Advice Service Manager Job pack - Citizens Advice Sefton

Advice Service Manager
Job pack
Thanks for your interest in working at Citizens Advice Sefton. This job pack should give
you everything you need to know to apply for this role and what it means to work at
Citizens Advice.

In this pack you’ll find:

   •   Our values
   •   3 things you should know about us
   •   Overview of Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Sefton
   •   The role profile and personal specification
   •   Terms and conditions
   •   What we give our staff

 Want to chat about this role?
 If you want to chat about the role further, you can contact Pauline Killen by emailing
 pauline.killen@seftoncab.org.uk

Our values
We’re inventive. We’re not afraid of trying new things and learn by getting things
wrong. We question every idea to make it better and we change when things aren’t
working.

We’re generous. We work together, sharing knowledge and experience to solve
problems. We tell it like it is and respect everyone.

We’re responsible. We do what we say we’ll do and keep our promises. We
remember that we work for a charity and use our resources effectively.

         3 things you should know
         about us
1. We’re local and we’re national. We have 6 national offices and offer direct
support to people in around 300 independent local Citizens Advice services across
England and Wales.

2. We’re here for everyone. Our advice helps people solve problems and our
advocacy helps fix problems in society. Whatever the problem, we won’t turn people
away.

3. We’re listened to - and we make a difference. Our trusted brand and the quality
of our research mean we make a real impact on behalf of the people who rely on us.

How Citizens Advice Sefton works
COVID19 has had a profound impact on the way we currently organise our
services. Until we can safely resume a face to face service all clients are being
helped via telephone, webchat and video link and staff and volunteers are
homeworking. However, even after a return to the office we expect to deliver
more services digitally and to offer varied channels of advice and support.
The information below relates to pre COVID19 and there may be changes in the
longer term to service delivery. For example, drop-in services may change to
online drop in.
Citizens Advice Sefton is situated in Merseyside, neighbouring Liverpool,
Knowsley, and West Lancashire. Originally established in Bootle in 1939, the
service evolved into a district wide service covering the borough of Sefton in
2008.
Citizens Advice Sefton has permanent offices in Bootle and Southport. The
Southport office will relocate to new premises this year.
We run advice drop in and appointment services from these offices for the local
community. We run a drop- in money advice clinic every Monday at Goddard
Hall in Bootle and every Tuesday evening in Southport and this service
complements the money advice service we offer throughout the week by
appointment. We are a partner in the Greater Merseyside Money Advice
Partnership.
We are a delivery partner within Living Well Sefton, and we employ a Living
Well Mentor and a social welfare advice team who work collaboratively to help
people tackle barriers to personal health and wellbeing in Sefton. We also
attend mental health wards in the south of the borough to help people with
severe and enduring mental health issues tackle benefit, money, and other
issues.
We recruit local volunteers who train as assessors, advisers, administrators,
reception, and support roles or who undertake research and campaigns work
based on client evidence. Our Board of Trustees are also volunteers.
We work in partnership with Liverpool Citizens Advice to provide a tribunal
representation service.

We hold Approved Assessment Centre status and offer accredited training in
the nationally accredited qualification, SFJ Awards Level 2 Certificate in
Supporting Access to Legal Advice (QCF) and at Level 3 – Award in providing
initial legal advice.
Citizens Advice Sefton enjoys the support of 67 volunteers across the borough.
We employ 28 people across the district. In 2019-20 Citizens Advice Sefton
helped 8,358 people with over 30,472 problems. Over 70% of these problems
related to debt and benefits.

        Overview of Citizens Advice
The Citizens Advice service is
made up of Citizens Advice -
the national charity - and a
network of around 300 local
Citizens Advice members.

This role sits our network of
independent            charities,
delivering services from

    •   over 600 local Citizens
        Advice outlets
    •   over 1,800 community
        centres, GPs’ surgeries,
        and             prisons

They do this with:

    •   6,500 local staff
    •   over 23,000 trained
        volunteers

Our reach means 99% of
people in England and Wales
can access a local Citizens
Advice within a 30-minute
drive of where they live.

The role
The Advice Services Manager will lead a team of 4 Supervisors supporting volunteers
to provide a generalist advice service to the public across Sefton. They will inspire
and motivate staff and volunteers to confidently work with clients digitally as well as
through traditional service delivery methods.

The post holder will work within a senior management team in ensuring that the
service is of good quality, responsive and accessible to those who need it. They will
also seek to develop and promote volunteering opportunities as part of our overall
service development plan.

         Role profile
Planning and Development

   •   Develop and extend the organisation’s capacity to help more people through a
       variety of service delivery methods; Adviceline (telephone) email, webchat, and
       advice sessions in offices/outreach and video conferencing.
   •   Support the strategic development of the organisation to ensure its
       management and services to clients reflect and support the Citizens Advice
       service’s equality and diversity strategy.
   •   Work with colleagues in the senior management team to further the overall
       aims and direction of CAS and deputise for colleagues as required

 Service Delivery

   •   Maintain and develop standards of service delivery and monitor the quality of
       advice delivered to clients.
   •   Provide technical support, act as a consultant, and supervise the work of
       designated staff to ensure that standards meet Citizens Advice guidelines.
   •   Monitor, report and meet Adviceline and any other service delivery forecasts
   •   Advise Chief Officer on all staffing and service delivery issues.

•   Support the strategic development of the organisation to ensure its
       management and services to clients reflect and support the Citizens Advice’s
       equality and diversity strategy.
   •   Undertake advice work as and when required.
   •   Provide supervisor cover as required

  Staff Management

   •   Lead and inspire the Supervisors team to meet advice development objectives
       of the service.
   •   Ensure the effective performance management and development of staff
       through regular supervision sessions, appraisals and learning and development.
   •   Create a positive working environment in which equality and diversity are well-
       managed, dignity at work is upheld and staff can do their best.
   •   Plan and allocate work, monitor achievement of deadlines and support staff and
       volunteers as appropriate.
   •   Ensure that the service area is adequately staffed and resourced, encourage
       good teamwork and lines of communication between all members of staff.
   •   Ensure recruitment and induction of new staff and volunteers as appropriate.

Learning & Development

   •   Research, identify and respond to advice needs, the needs of identified
       disadvantaged groups and different geographical and demographical areas.

Administration
  • Represent the organisation as appropriate at Citizens Advice and other
     statutory, voluntary, and commercial organisations, professional bodies, and
     institutions.
  • Oversee and monitor effective and efficient administrative systems.
  • Attend meetings of the organisation’s senior management meetings and
     trustee board as required.

         Person specification
Essential Criteria

   •   Proven ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing for a range of
       audiences.

•   Excellent IT skills with the ability to support others in understanding new
       systems and applications
   •   Proven ability to influence, inspire and motivate people to develop new ways of
       working
   •   Proven ability to manage people including the ability to recruit, develop and
       motivate staff and volunteers.
   •   Proven ability to monitor performance in others in a constructive and positive
       manner
   •   Good analytical and critical thinking skills
   •   Good presentation skills
   •   Proven ability to create a positive working environment in which equality and
       diversity are well managed, dignity at work is upheld and workers are
       empowered and motivated to do their best.
   •   Proven ability to monitor and maintain casework systems and procedures,
       service delivery against agreed targets and analyse and interpret complex
       information produce and present reports verbally and in writing.
   •   Ability to meet the organisations competence requirements for an advice
       session supervisor and generalist if required, plan and manage projects,
       contribute to decisions on the allocation of resources.
   •   Ability to foster strong working relationships and partnerships both internally
       and externally

   •   In accordance with Citizens Advice national policy the successful candidate to
       may be screened by the DBS. However, a criminal record will not necessarily be
       a bar to your being able to take up the job.

             Terms and conditions
Hours: 35 hours

Salary: £ 32,975

Annual Leave: 28 days exclusive of Bank Holidays

Location: Initially this post will be home based but in the longer term the post
will be based in Southport / Bootle. Home working for part of the week could
continue depending on organisational needs.

What we give our staff

• Training and development opportunities
• We offer a contribution of 7 % of your salary into a Stakeholder
  Pension Scheme (Aviva)

         Along with this pack you will find an application form, equality
         and diversity monitoring form and guidance notes.

         Please send your application form to
         recruitment@seftoncab.org.uk

         Please note the closing date for applications is 12pm Friday 11th
         September 2020.

         You will be contacted by email or telephone if you are
         shortlisted for interview.

         Video or telephone interviews will be held on Tuesday 15th
         September 2020