Accommodation Pathway Coordinator

at  South Gloucestershire Council

HOW YOU’LL MAKE A DIFFERENCE

As a member of the Children in Care and Care Leavers Team, you will be working alongside social workers, personal advisors, and team managers coordinating the housing pathway for young people leaving care and transitioning towards independence.
Working alongside the team, you will help prevent care leavers from becoming homeless and advise on alternative housing options.

WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU

• Professionally qualified, at NVQ4 or equivalent, in a relevant discipline or working towards a professional qualification related to the provision of services to young people.
• We require you to hold relevant experience of working with vulnerable and looked-after young people.
• It is essential for you to have a knowledge and understanding of key issues affecting care leavers and what works in improving transition to independence outcomes together with relevant legislation, regulations, codes of practice, processes, and procedures.
• You will have a proven ability to supervise and allocate work to others, monitoring their performance and taking corrective action.
• It is essential for you to have well developed interpersonal and communication skills to build relationships and engage successfully with colleagues, service users and partner organisations.
  Please note that due to the nature of this role it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained for this post.

• Daily, you will provide housing advice and solutions for young people transitioning to independence or living independently, including those out of county and leaving custody.
• It will be your responsibility to coordinate our Staying Put Policy and ensure the process is followed for a smooth transition for care leavers choosing to stay with their foster carers.
• You will oversee and promote our Supported Living Scheme and identify care leavers who would suit in this provision. You will also be involved in developing this scheme by working with internal and external agencies.
• Working directly with a specific group of young people, you will improve their ‘tenancy readiness’ and support the council and partner agencies in the development and delivery of guidance, advice and information about the housing pathway for care leavers.
• In collaboration with partner agencies, you will develop protocols to support care leavers into accommodation. You will also identify, challenge, and overcome barriers of accommodation and housing pathways for our young people to enhance the support packages available for care leavers.
• It will be your responsibility to track activity to secure accommodation options including tracking registration and activation of Home Choice options, supporting and coordinating the applications to panels and forums and conducting pre checks.