Deferred Payments Specialist Officer

Overview

We are seeking a dedicated and detail-oriented Deferred Payments Specialist Officer to join our team. 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 us

Working in the Finance Assessments Team as part of the wider Revenues and Benefits Team at Buckinghamshire Council, we are responsible for assessing clients across Buckinghamshire to calculate their contribution towards the cost of their care and support. Made up of two teams working across Care in the Community and Residential Care, we are focussed on providing accurate financial information to our clients.

Having recently reviewed our service; we are expanding our team to further support our clients and colleagues in the increasing demand for care across Buckinghamshire. Working closely alongside colleagues in Finance, Social Care and Legal Services we have a varied workload that ranges from in person visits with clients to analysing financial information that covers the start to end of charging for care.

The successful applicant will join a close-knit team made up of 2 team leaders and 17 officers who pride themselves on their teamwork as they strive to deliver a high quality of service contributing towards the vision of helping people lead better lives.

The team support Promoting Independence and Living Well approaches for Buckinghamshire people in the prevention or resolution of financial vulnerability through effective support, advice, and guidance.

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.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Resources cover a wide range of specialisms, including Human Resources, Finance, ICT and Business Operations. Our main focus is supporting the other directorates to provide the best possible service to our residents. To do that, we have to make sure we have the right people in the right roles across the organisation. From our finance teams, working strategically to ensure the best value from public money; to HR keeping our employees healthy and happy, each service is vital in making sure Buckinghamshire Council has what it needs to run effectively and efficiently.

As well as providing high quality services to other areas of the Council, you could also be helping us build on the revenue which comes from our external clients. If you are ambitious, customer-focussed and bursting with new ideas, we want to hear from you.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. We also offer a salary sacrifice personal car lease scheme to those who are eligible and have passed their probation period. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/