Move On Officer

The Service & Team

You will be joining the Housing Options Service, a dedicated and supportive team committed to preventing homelessness and securing positive, long term outcomes for residents. The service delivers a wide range of work, from early intervention and prevention through to supporting households to move from emergency or temporary accommodation into settled homes.

You'll work alongside passionate colleagues who are motivated by making a real difference to individuals, families and communities. Experience of homelessness is not essential - the service values compassion, motivation and strong people skills, and will support you to develop the knowledge required for the role.

The Role

The Housing Options Service is currently experiencing significant financial pressure due to high demand and the cost of emergency and temporary accommodation. As part of the response, the team is focused on reducing both the number of households in temporary accommodation and the length of time they remain there. As a Move On Officer, you will play a central role in removing barriers for homeless applicants - including families with children - who have spent time in temporary accommodation. Working in a trauma informed, person centred way, you will provide a proactive and comprehensive support package to help households move into more stable, settled housing.

Key responsibilities

• Regular face to face visits at temporary accommodation sites
• Reviewing and progressing Personalised Housing Plans
• Maintaining consistent contact to support households in taking appropriate steps towards settled accommodation
• Supporting individuals to build the skills, confidence and tools needed to sustain permanent housing

Due to the nature of the role, regular travel between accommodation sites is required.

Working Pattern

The role involves regular site visits, alongside flexible working arrangements where service delivery allows. A full driving licence and access to your own vehicle or a pool car are essential requirements.

Qualifications & Skills

• A caring, motivated and proactive approach
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• The ability to learn quickly and adapt to new challenges
• A commitment to person centred and trauma informed practice
• Confidence working directly with individuals and families in complex situations
• Willingness and ability to travel between sites as required

Benefits

• A competitive salary
• A defined benefit pension scheme, based on your career average earnings, including the option for extra voluntary contributions
• A generous annual leave entitlement with the potential to purchase additional leave
• A national award winning employee health and wellbeing programme
• Access to a wide range of discounts to local and national goods and services through an employee benefits scheme

Equal Opportunities

Fairness and inclusion are at the heart of our vision for Cornwall. In order to best serve our communities, we are striving to achieve a diverse workforce that is inclusive of all backgrounds, cultures and identities; e.g., race, disability, sex, gender reassignment status, age, religion and sexual orientation. We are an equal opportunities and Disability Confident employer, and we will assess applicants on their merits.

Safeguarding

Cornwall Council is committed to safeguarding and following safer recruitment principles to help make sure our staff and volunteers are suitable to work with children, young people and adults at risk. It's a vital part of creating a safe and positive environment and making a commitment to keeping all service users safe from harm.