Co-ordinator of Homelessness and Support Services

Company Description

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Purpose of the post
•Ensure that the people of Gwynedd are at the heart of everything we do
•Assist the Service Manager in ensuring that the team(s) being led delivers effectively and efficiently what is important to the people of Gwynedd by creating and maintaining a respectful and trusting atmosphere, empowering, and inspiring staff.
•Lead the team across the county to effectively and efficiently provide services and support to help people who present as homeless in Gwynedd in accordance with relevant legislation, policies and Council procedures.
Responsibility for functions
•Homelessness team staff members
•Management of support contracts in Supported Accommodation developments across the county
•Managements of the Homelessness Hostels
•Personal work equipment (over £500)
•Cash (hundreds)
Main duties
Assist the Service Manager to:
•Help the team review and challenge its performance
•Create and maintain an environment that enables all team members contribute and make decisions to provide the best possible service
•Ensure an environment of trust and accountability within the team ensuring appropriate communication with and within the team.
•Encourage the team to be innovative, daring and learn from experience in order to improve performance
•Coach and/or mentor the team to identify and act in a timely manner in order to eliminate barriers that prevent the ability to deliver what is important to the people of Gwynedd
•Assist to facilitate personal development of team members
•Operate in a flexible manner within the team operating principles to deliver what is important to Gwynedd residents.
•Continuously search for ways to improve the service, identifying matters that prevent the team from delivering effectively and efficiently and act to solve them.
•Contribute and make decisions in order to deliver what is important to the people of Gwynedd
•Act proactively; be open to thinking differently; be energetic and committed with personal integrity in order to fulfil the above role.
•Ensure, by encouraging and motivating, that the team’s staff Tim takes ownership of the Ffordd Gwynedd principles
•Ensure an environment within the team that promotes and encourages staff well-being
•Ensure that the team contributes towards the service objective, or those of other establishments who try to deliver what is important to the people of Gwynedd.
•Promote the need to identify and act on future threats and opportunities, including preventative steps
•Lead change in the team withing the service area where change is needed
•Develop individuals and teams ensuring that they have the required to fulfil the roles needed now and in the future
MAIN DUTIES
•Responsibility for coordinating and leading the day-to-day work of the Homelessness and Support team
•Ensuring that the team acts in strong, reasonable and professional manner when advising or acting on service requests, ensuring an ethos of compassion and the hunger to help improve the living circumstances of vulnerable families.
•Ensuring that the Council responds appropriately and fully to homelessness maters.
•Look for opportunities to present, and lead on other strategic homelessness projects which will improve our homelessness provision service in Gwynedd.
•Establish and maintain support provision contracts in new “Supported Accommodation” developments throughout the county.
•Ensure the provision of appropriate private sector options (and other housing leased by our public partners) in order to house homeless individuals temporarily and permanently.
•Manage tenancies provided by the Council to individuals housed in Supported Accommodation.
•Monitor that support provision contracts work effectively.
•Provide technical and professional guidance on Homelessness and Strategic Projects matters when required to officers within the team, the Manager Head of Service and Members.
•Act as lead officer on technical and professional Homeless and Strategic Projects matters within the Council.
•Assist and support the Manager to ensure that strategic schemes related to the work field in Gwynedd are delivered effectively and efficiently.
•Ensure that the Homelessness team acts in accordance with relevant legislation, regulations, guidelines and policies.
•Attend meetings, Committees, Sub-Committees or working groups when needed, including co-ordinating with agencies and other councils relevant to the duties of the service and Department.
•Prepare statistical and financial reports as and when required.
•Ensure that the team operates within budgets available to them to run the service and be open to the need to ensure best value for money at all times, identifying opportunities to improve the financial efficiency of the team, Service and Department.
•Collaborate with others on specific projects related with homelessness and housing matters including supporting other teams to deliver their own purposes.
•Support the Manager and Head of Service to deliver services and projects in the Council’s Housing Action Plan.
•Create relationships and partnerships in order to promote close collaboration with other public and third sector bodies operating in the homelessness/housing field.
•Regularly identify, review and monitor any Health and Safety risks to staff and/or clients
•Ensure that the team has effective and efficient IT systems to facilitate service provision, moving to digital operating systems.
•Undertake other reasonable duties related to the Housing service as part of the Service management team.
•Contribute towards the success, prosperity and the development of the Housing and Property Department, including contributing in departmental management/team leader meetings.
•Ensure compliance with Health and Safety rules in the workplace in accordance with the responsibilities noted in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Council’s Health and Safety Policy.
•Operate within the Council’s policies in relation to equal opportunities and equality.
•Responsible for managing information in accordance with the Council’s information management guidelines. Ensure that personal information is treated in accordance with Data Protection legislation.
•Commitment to reducing the Council’s carbon emissions in accordance with the Carbon Management Plan, and to encourage others to act positively towards reducing the Council’s Carbon Footprint.
•Undertake any other reasonable duty which corresponds to the salary level and responsibility level of the job.
•Responsibility to report any concern or suspicion that a child or vulnerable adult is being abused
Special circumstances
•The need to work unsociable hours from time to time.

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Requirements

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Personal attributes
Essential
A natural leader who can motivate staff to make decisions and deliver.
A person who is keen to solve barriers and search for opportunities to improve the service.
A clear communicator who can inspire and help others
An organised person who can prioritise presenting work and programmes
The ability to deputise effectively and stay calm under pressure.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, orally and in writing.
The ability to foster effective working relationships with clients, colleagues and external partners.
Can operate IT systems, including case management software and Microsoft Office.
Desirable
Familiar with housing systems and local authority support routes.
Qualifications and relevant training
Essential
A degree in a subject associated with the Housing Service field of work or a level 5 or higher management qualification
Desirable
Membership of a professional body in an relevant Housing Service field of work
Relevant experience
Essential
Experience of dealing with customer needs in the housing field
Experience of supervising the work of others
Experience of preparing and presenting reports
Experience of creating and executing work programmes
Desirable
Experience in managing staff
Experience of managing budgets
Skills and specialist knowledge
Essential
The ability to work within tight timescales and respond to customer requirements
The ability to lead change and develop more effective methods of working
Strong communication skills, orally and in writing
Strong computing skills
Being flexible and dealing with customers in a constructive and appropriate manner
Empathetic and person-centric, with a strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusiveness.
Committed to continued improvement and learning, personally and for the team.
Desirable
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Language requirements
Listening and Speaking - Higher
Able to follow a conversation or discussion through the medium of Welsh and English on a professional level and discuss general day to day topics in the field in order to present information and express opinions.Able to give a pre-prepared presentation and respond to any comments and questions on it in Welsh or English.
Reading and Understanding - Higher
Able to understand standard written Welsh and English; both formal and informal.Able to gather information from various sources such as letters, reports, articles through the medium of Welsh and English in order to fulfil the post.
Writing - Higher
Present written information confidently by letter, more detailed and technical report formats, and respond to written requests conveying information, ideas and opinion in Welsh and English (help is available to check the work).

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