Client Support Assistant

Are you looking for an ongoing volunteering role with excellent training and support? Do you want to make a difference to people's lives? Do you live in West Sussex?   If so, please read on...

We are looking for volunteers to train as Client Support Assistants.

Role purpose

To help clients complete their application forms for key benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and Employment Support Allowance (ESA), enabling them to access vital financial support. This role offers excellent progression opportunities.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Engage with the client to build rapport and trust.
• Access appropriate websites and identify relevant forms and self-help information.
• Empower the client to complete any parts of the form that they are able to do themselves.
• Work through the form with the client to help them understand how the questions relate to them and their situation, and how it affects their life.
• Using interviewing skills, identify and gather additional relevant information and evidence if appropriate to ensure best chance of success for the client.
• Include any necessary medical or supporting evidence.
• Ensure the client is clear on next steps including who is to send the form, what happens next, and what further support we can or cannot provide.
• Record the appointment appropriately on our database system, and upload any scanned documents.
• Seek support from the Supervisor as needed.

You will be working from home, supported by the Service Delivery Manager or Supervisor over digital channels.

Although this is a remote role, it is important that you live or work in West Sussex.  Please don't apply if you are outside our area.  

Skills

Specific qualifications or experience are not required to train for the role, but you will need to:.

• Be empathetic and have good interpersonal communication skills.
• Have good interviewing skills, including effective questioning, listening and the ability to move the interview forward in a timely fashion.
• Be able to analyse symptoms/impact and ability to match questions to the relevant descriptors.
• Have good IT/typing/recording skills.

We pride ourselves on having a diverse workforce and welcome all applications from people with all range of abilities for the skills that they bring. 

Benefits

All our volunteers get something different from their volunteering experience.  Some of the benefits include:

1. Making a real difference to people's lives - including helping them deal with the additional worry and pressures created by COVID-19.
   
2. The chance to connect with new people and learn a lot about the community you live in.
3. Being part of a friendly and enthusiastic team of volunteers and staff with a shared purpose.
4. Experience to help strengthen your CV.

Practical Considerations

You will be volunteering from home. So you will need to have your own IT equipment, broadband and phone line that you can use for volunteering. 

We provide digital training and ask you to be proactive when elements of these are self learning. 

When do I need to be available?

Details	We are ideally looking for people who are able to volunteer for a minimum of 4 hours a week.

	Morning	Afternoon	Evening
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Register your Interest