Assessment Officer

Salary £24,054 - £27,852 per annum | Permanent, Full Time, 37 hours per week | County Hall, Preston |

Lancashire is the fourth largest local authority in England spanning a huge geographical area with a diverse range of communities. The County Council provides services to approximately 1.2 million people who live within Lancashire.

We have an excellent opportunity for someone highly motivated and ready to join our busy team in the role of an Assessment Officer (AO) within the Care Finance Assessment Team completing financial reassessments for adults across Lancashire in receipt of care services in their own home or community.

You need to demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively using interpersonal skills including the ability to exercise sensitivity and empathy at what could be a difficult time for the service user.

AOs are expected to complete welfare benefit checks thereby maximising income and providing advice and signpost to appropriate services. To have an awareness of, including any disability-related expenses a person may incur due to their disability.

This role is designated as agile and is attached to an administrative base at County Hall, Preston. In addition, the post holder is required to attend training, team briefings, management task days and other meetings at other venues across the County.

Working for the County Council also comes with benefits such as 26 paid annual leave days and in our service area, we do not work on Bank Holidays. We provide and actively encourage self-development offering a wide range of training opportunities. We also offer a generous pension scheme.

Key Accountabilities:

- Responsible for conducting telephone or face-to-face home visits to complete social care financial reassessments.
- Accountable for ensuring that all telephone calls or visits are conducted in an appropriate manner respecting the diverse needs and circumstances presented by service users and responding in a sensitive and supportive manner.
- Responsible for liaising with colleagues across the Local Authority's Directorates to advise of service users' requests and concerns and for signposting to relevant points of contact including partner agencies and advice centres as appropriate.
- Accountable for meeting performance indicator outputs as defined by the Head of Service. To be able to work independently organising workload to ensure set targets are achieved within an allocated length of time.

Skills & Experience:

- Substantial office experience at an administrative level.
- Experience in dealing with vulnerable people, social care service users, and working in a social care finance or welfare benefits assessment environment.
- Previous experience in conducting financial reassessments would be advantageous however full training will be given.
- Knowledge of Department of Work and Pensions benefit entitlements would be desirable.
- A high degree of literacy and numeracy skills including an aptitude for working with figures.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills. This includes writing formal letters when responding to complex cases in a word format as well as utilising excel spreadsheets. The ability to write clear, concise, and accurate notes.
- An ability to complete telephone financial reassessments and home visits in a sensitive and supportive manner.
- The ability to use Information Technology efficiently.
- The ability to follow instructions and processes as well as offer new ideas and contribute towards improving the delivery of our service.

For an informal discussion regarding this role, please do not hesitate to contact Charlotte Atherton, Reassessment Team Leader on 01772 535647 or Brian Pemberton, Care Finance Assessment Team Leader on 01772 534328.

You will be required to hold a full U.K driving licence and access to a car for use in connection with the duties of this post and must be insured for business use. However, we may consider you if you cannot drive because of a disability. This is an essential car user post.

**Please ensure you have uploaded and attached your supporting statement to evidence how you meet the criteria for the role. The panel may be unable to shortlist you for an interview without this evidence.**

In return Lancashire County Council offers a range of benefits, which can be found on LCC Vacancies website.

**Job Description & Person Specification