- Employer: Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
- Salary: Grade H (SCP 26 - 30) £36,124 - £39,513 per annum - pay award pending
- Location: Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
- Contract: Permanent
- Working Pattern: Flexible Hours/Full Time
- Hours: 36 hours per week.
- DBS Check: No
- Closing Date: 17/08/2025 at 23:59
- Reference: COMM/25/319148
Welfare Rights Officer x 1
Sefton Council’s Welfare Rights Service is recruiting a Welfare Rights advisor to work as part of the Welfare Rights Team. The role will include supporting vulnerable people to overcome benefit issues from advising about the appropriateness of claiming benefits through to presenting at appeal tribunals. The role will work collaboratively with colleagues in other departments and organisations to support clients with expert welfare benefit advice in often complex cases.
We are looking for someone with significant experience of Benefit Advice work, ideally including representing at appeal tribunals, and an excellent knowledge of the full range of benefits legislation and case law. We require you to have excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to independently manage and progress a case load.
You will need strong interpersonal skills and experience working with clients suffering from health problems in a professional but empathetic manner, and the ability to respond sensitively to clients. You will be providing advice via weekly face to face advice sessions, including telephone advice line duty, email and in person in both local authority and partner organisation venues.
You will be expected to work as part of the welfare rights team and to work independently meeting the needs of clients, and have the support of an experienced Team and Team Manager.
You may be required to work a flexible work pattern including evenings and weekends across the borough.
Interview date 1st September 2025
Equal Opportunities
Sefton Council strives to ensure that our workforce is inclusive and representative of our communities. A diverse workforce is important to us, our staff bring with them a wide range of experiences, views, ideas, and innovations, and we are committed to providing an environment that recognises, respects, and values everybody’s identity, where individual differences are strengths and where everyone can thrive and maximise their potential. We are always open to learning and growing as an organisation, and we welcome new ideas and initiatives that promote equality, diversity and inclusion.
We are an Equal Opportunities Employer; all candidates will receive equal treatment. Our decision to appoint will be based upon whether an individual’s skills, experience, qualifications, and abilities make them the most suitable candidate for the role.
GUARANTEED INTERVIEW SCHEME
Please note that all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for these jobs (as given in the Person Specification) and who want to apply under the Disability Confident Scheme will be invited to interview.
If you are currently in care or have previously been in care, we provide a guaranteed interview scheme for care experienced people if you meet the essential requirements for the role.
Please note, we do not accept CV’s (unless specified on the advert).