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JOB APPLICATION

PACK

Job Title: Housing Support Assistant Directorate: Housing Department: Housing Management Team Location: Twickenham

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Dear Candidate Thank you for your interest in working for Thames Valley Housing. In this pack you find the Job Description and Person Specification for the role you are applying for. We encourage you to read the guidance notes and fill in the application form carefully. The criteria set out in the person specification contains all the competencies for this role and will be assessed at different stages of the selection process. Please see the guidance notes for further information on this. Thames Valley Housing is a user of the government’s “two ticks” disability symbol, which recognises organisations that are positive towards disabled people. Disabled applicants who meet the short-listing criteria are guaranteed an interview. I hope that you find the job description interesting and decide to apply. I wish you success and we look forward to receiving your application form. Thames Valley Housing Recruitment Tel: 0300 456 2929 Email: recruitment@tvha.co.uk Web: www.tvha.co.uk/careers

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CONTENTS Guidance Notes for Applicants………………………………………………………………………………….4 Job Advert…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………6 Job Description…………………………………………………………………………………………………………7 Person Specification…………………………………………………………………………………………………10 Our Competency Framework……………………………………………………………………………………12

Appendix 1……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….13

Corporate Projects relevant to this role…………………………………………………………………….15

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GUIDANCE NOTES FOR APPLICANTS Before you complete your application

Please read the job application pack before you apply online for the position - this contains all the

information you need to decide whether the job is right for you.

Read through the job description and person specification – they are the best places to find out

exactly what experience, skills and competencies you need to be successful in the role.

The person specification highlights the competencies we want to asses as part of our recruitment

process. Our competency framework is at the back of this pack.

You’ll need to prepare a CV – we ask you to upload your CV as a Word document as part of our

online application form.

Completing your application

When you’re ready to apply, click ‘Apply here’ at the bottom of the job advert for the position you’re

interested in and complete the online form.

We’ll ask you about your skills and competencies – as well as your CV, we’ll also ask you to upload a

personal statement or answer some questions online about how your skills and experience match the

essential criteria and competencies in the person specification.

You’ll need two good references - we will ask for contact details for your references in the online

application, but we won’t contact them until the offer stage. Your references should be:

- Your current employer. If you are unemployed, this will be your most recent employer. This

will be someone senior to you who can assess your work for us, not a colleague or friend at

work.

- A previous employer or someone with a senior role who can vouch for you.

We’ll ask you for some personal information to help us monitor diversity and equality – the only

people who will see this information are the HR team who will use it for equal opportunities

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monitoring purposes. It will be treated in the strictest confidence and does not form part of the

selection process.

What happens next?

Assessments/Interviews

Our Recruitment team will contact you a few days after the application closing date if your application has

been short-listed. We will invite you to a competency-based interview, and ask you to complete some tests.

These could be ability tests, written exercises, job-related tests, psychometric tests or IT tests. We will also let

you know if you have not been shortlisted this time.

Driving

If the job needs you to drive, we will need to see your driving license.

DBS check

For some jobs we will need to carry out a Disclosure & Barring Service check. We’ll say so in the job

description if that’s the case.

Eligibility to work in the UK

It’s against the law for us to take on people who do not have the right to work here. If we offer you a job, we

will ask you to prove this to us. We’ll send you a list of documents you can use for this.

Data Protection

By law, we have to let you know that we keep the personal information about you that you put in a job

application. When you sign and send an application in, we take this to mean that you are giving us permission

to keep it, and to use it to get in touch with you, if we find a job we think would suit you in the following six

months.

Your Views

We’re happy to hear from you. We want to improve our recruitment, so please complete the Recruitment

Survey. https://tvhahr.wufoo.eu/forms/recruitment-what-was-your-experience/

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Getting in touch

If you have any questions or problems at any stage of your application, please do get in touch with our

recruitment team on recruitment@tvha.co.uk.

JOB ADVERT HOUSING SUPPORT ASSISTANT

Location: Twickenham

Contract type: Fixed Term Contract – April 2018

Salary: £22,338 rises to £24,820 (starting salary 90%-100% depending on experience) Hours: 35 hours per week

Closing date: 29 October 2017

Interview Dates: TBC

About Thames Valley Housing We are a medium-sized housing association based in Twickenham, South West London. We own and manage over 15,000 homes, the majority of which are across Greater London, Berkshire, Surrey, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. These include traditional rented housing, shared ownership, key worker and student accommodation. Our vision is for everyone to have the chance to build their lives from a base of a good home. Our mission is to provide good quality affordable homes and invest in communities. We love to build. Not just housing and communities, but skills and careers too. About the role This is a new and exciting opportunity for someone to join our Housing Management Team. The team are the first point of contact for residents occupying our rented properties. We deal with a range of issues from letting properties to communal area maintenance, fire safety, parking, dealing with anti-social behaviour and partnership working. The team also include specialist officers that provide support to residents struggling to maintain their tenancies. You will be providing administrative support to ensure the smooth running of the department as well as dealing directly with residents via signposting and providing general advice. You will also be supporting a number of corporate projects that will transform and improve the way we deliver services to our customers in the future. You can read more about these projects in the application pack. About you You will have excellent administration and planning skills and the energy and ambition to support the delivery of key corporate projects. You will be confident to deal with resident enquiries over the telephone and have a passion around supporting people and problem solving.

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Applying process: Please view the job application pack for the full job description and apply online submitting a personal statement addressing: A) How your knowledge, experience & skills meet the essential and desirable requirements B) How you meet the technical and core competencies highlighted in red in the person specification

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job title: Housing Support Assistant Department: Housing Management Location: Twickenham Job level: 7 Responsible To: Area Housing Manager Family Tree:

Main purpose of the job

To conduct satisfaction surveys with residents and to follow up on any areas of dissatisfaction.

To provide administrative support to the Tenancy Support Team.

To support the delivery of the Pilot projects within Residential Services.

To plan and book New Tenant Visits

To signpost residents to the Local Assistance Schemes and local charities and to provide further

support/guidance where necessary

To coordinate removals for downsizers

To be responsible for updating content for the TVH Hub with a view to supporting the delivery of the

Residential Services Pilot Projects and the Tenancy Support Service.

To review and update resident data

Director of Resident Services

Area Housing Manager

Housing Support

Assistant

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To provide general administration duties as requested

Main contacts which the post-holder has within the organisation

Housing Directorate teams

Communications Team

Development Directorate

Finance

Resident Involvement and Improvement team

Contacts outside the organisation:-

Local Authority Departments

Third Sector Agencies – including Foodbanks and Support Agencies

Support Providers and Partner Organisations

Charities and Voluntary Organisations

DWP/Job Centres

Budgetary responsibilities specifically attached to post None Main duties and responsibilities-

To complete basic benefit check requests and complete personal budgets supporting residents with

issues around Affordability. Linked directly to our “Welfare Reform” and “Who we House” Projects

Daily monitoring of telephone advice line and tenancy support mailbox - responding to enquiries

within 2 working days

To promote and signpost residents to the Local Assistance Schemes and assist residents with grant

applications where necessary

Coordinate the ordering of furniture/white goods and maintain accurate records

To plan and book all new tenant visits within 3 weeks of moving in

Ensure central resources and data is up kept up to date

Monitor changes to council tax benefits, DHP applications and social fund arrangements across all

Local Authority areas, ensuring this is available centrally

Coordinating the distribution of food bank vouchers and fuelbank cards when required

Raising purchase orders and basic invoicing tasks

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Stationary ordering

To be responsible for adhoc social media updates on behalf of the team

To complete telephone surveys for all closed support cases

To follow up dissatisfied surveys with telephone contact and monitor required actions

To monitor casevision on behalf of the team and send a daily reminder

To coordinate a regular review of resident flags

To ensure housing support agency information on the TVHHub is regularly mapped and updated and to

coordinate updates with other teams

To maintain a regular stock of interview and sign-up documentation

To provide administrative support to the “Onboarding” pilot from nomination stage

Created by: Katie Heaslewood, Area Housing Manager Date: October 2017

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Thames Valley Housing Association

PERSON SPECIFICATION Role: Housing Support Assistant Department: Housing Management Directorate: Housing Knowledge and experience Essential

Experience of dealing with customers from different backgrounds, and delivering a positive and

easy service to customers

A good understanding of the welfare benefits system and eligibility

Experience of dealing with customers and responding to customer enquiries

An experienced user of Microsoft Office and the ability to easily learn other IT packages

Strong administrative skills and the ability to manage a varied and demanding workload

Ability to work independently and use initiative to problem solve

Desirable

Educated to degree standard or equivalent

Ability to provide benefits advice to customers impacted by welfare reform

Experience working in a housing related field

Project management experience

Competencies (Please provide written evidence in your personal statement of how you have demonstrated the following competencies in your previous experiences. The questions at interview stage will also be based on these competencies.)

Core

Applied Thinking Solves basic problems within clearly laid out policies and procedures Results Focused Takes responsibility for achieving individual objectives and contributing to team targets

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Planning and Organising Contributes to the team/project objectives by effectively setting own work plan and prioritising key tasks Initiative and Innovation Addresses current opportunities by improving and adapting existing approaches Working Together Works co-operatively with other members of the team and direct customers Managing Relationships Builds rapport with colleagues and direct customers/suppliers Continuous Improvement Drives self to deliver results and aspirations Customer Driven Delivers a high quality service OTHER Good IT skills Commitment to Equal Opportunities and Health and Safety Delivering and living the TVH values

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ROLE DESCRIPTION

OUR COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK

What are Competencies and how are they used? A competency is an ability, skill, knowledge or trait that is needed for the successful performance of a job. It is often defined in terms of behaviours. Overall, competencies are a set of behaviours that an individual must possess in order to perform to the optimum level within that role. When used properly, and in conjunction with other working practices and procedures, competencies can ensure fairness, openness and equality in the way we recruit staff, select people for training, identify clear development paths and promote people. The Competency Framework contains a total of ten competencies and it is considered that to carry out a role at a particular level an individual should possess those competencies that are ‘Core’ for that level. The depth of which these core competencies are required will vary according to each role. Core competencies are far broader in their application and apply to all jobs within TVH. This document details the core competencies which TVH recognises as necessary. The person specification highlights the competencies we want to assess as part of our recruitment process, but the following areas are important all of the time.

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Name Definition Level Descriptors

1 Applied Thinking Makes use of relevant information to resolve problems, identify opportunities and reach appropriate solutions.

Leader Identifies new business opportunities by evaluating company performance from a range of information

Expert Sets Directorate/Departmental priorities by developing solutions to support the business plan

Professional Recommends improvements to processes and services at a team level by analysing patterns and trends from information

Vocational Solves basic problems within clearly laid out policies and procedures

2 Results Focused – “Getting things done”

Achieves successful delivery of tasks and objectives by effectively managing others or taking direct action.

Leader Sets the performance framework for the organisation to meet corporate goals, achieve results and champions improvements

Expert Sets the performance framework for the Directorate/Department to meet objectives, KPIs and continuously seeks improvements in delivery

Professional Uses Directorate/Department objectives to identify team KPIs to drive service delivery and meet goals

Vocational Takes responsibility for achieving individual objectives and contributing to team targets

3 Planning and Organising Plans and organises work and activities to meet objectives whilst achieving quality and value for money.

Leader Structures the business plan to deliver key objectives while allocating appropriate resources

Expert Develops project plans and identifies departmental activities and resources required to meet organisational goals

Professional Delivers the project plan/departmental objectives to plan and budget

Vocational Contributes to the team/project objectives by effectively setting own work plan and prioritising key tasks

4 Initiative and Innovation Takes a creative approach to work by formulating new ideas or adapting existing ideas in a new or unexpected way to create opportunities.

Leader Develops ways of capturing innovation and creativity across the organisation and delivers through others

Expert Plans and implements new ideas in the long to medium term and takes the lead in delivering change within Directorate

Professional Develops and implements initiatives at a local level

Vocational Addresses current opportunities by improving and adapting existing approaches

Appendix 1

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Name Definition Level Descriptors

5 Working Together Works co-operatively and flexibly across cultures and organisational boundaries to achieve shared goals

Leader Creates a positive team working environment

Expert Builds the team to deliver a high quality service

Professional Involves others to work towards shared goals and objectives

Vocational Works co-operatively with other members of the team and direct customers

6 Managing Relationships (Influencing, persuading and negotiating)

Builds and maintains relationships to achieve positive outcomes for the Association

Leader Extends networks and uses indirect influence to build external relationships to achieve long term strategic organisational goals

Expert Maintains networks and plans impact

Professional Builds positive and reciprocal relationships that benefit the Association

Vocational Builds rapport with colleagues and direct customers/suppliers

7 Continuous Improvement (Striving for Excellence)

Looks for opportunities to improve (self, products and/or services)

Leader Creates a continuous improvement environment

Expert Drives Departmental activity to continuously improve systems and processes

Professional Delivers improvements at a team level

Vocational Drives self to deliver results and aspirations

8 Customer Driven Provides an excellent service to all customers

Leader Develops the strategy to meet the long term interests and aspirations of customers

Expert Champions and promotes the delivery of quality service to all customers

Professional Plans and organises delivery of customer service

Vocational Delivers a high quality service

9 Commercial Awareness Understands relationship of operational issues to wider business context

Leader Defines and develops TVH’s commercial objectives to maximise the organisation’s financial wellbeing

Expert Delivers the commercial objectives

Professional Understands the purpose and content of the Corporate business plan

Vocational Demonstrates awareness of commercial aspects of the business

10 Leadership (Developing and Managing People)

Inspires and motivates others to develop confidence and capability to realise their full potential

Leader Leads the organisations to deliver high performance

Expert Is a role model for effective leadership

Professional Supports team development

Vocational Gives basic direction and instruction

Appendix 1

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Corporate Projects relevant to this role Onboarding Pilot – Bringing new homes in to management -To improve customer experience as they move into our homes. To ensure data integrity and scheme knowledge. Affordability of our housing – “Who we House” -To review the impact of government policy on affordability and who we house at TVHA. Welfare Reform Project -To understand the impact of welfare reforms such as: bedroom tax, benefit cap, universal credit, shared accommodate rate for under 35s, no housing costs for 18-21 year olds & -To agree how to inform and support residents impacted and to manage the risk of increasing rent arrears for the business.

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