Personal Advisor Haringey Salaries Up to £33,291

**Job Purpose**

To ensure the diverse population of care leavers are provided with the necessary support, to successfully make their transition to adulthood. To provide a high quality service to care leavers, working in partnership where possible with families, and otherstatutory and third sector organisations

To participate in team, service meetings and activities as appropriate

**Key responsibilities/activities**

- Deliver a high quality service to care leavers aimed at ensuring best outcomes and enabling the young person to succeed as they make their transition to adulthood.
- Regularly prepare, update, review and implement pathway plans in conjunction with the supervising manager and ensure parallel planning where applicable.
- Undertake human rights assessments and ensure that the rights of young people are observeCo-ordinate the provision of services and take reasonable steps so that care leavers make use of services available.
- Keep informed about care leavers’ progress and wellbeing; ensuring plans are progressed to meet assessed need.
- Keep full, accurate and up to date records of contacts with care leavers and services provided, accurately and in a timely manner on the care leaver’s electronic case file.
- Work holistically with care leavers and families around times of transition and transfer to additional services where appropriate.
- Seek active partnership with parents, carers and other professionals to promote and safeguard the welfare of young people.
- Support care leavers to enter and sustain education, training and employment.
- Work with other organisations to overcome barriers to learning and employment faced by young people.
- Support care leavers in all aspects of the process required to access accommodation and to ensure they are supported to maintain their tenancy and their resettlement needs are met.
- Ensure care leavers have accessed welfare benefits where eligible.
- Contribute to workshops/training sessions for care leavers to provide independence skills and other identified skills.
- Undertake assessment of need following re-referral post age 21 for those wishing to resume education or training where eligible.
- Ensure young people obtain legal advice as required in order to progress their immigration status and to carefully monitor and support this process whilst maintaining active links with the Border and Immigration Agency and legal advisors. Ensure parallelplanning for possible return to country of origin.
- Ensure that all expenditure on cases is properly authorised and recorded, and that cases with financial packages are regularly monitored and reviewed.
- Promote the welfare of care leavers with particular regard for their age, sex, health, race, religion, culture and life experiences.
- Maintain and develop up to date relevant skills and knowledge of current legislation, policy and practice, through training and development opportunities as required or agreed by Team Manager,
- Take responsibility for managing an individual caseload, having regard to the relative needs of all service users and ensuring an effective use of time and resources.
- Bring any issues of concern regarding a young person/adult or a placement to the immediate attention of the supervising or duty manager where there is reason to believe that the young person/adult may be at risk of harm or have been harmed.
- Attend and make use of supervision and staff appraisals.
- Contribute through team meetings and organisational events to the development of the service.
- Use information technology systems to carry out duties.
- Act as duty officer on a rota basis and as required by the Team Manager. The duty worker is responsible for dealing with emergencies, which arise on cases when the allocated worker is unavailable.
- Report any concerns about abuse or malpractice by colleagues, in line with the Council’s Whistle Blowing Policy.
- Work flexibly in line with needs of the service which will entail working outside of normal office hours, and out of borough visits.
- Ensure that all legislation and local council policies and procedures, including Health and Safety are adhered to.
- These activities may be varied from time to time to meet the changing needs of the service.
**Education & Qualifications**
- A professional qualification is not required but it is expected that professional development will be undertaken in the role

**Knowledge &Information**
- Understanding of the Children (Leaving Care) Act 1989 and guidance relating to Care Leavers
- Understanding of the Childrens Leaving Care Act 2000 related regulations and guidance
- Knowledge of the difficulties and range of issues faced by children in and leaving care as they make their transition to adulthood.