Information, Advice and Guidance Officer

Charity Overview: Age UK Barnsley is a registered independent local charity dedicated to supporting the health and wellbeing of all older people living in the Barnsley borough. Our aim is simple yet profound: to ensure that every older person in our community feels valued, supported, and empowered to lead fulfilling lives.

Role Summary: Providing comprehensive support to older people their families and carers to help them stay independent and engaged in their community. The role involves delivering advice and guidance on welfare rights, housing, social care, and benefits, managing client cases, supporting volunteers, and maintaining accurate records. This includes home visits, outreach appointments, telephone enquiries, and in-house appointments. The officer also engages with the community through talks and presentations, ensures compliance with policies, and contributes to service improvement. Key attributes include excellent communication skills, empathy, and up-to-date knowledge of relevant benefits and support services.

Key Responsibilities:

• Advice Provision: Deliver comprehensive, person-centred advice (offering suggestions or recommendations based on the individual's situation) on issues such as welfare rights, housing, social care, and benefits. Seeking to ensure income maximisation through the take up of appropriate benefits
• Guidance Provision: Providing direction or supporting clients make their own decisions.
• Client Support: To negotiate and act on behalf of clients, with their permission, ensuring that the client’s voice is heard. Including filling in forms, seeking information from third parties and providing follow-up work to a level agreed with line manager.
• Case Management: Manage own caseload with minimal supervision and work in close partnership with other agencies that provide information and advice.
• Team and Volunteer Support: Assist in developing the knowledge of colleagues and volunteers and support them with more complex enquiries. Supervise and train volunteers as required.
• Record Keeping: Develop a working knowledge of the information and office systems, which support the advice service, using them effectively and contributing to their continuous improvement. Maintaining detailed and accurate records of work done, including case records and statistics, using the Charity Log/Salesforce database and spreadsheet systems. Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of service activities in line with contractual requirements and prepare/present detailed reports on community engagement efforts for senior managers and commissioners.
• Community Engagement: Provide talks and presentations to local groups about the Information and Advice service.
• Compliance: Work within Age UK policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with all relevant service standards and legislation, including confidentiality, data protection, health and safety, and equal opportunities. To maintain up to date files and records in line with Age UK Quality Standards, ensuring they are orderly, accurate and in an accordance with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.
• Relationship Building: Develop and maintain effective relationships with clients, their carers, and other key individuals and groups, demonstrating a positive commitment to providing good customer service. To liaise with outside agencies including Social Services and Department of Works and Pensions on behalf of clients and for the purpose of establishing close working links.
• Continuous Improvement: Contribute towards continuous service improvement, adopting a positive approach to change and seeking solutions to day-to-day challenges.
• Professional and Personal Development: Keep up to date on relevant changes in the law, policies and procedures, both locally and nationally, and as they apply and affect older people and their carer’s. Attend regular supervision with the Line Manager and undertake training to update skills and knowledge appropriate to the role.

Other Duties:

• To ensure that the Equal opportunities, Health and safety and confidentiality policies of Age UK as they apply to Advice work are carried out appropriately.
• Provide information and referrals to older adults regarding available community resources and services.
• Advocate for the needs and concerns of older adults to local government officials and community organisations.
• To undertake other duties as required in accordance with Age UK Barnsley’s Mission, Policies and Procedures.

Person Specification: (Essential)

Strong Organisational Skills to:

• Multi-tasks and priorities effectively
• Maintain clear, complete and accurate casework files
• follow set procedures concerning casework and file management

Problem-Solving Abilities : Ability to identify issues and implement solutions to improve service delivery.

Communication Skills:

• Effective communication skills to engage with service users, staff, and stakeholders.
• Ability to advocate for and negotiate on behalf of clients

IT skills to support working with packages such as Word, Excel and Outlook.

Excellent literacy & numeracy skills to be able to produce documents/email communications/reports and to analyse numerical data.

Have a flexible and adaptable approach to working in a team.

Have the ability to pay close attention to detail.

Ability to work under pressure

Substantial experience in providing information, advice, and guidance to a diverse range of clients with differing levels of needs.

Up-to-date knowledge of welfare benefits, social care, housing, and local services.

At least one years’ experience of delivering welfare benefits advice and a good understanding of housing, consumer and community care issues.

Working understanding of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the UK GDPR Regulations and the need for confidentiality and a non-judgmental approach to advice provision.

Awareness of key issues affecting older people at both individual and social levels

Experience in organising own work to achieve individual goals.

Experience of working hard to contribute to team goals.

Demonstrable cultural competence, and a genuine passion for supporting and empowering communities.

Integrity: High ethical standards and a commitment to the charity's mission and values.

Adaptability: Flexibility and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and challenges.

Empathy: A genuine concern for the well-being of staff and stakeholders, promoting a supportive and inclusive work environment.

Approachable: making others feel comfortable, heard and valued.

Education:

• Educated to GCSE level (to include GCSE passes at grade 4 / 5 or above in English and Maths).
• Willingness to undertake training and continuing development.

Additional Requirements:

• This role may require occasional evening and weekend work to attend community events.
• Travel within Barnsley and surrounding areas as necessary.
• A valid driver's license and access to reliable transportation may be required for travel to various outreach locations.

Fixed Term Contract - 18 months, but may be extended subject to funding

Job Types: Full-time, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 18 months

Pay: £23,713.00-£26,428.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Application question(s):

• Do you have a driving licence?
• Do you have transport?

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 30/06/2025