Citizens Advice Chelsea Office (London) – Generalist Adviser (HMP Wormwood Scrubs & Kensington and Chelsea)

Citizens Advice Kensington Chelsea are seeking to recruit an experienced person to deliver generalist advice at our outreach service at HMP Wormwood Scrubs in White City, London and to provide generalist advice as part of our team at our offices and outreaches in Kensington and Chelsea. This role is 0.8 FTE / 4 days per week.

Citizens Advice is a significant part of a cohesive and vibrant voluntary sector in the Royal Borough of
Kensington and Chelsea. We deliver a well-established and innovative range of services through our main office and a range of outreach locations.

Responsibilities
Generalist Advice in HMP Wormwood Scrubs (3 days per week)
• This role assists clients at our HMP Wormwood Scrubs outreach service in White City, London. You
will use your advice skills to provide generalist advice to clients who are inmates of this Category B
men’s prison and to staff at the prison, and provide them with advice within the remit of the Citizens
Advice service. This is an exciting project to help some of our most vulnerable clients living in a
challenging environment.
• You will report to our General Advice Lead. You will take responsibility for running the outreach
sessions and advice delivery. Your primary role will be to explore and deliver on the maximisation of
client or client familial income; identifying and, where required, applying for benefits, grants and
discounts. You will also provide advice across the full suite of Citizens Advice’s advice areas,
including debt and money, work, housing, family and relationships, immigration, consumer and
health.
• You will also manage our administrative and advice volunteers, who will assist with the outreach
sessions. You will be responsible for helping them to troubleshoot issues around assessing client
need, ensure they are supported when managing clients and administrative tasks from client work,
and providing feedback to the Volunteer Co-ordinator about the volunteer’s performance in their
role.
• As our person on the ground, you will also act as the main representative of Citizens Advice
Kensington and Chelsea for the staff and volunteers that work at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, who
manage the running of the prison. From time to time, you may be required to attend meetings with
our funder, trustees, or representatives at the HMP Wormwood Scrubs. You will be required to
record your client’s cases on our case management system and collect that information for the
production and presentation of reports to our funder that identify statistical trends as well as detailed
case studies to show service impact.

Generalist Advice in Kensington and Chelsea (1 day per week)

• You will also carry out appointments in our offices and outreaches in Kensington and Chelsea. You
will be a fully integrated member of the team, working alongside our advisers and volunteers in the
normal course of our work. Even though you will be working mostly in HMP Wormwood Scrubs, you
will be a Citizens Advice adviser and will be deployed as determined by service need.
• You will participate in file/peer review of colleagues as part of our mission to ensure consistent
quality assured advice by monitoring and checking case work. By extension you will participate in
the supervision and development of volunteer advisers where required.

Performance

1. Meet targets as set with line manager, which may change regularly depending on the needs of the
   service.
2. Form effective working relationships with outreach agencies and other stakeholders to ensure a good
   service is provided and the minimum number of clients are being helped at each location.
3. Attend internal meetings and identify and act upon social policy issues.
4. Be responsible for keeping up to date and detailed enquiry/case records and for keeping accurate
   statistical/monitoring records.
5. Comply with Citizens Advice requirements including upholding the Equal Opportunities policy and
   work in an anti-discriminatory/non-judgemental manner.
6. Work at all times within Citizens Advice Kensington & Chelsea policies and procedures as detailed in
   the Advice manual and supporting documentation.
7. Work as a member of a team, give and receive support, to work considerately and co-operatively and
   attend team/management/committee meetings as required.
8. Attend appropriate training courses and conferences.
9. Travel to outreach sessions in other parts of Kensington and Chelsea when required.
10. Keep up-to-date with relevant legislation, policies and practices.
11. Maintain case records for the purposes of continuity of casework, quality assurance, statistical
    monitoring, and report preparation.
12. Ensure that all casework conforms to the Advice Quality Standard.
13. Participate in supervision and file/peer review of colleagues and supervision of volunteers.
14. Occasional evening or weekend work may be required according to service delivery needs.

Experience and knowledge – Essential
General Advice

1. Experience of working in a prison or Criminal Justice environment, and familiarity with the
   challenges of delivering advice to offenders and / or prison staff.
2. Experience of providing generalist advice and information to clients across a number of areas of law
   for at least one year.
3. Generalist advice level knowledge of various areas of law including housing, welfare benefits,
   employment, health, debt and money management and family matters. If gaps exist the knowledge
   and ability to access this information.

Skills/Abilities – Essential

4. An ordered and disciplined approach to managing a challenging caseload, meet targets; plan and
   prioritise work in the face of competing demands on your time.
5. Strong numerical and financial skills.
6. Ability to write detailed accurate case records and draft, letters reports and statements in plain
   English.
7. Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to respond sensitively and with empathy to clients.
8. Ability to research, understand and explain complex information both orally and in writing.
9. Good knowledge of IT including familiarity with Microsoft Office applications, e.g. Word, Outlook or
   equivalents, and case management systems.
10. Commitment and ability to taking part in social policy, research or evaluation activities as required.
11. Understanding of and commitment to the organisation’s equal opportunities policies.
    Desirable
12. Have been responsible for managing a project and reporting to funders.
13. Have been responsible for working with and managing volunteers.
    The successful applicant will be required to provide an enhanced DBS check for working with adults.

How to apply for this role
Please submit a CV and cover letter to james.cairns@citizensadvicekc.org.uk.
The deadline for this role is 5pm on 5th January 2023.
First round interviews will be held w/c 9th January 2023, with a potential second round for shortlisted
candidates being held in the following days or week.

Pay is £32,301 pro rata, 0.8 FTE, 30 hours per week