Parent Support Project Worker - Citizens Advice East Devon

Contract Length: 12 months initially         

Leave Days: Equivalent 28 days pro rata PLUS Bank Holidays

Join our Parent Support team giving direct support and advice to families across East Devon.

Introduction
Citizen Advice East Devon (CAED) is a community-based charity that is part of the national Citizens Advice network.

Our aim is to be the independent advice service of choice for the people of East Devon. 

Our advice is free at the point of delivery, confidential, and tailored to the needs of our community. We work in line with national quality-assured standards, and we enable people to move forward in times of challenge by giving them the knowledge and confidence to find a way forward.

We work with national, regional and local partners to maximise our reach and impact. Our service is inclusive to all people in our region, and we actively ensure that we reach those most in need of our services. Over the last few years CAED has worked hard to deal with the pandemic and the problems arising from lockdowns. 

East Devon has a higher than national average number of children in receipt of free school meals. Due to proportion of rural homes in the region and lack of public transport, it is often difficult for families to access the usual support networks. Even necessary journeys can take all day and be very expensive. Local foodbanks have noted increased food insecurity among those families with children.  22% of the population were in relative poverty in 2021 and 9% with serious income derivation. In work poverty is above the national average

Project Background
Education colleagues, trusted by parents, are often the first to pick up on family worries that are impacting detrimentally on children. They do not have the time and training to advise on many of the issues themselves but can often guide parents to take the first difficult step to seek advice. 

We have already had a successful year to prove the project’s worth. Over 160 families referred by primary schools are accessing ongoing caseworker support from the project at present. Over 75% of primary schools in East Devon are now referring families. All secondary schools expressed an interest in the project being expanded to secondary schools in the future if possible. Requests are being received for us to attend parents’ meetings and inform school websites on advice for maximising income and facing the cost-of-living crisis.

Working on the Project
You will be meeting families and children and other professionals working with the family, and will be representing not only the family but also Citizens Advice East Devon in everything you do. You will be well presented and organised and able to communicate effectively at different levels with everyone involved.

Learning and Development
We will offer you our full range of exceptional training to enable you to provide the required support to the families. We are recognised experts in benefits, debt, housing and many other issues, and our in house training will be available for you. We may also identify the need for third party training courses and will arrange where appropriate.

Who are you?

• You will have experience in organisation and administration - for example as a PA or Office Manager, Project Worker or similar. You will have experience in managing a workload that involves different clients in different circumstances moving at different speeds.
• You will have exceptional levels of empathy and be able to help families in a time of crisis navigate their way forward.
• You will support families throughout the various stages of their journey including benefits, housing, finances, education, health and wellbeing, employment, child care and immigration. Full training up to Citizens Advice adviser level will be given. 
• You will have excellent Microsoft Office skills.
• You will be required to have an enhanced DBS for this role. 
• You will need access to a car and have a driving licence. You will be able to work in both Exmouth and Honiton offices and travel to our outreach locations across East Devon, as well as schools and other agencies.
• You will be self-motivated and able to manage your time and workload.
• You will be confident dealing with a variety of individuals, within and external to CAED,  voluntary and employed at all levels.
• You will have excellent people skills and be able to put clients at their ease.
• You identify with our vision and mission and will take pride in CAED and work to ensure that we are at the centre of life in East Devon

We have offices in Exmouth and Honiton and outreach locations across the region.

For an application form please email work@citizensadviceeastdevon.org

Closing Date for Applications 14th May 2024.