Allocations Officer – Manchester -#000383491

Job Description

Role Profile

Allocations Officer, Grade 5

Homelessness Service, Children and Families Directorate

Reports to: Team Leader

Job Family: People Care & Support Direct

Key Role Descriptors:

Two Allocations officers are required to work within a very busy allocations team at Manchester Town Hall Extension.

You will be required to secure temporary accommodation for applicants that are owed a homeless duty.

You will be required to have excellent IT  skills and  experience of completing Housing Benefit Claim forms.

You must have excellent communication skills as you will be required to communicate with clients over the telephone.

You will be required to use multiple data bases to record client information. 

You must be flexible and able to work as part of a team due to the requirements of the role you must be prepared to stay up to 18.00 or later on rota basis as when required.

The role holder will adopt a person-centred approach and will co-ordinate and develop plans to increase independence and raise aspirations for service users.

The role holder will carry out assessments to determine service users’ needs and provide appropriate support to ensure that outcomes are achieved within required timescales.

The role holder will work collaboratively with partner agencies and stakeholders to ensure that service users are able to access community and national services to achieve their identified outcomes.

Key Role Accountabilities:

Provide intensive support for customers with complex support needs offering holistic support plans that agree individual targets and work towards the achievement of longer term solutions and aspirations.

Assist customers to identify realistic goals, by providing choice and developing actions, ensuring full commitment and agreement from all parties to ensure the achievement of identified targets.

Adopt a flexible and personalised approach when working with service users and their families to enable the development of confidence and resilience and to help service users achieve independence and control of their own lives.

Maintain accurate, up to date records and collect data and information to evidence performance around service delivery to ensure achievement of internal and external targets.

Roles at this level may be required to undertake management duties, either through direct line management of a team (including appraisals, performance management and other duties) or through matrix management of a virtual team of officers.

Personal commitment to continuous self development and service improvement.

Through personal example, open commitment and clear action, ensure diversity is positively valued, resulting in equal access and treatment in employment, service delivery and communications

Where the roleholder is disabled every effort will be made to supply all necessary aids, adaptations or equipment to allow them to carry out all the duties of the role. If, however, a certain task proves to be unachievable, job redesign will be given full consideration.

Role portfolio:

The Allocations Team sits within Manchester City’s Council’s Homelessness Services. It works to identify suitable emergency temporary accommodation and longer term temporary accommodation, either in dispersed accommodation, in-house or external providers, for households that present as homeless.

Identifying and securing emergency accommodation on the day for households, inspecting properties for the dispersed accommodation scheme, as well as liaising with providers, owners and agents.

Homeless people and applicants may present with complex issues and may be vulnerable. The role can be challenging and demanding, as the work will include working issues relating to drugs, alcohol, mental health and physical health problems. The team works closely with other services to ensure the best outcomes for the client group.

The role holder will be responsible for all aspects of the offering and placement of homeless households in temporary accommodation, ensuring accommodation offered is suitable and discharges homelessness duties in a timely and cost effective manner.

The role holder will secure properties for homeless households and other customers, including the provision of emergency temporary accommodation, ensuring it is suitable for customer needs.

Establish and maintain effective relationships with service users and stakeholders, liaising to ensure successful outcomes and that the service responds appropriately to the needs of its users.

Identify properties and negotiate with landlord/agents in order to procure these at the best available terms for MCC where applicable. Inspect properties to the required standard, liaise with providers, owners and agents where needed to ensure that tenancies are sustainable.

Allocations Officer – Key Behaviours, Skills and Technical Requirements

Our Manchester Behaviours

● We are proud and passionate about Manchester

● We take time to listen and understand

● We ‘own it’ and we’re not afraid to try new things

● We work together and trust each other

Generic Skills

● Communication Skills: Ability to communicate clearly, concisely, accurately and in ways that promote understanding.

● Planning and Organising Skills: Demonstrate the ability to organise multiple tasks in the most effective way and allocate time and energy according to task complexity and priority.

● Creative Skills: Ability to think creatively and provide innovative solutions to problems. Has ability to develop new approaches to finding solutions outside of existing parameters.

● Problem Solving and Decision Making Skills: Ability to analyse situations, diagnose problems, identify the key issues, establish and evaluate alternative courses of action and produce a logical, practical and acceptable solution. Ability to make effective decisions on a day-to-day basis, taking ownership of decisions, demonstrating sound judgment in escalating issue where necessary. Be logical in thinking and explain reasoning behind decisions or actions taken.

● Administrative Skills: Good level of literacy and numeracy skills to undertake calculations and produce letters and other documentation.

● IT Skills: Skills to use ICT systems to obtain and analyse data and present it effectively through a variety of ICT channels.

Technical requirements (Role Specific)

● Must consent to and apply for an enhanced DBS disclosure check.

● Must consent to and apply for a BPSS check

What’s on offer?

• Excellent competitive pay rate
• Excellent management structure with experienced leaders
• Desirable location with excellent transport links
• A stable and well-supported working environment

You must have:

• Enhanced DBS

Benefits of working with Semester.co.uk:

• Free on-going training opportunities upon registering as part of our commitment to you.
• Competitive Rates of pay
• In house payroll, providing weekly payments and support
• Enhanced DBS completed.
• Support and expert advice from an approachable, dedicated and friendly team
• An assigned dedicated & experienced consultant
• Various employment opportunities in your preferred geographical area
• Flexible hours to meet your needs, full or part time
• Recommend a friend bonus scheme
• “Find your own job” bonus – get £250 for bringing your own position to us *

If you would like to find out more information about this role, or the other opportunities Semester.co.uk have available feel free to click the 'Apply' button below or contact the team on 01977 624 376.

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