Prevention Officer

**POST TITLE: Prevention Officer**

**SECTION: Housing and Communities**

**SALARY: Grade 5 £27,840 - £31,254 per annum**

**Location: Sittingbourne, Kent**

**Contract Type: Permanent, 34-hours per week**

Our Housing and Homelessness Team is expanding, and we’re excited to announce multiple new roles due to significant investment and growth in the team. We are looking for dedicated individuals who thrive in a collaborative and supportive environment. As part of our highly dynamic team, you will have the opportunity to deliver impactful results while working alongside friendly colleagues committed to positive change. If you like to be busy and are ready to take on a rewarding challenge and contribute to meaningful solutions in housing and homelessness, we want to hear from you.

**About the Role**

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Housing Options Team as a Homeless Prevention Officer. Homelessness is high on the national agenda and we are offering a full time permanent contract for the role to join our busy, dedicated and friendly team.

You will provide advice and assistance to prevent homelessness where possible and enable households to either remain in current accommodation or access alternative accommodation if available.

You will be expected to carry out home visits to confirm details regarding potential homelessness. During these visits, you will need to use strong negotiation and mediation skills and challenge family and friends around eviction.

You will work with people to identify areas that they may need support with, such as debt, benefit and employment advice, and with people with both physical and mental health difficulties, and addiction.

You will be expected to work using initiative and organise your own workload with a positive and flexible attitude. We are seeking a motivated and innovative person, with good attention to detail, who can work proactively with customers and partners to find creative housing solutions.

The Council considers that all roles should be able to communicate clearly and concisely.

**About Swale Borough Council**

Swale Borough Council is a progressive and ambitious Local Authority, located less than an hour from Central London in an attractive and diverse part of Kent involving urban, rural, and coastal areas. We believe that staff are our most valuable asset and we’re committed to attracting and retaining the very best. In recent times, we have adapted and evolved to meet the current world by introducing a highly flexible hybrid working policy, along with a 34-hour week, recognising that staff wellbeing and work life balance is high on our agenda.

**Our Offer**

A range of benefits including:

- 34 hour full time working week with the offices closing at 1:30pm on Friday
- Highly flexible hybrid working opportunities
- Generous holiday entitlement which increases after 5 years LG service plus bank holidays with the option to buy additional leave
- Additional 3 days leave given to enable a close down of the offices between Christmas and New year
- Free parking
- Range of flexible working opportunities to accommodate people’s home/work life balance including compressed hours, 9-day fortnight, part time
- Invitations to staff events to celebrate success and support wellbeing that include holistic therapies and outdoor activities
- Employee Assistance Programme which provides confidential & independent information and access to counsellors
- Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) with valuable life cover and financial protection for your family
- Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
- Season Ticket Loan - to help with the cost of your rail/ bus journey, to & from work
- Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand-new car. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax
- Annual flu vaccine
- Cycle to work scheme
- Staff benefits discounts on leisure, eating out, holidays and shopping
- Excellent learning and career opportunities for committed individuals
- A professional fee payment, if required for the role

**About You**

You will have practical working knowledge of housing and homelessness legislation, with demonstrable experience of working in a housing related area. Additionally, you will have excellent problem solving skills.

A full driving licence is also required for this role for undertaking home visits.

**Selection Process**

Swale Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employee and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to discuss this position, please contact Sue Davis, Prevention and Outreach Manager or Roxanne Sheppard, Housing Options Manager.

**Closing Date: 16th February 2025**
**Interview Date: W/C 3rd March 2025**

This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.

**Job Types**: Full-time, Permane