, carers, and representatives to discuss personal financial and related matters.
Contact with Adult Services staff to discuss Financial Support Team issues.
Contact with Managers and operational staff in external organisations and service providers to discuss Financial Support Team issues.

Weekly or monthly Contact

Other North Lincolnshire Council staff particularly in relation to assessments and information checking
Staff in partner organisations in relation to exchanging information.
North Lincolnshire community groups and networks.

Responsibility for Resources: (to include approximate value, sole or shared responsibility and for what percentage of their working hours away from their designated base)

Handling cheques and cash on anoccasional basis and issuing receipts in line with council’s financial policies and procedures. Value of cheques and cash varies, but can be large amounts (typically from property sales, cheques can be in tens of thousands).

WORK ENVIRONMENT
Work Demands:

Prioritisation of work for self to meet unexpected changes in circumstances within deadlines.
Will have to work to tight deadlines with regular interruptions and demands to resolve queries
Ensure all transactions related to financial assessments, welfare benefits, personal budgets and pre-loaded cards are completed accurately and on time to avoid loss of income or disruption to service users social care services.

Physical Demands:

Filing which may be heavy or above head height (occasional).
Occasional transport of IT equipment, training equipment and service user files and reference material for visits, meetings, training and presentations.

Working Conditions:

Normal office working conditions
The post will involve flexible working, hours and place of work to include ‘work smart’ and home working with requirements to visit and work at other locations.

Work Context:

Required to discuss contentious issues e.g. personal finances and service user charging with challenging families and service users, occasionally exposing staff to the threat of verbal abuse on the telephone or physical abuse when dealing with customers on a face to face basis.

Position in Organisation:
Indicate how many staff the post is directly accountable for:

Does the postholder manage the posts? No

Does the postholder supervise the posts? No

Are posts in more than one location? No

Is the supervision/management shared with another post in the structure? No

Please indicate which post(s):

Note:

Post holders will be expected to be flexible in undertaking the duties and responsibilities attached to their post and may be asked to perform other duties, which reasonably correspond to the general character of the post and are commensurate with its level of responsibility. This job description is provided for guidance only and does not form part of the contract of employment.

Date of Job Description: ……………………………………………..…………………………….

Date copy sent to Post holder: …………………………………………………………………….

Corporate Services Cabinet Member 12 November 2003 Page 1 of 5