HAS Manager – Specialist Cases (MM2)

Job Description

Job Category : Housing
Location : Civic Centre, Enfield Council
Hours Per Week : 35.00
Start Date : Immediate Start
Start Time : 09:00
End Time : 17:30
Salary: £32.54
Primarily WFH – in the office one day a week (unless there is a specific need/meeting)

The Service is divided into specific specialist areas, dealing with Initial Contact (Front Door), Single Applicants, Families and Specialist Cases. Although dealing with different types of cases, all staff must have a good understanding of Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended) as well as a working understanding of relevant parts of the Equality Act 2010 and Children Act 1989.

This role specifically deals with small numbers of complex cases, specifically:

• Cessation of Duty – ending duties owed due to refusals of offers of accommodation, rent arrears or other reasons
• Resilience – the specialist Domestic Abuse team, managing households
• No Recourse to Public Funds – NRPF cases being assisted under s17 of the Children Act 1989 as well as the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Homeless Casework within the Housing Advisory Service (HAS) covers all aspects of assessment under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended).

The Service is divided into specific specialist areas, dealing with Initial Contact (Front Door), Single Applicants, Families and Specialist Cases. Although dealing with different types of cases, all staff must have a good understanding of Part VII of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended) as well as a working understanding of relevant parts of the Equality Act 2010 and Children Act 1989.

This role specifically deals with small numbers of complex cases, specifically:

• Cessation of Duty – ending duties owed due to refusals of offers of accommodation, rent arrears or other reasons
• Resilience – the specialist Domestic Abuse team, managing households
• No Recourse to Public Funds – NRPF cases being assisted under s17 of the Children Act 1989 as well as the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

As a middle manager within the Council, you will:

• Lead, manage and motivate the team to deliver high performance
• Ensure that corporate/departmental people practices are understood and implemented within your service
• Effectively manage budgets and projects within your service ensuring effective cost management and prioritisation
• Monitor and evaluate your team’s performance and recommend areas for improvement based on evidence
• Coach and support staff to develop
• Recommend areas for service improvement based on relevant data and information
• Communicate effectively with elected members and other partners/stakeholders
• Collaborate constructively with partner organisations and other stakeholders including internal services and colleagues
• Build a culture of trust in your team
• Constantly improve the Housing Advisory Service
• To be responsible for the delivery of a high quality service that constantly and consistently meets the needs of residents and providers

Job Specifics – Skills, Experience, Knowledge & Abilities

Essential:

1. Ability to engage, coach and motivate teams and set clear targets and expectations
2. Evidence of high levels of customer service and satisfaction
3. Experience of successfully managing performance and providing clear constructive feedback
4. Experience of successfully implementing plans and projects to time and budget
5. Ability to effectively plan and manage budgets and resources
6. Demonstrates a good understanding of the political structure and role of elected members
7. Ability to work collaboratively both with own service and across other services
8. As a regular and intrinsic part of this role required you to speak to members of the public in English, the ability to converse at ease, politely and courteously with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential and consistent with the requirements of this role.
9. Significant knowledge and experience of delivering excellent customer service within a local authority housing and/or homelessness service
10. Significant knowledge and experience of working in partnership to improve outcomes for homelessness applicants and their households
11. Significant knowledge and experience of the management of temporary accommodation teams and schemes
12. Significant knowledge and experience of the implementation of the statutory homelessness framework (Legislation, Suitability Order, Caselaw), including assessments, prevention, relief and main duties, TA duties and accommodation offers
13. Significant knowledge and experience of the implementation of national and local welfare services, such as Universal Credit, LHA, DHP, local welfare assistance programmes
14. Significant knowledge and experience of the implementation of Safeguarding, Social Care and Equality legislation, policy and caselaw strategies
15. Significant knowledge and experience of housing and homelessness IT systems