Plymouth CAB - Advice Plymouth
Job Description
Job Title: Advice Session Supervisor (or Trainee Supervisor)
Salary Scale: £18,450- £23,450 (pro rata) per annum
Working hours: 30 hours per week
Responsible to: Advice Plymouth Project Manager
Line Managed by: Supervisor Team Leader
Are you looking for a fresh challenge in Britain’s Ocean City – Plymouth?
This exciting post will support Assessment and Advice services across the advice and information Partnership. These services are delivered by Plymouth Citizen’s Advice Bureau as part of the wider Advice Plymouth partnership. Currently those services include seeing clients face to face, delivering a service over the telephone via a call centre and digital enquiries via our website.
We are happy to consider applications from experienced supervisors or applicants with significant advice experience and willing to train as CAB supervisors.
We are looking for someone who is enthusiastic, able to motivate, support and develop volunteers and apprentices. You need to be able to challenge poor performance where appropriate in a way that ensures positive change. You will be used to working under pressure and manage scarce resources in terms of adviser and caseworker appointments. You will be committed to delivering excellent customer service ensuring clients receive the advice they need for the problems they face.
We are looking for someone who can work 30 hours a week on a rota system including some evenings and Saturdays.
To request an application pack please email or visit our websites www.plymouthcab.org.uk. www.adviceplymouth.org.uk.
Closing date: Friday 11th July at 5pm
Interviews: Tuesday 22nd July
Advice Plymouth Advice Session Supervisor
Context of role:
4 separate organisations have come together to deliver seamless information and advice services across Plymouth. Those partners are Plymouth Citizen’s Advice Bureau, Plymouth Guild, Age UK (Plymouth) and Routeways.
The supervisor team is operationally responsible for the day to day running of the call centre, face to face and e-mail advice services delivered by Plymouth Citizen’s Advice Bureau (on behalf of Advice Plymouth) in conjunction with the Advice Plymouth Project Manager. The employer for this post is Plymouth Citizen’s Advice Bureau and the line manager is the Supervisor Team Leader.
Role purpose:
To ensure the smooth running of daily advice and information services delivered by Plymouth CAB by organising volunteer and staff resources, planning ahead to meet demand and encouraging volunteers and apprentices to develop in their roles.
Key work areas and tasks:
Service Delivery
· Manage practicalities of information and advice delivery.
· Supervise the work of designated staff to ensure that standards meet Citizens Advice requirements.
· Provide technical support and act as consultant to the advisers and Gateway Assessors.
· Ensure delivery of agreed level of service and adequate staff cover by contributing to the forward planning of resources and tasks for advice sessions on at least a three week cycle.
· Monitor the quality of advice given to clients during advice session and of case records in accordance with Advice Quality Standards.
· 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.
Staff Supervision
· Motivate and develop individual advisers, Gateway Assessors and other front line staff.
· Supervise staff through the provision of regular support.
· Assess Gateway Assessor and Adviser competence for progression onto the rota.
· Manage the performance of staff (senior level)
· Attend Advice Plymouth weekly team meetings
· Attend regular meetings of paid and unpaid staff.
· Ensure that the service area is adequately staffed.
· Encourage good teamwork and lines of communication between all members of staff.
Social policy and monitoring
· Support the Director to ensure the systems are utlised across all services for the submission of reports to local and national policy makers on advice and information trends.
· Monitor service provision to help ensure that it reaches the widest possible client group.
Administration
· Maintain and monitor effective and efficient administrative systems.
· Monitor health and safety policy with regard to staff, equipment and premises within statutory requirements.
· Maintain complaints procedures in accordance with Citizens Advice guidelines.
Training and development
· Identify and implement own training and development needs.
· Identify the training needs of staff through support and supervision and contribute towards the bureau's training and development plan.
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.
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.
Person specification
· Recent and ongoing experience of advice work.
· Experience of supervising staff.
· Ability to demonstrate how s/he keeps knowledge up to date.
· Ability to analyse and interpret complex information.
· Understanding of the importance of support, development and motivation.
· Effective oral communication skills.
· Effective writing skills.
· Understanding of the issues involved in interviewing clients.
· Numerate to the level required by the tasks.
· Ability to prioritise own work and the work of others, meet deadlines and manage workload in a pressured environment.
· Ability to use IT in the provision of advice and the preparation of reports and submissions.
· Ability to give and receive feedback objectively and sensitively and a willingness to challenge constructively.
· Ability and willingness to work as part of a team.
· Ability to monitor and maintain recording systems and procedures.
· Understanding of the issues affecting society and their implications for clients and service provision.
· Understanding of and commitment to the aims and principles of the CAB service and its equal opportunities policies.
· Ability to participate in a rota covering hours from 8am to 8pm Monday to Saturday.
CONFIDENTIAL APPLICATION FORM SECTION 1Recruitment
Plymouth Citizens Advice Bureau
Floor 2, Cobourg House, 32, Mayflower Street, PLYMOUTH PL1 1QX
Email address
Please refer to the Guidance Notes for Applicants before completing this application form.
We value diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination. We encourage and welcome applications from suitably skilled candidates from all backgrounds. Members of the recruitment panel will consider information you provide against the person specification for the role to decide whether you will be shortlisted for an interview. It is therefore essential that you complete the form fully and that you clearly demonstrate how you meet each point on the person specification. Please note that CVs are not accepted.
Candidate ref. number (for office use only):
Position applied for
Job title / Job reference
Location
Personal information and address for correspondence
First name(s)
Last name
Address
Postcode
Telephone home
Telephone work
May we contact you at work? / Yes/No
Mobile
We will normally contact you by e-mail, However, if you would prefer to be contacted using another method please let us know here:
Information, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities
IMPORTANT INFORMATIONIt is essential that you complete this section in full. Please refer to the Guidance Notes for Applicants for further details.
· Please explain and demonstrate how your experience, skills and knowledge meet the selection criteria for the post described in the Person Specification.
· Please ensure that you address all the criteria on the person specification using the same order and numbers.
1.
2.
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4.
5.
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Career history
Please include your current / previous employment (including job training schemes), voluntary work, community activities, school placements, time caring for dependants etc. Please put in date order, starting with the most recent. (Continue on a separate sheet if necessary.)
Employer’s name and address and type of business. / State position held and outline briefly the nature of the work and your responsibilities.
Dates: / From / To
Reasons for leaving:
Dates: / From / To
Reasons for leaving:
Dates: / From / To
Reasons for leaving:
Dates: / From / To
Reasons for leaving:
If you have worked or volunteered in the Citizens Advice service within the last 5 years please provide further details. References will be taken up for successful candidates.
Employer’s name and address and type of business. / State position held and outline briefly the nature of the work and your responsibilities.
Dates: / From / To
Reasons for leaving:
Manager’s name and contact details:
Educational History
Please give details of educational qualifications you have obtained from school, college, university etc.
Subject / Level / Grade
Professional development
Please give details of any professional qualifications, including membership of any professional bodies and any job-related training that you have undertaken.
Criminal convictions
Have you had any previous convictions not regarded as spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974? / Yes / NoIf YES please provide details of the offence and the date of conviction.
Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar you from working for Plymouth CAB – much will depend on the type of job you have applied for and the background and circumstances of your offence.
For some posts, an offer of employment will be subject to a DBS check. If this applies to the post for which you are applying, this will be noted in the application pack.
Please see Guidance Notes and Application Pack for further details
References
Please provide the names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses of two people who may be approached for references. One of these should be your present or most recent employer, the other could be someone who knows you in a work related, voluntary or academic capacity. Both referees should be able to comment on your suitability for the post applied for. References will only be taken up for successful candidates following interview.
Referee 1
Name
Address
Postcode
Telephone
In which context does this referee know you?
Referee 2
Name
Address
Postcode
Telephone
In which context does this referee know you?
Attachments
Have you attached any separate sheets or documents? / Yes/No / If yes how many?
Entitlement to work in the UK
A job offer will be subject to confirmation that you are permitted to work in the UK in accordance with the provisions of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996. You will be asked to provide evidence of your entitlement to work in the UK if you are successful and an offer of employment is made.
Please note that Citizens Advice does not hold a sponsor licence and, therefore, cannot issue certificates of sponsorship under the points-based system.
CONFIDENTIAL APPLICATION FORM SECTION 2
Diversity monitoring
Please note Section 2 will be detached before sending your application to the recruitment panel for shortlisting.
Job title:
Candidate ref. number (for office use only):
The CAB service is committed to valuing diversity and promoting equality. We encourage and welcome applications from suitably qualified candidates from all backgrounds regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
In order to achieve these aims we need to know about the diversity of people who apply to work in the service. Please help us by providing the following information.
All information will be treated confidentially and will be separated from your application form before making any selection decisions.
Data Protection Act 1998
Citizens Advice will record the information given for the purposes of recruitment and selection monitoring. If you become an employee of Citizens Advice the information will be processed for the purposes of personnel administration only. The information will be retained for monitoring purposes only.
Thank you for your co-operation.
This information will not affect your application.
Age
r <25 r 25-34 r 35-44 r 45-54 r 55-64 r 65+
Gender
r Female r Male r Prefer not to say
Ethnic origin
How would you describe yourself?
Choose one section and tick the appropriate box within it.
A White
r British
r English
r Scottish
r Welsh
r Northern Irish
r Irish
r Gypsy or Irish Traveller
r Any other White background, please state……………………………..
B Mixed Heritage
r White and Black Caribbean
r White and Black African
r White and Asian
r Any other Mixed background, please state…………………………….
C Asian or Asian British
r Indian
r Pakistani
r Bangladeshi
r Any other Asian background, please state……………………………
A SUMMARY GUIDE 7
D Black or Black British
r Caribbean
r African
r Any other Black background, please state……………………………
E Chinese or other ethnic group
r Chinese
r Arab
r Any other, please state………………………………….
F r Prefer not to say
Disability
The Citizens Advice service believes that people are disabled by the barriers society places in their way and not by their own impairments. We believe everyone has a role to play in society and we want the service to benefit from the widest range of talent available.
Do you consider yourself to be a disabled person or do you have a long-term health condition?
r Yes r No r Prefer not to say
Sexual orientation
What is your sexual orientation?
r Bisexual
r Gay man
r Gay woman / lesbian
r Heterosexual / straight
r Other
r Prefer not to say
Religion or belief
Which group below do you most identify with?
r No religion
r Christian (incl. Church of England, Catholic, Protestant & other denominations)
r Buddhist
r Hindu
r Jewish
r Muslim
r Sikh
r Other, please state……………………
r Prefer not to say
From which website publication or other source did you FIRST learn of the post?………..…………………………………………………………………………