Benefits Outreach Volunteer - Essex

The role in a nutshell:

Each year, billions of pounds of benefits go unclaimed. Benefit Outreach Volunteers help us make sure no older person eligible for Attendance Allowance is missing out.

What will you be doing?

As a Benefit Outreach Volunteer, you will be assigned clients that require support completing the Attendance Allowance form. You will make an appointment to contact the client and complete the form with them over the phone or on a home visit, depending on preference. You will also provide a listening ear to each client and report any concerns that they may have about their safety or wellbeing to the service manager and take accurate and appropriate records of any information discussed with clients.

How would you be supported in this role?

You will be given comprehensive training on how to complete an Attendance Allowance form as well as training in safeguarding. If you choose to do home visits, then we will carry out a risk assessment of the client and their home before you undertake any visits. Clients will all have had a holistic assessment of their needs prior to being allocated to you to complete their form. You will also receive support as and when needed from the service manager as well as the opportunity to attend team meetings.

Why do we need volunteers in this role?

We offer Benefits checks to support clients to understand if and what benefits they are entitled to. Attendance Allowance is one of the most common benefits identified for older people. To access this benefit, they need to complete a long form that, for a variety of reasons, many struggle to complete without support. Benefit Outreach Volunteers offer older people the opportunity to obtain help to complete the form, either by phone or during a visit in their home.

Additional information:

Due to the nature of the role, successful applicants will be requested to undergo an enhanced DBS check. We will need your help to complete at least two forms per week. Each form takes around 1-3 hours to complete over the phone. Volunteers opting to do home visits will need to make additional time allowance for travel, have a full driving license and use of a car which is taxed and insured. All home visits will need to be completed between the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday but there may be flexibility for telephone-based support. This volunteer role is not office based and pro-actively engages our services across the whole of Essex.

What skills, interests or experience might be helpful in this role?

Good people skills and telephone manner. You will need to be comfortable talking with clients about their experiences and feedback. You will need to be empathetic and able to work independently. You will need to be able to treat all your work confidentially as you will come across personal and sensitive client information. If you know or understand the benefits system that would be an advantage but is not essential. You will need an enhanced DBS check in order to volunteer with us as well as reference checks. If you do not hold a current DBS then we can arrange this with you. If you prefer to do home visits you will need to have a full driving license and use of a car which is taxed and insured.

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