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COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORKER (RURAL HOUSING)
FULL TIME: The post is for 5 days per week; 35 hours per week in total
DETAILS FOR APPLICANTS
Oxfordshire Rural Community Council (ORCC) invites applications for the above post.
This is a busy, varied and challenging role reporting to the Community Services Manager. The position includes promoting and facilitating good communication between key stakeholders, providing information and liaising with rural communities and parish councils.
Access to a car is essential.
The post holder will be part of the Community Development Team.
The following are attached:
· Annex A – description of ORCC and its work.
· Annex B – description of the Community Development Team
· Annex C - job description and person specification.
· Annex D – brief details of conditions of employment.
How to apply
Applications should be made on the form provided to the Deputy Chief Executive at the address below and should include the names and addresses of two referees.
Closing Date for Applications
The closing date is noon on 31July 2013
Interviews
Interviews of short listed candidates will take place at Jericho Farm during the week beginning 5 August 2013.
Applicants who have not received an invitation by this date should assume that they have not been selected for interview.
Candidates attending for interview will have their reasonable expenses reimbursed.
ANNEX A
OXFORDSHIRE RURAL COMMUNITY COUNCIL
About ORCC
ORCC was founded in 1920. It is registered as a company limited by guarantee and as a charity. Its Board of Directors is elected annually by a large membership, which includes representatives of voluntary organisations and statutory authorities in the county, as well as of individuals with an interest in the well-being of rural communities.
Rural Community Councils (RCCs) are county-based, independent, local development agencies that deliver support on the ground to enable rural communities to improve quality of life for all. They act as a strategic voice for rural communities, allowing grassroots issues to be championed and solutions worked out in partnership with statutory, voluntary and private sector providers. There is an RCC in every county, and they are represented nationally by ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England).
Our mission and aims
ORCC’s mission is to enable communities across Oxfordshire to be more socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.
Our aim is to:
· Support communities to identify issues that affect them and to find their own solutions
· Increase participation in community activities and local democratic processes
· Achieve improved provision of local services and facilities
· Promote means of accessing services which cannot be provided locally
· Empower everyone in communities on an equal and inclusive basis
· Influence policies and programmes at national, regional and local level to take account of the specific needs and views of people in rural communities
We strive to provide a trusted local support network for rural community groups. This includes dedicated expertise in areas such as community-led planning, transport provision, rural affordable housing, the management of community-owned facilities such as village halls and community shops, social enterprise and rural services. We also seek to increase public awareness and understanding of rural issues and problems in the county, which involves collecting, monitoring and publishing information and seeking to influence the policy makers.
ORCC has close working links with two other organisations for which it provides administrative support and an office base at Jericho Farm: the Oxfordshire Playing Fields Association (OPFA) (improving play and recreation facilities), and the Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment (providing grants for local environmental projects). We also work closely with the Oxfordshire Association of Local Councils which represents parish and town councils in Oxfordshire. We are currently contracted to deliver the new Oxfordshire Healthwatch service.
ORCC also works with other organisations in the county through a variety of partnerships and networks, including the Oxfordshire Rural Housing Partnership, the Oxfordshire Rural Inclusion Group, the Oxfordshire Community Transport Advisory Group and the Oxfordshire Stronger Communities Alliance.
There are currently 22 posts in ORCC’s staff team. Further details of our organisation and its work can be viewed on our website: www.oxonrcc.org.uk.
ANNEX B
THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TEAM
ORCC has a team of 7 community development workers dedicated to achieving our aims. We believe our strength lies in our ability to work within communities in an inclusive and holistic way, supporting local people to find solutions to their needs. Each member of the team specialises in a particular field of work, providing specific knowledge and support relating to one aspect of rural life to any community group that requests assistance across the county.
In addition to this ongoing specialised expertise, each team member focusses on a cluster of parishes in a designated area of Oxfordshire. We call this Place-Based Working (PBW). PBW helps us to maintain and develop contacts with communities and community groups and promote the work of ORCC. It also allows us to deliver expertise where it is needed and respond effectively to new areas of work as they occur.
Each Community Development Worker will:
· Build up knowledge and intelligence relating to the communities in their designated geographic area
· Identify interests or issues within a community which might be suitable for assistance from ORCC
· Maintain existing relationships with key community/ community group stakeholders
· Develop relationships with new communities/ community groups (6 p/a pro rata)
· Update records and information about activities and contacts with parishes in your PBW area on ORCC’s computer management system, Microsoft Dynamics CRM
· Add any additional general information about a community that is learned through specialism work to the relevant entry on the CRM even if that community is not in the designated PBW area
· Work as a member of the Community Development Team to deliver any additional time/topic specific projects taken on by ORCC, by taking a proactive lead in the designated PBW area
WHY WE SUPPORT AFFORDABLE RURAL HOUSING
ORCC is a member of the Oxfordshire Rural Housing Partnership. The ORHP was formed in 2003 by ORCC, the 4 Rural District Councils and 4 Housing Associations. It is team committed to the provision of affordable homes in rural areas and to date has provided over 500 new affordable homes across the county. Many people require housing that is affordable and suitable for their needs; young people who need their first home, those with a growing family, people in poor quality housing and older people who want to move somewhere more manageable. However, in Oxfordshire the average terraced house now costs £246,000, a 118% increase since 2000. The effects of a shortage of affordable housing are many. One example concerns those who need to remain in the parish in order to give or receive support: grandparents helping to look after the grandchildren while the parents are at work, children who support and look after elderly relatives. If one or the other has to move away from the community then that support network can be lost. Without a mix of people in villages, services and organisations start to falter: the pub, the shop, the school. At the thicker end of the wedge, villages and communities can become enclaves for the wealthy or the retired, or dormitory villages for commuters. ORCC does not believe that only those who can afford it should be able to live in the countryside. We work with the ORHP to build small developments of homes for people in affordable housing need with local connections to the community.
ANNEX C
CDW (Rural Housing)
Salary: £23,945 per annum (FTE = 35 hours per week)
Accountable to: Community Services Manager
Purpose of Job:
· To help increase the amount of affordable housing in rural communities in Oxfordshire, and specifically:
· To promote and facilitate the provision of affordable housing to meet identified local needs in rural communities
· To gather intelligence about affordable housing issues across rural Oxfordshire as a whole and report this to relevant agencies including our partners in the Oxfordshire Rural Housing Partnership and relevant government departments.
Main Duties:
· To raise awareness of housing issues in rural communities
· To promote and facilitate good communication between rural communities and their parish councils on matters relating to the provision of affordable housing.
· To ensure that rural communities and their parish councils have access to information about housing policy and provision, including good practice in providing affordable housing.
· To encourage and assist rural communities and their parish councils to identify local housing needs by carrying out local housing needs surveys; and to ensure that identified need is reported to all relevant agencies.
· To help parish councils and relevant agencies to identify suitable sites for affordable housing to meet local need.
· To help to secure assistance from any relevant agency in promoting affordable housing schemes to meet local need and to facilitate good communication between all parties involved in such schemes.
· To develop and maintain contacts with all relevant agencies in Oxfordshire with a view to collecting information about the need for and provision of affordable housing in rural communities throughout Oxfordshire.
· To report as required on the need for and provision of affordable housing in rural communities throughout Oxfordshire to relevant agencies.
· Maintain records and information about activities and contacts in a cluster of parishes within a designated geographical area and act as the community development ‘lead’ in those parishes
· Undertake such other duties consistent with the purpose and level of this post as may be reasonably required by your line manager
Other Duties:
· To behave in accordance with ORCC’s policies and values
· To represent positively and promote ORCC and is work in all dealings, both internal and external
· To comply with ORCC’s monitoring and recording requirements for the purposes of accountability
· To attend and participate in meetings of ORCC, including staff meetings, committee meetings and the Annual General Meeting
· To work co-operatively with other members of staff and ORCC’s partner organisations
· To take part in organizational and personal training as required
PERSON SPECIFICATION: CDW (RURAL HOUSING)ESSENTIAL / DESIRABLE
Qualifications / A good general education / Educated to degree level and/or holding a professional qualification in a related discipline
Experience / Working on own initiative
Working co-operatively / Working in the housing sector.
Working in and/or with voluntary and community groups.
Working in partnerships with other organisations.
Working as part of a small team.
Knowledge / An understanding of rural issues, problems and solutions.
Understanding of community development principles
Understanding of how to work effectively with community groups
A commitment to equal opportunities / An understanding of housing development and planning agencies.
Skills / Ability to get on well and constructively with a variety of people
Communicating clearly, both orally and in writing
Time management including meeting deadlines / Facilitating discussions
Disposition / Responsible Honest Friendly Organised Flexible Tactful
Patient Sense of humour
Self-motivated
Circumstances / A full driving licence and access to a car with adequate insurance for use in the course of work
Willingness to attend evening and occasional weekend meetings
ANNEX D
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORKER (RURAL HOUSING)
DETAILS OF EMPLOYMENT
Employer
The employer is Oxfordshire Rural Community Council (ORCC), which is registered as a charity (no. 900560) and as a company limited by guarantee (no. 2461552).
Location
The post is based at ORCC’s offices at Jericho Farm, which are centrally located in Oxfordshire with good access by car to the main north-south and east-west roads through the county. There is, however, no bus service. The offices are situated in a rural location between the villages of Cassington and Yarnton to the north west of Oxford City and are not near Witney, despite the postal address.
Office Accommodation
Office accommodation is on two floors, the upper floor being accessible only by stairs. Currently the administrative staff workstations, a meeting room, toilets, kitchenette and some office equipment (e.g. photocopier) are situated on the ground floor.
Hours of Work
35 hours per week. ORCC’s normal office hours are 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Monday to Thursday, 9.00 am to 4pm on Friday, with a lunch break. As is indicated, the post may occasionally involve work commitments outside normal office hours. Reasonable time off in lieu of out-of-hours working will be allowed.
Salary
£23,945 per annum (pro rata); FTE is 35 hours
Pension
There is a pension scheme available (minimum contribution by employee is 5% of salary to match a 5% contribution by the employer).
Travel Expenses
Expenses for journeys carried out whilst on ORCC business will be paid in accordance with ORCC’s rates and within the budget allocated. ORCC’s offices are not accessible by public transport, and expenses are not payable for using your car to travel from home to ORCC’s offices and back.
Holidays
The annual leave allowance for a full-time worker is 28 working days in addition to public holidays. Three of these days are to be taken during the period between Christmas and New Year when the office is closed to the public. The annual leave allowance rises to 33 days after five years of continuous service. If you work part-time you will receive a pro rata entitlement.
Smoking
ORCC does not permit smoking anywhere on its premises.
Equal Opportunities
ORCC has an equal opportunities policy.
Starting Date
As soon as possible after appointment
Health
An appointment will be made subject to a satisfactory health declaration by the candidate selected.
Termination of Appointment
All terms of employment are subject to satisfactory performance of duties during a probationary period, which will run for three months from the date of appointment. Thereafter notice periods on either side will be as follows:
Under 3 months’ service: 1 week. From 3 months up to the end of 8 years’ service: 2 months. Thereafter, an extra week’s notice will be given for each full year of service up to 12 weeks’ notice after 12 years’ service.
Membership of Other Bodies
The appointee may not serve as a member of a local government or public body or any organisation connected with the work of ORCC without first obtaining written permission from the Chief Executive. Permission will be withheld if there is any possibility of conflict with the interests of ORCC.
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