Information & Advice Officer
JOB DESCRIPTION: Information & Advice/First Contact Officer
Reporting to: Service Manager
Salary: £8,052 for 15 hours (£18,782 FTE)
Terms: Permanent
Hours of work: 10-15 hours a week
Background
Age UK Buckinghamshire’s mission statement is ‘We put the interests of older people living in Buckinghamshire at the centre of everything we do by helping them achieve and maintain their independence and wellbeing’.
We do this by working together to improve older adults’ physical, cognitive, social and financial ‘health’, so they can achieve and maintain their independence and sense of well-being for longer.
We currently support older people with a range of services, including Information and Advice, Welfare Benefits Service, Befriending Service and Discharge Support Service which features support to get home from hospital and up to 6 weeks practical community support aimed at preventing readmission. We also provide a range of Home Services provided by qualified agents in housekeeping, gardening, toe nail cutting, hairdressing, DIY and 1-1 computer training.
We have grown as an organisation recently, expanding our services and increasing staff numbers as we endeavour to meet the needs of older people in the county. We are under increasing demand for all our services. Our Information & Advice team are the gateway to these services as well as to a range of information, advice and guidance aimed at enabling older people to maintain their wellbeing and independence for as long as possible.
The role
This new role will sit within our Community Services, within an established Information and Advice team. You will be responding to and processing enquiries into the service, liaising with our clients, carers and key partners to ensure we provide timely, accessible and accurate information and advice so that the individual can make an informed choice regarding their own care and support.
It is an important time to be extending our services and if you are excited by this prospect, we would love to talk to you.
Job purpose
To provide information and advice as appropriate, including signposting to other services / organisations, by telephone, email, virtual platform and face-to-face.
Main tasks and responsibilities
- To answer and respond to queries coming into the organisation, logging each call on Charitylog, the Charity’s database and giving information and advice as appropriate.
- To explore the nature of the client enquiry and, where appropriate, the wider circumstances to gain as full an understanding as possible.
- To identify and research information relevant to the client’s situation, drawing on all relevant resources.
- To present and discuss information with the client on the most accessible format, to support them to identify a suitable solution or course of action.
- To signpost and/or refer to other services, both within and outside of Age UK Bucks. This may involve processing internal and external referrals.
- Undertake administrative duties to support the work of the Information & Advice team and AUKB.
- To perform general clerical and office duties as necessary, including photocopying, franking post etc.
- To attend meetings, training sessions and support and supervision meetings as required
Person specification
Essential requirements
- Experience of dealing effectively with telephone and in-person callers
- Sensitivity to older people’s needs and callers in distress
- Excellent communication skills, including the ability to adapt communication as required
- Ability to prioritise tasks with good organisational skills
- Personable and able to motivate and support colleagues and volunteers
- Ability to remain calm under pressure and manage a wide range of tasks
- Ability to work as part of a team
Desirable
- Experience of providing information and advice by telephone, email and face-to-face
- Experience working with volunteers
- Experience of inputting data onto database systems and the ability to retrieve statistical information as required
- General administrative experience
- Knowledge of health and social care systems
- Excellent standards of literacy and numeracy
Organisational requirements
Commitment to the aims and values of the organisation:
- Enabling: We assist older people to live independently and exercise choice
- Influential: We listen to older people, represent their interests and ensure their voices are heard
- Dynamic: We are innovative, driven by results and consistently deliver for older people
- Caring: We are passionate about what we do and care about each individual
- Expert: We are authoritative, trusted and quality orientated
Awareness of health, safety and welfare of staff, volunteers and members of the public
This job description may change from time to time according to the needs of the organisation.
How to apply
To apply, please download the application form below. Complete the form and send it to recruitment@ageukbucks.org.uk
If you have any questions please email or phone us on 01296 431 911.