Responsibilities

This role is crucial in supporting individuals with assessed care needs in Buckinghamshire by expediting financial assessments and providing guidance to prevent financial vulnerability. As a Deferred Payments Specialist Officer, you will be the primary contact for all matters related to complex financial assessments, deputyships, and appointees. You will liaise with various stakeholders, monitor and report on Adult Social Care debt, and develop close working relationships with partner agencies. Additionally, you will conduct home visits, provide proactive debt support, and contribute to strategic meetings.

About the role

As a Deferred Payments Specialist Officer, you will be the primary contact for all matters related to complex financial assessments, deputyships, and appointees. Your main responsibilities will include:

• Liaising with various stakeholders to establish deferred payment recovery, including Care Management, Credit Control, Financial Assessments, Direct Payment – Finance Housing, and Legal Teams.
• Monitoring and reporting performance in respect of Adult Social Care debt on deferred payment on a monthly basis.
• Developing close working relationships with partner agencies such as the Department for Works and Pensions for data sharing and participating in partnership working as agreed by the Council.
• Promoting the importance of income collection to the overall budget position and raising awareness of roles and responsibilities across care teams.
• Communicating effectively with recipients of care or their representatives, whether face-to-face, by telephone, or letter.
• Conducting home visits to support recipients of care or their representatives in paying their assessed contribution, such as setting up deferred payment plans.
• Providing proactive support by identifying debt early and escalating any safeguarding concerns to the Safeguarding Officer.
• Assisting recipients of care or their representatives with prompt and appropriate advice, liaising with other agencies and departments where necessary.
• Contributing to Strategic Debt and Income Group meetings.
• Delivering training and awareness at training events and providing support to colleagues when required.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

We are looking for an individual with experience in the development and implementation of finance, fraud, or safeguarding best practices is essential. The ideal candidate will have excellent customer service skills and a proven track record of supporting people with their finances are required. A strong background in developing and delivering effective finance training, along with the ability to engage and network with stakeholders to influence service delivery, is crucial.

Creativity and imagination help in seeing new approaches, overcoming obstacles, and achieving ambitious goals. Being well-organized, able to plan and prioritize workloads to meet business needs, and possessing tenacity and resilience to challenge existing ways of doing things are important. Good operating knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, the Intranet/Internet, and Email, and embracing new technology are necessary. Additionally, relevant experience in project management or leading project-based initiatives, understanding Financial Advice and Fraud legislation, and having a working knowledge of assessment and billing in Adult Social Care are required.

Qualifications:

• Education to A Level / HNC standard or equivalent
• ICT skills – standard Microsoft packages & specialist systems.

Other information

For further information on this role please see the attached job summary.

Please note: You must have the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English.

Working arrangements: Any desk worker, working 2 days in the office and 3 days from home.

Closing date 19th November 2024

Interviews date TBC

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Person Specification

Essential:

• Extensive experience of the development and implementation of finance, fraud or safeguarding best practice 
• Excellent customer service skills, with experience of resolving customer enquiries in the specialist service area. A proven track record of successfully supporting people with their finances 
• Experience of effective finance training development and delivery
• Ability to engage and network with range of stakeholders, to influence approaches to service delivery and to encourage more effective approaches, adapting communication and negotiation style to suit varied situations and people
• Creativity and imagination in seeing new approaches, painting the vision, overcoming obstacles and showing that ambitious goals can be achieved
• Well organised with the ability to plan and prioritise workloads to meet business needs with excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, and presentation.
• Tenacity and resilience, for example challenging existing ways of doing things and raising performance and standards
• Good operating knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, the Intranet/Internet and Email, with the ability to embrace new technology and challenge existing ways of working including processes, culture and perspectives
• Experience of providing a customer driven front line service within a Local Authority, Registered Provider or a similar public or private organisation
• Educated to A Level / HNC standard or equivalent
• ICT skills – standard Microsoft packages & specialist systems
• A full driving license required to be able to carry out the role 

Desirable:

• Relevant management qualification e.g. Degree, Certificate Diploma in leadership, management or human resources (HR)
• Relevant experience of project management, or leading and delivering project-based initiatives or changes
• Understanding of Financial Advice and Fraud legislation and awareness of the role of the Office of the Public Guardian 
• Working knowledge of assessment and billing in Adult Social Care   
• Professional finance qualification i.e. CCAB or AAT, or equivalent experience