Generalist Adviser

Generalist Adviser
Job pack

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

In this pack, you’ll find:

•  Our values
•  3  things you should know about Citizens Advice
•  Overview of Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Brent
•  The role profile and personal specification

Want to chat about this role?
If you want to chat about the role further, you can contact the Head of Service
by emailing recruitment@cabrent.org.uk or calling 07392702125

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 Our values

1.  Respect and integrity: We act ethically and transparently in the way we conduct our
services and treat all employees, clients and stakeholders with dignity, consideration
and understanding.

2.  Passion – We are passionate about the work we do and are committed to making a
positive impact on society. We have a strong sense of public purpose that drives our
work and ensures that our clients receive the right information and advice at the right
time, to help them make informed, confident decisions.

3.  Ambition – We are ambitious in our vision and are committed to positive change. To

achieve this, we are bold when making decisions and challenging conventional
thinking, and we use available evidence and sound judgment to do this.

4.  Creativity – We foster and sustain an environment which is inclusive, innovative,

problem-solving, adaptable and flexible as to how issues are solved. From this, we
gain greater knowledge and confidence in our abilities to enhance our individual and
collective performances and to deliver a high-quality service to our clients to secure
the best possible outcomes.

5.  Excellence – We challenge ourselves to strive towards excellence, embracing

continuous improvement and constantly learning from our collective experience. We
take responsibility for our decisions and actions and together, we are helpful,
supportive and motivated to work at our best.

6.  Diversity and inclusion: we promote equity, diversity and inclusion, contributing to a

rich and dynamic workplace, fostering innovation and employee well-being.

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.

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Generalist Adviser role profile

Role: Generalist Adviser
Reports to: Head of Service

Hours: Full-time (37.5 hours per week)
Contract: Permanent
Salary:  £31,000 - £33,000 per annum basic salary

The role
To provide Brent residents with free advice that is accurate, effective, and tailored to
individuals’ circumstances.   This could be face-to-face advice or by telephone or

other digital media.

This includes:

•  Providing in-depth quality advice

•  Conducting income maximisation reviews and supporting income take-ups

•  Making grants, other hardship schemes or discretionary funds applications

•  Conducting casework where necessary to progress a presented issue.

•  Referring residents and service users to other financial and non-financial

support schemes and organisations based on individual needs.

•  Researching relevant information using appropriate information sources

•  Ensuring your work reflects and supports the Citizens Advice service’s

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy.

•  Assisting with research and campaign work

•  Maintaining detailed case records and data entries that meet all auditing,

quality standards and CAB funders’ requirements.

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Role profile

Advice giving

•  Conducting advice Interviews using sensitive listening and questioning

techniques

•  Enabling residents to explain their issue/s and empowering them to set their

own priorities.

•  Researching, interpreting and communicating relevant information to enable
residents to receive comprehensive and tailored advice on their option/s.

•  Providing advice on all available and suitable options, including their

advantages, disadvantages and implications or consequences, enabling

residents and other clients to make informed decisions on their option/s.

•  Supporting clients with income maximisation, including better-off calculations

and welfare benefit claims.

•  Drafting or writing letters to or negotiating with third parties, such as statutory

and non-statutory bodies, in appropriate cases on behalf of clients.

•  Ensuring all work conforms to the organisation’s processes and procedures

•  Ensuring all work meets all appropriate quality standards and funders’

requirements.

•  Maintaining timely, accurate and detailed case records
•  Complying with data collection requirements to enable information retrieval,

statistical monitoring and report preparation.

•  Ensuring all work reflects and supports the organisation’s services and

policies, including the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy.

Research and Campaigns

•  Assisting with research and campaign work by providing information and

appropriate case studies and participating in Citizens Advice and approved
funders’ research and campaign initiatives.

•  Recognising the root causes of problems and alerting clients to research and

campaign options.

•  Responding to Citizens Advice Network Panel or funders surveys and submit

evidence forms as appropriate.

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Professional Development

•  Keeping up to date with relevant legislation, case law, code of practice,

policies and procedures, and advice publications and resources.

•  Undertaking appropriate Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

training to comply with quality assurance and funders' requirements, including
achieving relevant CPD points to maintain professional body membership,

where required.

•  Taking initiative for own CPD and self-development.

•  Maintaining an up-to-date record of all training sessions

•  Preparing for and attending supervision sessions

Administration

•  Attending relevant internal and external meetings as agreed with the line

manager

•  manager.

•  Attending support and supervision and team/staff meetings

•  Using Citizens Advice Case Management System and Office Diary to record

deadlines and carry out the tasks of the post.

•  Using IT software for statistical recording of information relating to research
and campaigns and funding requirements, record keeping and document

production.

•  Ensuring all work conforms to the organisation’s systems and procedures.

Other duties and responsibilities

•  Meeting personal targets and milestones

•  Working collaboratively to meet service-wide targets and key performance

indicators, including funders' social value requirements.

•  Carrying out any task that may be within the scope of the post to ensure the

•  effective delivery and development of the service.

•  Attending team meetings/staff meetings as appropriate.
•  Demonstrating commitment to the aims and policies of Citizens Advice
•  Abiding by health and safety guidelines and sharing responsibility for your

safety and that of your colleagues.

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Person specification

Essential Criteria

1.  Demonstrable knowledge and experience advising and conducting casework,

particularly in social welfare benefits, debt, housing, and employment.

2.  Hold relevant qualification/s or are close to achieving this.
3.  Experience dealing with challenging cases or vulnerable clients

4.  Experience of adhering to and meeting Advice Quality Standards
5.  Commit to Continuous Professional Development, including a willingness to

self-develop knowledge and skills.

6.  Have essential IT and telephone skills and the ability to use an online-based

Client Management System (CMS) to deliver advice across multiple channels
and maintain case records

7.  Ability and experience in collating data to support funders’ monitoring and

reporting requirements

8.  Experience or willingness to work in outreach settings with an understanding

of information assurance and safety in those settings.

9.  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 advice

interviews and other similar meetings

10.  Have a good understanding of the FCA's new Consumer Duty

11.  Have a good, up-to-date understanding of the application of Equality, Diversity

and Inclusion to the provision of advice.

Desirable criteria
At least 2 years post-qualification as a generalist adviser or equivalent qualifications.

Notes:
Candidates must demonstrate how they meet the essential criteria in the
specification to be shortlisted for an interview.

In accordance with Citizens Advice's national policy and funders’ requirements, we
will require the successful candidate to be screened by the DBS. However, a criminal

record will not necessarily be a bar to your being able to take up the job.
NB Only candidates who meet the essential criteria above will be contacted and
invited for an interview.

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