Job Description

Community Support Engagement Officer Housing/Employment

Fixed Term, Full Time

\xc2\xa329,741 to \xc2\xa334,001 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style:

Closing Date: 27th August 2023

The Role

An exciting new opportunity has arisen in this highly performing Mid Essex team. This is to lead on a new project funded by Department Work & Pensions, in Partnership with Chelmsford City Council. The work of a CSEO is to build strong professional relationships with a range of organisations such as Housing associations, local authorities and voluntary sector.

We are offering this role on a Fixed Term Contract for 12 months.

The CSEO will specialise in supporting families who have complex needs that could put them at risk of homelessness and financial exclusion. Working closely with these families and professionals to identify the risks early and prevent crisis, reducing inequalities by offering a bespoke, cohesive, robust, and innovative system of support.

Family Solutions is an Early Help service in Essex working holistically with disadvantage families with multiple difficulties to enable them to make significant changes and improvements to their lives.

Here in Essex, we continue to raise the bar about practice and our investment in our workforce is second to none. It\'s an exciting time to join us. Not only have we been named Outstanding by Ofsted, we are delighted and at the same time humbled to have been crowned Social Work Employer of the Year for the second time in the last three years!

Essex County Council (ECC) is one of the largest and most dynamic local authorities in the UK, serving a population of 2 million residents, and has a very successful track record of delivering transformational change. ECC anticipated change was needed in the public sector and has worked to deliver better quality at lower cost. We have an ambitious transformation agenda - one with the scope to reach every part of the council. We are changing the way we think, the way we work, and the ways in which we deliver our services. We are committed to becoming a place where individuals, partners and communities feel proud to play their role and genuinely want to belong. We\'re immensely proud of our flexible working options.

Accountabilities

Key aspects of the work include:

• Provide both practical and specialist housing and employment advice as well acting as a lead coordinator for additional support services where appropriate.
• To build professional networks to identify those at risk of homelessness; in temporary accommodation, risk losing tenancies, sofa surfing, losing their home due to debt of change in partnership status or risk of repossession and supporting families to resolve living arrangement issues together with moving them closer to employment.
• Project management to create, enhance and drive this funding opportunity forward using a collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach with partners, with responsibility to meet funding targets, write individual action plans and monthly progress reports.
• To set up Advice Clinics/Workshops; working with housing associations, DWP and voluntary sector to interact in venues accessible to offer support reaching out to vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups.
• Managing safeguarding risks to children and promoting positive change with families.
• Taking the lead on housing professional practice for the team and children\'s services through supporting team members, and liaising with professionals outside of Family Solutions.
• To increase social mobility for this cohort and move them closer to employment and reduce the risk of financial exclusion.
• To have a good understanding of housing legislation and be able facilitate training to professionals to allow them to understand the challenges faced within the housing sector and have clear vision when advising families.
• Working with professionals to increase their understanding and promoting the legal duties of some organisations to refer households at risk of homelessness, alerting, them and building awareness of the indicators of possible homelessness so that families can be identified at the earliest opportunity.

The Mid Essex team are extremely supportive, and the post holder will be supervised by an experienced manager, colleagues within the Local Housing Authority, in addition to support from the funding organisation to meet appropriate targets. CSEO will also utilise support from colleagues who have specialisms in different areas.

The post holder will be expected to operate flexibly, working out of normal office hours when required to best meet the needs of the family. This post is office and community based.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Educated to degree level preferred or equivalent by experience in relevant housing, job coaching and financial knowledge or family work specialisms.
• Evidence of continuing professional development with good knowledge in relevant professional area and commitment to the principles of evidence-based practice
• Significant practical experience of working with vulnerable parents at risk of homelessness or at risk of financial exclusion.
• Effective communication skills, good problem solving and assessment skills with a demonstrable track record of building and sustaining positive professional relationships with individuals and families with multiple and complex needs.
• Excellent presenting skills to be able to facilitate workshops and training to colleagues and partners and to drive collaboration to encourage multi-agency Team around the family forums.
• Determination and ambition to drive this initiative to success using project management skills.
• Some understanding and knowledge of housing and homelessness legislation and the role of relevant agencies.
• Ability to work in partnership with families, statutory and non-statutory agencies to maximise outcomes for families in line with the Family Solutions operating principles.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team and to use supervision appropriately.

The successful candidate will need to travel independently across Chelmsford by car. Driving licence and car is essential

To read more about us please visit:

Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England\'s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest - Basildon and Harlow - are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We\'re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We\'re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

What you should do next

If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

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