Macmillan Welfare Rights Adviser

Job Summary
Contract Type:
Fixed Term
Working Hours:
Part time
Advert Start Date:
18/01/2018
Advert End Date:
Closed for applications on 22/01/2018 23:59
Employment Location:
Peterborough City Hospital and Hinchingbrooke Hospital
Salary:
£26,285 to £28,737 per annum pro rata
Weekly Hours:
26
Vacancy ID:
102089
Closing date:
22 Jan
Further Information
Do you have the established skills and experience to assist people affected by cancer in accessing welfare benefit entitlement? This is an exciting opportunity to establish a Welfare benefits advice service through an innovative partnership of Macmillan Cancer Support, the North West Anglia Trust and Central Bedfordshire Council working across Peterborough City Hospital and Hinchingbrooke Hospital.

As a Macmillan welfare rights adviser, you will deliver a specialist welfare rights service for people affected by cancer and their families and carers, providing high quality face to face or telephone advice including comprehensive welfare benefit entitlement checks, assistance with making claims, challenging decisions and providing information to patients, carers and health professionals. The role requires specialist welfare benefits casework up to and including representation to first and second tier Tribunal level.

You will offer a confidential welfare rights case work service which will require the skills to manage a busy caseload, while meeting key deadlines. Experience in delivering welfare benefits advice face to face, over the telephone and in writing demonstrating excellent case work skills in line with the requirements of the Advice Quality Standard (AQS) is essential.

The successful candidates will have the ability to build networks and to promote the service locally among patients and professionals. The role will require the skills to advocate and liaise with statutory agencies on behalf of our service users and to identify and challenge decisions through knowledge of recent case-law and welfare reform. Alongside this you will demonstrate the highly effective listening, communication and interpersonal skills necessary to handle emotional and complex situations in a way which always balances empathy with professionalism.

You will join the successful Macmillan welfare rights service, run by Central Bedfordshire Council. However, you will be based within Peterborough City Hospital and Hinchingbrooke Hospital and work closely with the Cancer Wellbeing Service and cancer specialist nursing teams at both hospitals and from the community.

Initial funding is until 30 September 2018. Central Bedfordshire Council and Macmillan Cancer Support have a long-standing partnership which has resulted in Macmillan Cancer Support grant funding Central Bedfordshire Council to deliver a successful specialist benefits advice service since 2007. Since 2015 funding has been reviewed on an annual basis and in this funding cycle the end date is scheduled for the 30th September 2018. Whilst this is a long-term partnership due to the conditions of the grant funding we are unable to confirm funding beyond this date.

Previous applicants need not apply.

For an informal discussion about this position, please contact: Tina Sullivan at tina.sullivan@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or call 0300 300 5779

For queries related to the recruitment of this vacancy, please contact: the Recruitment Team at recruitment@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

Central Bedfordshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees, volunteers and contractors to share this commitment. This post is subject to the disclosure of criminal records.

Central Bedfordshire Council is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome enquiries from everyone and value diversity in the workplace.

To maintain a fair and consistent approach for applicants, it is Central Bedfordshire Council's policy to only consider applications made via our online application system and we therefore thank you for not submitting your application offline.

If you do not have a CV to hand, please look on our website for a CV template that you can use to create your CV to apply for this role: http://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/jobs/work-here/application.aspx

Interview Date: 29th January 2018 at The Robert Horrell Macmillan Centre, Peterborough City Hospital (North West Anglia Trust) Bretton Gate, Peterborough PE3 9GZ
Please note
This job is closed for applications.