Job Description Direct Payment Adviser

Salary:	01
Hours:	28 hours per week. Days/times to be agreed
Type of contract:	Permanent
Location:	The role is home based with travel throughout East Sussex and on occasion in West Sussex
Reporting to:	Senior DP adviser
Purpose of the role The Direct Payments team works with disabled people and their carers, who may be eligible for health or social care funding. They provide information, advice and guidance on Direct Payments and employing Personal Assistants (PA). They work with children and adults of all ages with a range of disabilities and mental health support needs.
• To provide information, advice and guidance on Direct Payments and employment law, via telephone, virtually and in person. To work directly with disabled people and carers to enable them to become good PA employers and to effectively manage their employment relationships.
To support people to budget for and plan the support/care services they require, empowering them to become confident and competent in securing and managing those services. Liaise with health and social care staff and the general public when required, within
an engagement, support and promotional programme. To support customers with assessing training needs and signposting to training providers. To be an active and engaging team member, supporting other team members where necessary and using own initiative.

Key responsibilities and accountabilities

Direct Payments Support Service

1.1 Receive referrals and ensure prompt communication within process timelines.

1.2 Respond effectively to other enquiries from existing customers, their carers and social care staff, including researching specific queries within required timescales and quality standards.

1.3 Support disabled people and/or carers who will be receiving Direct Payments to recruit and engage Personal Assistants, providing step by step advice, following a process and using the learning materials and templates provided.

1.4 Support existing employers to manage and resolve technical employment issues, for example grievances with their PAs to ensure that they receive the appropriate support to become competent on the issue in the future.

1.5 Have an excellent understanding of internal processes, CRM databases, website, customer and adviser tools.

1.6 Maintain good sound up to date knowledge of direct payments, personalisation and employment law assisting the development of team tools and training materials when required.

1.7 Maintain detailed and accurate records of customer contact and other contacts ensuring that all required processes and data fields are completed as required.

1.8 Manage your own case load of customers supporting them through the whole DP process.

1.9 Perform annual reviews for all customers using the service.

2. Service Quality

2.1 Work at all times to Independent Lives quality standards

2.2 Maintain good working knowledge of Independent Lives standard operating procedures including the feedback process.

2.3 Ensure that individual performance targets and objectives for speed, efficiency and quality are met.

2.4 Achieve satisfied customers.

3. Reporting

3.1 Responsible for ensuring that all documented processes are followed, that customer tools are used appropriately and that all database records are completed accurately and in a timely way.

3.2 Liaise with social/health care employees, building positive working relationships including arranging and conducting specific locality engagements with social services/NHS departments.

3.3 As required, contribute to and attend training events for council.

3.4 Liaise with other local groups and charities and attend and contribute to service promotion and events.

3.5 As required, contribute to and attend training events for council and NHS staff

3.6 Support in gathering customer feedback, including testimonials, assisting in survey design and collating reviews.

4 General

4.1 The post holder is expected to work within and actively promote the charity’s mission, vision and values to other staff members, and to comply with all Independent Lives policies and procedures.

4.2 Annual objectives will be set for this role which will be used to monitor and evaluate performance within the appraisal system.

4.3 Other tasks within the remit of the job may be required from time to time.

4.4 The job description will be kept under review to ensure that it remains up to date.

4.5 The job holder will be consulted about any proposed changes to the role.

Person Specification

Experience	Essential	Desirable
Knowledge or experience of providing empowering supportpreferably within a social services environment or via personalexperience.	X
Experience of working with Direct Payments users and supportingset up of PA employment requirements.		X
Experience of working in a customer service environment	X
Experience of managing a caseload with competing priorities	X
Experience of presenting to groups or delivering training sessions		X
Experience of researching, signposting, collecting and summarisinginformation based on people's individual needs	×
Experience of working to high quality standards	X
Experience of working within a quality standards framework		X
Experience of using Microsoft products including but not limited toDynamics CRM, MS Teams &t SharePoint.		X
Experience or ability to explain complex information in anaccessible way		X
Experience or ability to liaise and promote joint working withother professionals	X
Some understanding of adult and child protection issues and theability to work within safeguarding protocols, ensuring accuraterecording and reporting	X
Experience of working with vulnerable adults		X
Values
Person Centered - placing the customer at the heart of everythingwe do	X
Inclusive - compassionate and understanding of others	X
Innovative - A good listener and able to develop support to meetpeople's needs	X
Excellence - Reliable and showing commitment to teamwork	X
Skills, Knowledge &t Aptitudes
Knowledge of Direct Payments and Health and Social Care Budgetsand their legislative framework		X
Knowledge of basic employment law and the ability to apply thatknowledge in an advice and guidance setting		X
Strong understanding of the social model of disability and wilingto promote its ethos and principles	X
Self-motivated with a strong focus on achieving targets andobjectives	X
Results-oriented, able to manage time and priorities effectivelywith a clear focus on setting and achieving high quality outcomes	X
Have suficient numeracy skills to calculate straightforwardcustomer budgets and rotas etc.	X
Empathetic with an ability to see things from the other people'sperspectives	×
Excellent telephone and written communication skills using plainEnglish. Attention to clarity and detail of communications;maintaining accurate documentation.	X
"Can do" attitude	X	[]
Other
Well-presented and business-like	X	[
Car owner and driver with full, clean driving licence.	X
Willing to undertake further training relevant to the post	X