Neighbourhood Assistant

SCOPE OF WORK:

Key responsibilities may include:

• Working collaboratively with the Housing Officers to ensure housing management duties and responsibilities across the patch are attended to, including breaches of tenancy, and provide office support as and when required.

• To act as a key point of contact for tenants and residents and display a ‘can do’ flexible and cooperative attitude to ensure the delivery of excellent customer services and the efficient, effective and economic operation and provision of services.

• Undertaking ‘scheduled’ and unscheduled tasks daily and maintaining a logbook of all activities. Scheduled tasks will include duties such as the monitoring and inspecting of vacant properties. Unscheduled tasks will include housing management visits, requests for certain tasks to be carried out and attendance at meetings.

• General administrative duties, including producing reports.

• Working in line with Woven’s policies and procedures which includes the Code of Conduct and Health and Safety policy, conducting all activities in a manner which is safe to yourself and others.

• Ensuring that confidential information is only disclosed in accordance with procedure.

• Responding immediately to any emergency received during hours of work, summoning appropriate assistance and providing support.

• All out of hour’s calls are addressed however there may be circumstances when there is the need to attend an emergency call. The postholder will be entitled to time off in lieu of emergency call outs outside normal working hours.

• Attending liaison meetings and multiagency meetings as required.

• Undertaking other delegated duties appropriate to the scope and function of the grade of post including cover duties during periods of absence e.g. sickness, annual leave.

• Attending all training courses, staff conferences, etc. which may be organised outside the normal place and hours of work.

• Providing cover at other schemes / patches.

Estate Management

• Carrying out a visual inspection of the schemes at least once each week and reporting to the Housing Officer / Assets Officer any suspected tenancy fraud, alterations to dwellings, damage, vandalism or potential hazards to health and safety.

• Assisting the Housing Officer with Termination Of Tenancy inspections and void turnaround times.

• Undertaking accompanied viewings of properties and assisting in securing occupation. Assisting with the promotion of designated areas.

• Visiting tenants and being able to identify any other agencies who may assist tenants, which includes Health Trust staff, Social Workers, Floating Support etc.

• Carrying out visits and reporting to Housing Officer / Senior Housing Officer.

• In conjunction with the Housing Officer, being responsible for the day-to-day management and download of relevant CCTV footage off the CCTV systems. The CCTV records logbook must be always maintained in accordance with GDPR and the Association’s policies and procedures.

• Working with tenants, local communities, PSNI, other agencies and Housing team in addressing anti-social behaviour.

• Identifying where illegal dumping / graffiti is an issue and working with Housing Officers to put a plan in place to address.

• Attending Estate Walkabouts, assisting with the organisation and the implementation of action plans resulting from these.

Health and Safety

• Completing weekly health, safety and fire regulations communal inspections and tests and ensuring records are maintained and compliant, and taking appropriate action, as required.

• Attending Fire Alarm activations during working hours and ensuring systems are reset in accordance with procedure.

Waste Management

The bins must be managed to ensure appropriate waste management and recycling takes place. Bins must be maintained to an acceptable standard ensuring that they meet the local council’s standards for emptying each week. Bins must be left out for collection on the appropriate day and then returned to the bin store location following collection.

Tenant Engagement

• Encouraging and actively promoting resident involvement and engagement with tenants.

• Liaising with partner community agencies within the area and participating in forums, partnership meetings and working groups as required.

• Assisting Housing Officers / Community Involvement Officers at residents / community meetings, dealing with tenant queries and providing feedback to tenants on general activity on estates.

• Co-operating in community development through liaison with the statutory, voluntary and community sector, and to actively promote community development with our tenants and the local community.

• Encouraging and providing opportunities for tenants to be actively involved in activities which support their communities.

• Assisting in the collection of tenant satisfaction feedback and completing tenant surveys.

Community Hubs

• Facilitating booking(s) of community hubs as per the Association’s procedure and being available for opening and closing the facility as agreed with the designated Housing Officer.

• Demonstrating the Fire and Evacuation procedure to anyone booking the Community Hub.

• Monitoring the cleaning of the office, the Hub, all communal areas, internally and externally and stores. All areas must be kept in a high standard of cleanliness and in a tidy condition.

• Ensuring the Community Hub has adequate heat during opening hours.

• Requesting stationery / cleaning materials in accordance with the Association’s procedure.

Repair Service

• Reporting defects / repairs for which the Association is responsible to the Assets Officer as soon as possible on the day of the report.

• Liaising and reporting repairs to the Assets Team. Duties may include visits to elderly or vulnerable tenants to assist in accurate reporting of repairs etc. or to confirm completion of repairs.

• Working with the Asset Management team and Homes and Communities team in addressing environmental issues.

• Notifying the designated public authority of any failure by the public authority to service the development, i.e. street cleaning, bin collection, street lighting, and recording action taken.

• Liaising with tenants, contractors and staff regarding planned / responsive repairs and compliance checks to facilitate access where required.

• Supporting with access in person for appointment with contractors as required.

Door entry and car park gating systems

• Liaising with residents regarding provision of keys and fobs and programming fobs as and when required.

This list should not be regarded as exhaustive, and the post holder will be expected to adopt a flexible attitude to the duties and perform any other reasonable duties as directed.

We expect all our employees to:

• demonstrate our behaviours and values.

• ensure that no religious, political, or sexual discrimination, intimidation or harassment or obscene behaviour occurs within the Association.

• perform any other reasonable duties as directed by line management.

• be fully aware of and actively comply with our policies and procedures relevant to their own responsibilities and to corporate policies and procedures including equality, health, and safety and GDPR.

• work towards achieving the overall aims and objectives of the Association.

Job work environment

• The Neighbourhood Assistant will be expected to work alone and, in all cases, they will have access to advice and support from colleagues, supervisors and Managers.

• There will be travel involved. Mileage will be reimbursed at a casual / essential user mileage rate as detailed in the Associations Travel and Expenditure policy.

• This role requires the postholder to interact with the public and other stakeholders which may sometimes involve managing difficult or challenging behaviours.

• Occasional attendance at lunch and evening meetings and working out of hours or at weekends to meet the needs of the business.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FROM YOU

Experience of working in a community or caring environment.

A working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages.

Hold a current full, (preferably) clean driving license that allows driving in the UK, with use of a private vehicle for business use or, in the case of disability, be able to demonstrate how the mobility requirements of the position will be met.