Organisation: MRS Independent Living
21 hours per week (3 days)
£28,994 FTE pro rata (Actual salary: £17,396)
Location: Dalston, Hackney
Deadline: 24 August, 2022
MRS Independent Living is looking for a Community Advice Worker to join our unique and innovative Side by Side service, which provides practical help, advice and support to people facing multiple exclusion through racism and poverty who congregate in Gillett Square in Dalston.
Working in close partnership with Hackney Cooperative Developments, we carry out outreach in the Square, working side by side with people from marginalised and excluded communities, their friends and families, for however long they need, supporting them to access services and claim their entitlements.
Job description
- To undertake extensive outreach with people who congregate at Gillett Square, in Dalston and their friends and family and where possible provide the help and assistance they want.
- To provide a friendly, open, accessible and wide-ranging service based on people’s self-identification of their needs.
- To provide direct assistance to people to access welfare benefits they are entitled to and to appeal against adverse decisions.
- To support people to access homelessness services and obtain more suitable housing.
- Where explicit consent is obtained, to advocate for and support people to use specialist services e.g. Migrant Resource Centre, Law Centre.
- To model the Side by Side approach of long-term, relationship-based support and contribute to developing the service model and specification.
- To build good working relationships with statutory and community-based services in order to keep up to date with service provision and to share the experience of Side by Side.
- To stay apprised of developments in legislation concerning benefits, housing and care.
- To feed learning and insight into local forums and networks to advocate for change and policy improvements.
- To contribute to building organisational capacity by facilitating learning opportunities for other staff and volunteers.
- To ensure confidentiality and data protection are observed at all times.
- To work within and adhere to the organisation’s policies and procedures, including the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion, Health and Safety and Safeguarding policies.
Person specification
- Willingness to carry out street-based community outreach and ability to successfully engage with people who have been socially excluded, including those whose behaviour may be viewed as challenging.
- Ability to work within a framework of respect for people determining for themselves the services they wish to work with and to where possible refer themselves.
- Knowledge of welfare rights and housing regulations and ability to develop a practical understanding of services provided.
- Ability to support people to enable them to successfully appeal against decisions that they believe are wrong or unjust.
- Ability to work in cooperation with partner organisations and to be flexible and respectful of their work.
- Understanding and experience of the practice of asset-based community development.
- Understanding of the effects of racial discrimination and the ability to work effectively with people from diverse communities.
- Ability to support people to claim for their own rights and entitlements.
- Understanding of adults safeguarding issues and practice development.
- Willingness and ability to share knowledge and expertise to build organisational capacity.
More information
For more information and to download the job description and person specification and application form, please visit www.mrsindependentliving.org/job-vacancies/community-advice-worker
To apply, please complete the application form and send it to jobs@mrsindependentliving.org by close of business on Wednesday 24 August. Please note, we do not accept CVs.
