Care Finance Officer

Hours: 37

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract 12 months (ending 24/03/2024) (Maternity Cover)

Service Area: Welfare Support

Department: Finance

We are looking to recruit a Care Finance Officer to join our friendly team, which is part of the council’s Welfare Support service. Do you have good numeracy and communication skills and an inquisitive nature?

We are a small team of dedicated officers whose primary role is to carry out care charge financial assessments. You will need to have good attention to detail and be able to communicate information clearly and accurately to meet the needs of our client groups and their representatives.

The role will often entail teasing key pieces of information out of conversations and correspondence, and having a forensic approach to information gathering and decision making in accordance with Government legislation and the council’s charging and financial assessment framework https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/care-and-support-charging-and-financial-assessment-framework/care-and-support-charging-and .

You will be directly responsible to the Care Finance Team Leader and will work as part of a team of Care Finance Officers to deliver the operational service of assessing client’s finances and their care charge for their care costs. This will include calculating invoices and sending notification letters and responding to client and their representative’s enquiries by email and telephone.

There will also be an element of cross-team working within the other functional areas in the Welfare Support service, which include the Housing Benefit, Local Welfare Provision and Deputyship teams.

Experience of working in a similar role in Social Care Finance would be highly advantageous, as would working experience and extensive knowledge of Welfare Benefits.

Your main place of work will be the award-winning, modern Civic Centre in Keynsham, halfway between Bath and Bristol, easily accessible via car or public transport, with a train station 5 minutes’ walk away.

Why B&NES Council?

We offer a wide range of benefits, to ensure that you are paid fairly for your work, have the flexibility to enjoy a great work/life balance, and have the support you need. These include:

• A competitive salary package
• A range of flexible working and hybrid working options, including flexi-time, four regional offices and home-working, dependent on service requirements
• A generous holiday allowance and special leave provisions
• The Local Government Pension Scheme
• A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme – whatever life throws at you; we are committed to supporting you and your well-being at work and home
• Professional and personal development including in-house training and accredited qualifications including Aspiring Manager and Leadership Development
• Discount scheme including the VECTIS card that offers numerous local discounts including cycle to work and free entry to numerous local attractions with B&NES

Interested to find out more?

If you are interested in this post and require more details after reading the job description or just to chat through the role and what’s involved, please contact Denise Osborne on 01225 396490 or email denise_osborne@BATHNES.GOV.UK

To apply

Please use the online application facility.

For further information on applying please see “Application Form Help” page on the Jobs website.

Bath & North East Somerset Council has one overriding purpose – to improve people’s lives. We have four core values which shape every aspect of our working life and how we look to the future. These values are to be Bold, Empowered, Supportive and Transparent.

Please explain in your application how you could incorporate these values into the role you are applying for.

As an equal opportunities employer, Bath & North East Somerset Council is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and is opposed to discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender reassignment, or marriage and civil partnership.

We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join us.

Interview Date: 9th March 2023

Safeguarding Statement:

The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable groups and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. As part of this commitment anyone working in a post with children or vulnerable groups will be expected to undertake an Enhanced DBS check with/without barred list checks.

As this post involves working within one of these groups, we will require a Disclosure & Barring Service check and/or subscription to the DBS online service. The suitability of all prospective employees or volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment.

This is a Public Services Network (PSN) role and requires all successful applicants to undergo a Basic Disclosure check and a 3 year’s verification of employment history. Please note that any start date will be dependent on the receipt of a satisfactory Disclosure and verification of employment history.

Please note the Council operates a policy of prior consideration for roles for any individual on the Council’s at-risk register. This means should a redeployee express an interest in this role, providing they meet the essential criteria for the role, they will be interviewed before any shortlisting or interviewing of external candidates.