Debt Advisor

Job Title: Debt Advisor
Contract type: Permanent
Working hours: 35 hours per week
Salary Grade: £30,000
Location: The Forum, Trafalgar Road, Greenwich, London, SE10 9EQ  (working on-site 3 days/week)
Closing date: 15th May 2023

About the organisation

Toynbee Hall is a community organisation that is working to build a fairer and happier East London in partnership with people who live here. Based in the East End of London, we work alongside people who live here, to tackle unfairness and make this a place where everyone has an equal chance to thrive. We take an asset-based approach to our work and believe everyone has something valuable to offer in the fight for a fairer London. What we learn from our work in London we use to influence change across the UK.

Debt Free Advice is London’s free face-to-face debt advice service helping over 24,000 Londoners with their debt and money problems each year. Our trained and accredited advisors are based across 25 partner charities and can help with all types of money worries from rent and council tax arrears to credit card and catalog debt. We can work with clients to prioritise their bills & debts, helping them to write letters and advocating on their behalf.

The Debt Free Advice partnership is led by Toynbee Hall, the employer for this role, a charity where people come for excellent local services and where they can share ideas and experiences, and gather information and knowledge that we use together to take action to change lives and eradicate poverty. Our programmes include free advice services, financial inclusion services, well-being services, including work with older people, and community learning services supporting young people and new migrants.

We try hard to make Toynbee Hall a great place to work – and you would be joining an outstanding, diverse team who have supported each other and shown great innovation and resilience over the past year and for many years before.

We hope you are excited about applying for this role and being part of our team. You can read more about what it is like to work at Toynbee Hall in Our People report

Job purpose:

1. To provide over-indebted Londoners with free, face-to-face advice that is accurate, effective, and tailored to individuals’ circumstances.
2. To maintain detailed case records.
3. Keep up to date with legislation, policies, and procedures and undertake appropriate training.

Main duties and responsibilities:

To provide over-indebted Londoners with free, face-to-face advice that is accurate, effective and tailored to individuals’ circumstances This includes:

• Interviewing those that access our service using sensitive listening and questioning skills in order to allow them to explain their problem(s) and empower them to set their own priorities
• Researching and exploring options and implications so that those accessing our service can make informed decisions
• Ensuring income maximisation through the appropriate take up of income, including those relating to water charges, benefits, tax and housing
• Providing in-depth quality advice and on-going casework, including acting for the client where necessary using appropriate communication skills and channels
• Maintaining detailed case records, ensuring that all work meets all auditing and quality standards and the requirements of the funder

To maintain detailed case records This includes:

• Ensuring that all work meets all auditing and quality standards and the requirements of the funder
• Ensuring all case records are written up in a timely manner

Keep up to date with legislation, policies and procedures and undertake appropriate training This includes:

• Ensuring you complete a minimum of 16 hours/equivalent of technical debt advice CPD accredited training or qualifying activity and maintaining an up-to-date record of all training sessions

Contribute to team

• Work to an agreed work-plan, meeting targets and milestones
• Prioritise and manage your own workload
• Be an active member of the team, identifying opportunities for your own development
• Compliance with Toynbee Hall policies and procedures, including health and safety
• Demonstrate financial efficiency and value for money throughout work
• Ensure that all services comply with equal opportunities and other relevant policies and quality standards and good practice

Other:

• Travel across London as required, and occasionally the UK
• Undertake additional tasks as defined by the DFA Management

Training

Toynbee Hall provides all necessary induction and training, and encourages and, where possible, supports the upgrading of appropriate skills and qualifications. All employees will receive regular support and supervision

Monitoring and Evaluation

Toynbee Hall takes outcomes and a theory-based approach to its self-evaluation and monitoring. This means that the organization is committed to gathering evidence of its effectiveness, and using this information to learn, improve and communicate. All Toynbee Hall staff members will be expected to support this approach and to take part where appropriate in monitoring and evaluation planning and practice.

We are looking for someone who can show us:

Essential:

Previous experience of providing debt advice

Hold a valid Money Advice Service accredited qualification in debt advice to level three or higher

Hold a Certificate in Money Advice Practice (CertMAP) from the IMA in partnership with Staffordshire University

Have essential IT and telephone skills and ability to use an online based Client Management System (CMS) to deliver advice across multiple channels and maintain case records

Ability to give and receive feedback objectively and sensitively

Ability to work as part of a team and be open to receiving feedback and learning from others

Ability to use sensitive listening and questioning skills to get to the root of the issues and empower clients, whilst maintaining structure and control of meetings

Awareness of, and ability to, understand and empathise with clients from a diverse range of backgrounds and disadvantaged groups living in the community

Ability to provide outstanding customer service

Desirable

Hold a Certificate in Money Advice Practice (CertMAP) from the IMA in partnership with Staffordshire University

Previous experience in supporting junior colleagues with their development

Please send your completed application form to: application@toynbeehall.org.uk.