Job Description

Housing Solutions Triage Officer

Romford - 2 Days Office

Job Role

To provide a high quality first point of contact and triage service (face-to-face, on the telephone and by e-mail) for people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness and have dependent children or are pregnant or vulnerable.

To respond to, and assess, all of the referrals that the Council receives under the 'Duty to Refer' arrangements, making initial enquiries and triaging as appropriate.

To carry out a rapid initial assessment of each customer's needs and circumstances and establish whether or not they are eligible for assistance under the homelessness legislation. Making s184 decisions e.g. not homeless decisions, Ineligible decisions.

To prevent or delay homelessness through targeted early interventions (including advocacy, negotiation and mediation) and by providing customers with comprehensive advice and information about their housing rights and the housing options available to them.

Ensure that an accurate, detailed record is kept of all interviews, telephone calls and follow-up action taken (and that files are maintained to a high standard) in order to assist monitoring, decision-making and effective case management.

Create a new case on the Jigsaw system every time that a rapid initial assessment is completed and ensure that the notes section of Jigsaw is continually updated until the case is reassigned to another Officer within the Homelessness Reduction Service.

Ensure that all data entry and case recording is accurate and complete, and that it is undertaken within agreed timescales, in order to assist performance monitoring, the analysis of trends and the completion of internal and external returns, including the government's quarterly HCLIC return.