Advice Session Supervisor -Peripatetic/

Trainee Advice Session Supervisor - Peripatetic

Job description and person specification

Context of role

Responsible to the Area Manager, this role of Advice Session Supervisor is to improve the quality of the service to clients by providing support, guidance and supervision on a day-to-day basis. The role requires advice and supervisory skills and specific subject knowledge, which are set out in the Citizens Advice competences.

1. Ensuring the quality of advice.
2. Supervising the individual advisers and the team.
3. Managing the practicalities of the session.
4. Evaluating own practice and identifying development needs.
5. Specific underpinning knowledge needed in the main enquiry areas.
It is a full-time post (37hours) with some flexibility required for meetings.Although this is a full time post but consideration would be given to applicants for 2 or 3 days a week.

Salary: Scale 5/6 £19,817 - £22,443p.a. (Full Time Equivalent) depending on experience + pension contribution after probationary period)

Role purpose

This role is peripatetic. Staff will be required to work out at our Ludlow, Oswestry and Shrewsbury Bureaux and provide cover when necessary for our early evening Tuesday session in Shrewsbury.

Key work areas and tasks:

1.0 Service Delivery

  • Manage practicalities of advice session and ensure adequate staffing and resources, especially of the Telephone Adviceline.
  • Provide an appropriate level of support and supervision to individual workers depending on their level of competence to ensure that standards meet Citizens Advice requirements.
  • Monitor the case records / telephone calls of designated staff to meet quality standards and service level agreements.
  • Ensure remedial and developmental issues are identified and acted on to develop individuals, improve the quality of advice, and ensure clients do not suffer detriment due to poor or inadequate advice.
  • Keep technical knowledge up to date and provide technical support to advisers and / or caseworkers.
  • Develop and maintain standards of service delivery.
  • Ensure that appropriate systems are developed and maintained for case recording, statistics, follow up work and quality control.
  • Undertake advice work as and when required.
  • Ensure all relevant policies and procedures are followed during the advice session.
  • Ensure the development of social policy and instigate systems and procedures.

.

2.0 Staff Supervision

  • Create a positive working environment in which equality and diversity are well-managed, dignity at work is upheld and staff can do their best.
  • Participate in recruitment and selection activities as delegated.
  • Participate in the induction of new staff as delegated.
  • Ensure the effective performance management and development of staff through regular supervision sessions, the appraisal process and learning and development.
  • Attend regular bureau and external meetings relevant to the role (staff, team, management, trustee board, consortium etc).
  • Work cooperatively with colleagues and encourage good teamwork, clear lines of communication and common practices within the bureau team.
  • Supervise staff through the provision of regular support.
  • Act as a First Aider

3.0 Social policy and monitoring

  • Keep up to date with social policy issues and ensure social policy is promoted and integrated in a way relevant to the role.
  • Assist with social policy work by providing information about clients' circumstances through the appropriate channel.
  • Monitor service provision to help ensure that it reaches the widest possible client group.

4.0 Administration

  • Develop and maintain effective admin systems and records relevant to the role.
  • Monitor health and safety policy with regard to staff, equipment and premises within statutory requirements.
  • Follow complaints procedures in accordance with Citizens Advice guidelines.

5.0 Training and development

  • Identify own learning, training and development needs and take steps to address these.
  • Identify learning and development needs of designated staff through support and supervision and contribute to the bureau's learning and development plan.
  • Develop inclusive learning and development activities to meet quality standards and the bureau's learning and development plan.
  • Contribute to the assessment of competence of designated staff.
  • Organise training activities in conjunction, as appropriate, with the line manager and/or Guidance Tutor.

6.0 Planning and development

  • Advise the line manager on staffing and service delivery issues.
  • Participate in Citizens Advice initiatives as appropriate.
  • Coordinate activities, procedures and systems so as to promote common policies and practices.

7.0 Other duties and responsibilities

  • Carry out any other tasks which may be within the scope of the post to ensure the effective delivery and development of the service.
  • Abide by health and safety guidelines and share responsibility for own safety and that of colleagues.
  • To support the work of the Chief Executive and being an active, positive and productive member of the management team.
  • Keep up to date with Citizens Advice aims, policies and procedures and ensure these are followed.
  • Ensure that work reflects and supports the Citizens Advice service's equality and diversity strategy.
  • Monitor and evaluate activities appropriate to the role and contribute to the bureau planning process by providing regular reports and feedback on the areas of responsibility.
  • Develop links with relevant statutory and non-statutory agencies relevant to the role.
  • Use influencing skills to promote the bureau and foster good relationships with external organisations.

Person specification

1 / Ability to commit to, and work within, the aims, principles and policies of the Citizens Advice service.
2 / Recent and ongoing experience of advice work with a good working knowledge of the main advice areas of Welfare Benefits, Debt, Employment and Housing. This includes the ability to calculate entitlements and assisting clients to make claims for disability and other benefits, completing appropriate forms for other areas of advice, and knowledge of time limits and criteria for challenging decisions.
3 / Ability to monitor and maintain own standards, demonstrating how knowledge is kept up-to-date and a commitment to professional development. Ability to prioritise own work and the work of others, meet deadlines and manage workload in a busy environment.
4 / Experience of assessing and monitoring quality of advice. Proven ability to give and receive feedback objectively and sensitively and a willingness to challenge constructively.
5 / Proven ability to manage / supervise others, including ability to recruit, train, develop and motivate staff, both individually and in groups. Proven ability to monitor and maintain service delivery against agreed targets
6 / Demonstrable understanding of the issues affecting society and their implications for clients and service provision.
7 / A good, up to date understanding of equality and diversity and its application to the provision of advice, and the supervision and development of staff.
8 / Ability to use IT systems and packages, and electronic resources in the provision of advice and the preparation of reports and submissions
9 / Ability and willingness to work as part of a team.
10 / Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing with numeracy skills to the level required by the tasks.
11 / Ability to research, analyse and interpret complex information and produce and present clear reports verbally and in writing. Ability to monitor and maintain recording systems and procedures
12 / A flexible and supportive approach to working within the policies and procedures, to helpingto achieve the strategic goals, and to managing change within Citizens Advice Shropshire.
13 / Ability to meet the travel requirements of the post