Rough Sleeping Grant Coordinator

Role Responsibility

Fixed Term: 31 March 2022

An excellent opportunity has arisen for an experienced and passionate individual to join the Accommodation Team within KCC 18+ Care Leavers Service as an Homelessness Project Coordinator. This post will be based between Worrall House (West Malling, Kent) and Thistley Hill (Dover, Kent) and will have the primary focus of coordinating strategies and operations to avoid homelessness presentations for Care experienced 18 – 25 years olds and increasing opportunities for them to access suitable, affordable accommodation across various sectors. This is an ongoing, year-on-year funded project and this role will initially be agreed for a period until 31/03/22 at which point, the position may be renewed for another year.

About the role:

• Improve ways of working in collaboration through delivery of an up-to-date Joint Housing Protocol.
• Work as per the protocol, to support our CLs and partners in the LHAs to better understand the needs and intricacies involved with supporting Care Leavers into suitable accommodation and how we can work together to best to support them to maintain this once achieved.
• To increase the understanding around Corporate Parenting principles within the Council as a whole including all district partners.
• Improve communications channels between the County and District Authorities, with specific focus on data in relation to improving accommodation outcomes for Care Leavers with specific notice to ‘Intentional Homelessness’ decisions.
• To increase the Social and Independence Capital of Care Leavers, with the support of partners, through progressing the creation and delivery of a programme of tenancy preparedness training for Care Leavers and Children in Care (16-25).
• To supervise two Senior Housing Personal Advisers within the 18+ Accommodation Team to ensure continuing excellence in delivery of housing advice, planning and ‘real’ options for suitable accommodation.
• To guide and supervise a Care Experienced Apprentice within the service, to support them to reach key development milestones in their learning and ensure focussed application and learning in the work environment.

About you:

• Experienced in the field of supporting vulnerable children/adults to access and sustain suitable accommodation, ideally within a supported / family environment.
• Experience in working with Local Housing Authorities (LHAs) and where appropriate, challenging their decisions based on legislation, policy and guidance.

• Knowledge of relevant legislation in the care and support of children and young people and Housing and Accommodation.
• Experienced in delivery of sensitive information and challenging problematic behaviours.
• Keen to provide excellent support to those who directly support vulnerable children and young people.
• Experience in working on time-sensitive project outcomes and KPIs.
• Training development experience or interest.
• A firm and supportive trauma-informed approach which focuses on amplifying the young person’s voice and ensuring that this is heard within the context of their support.
• Robust and comprehensive planning approaches, with regular review and maintaining a focus on positive outcomes for the young person in their move towards independence.
• Excel data management skills.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Contact Details

If you would like an informal discussion about this opportunity please contact the Accommodation Team Manager: Sebastian.Blythe@kent.gov.uk

About the Company

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds and faiths, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note – if you are interested, please apply as soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.