Financial Welfare Advice Officer

What You Will Do

• Give advice to students on financial welfare issues that may be creating a barrier to accessing education. Advice will be provided through face to face meetings, telephone, email and online duty service.  Taking student referrals directly from students and staff, prioritising according to need, vulnerability, urgency or risk and manage a caseload.
• Develop staff and student knowledge of financial welfare issues and the support available internally and from external services through a range of activities and events. 
• Develop and maintain information resources on money and welfare related matters in a range of formats. 
• Maintain up to date knowledge around welfare issues 
• Document all advice given to students accurately and in a timely manner.
• Track the outcomes of the advice work and liaise with tutors to ensure additional support for students is in place if needed.   
• Participate in regular supervision as a part of case management and review processes. 
• Provide information and data to enable timely reports to be collated

About You

• Previous experience of delivering financial welfare advice preferably to students
• Experience of working with vulnerable people
• Confident in using Microsoft Office and Google applications
• Good organisational, planning and general administrative skills
• Able to produce financial welfare information resources in a range of formats
• Able to, independently, plan, deliver and evaluate group activities, training, information sessions and events
• Ability to work positively & effectively as a member of a team and on own initiative, able to set and deliver on own targets and team and college objectives
• A good level of general education with literacy and numeracy at level 2 or above
• You will be a good active listener who shows empathy, positive regard and a non-judgemental approach to service uses. 
• You will be skilled at exploring issues through appropriate questioning to gather relevant information in a sensitive and professional manner.  
• You will be experienced in explaining complex information, processes, policies and eligibility criteria to clients of varied ages, abilities and backgrounds, in particular, to clients experiencing financial hardship.

Benefits

There are plenty of benefits available to our staff members, here are just a few:

• Generous Annual leave entitlement - If you work full time, you'll get at least 39 days holiday plus bank holidays. This includes closure days at Christmas (pro rata for part time staff).
  • Support Staff 39 days
  • Academic 44 days
  • Senior Management 44 days
• Excellent Pension schemes
  • Teachers’ Pension Scheme 
  • Local Government Pension Scheme 
• Memberships and discounts - employees can sign up to various membership cards and discount schemes such as TOTUM card (formerly NUS card). 
• Travel and commuting - discounted travel available through Metro card, Northern Rail, First Bus, Arriva Bus and Cycle to work schemes.
• Learning and development opportunities -  including staff development days
• Employee wellbeing initiatives
• Flexible and hybrid working opportunities - this will vary depending on role requirements

About Us

Leeds City College is one of the largest further education institutions in the country and is one of the biggest providers of apprenticeships regionally. 

We provide a vibrant and diverse learning environment, delivering excellent and innovative education which is supportive, inspiring and life changing. Leeds City College’s values put students first and are at the heart of everything the college does.

We are committed to lifelong learning and investing in our staff. You’ll have access to a broad variety of training and professional development designed to help you continually develop and grow. We offer a wide range of job vacancies, and our large size means there are always exciting opportunities to progress.

Join us on the journey to being the best that we can collectively be for our students, apprentices, staff and our stakeholders.

SAFEGUARDING

At Luminate Education Group we are committed to the safeguarding and welfare of all our students including children, young people, and vulnerable adults. We expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow the Safer Recruitment requirements and best practice as set out within Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance. All successful applicants will be required to complete mandatory pre-employment checks which include an enhanced DBS check, online checks and must have two satisfactory references. Please be aware that it is a criminal offence to apply for this post if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity in connection to children.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in recruitment is key to our Group’s values. We are dedicated to fostering a workplace that embraces equality, diversity and inclusion in all its forms, where every candidate is treated with fairness, respect, and equity. Our recruitment processes are designed to ensure equal opportunities, remove bias, and promote a diverse talent pool. We continually assess and improve our practices to ensure that every individual, regardless of background, has an equal chance to succeed. By championing EDI, we aim to create a workforce that reflects the richness of our communities and drives innovation through diverse perspectives.  To find out more about what our commitment to EDI means to us please Click here to learn more about our EDI objectives.