Welfare Benefits & Money Advice Worker at FISCUS

Contract Type: Fixed term

Role Type: Employment

Hours: Full or Part time

Application deadline: Thursday, May 1, 2025 - 00:00

Based: Sunderland

Salary: £29,000 Per Annum

Salary Type: Fixed Salary

Location: Tyne and Wear

Role description: Officer

FISCUS is a registered charity based at the Coop Centre in Hendon, Sunderland.  We are delighted to be recruiting a full-time Welfare Benefits & Money Advice Worker to our growing FISCUS Team!  Part of a 5-year project, this new post is funded until 2029 via the Access to Justice Foundation, Improving Lives Through Advice (ILTA) programme.  In the first year, the post is also part-funded via Northern Gas Networks (NGN) as part of our new Centre for Warmth initiative.  All funding is secured for the post until September 2029.

The Welfare Benefits & Money Advice Worker will be a key part of FISCUS team of staff and volunteers. They will manage their own caseload of service users and record Advice Work, Engagement Activities, Referrals and Outcomes on Advice Pro our case management system (training is provided). The successful candidate will also support our new FISCUS Centre for Warmth pilot project.  You will receive advice referrals from our Centre for Warmth Energy Team and we will provide you with a range of energy-related training to enable you to support people experiencing hardship and those in or at risk of fuel poverty.  This is a very interesting and varied post and you will undertake relevant training to support you in your role.

At FISCUS we care about people affected by financial hardship and poverty. Our customers often experience further barriers, for example, due to mental health issues, domestic violence issues, drugs and alcohol misuse and homelessness.  The Welfare Benefits & Money Advice Worker deliver advice from FISCUS Coop Centre and from our community partner outreach venues.  At FISCUS, we strive to make a real difference to people’s lives. 

We’re passionate and hardworking, and we love what we do. So, come and join us and apply today.  FISCUS is a registered charity (Charity No.1151656) established 20 years ago in 2005.

Key tasks:

• Provide Welfare benefits advice and support to individuals and families facing hardship, in or at risk of fuel poverty
• Helping people to maximise income by advising on welfare benefits entitlements, better-off calculations, budgeting advice and money advice
• Benefit application support and completion
• Liaison with, and signposting to, specialist housing and homelessness providers
• Applying for crisis grant funding on behalf of service users
• Providing Energy Advice (training will be provided) and Fuel Poverty Advice to people experiencing financial hardship and in or at risk of fuel poverty
• Promote the Priority Services Register (PSR) to vulnerable people and raise awareness of the dangers of Carbon Monoxide in the home (training provided)
• Making appropriate referrals to specialist organisations for additional help with related specialist issues, e.g. employment, family, housing issues, drugs and alcohol
• Refer into FISCUS team for crisis support such as our Bundles for Babies Baby Bank, our Community Clothes Bank and Community Food Bank
• Issue Food Parcel Vouchers to people facing hunger and hardship for use at Food Banks across Sunderland
• Meeting project targets and maintaining high-quality standards
• Keeping accurate case records on Advice Pro (training will be given)
• Produce written reports monthly & quarterly including progress, outputs, data and case studies
• Ensuring all work conforms to correct procedures and maintaining confidentiality at all times
• Keeping up to date with and complying with GDPR
• Support a new Trainee Benefits Advisor and volunteers

Debt / Money Advice (training can be provided)

• Identifying debt reduction options including insolvency options and explaining implications, enabling clients to make informed decisions
• Acting for client and negotiating with creditors and debt enforcement agencies
• Preparing a Standard Financial Statement (SFS), holding action, making offers of payments (pro rata, token, and lump sum offers, deductions from benefits), debt write-offs, payment moratorium, etc
• Budgeting advice, fuel poverty advice and advising on shopping on a low-income
• Refer to Specialist agencies for insolvency options including:  Debt Relief Orders, IVA’s, Bankruptcy

JOIN OUR FISCUS TEAM

If you’re looking for a great new job opportunity, then let us tell you more about what it’s like to be one of us!

The Welfare Benefits & Money Advice Worker will be a key part of FISCUS team of staff and volunteers. They will manage their own caseload of service users and record Advice Work, Engagement Activities, Referrals and Outcomes on Advice Pro (training is provided).

At FISCUS we care about people affected by financial hardship and poverty. Our customers often experience further barriers for example, due to mental health issues, domestic violence issues, drugs and alcohol misuse and homelessness.  The Welfare Benefits & Money Advice Worker will deliver advice at FISCUS Coop Centre and also via outreach from our community partner venues such as Sunderland Bangladesh International Centre and Community Food Banks across Sunderland. At FISCUS, we strive to make a real difference to people’s lives.  We need like-minded people just like you to help us make a difference!  

We’re passionate and hardworking, and we love what we do. So, come and join us and apply today.  FISCUS is a registered charity (Charity No.1151656) established 20 years ago in 2005.

How do I Apply?  To request a Job Description & Person Specification please email courtneyknowles@fiscus.org

To apply, please email your CV along with a covering letter outlining your experience relevant to this post, to: courtneyknowles@fiscus.org

CLOSING DATE:  Thursday 1^st May 2025

INTERVIEW DATES:   Interviews will take place at FISCUS COOP Centre, Whitehouse Road, Hendon, Sunderland, SR2 8AH on Wednesday 7^th and Thursday 8^th May 2025

We anticipate a high number of applications for this post and may need to close the vacancy early; therefore, it is advised to submit your application as soon as possible.

FISCUS is an inclusive employer and encourages applications from individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments within the recruitment process, please let us know.

FISCUS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults and children and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.  An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) disclosure is required for this post.