Personal Advisor – Leaving Care Service (SO2)

Job Description

Job Category :Social Care – Unqualified
Location : Thomas Hardy House, Enfield Council
Hours Per Week : 35.00
Start Date : Immediate Start
Start Time : 09:00
End Time : 17:00
Salary: £19.95
The role involves working alongside Social workers, with young adults, previously Looked After by the Local Authority between the ages of 18 – 24years old.
Holding a case load of up to 25 young people, office based work, visits and attending meetings in the local community and outside the borough.
The main duties would be supporting young people through the transition of being a Looked after Child to living independently, working in partnership with education/Training/Employment agencies and housing and health provisions.
Provide high quality and comprehensive support to the service user and empower them to plan, work towards and achieve their care and health outcomes.

Contribute to efficient service delivery as an individual and as part of a team, in accordance with local policies procedures and legislation.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
• Significant experience of working with vulnerable young people with a range of complex problems

• Knowledge of the legislative framework around Looked After Children and Care Leavers

• Experience in financial planning, monitoring and the provision of best value services

• Ability to maintain electronic case records in a timely and accurate fashion in line with the Departments recording policy

• Experience in user participation and an ability to develop and implement strategies to ensure that even the most hard to engage young people influence service delivery and design

• Demonstrable success in partnership working for the benefit of young people

• To work in partnership with each young person on the caseload to develop and implement statutory care plans which promote positive outcomes in all areas.

• To ensure that statutory responsibly are met and evidenced on each case to meet the expectations of internal and external inspections and to protect the reputational standing of the Council

• To maintain detailed, accurate and contemporaneous records of case work and financial activity

• To make referrals to other agencies including adult social care, Connexions, advocacy, police, substance misuse and housing and crucially to ensure that each agency provides the required support to reach young person to minimise costs to the Council and to promote the welfare of young people.

• To lead and coordinate a multi-agency planning group around each young person to ensure an holistic approach to care planning

• To secure appropriate accommodation for each young person including those with extreme anti-social behaviour, mental health issues and additional vulnerability

• To ensure that each young person is supported into appropriate educational, employment or training resource and that their physical and mental health is promoted

• To work with the home office, solicitors and the ‘no recourse to public fund’ team to ensure that legal status issues are resolved in a speedy manner and that the Council’s resources are targeted appropriately

• To take part in a service duty rota which provides an emergency response to any leaving care young person whose own worker is away from the office

• To make financial projection on expenditure, provide specialist welfare benefit advice and challenge housing benefit and DWP decisions where required