Resettlement Officer

Braintree, Essex
BRAINTREE DISTRICT COUNCIL

Braintree District Council have an exciting opportunity for a Resettlement Officer to join the team.

Location: Braintree

Salary: £27,098 to £31,397 per annum pro rata

Job Type: Part time/Fixed term

Resettlement Officer (Housing & Communities) – The Role:

An exciting opportunity has been created within our Housing and Communities team at Braintree District Council for a 12-month position as a Resettlement Officer. You will be part of a team which supports guests and hosts under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme across Braintree District.

You will be the first point of contact for enquiries relating to Ukrainian refugees and hosts, you’ll support guests to engage and link with their community by working with local organisations, charities, colleagues within Housing, Communities, Environmental Health and DWP.

We are looking for someone who has either knowledge and or experience of supporting new residents to settle and become a part of the Braintree District community.

Resettlement Officer (Housing & Communities) – You:

With the ability to work as part of a team in a busy environment, you will be highly organised and pro-active in your approach, able to manage, balance and meet challenging deadlines in an ever-changing environment.

You will have good IT skills, you will update data systems including good working knowledge of creating and updating Excel spreadsheets and using Word documents.

Resettlement Officer (Housing & Communities) – Key Responsibilities:

– Be the first point of contact for all enquiries relating to Ukrainian refugees and hosts

– Contacting and checking with hosts and guests to make sure that current arrangements are working well, and they can continue

– Contacting hosts and guests where placements are coming to an end to assess on going needs and support

– Contacting all potential sponsors to verify they are still willing to host / sponsor support regular and maintain engagement and support the administration of the Expression of Interest form

– Arrange property checks with Environmental Health and refer to Essex County Council for DBS and -welfare checks – these should be completed before guests arrive

– Working with partners and neighbouring Local Authorities to identify suitable accommodation

– Confirm when current placements end and when new placements start, help to arrange move-ins when needed, including advice on updating changes to benefits, etc

– Ensure accurate and up to date records on all individuals and issues worked on and actions taken are recorded and maintained. Managing Foundry system, collate data and submit responses on Delta

– Attending internal working group meetings, external partnership and Essex County Council meetings

– Working with our internal communications team to support future promotional work to attract new hosts, explain local situation, highlight any gaps between need and supply and gather feedback from the community regarding issues, gaps and good news stories

– Continue to support guests to engage and link with their community by working with local organisations, charities, faith groups and colleagues within Housing, Communities, Environmental Health and DWP to set up coffee morning and English classes

– Exploring opportunities of accommodation within the Private Rented Sector (PRS), working with estate agents and property owners to build relationships and explore incentive schemes to support moves into the PRS

– Support resettlement into long-term accommodation. Support guests who are placed into unfurnished properties, complete grant applications for household items and make appropriate referrals when needed and set up utilities

– Be a point of contact within the district to be able to refer the most urgent and vulnerable cases to other teams should this be necessary, e.g. safeguarding risks, concerns about exploitation, poor housing standards, homelessness etc

Resettlement Officer (Housing & Communities) – Benefits:

– Competitive salary

– Free parking

– Local government pension scheme

– Learning and development for all employees

– Employee recognition schemes

– Extensive health and wellbeing programme including discounted gym membership

– Employee assistance programme

Closing date for receipt of completed applications: Midnight on Monday 13th February 2023

Interview date: Tuesday 28th February 2023

To submit your CV for this exciting Resettlement Officer, (Housing & Communities) opportunity, please click ‘Apply’ now!