Carers Services Administrator

CARERS IN HERTFORDSHIRE

JOB DESCRIPTION AND PERSON SPECIFICATION

NAME OF POST Carers Support Advisor DURATION Permanent HOURS 22-37 hours per week. PLEASE INCLUDE IN YOUR APPLICATION, YOUR PREFERRED NUMBER OF WORKING HOURS ARRANGEMENT Arrangement of hours and days to be negotiated with line manager according OF HOURS AND to service requirements. DAYS CORE HOURS The information service is open to the public between 9.30am and 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. The arrangement of hours among the team of Carers Support Advisors, ensures that the telephone service at the office is covered throughout the opening hours. SALARY £21,402 - £23,542.per annum (for 37 hours a week)

ACCOUNTABLE The Trustees of Carers in Hertfordshire TO REPORTING TO Information and Carer Planning Service Manager

BASE The organisation’s Headquarters is based at 119 Fore Street, Hertford, SG14 1AX, with an additional office in Borehamwood (Warwick House, 2 Oaks Court, Warwick Road, Borehamwood, WD6 1GS).

Due to the requirements of the business and this role, the post holder will be based at the Hertford office during their probationary period. After that the role can be based either in Hertford or Borehamwood. In addition, the post holder is also required to work from any of the following locations:

 119 Fore Street, Hertford, SG14 1AX  2 Oaks Court, Warwick Road, Borehamwood, WD6 1GS  In the community  At your home  At any Carers in Hertfordshire listed ‘touch down’ stations.

In addition, the organisation may open new locations from which you may also be expected to work if these are within a 20 mile radius of the Headquarters.

The specific detail of how much time is spent at each location will be agreed with your line manager as required. On successful completion of the probationary period, remote working will be discussed. SPECIAL  3 months’ probation period CONDITIONS  Supervision and training are provided with the post  Home working allowance is payable for remote workers  Travel across the county is required, for which mileage expenses are reimbursed GENERAL See Appendix 1 CONDITIONS

DEADLINE DATE FOR APPLICATIONS WEDNESDAY 1ST NOVEMBER INTERVIEW DATE FRIDAY 10TH NOVEMBER

Carers Support Advisor (Nov 2016) 1 1 INTRODUCTION

Carers in Hertfordshire is a well-respected, independent, carer-led charity, established in 1995. The charity works to ensure that all Hertfordshire’s unpaid family carers are recognised, valued and supported in their caring role and have the opportunity for a life outside caring and can exercise a collective voice in the county. We support adult carers and young carers and provide information and support. We also arrange a variety of ways for carers to work closely and collaboratively with professional staff in a wide range of voluntary and statutory organisations to link our services and help those organisations to develop a carer friendly focus.

Carers in Hertfordshire is joining forces with Crossroads Care Hertfordshire South (Borehamwood). We see this as a great opportunity for the future and plans for integration of services are well underway.

2 CARERS IN HERTFORDSHIRE INFORMATION AND CARER PLANNING SERVICE

This service works with all carer groups and provides information, advice and appropriate tailored support identified through an in-depth telephone interview process called Carer Planning. The work involves listening and working with carers; liaising with both statutory and voluntary organisations to ensure that carers receive the support they need in their caring role. The work includes duty call work based in the office, carer caseload work to assist carers who require more comprehensive support on a 1-2-1 basis, and attendance at carers’ Hubs and Forums. The team currently consists of, seven Carers Support Advisors, as well as volunteers, who work on a rota basis to ensure that the core hours of the telephone service are covered.

3 JOB PURPOSE

3.1 To identify carer needs and provide information, support and Carer Planning service to carers, primarily by telephone.

3.2 To support carers with advice through case work and to manage own caseload, prioritising cases as appropriate.

3.3 To contribute to capturing carers’ experiences through careful record-keeping using organisational systems.

3.4 To source, collate and maintain organisational knowledge of local and national service provision appropriate to carers’ needs.

3.5 To attend some meetings, Hubs, Forums and events for carers.

3.6 To support the early identification of carers through the maintenance of collaborative relationships with other service providers and the provision of information on carers’ issues to Carers in Hertfordshire’s provider networks.

3.7 To ensure carers are aware of all Carers in Hertfordshire services and can use them, according to their wishes.

Carers Support Advisor (Nov 2016) 2 4 THE ROLE OF CARERS SUPPORT ADVISOR

Main duties and responsibilities

a) To identify carer needs through provision of 1-2-1 information, support and Carer Planning service. The work is carried out by telephone. Some face to face support is provided at a few events run by Carers in Hertfordshire.

b) To signpost or refer carers, as appropriate, to local and national services that will meet their needs.

c) To work collaboratively with team colleagues to ensure cover and provision of the telephone service is available to carers within the core hours.

d) To facilitate carers’ easy access to our services and use processes to monitor the trends and outcomes.

e) To keep up to date with knowledge of Carers in Hertfordshire and its services and ensure carers have full access to the range of opportunities and support available to them.

f) To manage support carers through intensive time limited casework and to manage a complex caseload.

g) To maintain accurate carer records, prioritising and setting tasks appropriately, using the Carers in Hertfordshire database system in line with relevant Carers in Hertfordshire policies and procedures.

h) To research and collate information, ensuring it remains accurate and up to date.

i) To be responsible for use of ICT equipment and processes in accordance with Carers in Hertfordshire ICT strategy.

j) To attend team meetings and to liaise with colleagues throughout Carers in Hertfordshire.

k) To establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues in the voluntary and statutory sector.

l) To maintain record keeping, provide notes of meetings and reports as appropriate.

m) To keep up-to-date with changes in legislation, policy and practice related to carers, and to maintain a good general knowledge of developments in health and social care.

n) To promote the charity and assist with fundraising.

o) To operate within the terms of the Carers in Hertfordshire Equal Opportunities Policy and Code of Practice.

Carers Support Advisor (Nov 2016) 3 p) To ensure that all duties are carried out in line with the organisation’s health and safety, operational, performance management, personnel, data protection, and financial regulations policies and procedures.

This job description cannot cover every issue or task that may arise within the post and the post holder will be expected to carry out other duties from time to time which are broadly consistent with those in this document. This job description does not form part of the contract of employment.

5 PERSON SPECIFICATION: COMPETENCIES

The following headings (a) to (j) should be used to structure your response on your application form. You will be shortlisted on the basis of how you can demonstrate you have each of these competencies. The information included under each heading below should be used to guide what kind of evidence you use to show your suitability for the post.

a) Building Relationships and Influencing (i) Demonstrates open, honest and approachable and trustworthy behaviour. (ii) Assertively negotiates and influences with clear intention to achieve goals and achieve better outcomes. (iii) Raises awareness of what unpaid carers do to all external contacts.

b) Carer focused (i) Listens attentively to identify priorities from complex carer situations and is able to reflect back and summarise carers’ concerns. (ii) Communicates with carers using empathy and sensitivity. (iii) Understands the boundaries that must exist in carer relationships and respects confidentiality. (iv) Empowers carers by providing them with enough information to make an informed choice and manages carers’ expectations. (v) Checks that solutions are achievable before communicating them to carers.

c) Collaboration and Co-operation (i) Recognises the need to work as a team, asks for help and supports others, avoiding isolation. (ii) Where relevant, provides information and refers carers to other organisations and services. (iii) Identifies issues and works to implement improvements to benefit all. (iv) Views problems as challenges and proactively seeks creative solutions.

d) Effective Communication (i) Uses excellent questioning and active listening skills within all conversations. (ii) Confident to talk with a wide variety of people at any level. (iii) Where necessary, is able to produce careful, methodical and clear records for important carer and professional conversations. (iv) Provides accurate and high quality internal and external communication at all times.

e) Embracing the Future (i) Changes priorities in light of new information or carer needs. (ii) Works in a manner that demonstrates an understanding that carers’ needs differ and these may change over time.

Carers Support Advisor (Nov 2016) 4 f) Personal Resilience and Responsibility (i) Displays a positive and professional attitude even in difficult situations. (ii) Remains calm under pressure. (iii) Demonstrates emotional resilience when dealing with difficult carer issues and preserves own wellbeing. (iv) Is conscientious at all times. (v) Is self-sufficient, a self-starter and self-motivated.

g) Planning and Organising (i) Uses the carer planning tool to provide the right information at the right time. (ii) Is able to work autonomously and as a team, according to role requirements. (iii) Work is detailed and organised, with the required explanations, to allow someone else to complete it if necessary.

h) Resourceful and Creative (i) Thinks creatively to provide solutions for carers that support the individual’s specific needs. (ii) Uses a range of information to create new solutions to respond to individual needs of carers. (iii) Views problems as challenges and proactively seeks creative solutions.

i) Knowledge and Experience

Essential:

(i) Experience of providing information, advice and emotional support. (iii) Understanding and commitment to non-discriminatory practice.

Desirable:

(i) Previous work with unpaid carers. (ii) Knowledge and understanding of carers’ issues. (iii) Previous experience of working for a voluntary organisation. (iv) NVQ Level 3 Certificate in Advice and Guidance. (v) Knowledge and/or experience of the work of relevant agencies in health and social care. (vi) Experience of telephone based support. (vii) Experience of home/remote working.

j) Other

Essential:

(i) Equivalent of GCSE in English and Maths.

(ii) Effective administrative skills and a good standard of IT skills including MS Office and the internet.

(iii) Ability to travel independently across Hertfordshire; provide a roadworthy vehicle suitably insured for business purposes and have a valid driving licence. Mileage allowance payable in accordance with Carers in Hertfordshire policy.

Carers Support Advisor (Nov 2016) 5 6 EQUALITIES

Carers in Hertfordshire is committed to openness and equality of opportunity in every activity, from the way we employ staff to the way we deliver services. It is a central responsibility of members, volunteers and employees of the charity to ensure that every individual that we come into contact with is treated with dignity and respect. A copy of the full Equal Opportunities Policy will be given to all staff and volunteers at induction.

7 HEALTH AND SAFETY

The post holder is expected while at work, to take reasonable care for the Health and Safety of themselves and other colleagues who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work.

Carers Support Advisor (Nov 2016) 6 APPENDIX 1

General Conditions

The following details are provided for the general information of applicants and are not deemed to form part of any contract of employment. Further details are available on appointment.

Pay Salaries are payable monthly by direct credit transfer to a bank or appropriate building society account no later than the last working day of the month. Pension Every eligible employee on a full or part-time contract will be offered membership of the contractual qualifying workplace pension scheme within 3 months of their start. If membership is not taken up, the employee will be auto-enrolled after which time they may choose to opt out at any point. Carers in Hertfordshire does not contribute to employees’ personal pension schemes. Notice period  During the probationary period: one week’s notice  During the two years following satisfactory completion of the probationary period: one month’s notice  Thereafter: one month plus an additional week’s notice for each subsequent completed year of service up to a maximum of 12 weeks’ notice Sickness In addition to the Statutory Sick Pay Scheme, the organisation operates a discretionary Sick Pay Scheme for employees based on length of continuous service as follows:

Up to 12 months’ service - SSP only. After 12 months’ service - Four weeks at full pay and four weeks at half pay.

For part time employees the above will be pro rata to the days and hours worked. Holidays and holiday The holiday year is from 1 April to 31 March each year. The basic pay annual holiday entitlement is 30 working days with pay per year inclusive of the eight Public/Bank Holidays. For part time employees, the entitlement will be pro rata to the days and hours worked. After two completed years of service, one extra day per year is awarded up to a maximum of 33 working days and five years’ service. Dependency leave All employees of Carers in Hertfordshire are entitled to have up to 5 days per year as paid dependency leave (in accordance with the specified categories of dependant) and beyond that level, unpaid as necessary. Childcare vouchers Carers in Hertfordshire operates a childcare voucher scheme with Edenred (childcarevouchers.co.uk) where staff can choose to take part of their salary in childcare vouchers to take advantage of tax and NI savings to pay for the provision of nursery or childcare up to the statutory maximum of £243 per month. Criminal Background All appointments in Carers in Hertfordshire are subject to the Check completion of an application to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) in order to check for any criminal background. No Smoking Carers in Hertfordshire premises are non-smoking.

Carers in Hertfordshire, The Red House, 119 Fore Street, Hertford, SG14 1AX, Tel: 01992 586969 www.carersinherts.org.uk Registered Charity Number: 1085491

Carers Support Advisor (Nov 2016) 7