Purpose of Post
•Assist in the administration of the Housing Benefit service, Council Tax Reduction, Education Benefits, Discretionary Housing Payments.
•Process additional Westminster Government and/or Welsh Government grants.
•Provide advice and information ⁠to residents affected by the cost-of-living crisis / poverty on issues such as maximising income, claiming benefits, other payments and receiving emergency vouchers.
•Ensure that the people of Gwynedd are at the centre of everything we do. 
 
Responsibility for Resources. e.g. staff, budgets, equipment
•Any equipment, machine or goods relating to the duties noted 
 
Main Duties
New legislation / DWP Circulars:
•Work in accordance with any new instructions that are issued by the Manager or Senior Operations Officer.
Subsidy Applications:
•Make any adjustments to ensure the subsidy situation of individual applications are correct and valid, on the instruction of the Senior Operational Officer / Group Leader.
Processing:
•Assess and check new applications for Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Education Benefits, namely Free School Meals and the School Essentials Grant, and Discretionary Housing Payments by requesting any evidence or additional information that is required.
•Assess and verify any changes in circumstances in relation to Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Education Benefits, namely Free School Meals and the School Essentials Grant, and Discretionary Housing Payments by requesting any evidence or additional information that is required.
•Process any additional payments on behalf of the Westminster Government/Welsh Government.
•Create Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction overpayments/underpayments.
•Assist the Overpayments and Subsidy Officer to respond to Housing Benefit and/or Discretionary Housing Payment debt recovery queries.
•Discuss and agree on a payment arrangement with customers who have a Housing Benefit and/or Discretionary Housing Payment debt.
•Recover external overpayments from current Housing Benefit.
•Refer applications to the Department for Work and Pensions where there is an allegation of fraud.
•Handle information/data matched by the Department for Work and Pensions and His Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
Review:
•Advise and supervise the Revenue Assistants, in the absence of the Senior Operational Officer/Group Leader.
General:
•Perform all duties related to administrating benefits.
•Refer private sector tenants' applications to the Rents Officer.
•Deal with the public and answer correspondence on the phone, face to face, by letter, by email or any other way.
•Work to achieve weekly set targets, identifying any difficulties that could affect performance and report to the group leader as required.
Advise and Refer:
•Identify vulnerable individuals who may be adversely affected by lack of income and the cost-of-living crisis.
•Provide advice and support to residents affected by lack of income and the cost-of-living crisis.
•Support residents who need support with financial, digital and other inclusion, especially in terms of maximising income and managing debt.
•Work with partners to ensure support for residents for benefit payment checks, maximising income and getting access to financial and debt management advice.
•Help people to make a start on checking their benefit entitlements and maximizing income.
•Ensure all relevant information is provided by the customer.
•Raise awareness and access to the various financial support available from Council Services amongst residents (e.g. Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Free School Meals, School Essentials Grant, Discretionary Housing Payments, Housing Disability Grants, Childcare Grants etc).
•Work with others to assist individuals and their families to maintain their tenancies and prevent homelessness.
•Liaise with the Department for Work and Pensions, or other Services on behalf of residents. 
•Refer residents to the appropriate agencies for specialist advice on debts.
•Notify and advise residents about support agencies including Shelter Cymru, the Citizens' Advice Bureau and the Credit Unions, Housing Associations' Welfare Teams and others. 
•Provide advice and support to the Council's front-line workers who support residents on well-being and benefit payment matters. 
•Work with the Council's Fuel Poverty, Free School Meals and Tackling Poverty Officers to support the team who work across services to support people.
•Check, assess and make referrals to emergency voucher programmes by external organisations e.g. Emergency Food Packs from food banks, DAF applications, Fuel Bank Foundation vouchers, Charis grants etc.
•Check, assess and make referrals to emergency voucher schemes by the Council e.g. fuel vouchers, food vouchers and essentials vouchers. 
•Identify opportunities to up-skill themselves to support people with income maximization issues.
•Ensure compliance with any risk management arrangements identified in risk assessments that are relevant to the work.
•Responsible for self-development.
•Ensure compliance with Health and Safety rules in the workplace in accordance with the responsibilities noted in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Council’s Health and Safety Policy.
•Operate within the Council’s policies in relation to equal opportunities and equality.
•Responsibility for managing information in accordance with the Council’s information management standards and guidelines. Ensure that personal information is treated in accordance with Data Protection legislation.
•Commitment to reducing the Council’s carbon emissions in accordance with the Carbon Management Plan, and to encourage others to act positively towards reducing the Council’s Carbon Footprint;
•Undertaking any other reasonable duty which corresponds with the salary level and responsibility level of the job.
•Responsible for reporting any concern or suspicion that a child or vulnerable adult is being abused
Special Circumstances. e.g. the need to work unsociable hours, special working arrangements etc.
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