Shelter has recently been awarded the contract to supply Housing Information and Advice (HIAS) and Finance, Benefit and Debt (FBD) Services to 12 prisons across the North West, to assist offenders in securing tenancies, maintaining existing accommodation, relinquishing tenancies to avoid accruing rent arrears and in supporting offenders manage finance, benefit and debt issues.

Key objectives:

Shelter are looking to appoint a team leader who will oversee the day to day management of contract and line manage teams. This role will also require casework and overseeing quality supervision of advisors and advice assistants. You will also be required to support and manage the cross site staff team to ensure the most effective service is delivered to our clients.

You will also need to manage and develop a professional, impartial and inclusive training service to North West prisoners, volunteers, prison staff and other agencies within the prison whilst working to Shelter Quality Standards.

You will also aim to ensure the service is professional, impartial, pragmatic and focused on getting the best outcomes possible for our clients.

Your key responsibilities:

• You will need to set objectives and targets for individual staff members that meet overall service targets and , to develop their skills, including coaching, mentoring and training individuals and the team.

• Provide regular supervision, support and appraisal.

• Be responsible for people management - including attendance, performance, motivation and learning and development needs.

• You will be required to monitor the level, nature and quality of the service, ensuring a fair distribution of work among staff.

• Ensure the provision of regional training across NW Prisons via a blended learning approach incorporating face to face and IT based methods (e-learning and distance tutoring)

• To assist the Trainer / Peer Volunteer Coordinators to liaise with HMP establishments to ensure effective scheduling of the training schedule and development of best practice through use of Virtual campus.

• Monitor the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery.

• Identify best practice, develop and implement improvements to ensure client needs are met.

• Promote effective working relationships with appropriate external agencies and internally across Shelter’s divisions.

• Contribute to, or lead regular team meetings..

• Produce management reports.

• As a team leader, you will manage your own team of Advisers & Advice Assistants. This post will also manage the team of Trainers / Volunteer Coordinators.

• It is strongly desirable that you have specific and demonstrable experience and knowledge of housing law and debt advice

• Experience of developing, writing and delivering training material.

• Experience of managing volunteers and developing peer support services

• knowledge and experience of working within the Criminal Justice sector would be advantageous as particular experience of working with prisons would be beneficial

• Ability to type, use a case management system and use Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, Email and Internet.

Diversity

All staff should adhere to Shelter's Equality and Diversity policy framework and will be expected to play a key role in its successful implementation

We are happy to consider applications from all candidates who are able to demonstrate the skills necessary to fulfil the role. As part of our candidate registration and care process we at CRA Community aim to respond to all successful applications within 7 working days. If you have not been contacted within this timescale your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion and we thank you for your interest.

It would be desirable that the ideal candidates possesses previous team leading experience and knowledge of social welfare law. It would also be beneficial to have knowledge and experience of working within the Criminal Justice sector.