Tenancy Support Officer

Location: Epsom (Hybrid Working)

Salary: £34,039.00 - £39,331.00

Hours per week: 35

Contract: Permanent

Notice Period: 1 Month

Purpose:

Provide tailored support and advice to our customers, enabling them to establish and sustain successful tenancies. Minimising instances of tenancy breakdown and enhancing the wellbeing of our customers and our communities.

Work as part of the team, co-ordinating actions and interventions to provide advice and assistance on issues which can impact on successful tenancies such as health and wellbeing, social isolation, employment, training and financial issues. Referring or signposting to internal or external support and ensuring continued engagement with support as needed.

Support the transformation of our business and utilise technological advances to meet the changing needs of our customers and drive value and efficiency. Actively promote self-serve options whilst ensuring services remain equally accessible to those who cannot self-serve.

Role Specific Responsibilities:

Key Activities:

Overarching:

Working in an agreed geographical area, coordinate the identification of customers both pre-tenancy and during tenancy, who require additional support to sustain their tenancies, either in the short term or over a longer period

Promote independence, enabling customers who are unable to use TCH’s digital services to access core services and support in ways that meet their needs and aspirations.

Assess individual customer’s requirements pre and during tenancy to enable them to successfully sustain a tenancy, providing support and advice, undertaking home visits, where required, and working collaboratively with internal and external partners as required.

Contribute to and champion our digital strategy by supporting digital engagement with our customers and promoting every opportunity to become digitally included.

Pre-tenancy:

Pre-tenancy, and throughout the tenancy, identify customers who require enhanced services and act on internal, external and customer self-referrals to provide tenancy sustainment interventions.

Assist with pre-tenancy assessment and confirmation/coordination of support provision for nominated applicants where concerns about ability to sustain tenancy arise

Signpost unsuccessful applicants/nominees to appropriate support re ongoing options.

Provide pre- tenancy support to accepted applicants identified as needing additional support to sustain a tenancy, including support with digital induction and the sign-up process.

Signpost and refer customers to support with tenancy set-up/moving in where appropriate.

Throughout Tenancy:

Pre-tenancy, and throughout the tenancy, identify customers who require enhanced services and act on internal, external and customer self-referrals to provide tenancy sustainment interventions

Provide clear, accessible, information about TCH’s and other support services available, including clear information about landlord and tenant responsibilities. Support and enable customers to pursue realistic options and to make the lifestyle choices necessary to achieve positive outcomes.

Signpost customers to advice, assistance and other interventions to enable them to sustain a tenancy and support and improve their well-being. Be proactive in ensuring that customers remain engaged with required support.

Where appropriate (usually where no family/agency support available) act as an advocate for vulnerable tenants with statutory, voluntary and commercial agencies.

Contribute to the development of a comprehensive network of positive contacts and collaboration with relevant agencies, including health, employment, training, support and voluntary agencies.

Where appropriate arrange and facilitate multi-agency meetings with partner agencies to address tenancy sustainment issues.

Take action in accordance with policy and procedure in all safeguarding situations.

Work collaboratively with Neighbourhood Housing Managers (NHM’s) to provide support to tenants to address hoarding issues; to include liaison with Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) and other relevant agencies. As a guideline NHM’s to lead on tenancy, property and safety issues, TSO to address root causes leading to hoarding behaviour.

Review tenancies at point of notice where concerns about tenancy sustainment remain, to establish if any further interventions are required.

Maintain accurate records in relation to customers’ vulnerability and support requirements, ensuring effective communication internally and with external partners

Crisis intervention:

Provide, or facilitate, intensive tenancy support to customers at the point of crisis, working collaboratively with both internal and external partners as required.

Work with the wider organisation, including Community Safety Team, Neighbourhood Housing Team, Income and Money Support, Housing Options, Contracts and Compliance and Asset Management, to assist in the resolution of tenancy breaches including anti-social behaviour, property condition and safeguarding issues.

Make appropriate referrals to assist customers to sustain their tenancy and improve their well-being and take steps to ensure customers remain engaged with required support

Job General Information:

To adhere to the equal opportunities policy and to actively promote equality of opportunity wherever possible.

Recognise, respect and promote the different roles and diversity of the individuals within the business.

To actively contribute towards key performance indicators and professional standards.

Work in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection Law and be responsible for the integrity of personal information you process. This may include identifying anomalies in data and investigating and correcting them where appropriate. Ensure you attend training on data protection regularly.

To be responsible for your own health and safety and that of your colleagues, in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and relevant EC directives.

To take responsibility for your own development and professionalism, ensuring that you keep up to date with new developments and continuously expand and build on your knowledge.

Attend and participate in training and other meetings and staff events as required.

Be an effective member of your team, presenting a positive impression of your section and the business.

This job description is a guide to the nature of the work required. It is not comprehensive and it is expected that other duties will be undertaken as this role develops and as may be reasonably expected.

Required Education and Qualifications:

Education to GCSE (or equivalent) level of education with Maths and English (essential)

Level 3 Housing Management Qualification - or commitment to study towards (desirable)

Required Key Skills and Competencies:

A basic understanding of the welfare benefit and tax credit systems

An understanding of the range of agencies available to support customers to sustain a tenancy

Experience of working with vulnerable residents, diverse communities and marginalised groups

Experience of identifying support needs and making support action plans including onward referrals for customers to support agencies and monitoring outcomes

Demonstrable experience of providing one to one advice, counselling or mediation work

Demonstrable experience of using Microsoft Office

Knowledge of relevant legislation, regulation and best practice

Required Behaviours:

Good written and oral communication skills

Commitment to provide excellent customer service

Commitment to promoting digital engagement with our customers

The flexibility to adapt to changing workload demands and new organisational challenges

Good organisational and time management skills

Ability to build collaborative working relationships that achieve positive outcomes for our customers and the organisation

Negotiation and influencing skills

Why Choose Us:

Contributory pension scheme 4% to 10% matched contributions

Hybrid working

Free onsite car parking

Life assurance of 4x annual salary (Terms and Conditions apply)

30 days annual leave in addition to bank holidays

Two volunteer days per year

Employee assistance programme (24/7 telephone advice, information portal & face to face counselling sessions)

Corporate eye care scheme providing free eye tests and free VDU glasses or contribution towards VDU glasses

Extensive annual Staff Wellbeing programme

Enhanced maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave provision

Flexible annual benefits (for dental, healthcare, shopping vouchers, technology etc.)

Annual flu vaccinations

Access to an extensive range of corporate discounts on shopping, travel & days out

Social events, including lunchtime walking, rounders, festive Fridays

Travel loan

Our Values:

Our culture is about the shared values, beliefs and behaviours that determine how we do things, then the ways and systems of working that help to get those things done.

Our new values, principles and behaviours will put customers at the heart and provide the foundation for the culture of the new organisation. Only by delivering a cohesive and customer-focused culture will we be able to achieve our purpose and priorites.

We have taken an inclusive and collaborative approach to developing the following values, working together with colleagues, customers and the Board:

* Do the Right Thing

* Pull Together

* Celebrate Diversity

* Love New Ideas

* Be Kind

* Keep Our Promises

Equal Opportunities Statement:

TCH is an equal opportunities employer committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity or paternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership, or caring responsibilities.

We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join TCH.

We are recognised as a ‘Disability Confident Committed Employer’. As part of this commitment, individuals who disclose at application stage that they have a disability, will be invited to interview provided they demonstrate that they meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy. Candidates will be asked if they require any support or reasonable adjustments to enable them to fully participate in the recruitment process.

Applications Close:

26th January

Interview Date:

Week commencing 27th January