Crisis Fund Officer

About the role:

The role will be desk based, reviewing applications from residents and making decisions on if the residents will be granted funding. This will require speaking with residents over the phone and email to gather any missing information before a decision is made. You will be working as part of a small team so will be able to collaborate on these decisions and be part of a wider crisis fund team for support.

About the Team:

The team is going to be part of a wider Surrey Crisis Fund Team however it will sit on a separate structure consisting of 1 Crisis Fund Supervisor and 3 Crisis Fund Officers.The culture of the team is very supportive and open, with a willingness to help one another with difficult clients. The wider team are very friendly and collaborative and will guide these new staff through any struggles that might arise.

This team is part of a wider Communities Service which is focus on prevention across the county. Working with the Crisis Fund Team, there line manager (Crisis Fund Supervisor) and Communities Leadership, in particular the Service Development Manager who holds the budget for the team. Externally the team will be speaking with residents across the county.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Assessment & Distribution:

* Assess applications for the Household Support Fund (HSF).

* Ensure timely and fair distribution of financial aid to residents in risk of financial hardship.

2. Case Management:

* Maintain accurate records of applications, decisions, and outcomes.

3. Compliance & Reporting:

* Ensure all activity aligns with DWP guidance and local grant conditions

* Contribute to regular monitoring and reporting to demonstrate impact and ensure transparency.

4. Customer Service:

* Provide empathetic, non-judgemental support to residents in distress.

* Signpost to other services where appropriate to prevent going into crisis.

Skills

• Good IT Skills
• Good written and oral communication skills, high level administrative/organisational and analytical skills, able to prioritise and plan own workload in the context of conflicting priorities and work on own initiative, ability to speak with customers (residents) over the phone to the highest level and deal with each application with a professional and sensitive manner, a keen eye for detail and the ability to work within a team.

Connect2Surrey is a trading style of Surrey & Kent Commercial Services LLP - A joint venture between Surrey County Council & Commercial Services Kent Ltd. Connect2Surrey is an equal opportunities Employment Agency & Business. It positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates.