People will come to you for advice on issues concerning law, such as housing benefits, disability living allowances, employment benefits, and rent assistance. You will also be responsible for providing rent support.
It is possible for welfare rights officers to provide a broad variety of help, but they may also choose to specialize in a particular field, such as housing, or with a particular client group, such as caregivers.
Typically, you will work at a public advice center or for a charity, community group, or housing association. Other possible places of employment include:
Your duties might include the following:
ensuring that individuals are making use of all of the available advantages
assisting individuals in the completion of forms
collaborating with several organizations, including those dealing with benefits
obtaining knowledge on pertinent laws and welfare reforms
giving them the opportunity to speak for themselves or acting on their behalf when that is not feasible.
What skills do I need?
Everyone who works in social care has to have strong abilities in English, mathematics, digital technology, and employability, including the capacity to collaborate with others and solve problems. What Core Abilities Do I Need to Work in Social Care? covers some of the talents you need to work in social care and contains short tasks to help you think about transferable skills from your past experiences. What Core Skills Do I Need to Work in Social Care?
In order to be successful in this profession, you will need to possess a number of specialized talents. These are the following:
presenting skills
bargaining skills
Having the technological ability to do research online
excellent command of the English language for the purpose of comprehending legislation and laws.
What kind of prior experience and credentials do I require?
If you want to become a welfare rights officer, you don't necessary need to have any credentials.
If you are looking for an entry-level position, such as an administrative assistant or assistant for welfare rights, the company may need that you have credentials demonstrating that you have solid English and numerical abilities, such as a GCSE grade of A to C in both English and mathematics. A suitable qualification in policy or community work, as well as a social care certificate, such as a Level 2 or 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care, might also be useful in this line of employment.
It might be beneficial to have previous experience working in a capacity that is comparable to this one or with individuals who need care and assistance. You might get this experience via an apprenticeship, a job placement, your personal life, or by volunteering (for instance, at a citizens help center). You could also earn this experience through your personal life.
You may be required to have a certificate or a degree in a relevant field like community development or social policy in order to be considered for more experienced positions.
How can I get started?
On the page titled "Starting your career," you will discover a wealth of information that will assist you in locating a suitable position if you are interested in working as a social prescriber.
Local governments, community organizations, and housing associations are often the organizations that hire welfare rights officers. You might search for open positions using an internet job search engine or check out their individual websites.
You may also consider applying for an apprenticeship, which would allow you to earn a pay while simultaneously providing you with the opportunity to obtain experience and perhaps a certificate. This is an excellent entry point into a career as a welfare rights officer; openings for such positions may be found on the website of the National Apprenticeship Service.
Where do I go from here?
You are required to do an induction when you first begin working in your job. This induction should contain training that is important for your role, such as training in health and safety, risk assessments, and protecting adults.
A vocational qualification may be anything like a Level 2 or 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care, or it could be something like a qualification in policy or community support while you are working in your profession. You may also further your career by participating in one of the many available training or certification programs for continuous professional development.
You may continue into managerial posts, for which a certificate at level 3, 4, or 5 would be advantageous, or you could go into the field of specialized guidance, such as benefits for people with disabilities.