CITIZENS ADVICE NEW FOREST

Housing Adviser

Job pack

Thank you for your interest in working within the Citizens Advice service. This job

pack should give you everything you need to know to apply for this role and

what it means to work within the Citizens Advice service.

In this pack you’ll find:

●  Our values

●

3 things you should know about us

●  Overview of the Citizens Advice service

●  Overview of the Housing Adviser role

●  Role Profile and Person Specification

●  Our approach to Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)

●

Further information and how to apply

 Our values

Values to help us achieve our cultural ambition: an inclusive, purpose driven

workplace that listens, works together, is open and honest, accessible and

helps everyone be the best they can be.

Purpose driven we always focus on the people who need our help.

People focused we recognise, value and reward contributions and talents in

an open, fair, and meaningful way.

Collaborative we build relationships across teams and locations to foster

innovation and inclusive ways of working.

Transparent we are open and honest, sharing information early and often

whenever we can.

  3 things you should know
about us

1. We’re local and we’re national. Citizens Advice have 4 national offices and

offer direct support to people across England, Wales and the Channel Islands

in 236 independent local Citizens Advice services, including within the New

Forest.

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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  Overview of the

Citizens Advice service

The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of 236 independent local Citizens

Advice charities across England, Wales and the Channel Islands, and the national

charity. The role of the national charity is to enable local Citizens Advice to deliver

their services and jointly deliver other services at a national level, including the

website.

Citizens Advice provide support from:

●    511 local Citizens Advice offices in communities across England and Wales
●    over 1,166 outreaches in local communities, such as GPs’ surgeries, hospitals,

libraries, prisons and community centres

●  the Witness Service, available in 234 criminal courts across England and Wales

Across the whole of Citizens Advice, the service is delivered by around:

●    10,000 local staff

●    19,500 volunteers

We help millions of people every year with free, independent and expert advice
across the broadest range of areas – from money and debt to benefits, housing,
energy, work and so much more.

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  Overview of the

Housing Adviser role

As the Housing Adviser, you will work oversee the delivery of our housing advice

service across the New Forest, especially with those that are under threat of

homelessness. You will ensure that our service is accessible, high-quality and

meets the needs of the local community. This support will be through a mix of

face to face, telephone and online client appointments.

This role would suit a trained debt or benefits adviser, however, we would also
be keen to hear from candidates who have transferable skills and are willing to
undergo training in housing advice – full training will be available for the right
candidate.

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  Role Profile

Job Title

Housing Adviser

Reporting to

Project Operations Manager

Annual Salary

£26,200 (FTE) with salary review on successful completion
of probation

Hours of work

Part-time 30 hours per week, job share considered

Location

Flexible to suit applicant, with some travel across the New
Forest area

Holiday

25 days per annum (pro rata) plus Bank Holidays

Key

Housing Options

Responsibilities

  Take referrals from clients that approach Citizens

Advice under threat of homelessness, as well as

from New Forest District Council (NFDC) and third

parties.

  Give proactive, timely housing options advice to

those that may be at risk, with a view to avoiding

future homelessness.

  Provide support to clients with challenges to

housing bandings.

  Negotiate with landlords and other housing

stakeholders to resolve housing disputes and

prevent loss of accommodation.

  Ensure clients are promptly signposted to other

specialist advisers (within Citizens Advice and third

parties) to deal with any issues that may increase

their threat of homelessness.

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  Record and report on session delivery and

outcomes for individual clients in line with the

project outcomes and Citizens Advice quality and

other standards.

Individual Financial Capability

  Support clients to maximise their income to ensure

they are in best position to avoid homelessness.
  Undertake budgeting work with clients to ensure

that future housing options are affordable and

sustainable.



In all other aspects, deliver basic financial education

to help individuals make better budgeting,

borrowing, saving and banking decisions,

encouraging them to manage their finances more

effectively and take control before they reach crisis

point.

  Ensure all client data is handled securely and in line

with data protection requirements.

Liaison with New Forest District Council (NFDC)

  Build and sustain strong relationships with key

contacts within the NFDC housing team.
  Be the primary contact for all NFDC enquiries

regarding clients at risk of homelessness.

  Provide feedback to NFDC on project progress and

options for service design improvements, as

required.

  Ensure all client data is handled securely and in line

with data sharing agreements.

Use of Systems & Technology

  Use laptop, photocopier, phone systems, scanner,

and other office equipment as appropriate.

  Use various software applications as necessary for

the work involved, e.g. MS 365, including Word,

PowerPoint & Excel.

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Project Administration

  Undertake all relevant administrative and support

duties required to ensure the smooth running of

the project.

  Record, update and maintain information on a case

management system for the purpose of continuity

of casework, information retrieval, statistical

monitoring and report preparation.

Professional Development

  Keep up to date with legislation, case law, policies

and procedures relating to housing and financial

capability advice and undertake appropriate

training.

  Read relevant publications.
  Attend relevant internal and external meetings as

agreed with the line manager.

  Prepare for and attend project related meetings, as

appropriate.

  Maintain necessary records of professional learning

and development achieved within the role.

Other

  Complete induction and mandatory training

relevant to your role.

  Work within our organisational key principles,

policies & procedures.

  Embed Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in day-

to-day work.

  Work effectively both independently and

collaboratively in teams.

  Undertake any other duties as might be reasonably

required within the scope of this role.

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  Person Specification

Essential Criteria

  Experience of working one-on-one with individuals, whether in an

advice or training environment.

  Experience of working in a customer facing role.
  Ability to use sensitive listening and questioning skills to get to the root

of an issue whilst maintaining structure and control of meetings.
  The ability to interpret information and present options to clients,

thereby assisting them to take control of their finances.
  Confidence to deliver engaging and empowering advice.
  Confidence with financial information.
  Ability to deliver difficult messages with empathy.
  A good standard of written and verbal communication skills.
  Ability and willingness to work as part of a team, as well as ability to act

on own initiative.

  Experience of IT systems and packages such as MS 365 or similar.
  Ability to commit to and work within the aims, principles and policies

of the Citizens Advice service.

  A good up to date understanding of equality and diversity and its

application to the provision of advice and support to the public.
  A commitment to continuous professional development, including a

willingness to develop knowledge and skills in financial advice topics.
  Ability to travel across the New Forest to deliver client advice (will likely

require own transport due to rural nature of district).

Desirable Criteria

  Knowledge of the Citizens Advice network and its advice frameworks.
  Knowledge of the issues faced by people due to the cost-of-living crisis.
  Experience of managing change and driving service improvements.
  Knowledge of safeguarding policies and procedures.

Additional Requirements

  The role requires travel within the New Forest, hence a reliable means

of transport is essential. Candidates who can drive and own a vehicle

insured for business purposes will be well-suited for this position.

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Our approach to Equity, Diversity

and Inclusion (EDI)

EDI is of strategic importance within Citizens Advice New Forest (CANF) and
recognised as integral to all we do as a service.

Central to pursuing our EDI mission is building diverse and inclusive teams in
which everyone has a sense of belonging. We particularly welcome applications
from people we would like to see better represented in our organisation and
sector - people of colour, LGBTQ+ people and disabled people.

We are also a flexible employer, so our roles may suit anyone who’d prefer a
flexible arrangement to help their work/life balance.

Further information & how to apply

If you would like to discuss this role further, please email jobs@canf.uk

To apply for this role, please send a CV and cover letter (no more 500 words) to
jobs@canf.uk  to explain how your skills and experience fit with the
requirements of this role. Applications will only be accepted on receipt of a
CV and cover letter to this email address.

Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis and the closing date for this role
is 12th February 2026.

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