Gypsy & Traveller Liaison Officer - Regeneration & Housing

Reference no:  Ealing 6297-1

Pay Rate: £19.93 per hour PAYE

Basic DBS disclosure is listed as a requirement for this role

The purpose of the role is to deliver a high quality management service to all Gypsy and Travellers sites in Ealing, including permanent and temporary sites

Key responsibilities:

• Assist with the development, promotion and monitoring of policies designed to ensure that the authority compiles with all legislation in relation to site management, site development and service delivery; taking into account the views of Gypsies and Travellers and other stakeholders.
• To manage the allocation process for Council Traveller sites from application through to letting and signing up new tenants.
• Manage and monitor tenancies, update records, action and/or identify all forms of anti social behaviour, breaches of tenancy, and take prompt and effective action to resolve complaints.
• Promptly action and administer Notice to Quits, tenancy terminations, abandonment of pitches, unauthorised occupancy in liaison with Legal services, the Police, Bailiffs, Social services etc.
• In conjunction with the Rents Team, monitor rent accounts effectively maximising rent income and housing benefit take up, advising tenants on reducing their arrears and sustaining their tenancies, clearly explaining methods of payment.
• Assist residents with the completion of forms such as Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support, Universal Credit and other welfare benefits giving money/debt advice as appropriate.
• Respond to correspondence, members’ enquiries and complaints in a coherent and logical manner, based on information available meeting the council corporate response times. Take a proactive response in identifying potential concerns or sources of complaint to ensure issues are tackled at an early stage.
• Develop positive and effective professional relationships with key Council services and outside agencies to ensure a joint approach is taken to resolve cases as necessary.
• For permanent sites, to ensure residents comply with all site rules, regulations and tenancy conditions and to support the appropriate officers with any action being taken, providing statements and attending court as a witness for the Council where required.
• Conduct regular formal health and safety inspections of permanent sites to ensure that an acceptable level of health and safety is maintained on the site at all times.
• Conduct the traveller official count and submit the official returns.
• Develop strong relationships with community members and leaders and to undertake engagement activities for the community and professionals and voluntary sector groups who work with the community.

“Role Requirements” – to give yourself the maximum chance of success please try and ensure your CV addresses the following essential criteria:

***Qualification details and any other experience/skills relevant to the job role to help support your application (and help us to help you!) – please give full details within your CV document.

Knowledge & Experience

1. Minimum of 12 months recent experience in a similar role, or context and ideally within a public sector organisation.
2. Must have experience of working with Traveller's and Gypsies.
3. Knowledge of legislation and good practice in the provision of a Gypsy and Traveller service.
4. Experience of working with the Gypsy and Traveller Community.
5. A working knowledge of Gypsy and Traveller legislation
6. Knowledge of safeguarding and customer service.

Skills & Abilities:

1. High standard of communication skills, demonstrated by the ability to draft correspondence without supervision; the ability to compile information into simple factual reports; and the ability to explain complex rules to service users over the telephone and face to face.
2. Ability to deal with difficult situations in a way that tries to resolve issues for the customer.
3. Ability to understand and research relevant regulatory and statutory regulations and information.
4. Ability to deliver customer services to a diverse community in a professional and courteous manner.
5. Able to meet activity deadlines by planning work around conflicting priorities and able to understand and deliver project objectives in target.
6. Ability to work in partnership with other agencies and teams to achieve results and objectives and to deliver a customer focussed service.
7. Able to work confidently with Information Technology, able to store, retrieve and use information to make appropriate decisions.
8. Able to take personal responsibility for actions and outcomes, addressing issues and problems immediately, seeking support when necessary and continually striving to improve own performance.

NB: Please feel free to apply to us direct via [email protected] by quoting the job reference and job title exactly. SEE DETAILS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS AD.

If you have previously applied to one of our vacancies and have already sent the required supporting documentation to us, please make this clear when you re-apply as this will help speed up your application.