Cottsway Debt & Benefit Caseworker

Cottsway Housing Association have partnered with Citizens Advice Oxfordshire to provide a free information and advice service to all their tenants. Starting as the largest local registered provider of social housing in West Oxfordshire, Cottsway Housing has expanded to provide housing in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Wiltshire. The Cottsway Project aims to provide equal access to advice and information to all Cottsway Housing tenants regardless of their location. Tenants have access to a free telephone and digital service, providing triage, signposting, information and advice and casework.

Reporting to the Project Manager, Citizens Advice Oxfordshire are looking for a Caseworker to join our team to deliver information, advice and casework to Cottsway Housing Association tenants by face to face appointments including some home visiting, telephone work and email correspondences.

You may be office based locally, or partially home based depending on experience. For trainees, we will offer office-based training until full competence has been achieved. You will be required to deliver advice appointments and occasionally attend training and meetings at our Witney office.

Role purpose:

The aim of this project is to support clients with the full range of advice problems providing a holistic service, but with a particular emphasis on financial inclusion by undertaking benefits checks with all clients to ensure they are receiving their full entitlement.

A key focus will also be to help clients who have accumulated or are at risk of accumulating debt, through providing regulated debt advice and support, particularly in preventing homelessness.

This will involve delivering debt advice to the Financial Conduct Authority standards for regulated debt advice. This includes preparing financial statements, budget sheets and corresponding with creditors as well as the client.

You may also be required to prepare papers and evidence to support benefit appeal tribunals.