Welfare Benefits Specialist

Frenkel Topping is an independent financial adviser specialising in providing advice and expert services to those seeking damages for personal injury and medical negligence.

Each year more than £16bn worth of welfare benefits goes unclaimed in the UK. The figure alone is startling but it’s the lives behind those unclaimed benefits that give the Frenkel Topping Welfare Benefits team their purpose.

For more than 30 years we have worked with people who’ve suffered life-changing injury or illness and are trying to rebuild their lives in the most challenging of circumstances. Often after an injury, a person is unable to work and it can be some time until a case is settled, leaving them financially vulnerable for potentially long periods of time.

Working through the challenges that a life-changing injury creates is incredibly hard. Add to that the worry of how to pay for the bare essentials when you’re unable to work and the stress can be immense.

We have a dedicated team to help identify unclaimed benefits and make sure our clients aren’t missing out on benefits that they are rightfully entitled to.

Over the last year, the Welfare Benefits team helped to secure an additional £1.4m in additional benefits for Claimants - a figure we plan to grow year-on-year because we know how important those benefits are.

As a group, it’s our mission to support our clients to live the happiest and most fulfilling lives after injury or illness. Our Welfare Benefits service is integral to that mission and we need to grow our team to reflect that.

We are seeking to recruit a Welfare Benefit Caseworker to join our caring and compassionate team.

**Purpose**:
The main purpose of this role is to provide comprehensive and specialist welfare benefits advice, casework, advocacy and tribunal representation to Frenkel Topping clients.

**Key responsibilities**:

- Provide a specialist welfare benefits advice service to claimants, carers and their representatives, in particular those claimants who may have received a personal injury payment.
- Proactively create, develop external and internal partnerships establishing productive relationships including legal representatives
- To complete detailed written benefit assessments for Court of Protection clients to assist Deputies in meeting their legal requirements
- Preparation of appeal cases, including written submissions and tribunal representation at First tier and Upper tribunal.
- Delivery of casework and advocacy on behalf of claimants including complex casework
- To explain complex information to clients and ensure their understanding in both written and oral communication
- Assessment of case prospects and advice on merits and risks.
- Negotiating and liaising with local authority, statutory and voluntary agencies
- Undertake training in areas of welfare benefits to keep abreast of new legislative changes, policies and practices
- Provide internal and external updates to staff across the whole range of welfare benefit issues
- Maintain case records for the purpose of the continuity of casework, information retrieval and providing reports where required
- To deal sensitively and professionally with customers in a manner that recognises their needs
- To identify in conjunction with the Operations Manager opportunities for professional development
- Contribute to set performance targets

**Experience**:

- At least two years’ recent experience of working in a welfare benefits advocacy context
- Experience of providing advice to clients and professionals via telephone, in writing, and face to face, presenting complex issues in a clear manner that’s appropriate for internal and external clients
- Having undergone and have a willingness to undertake appropriate training with regards to legislative changes and development
- Experience of challenging and appealing negative benefit decisions together with being able to confidently represent and advocate for claimants at Tribunal hearings.
- Experience of delivering training/briefings/workshops (Desirable)

**Skills & abilities**:

- Ability to work sensitively with and relate to vulnerable clients in particular clients who have sustained brain injuries, have cognitive difficulties, or have complex needs
- Ability to independently manage and prioritise a varied and complex caseload, ensuring deadlines are adhered to in accordance with service standards
- Ability to prepare written reports to a high standard
- Have an in-depth working knowledge of social security legislation
- Ability to work cooperatively as part of a team

**Personal qualities**:

- Display self-motivation, drive and enthusiasm
- Possess a flexible approach to work
- Keen interest in the social welfare system
- A desire to support vulnerable clients
- Diplomatic and sensitive to client’s circumstances

**Education & Training**:

- Good written and verbal communications and numeracy skills
- Substantial welfare rights experience

**And last but not least,