CEDA Energy Debt Specialist

Liverpool Innovation Park- Flexible hybrid working minimum 3 days office based
(Available for experienced Energy Debt Specialists only after training on the telephone platform is completed.)

Term: Fixed Term until 31st March 2028

Hours: 35 hours per week

About the Role

Responsibilities:

1. Provide advice and a limited casework service covering the full range of debt and money management advice, including breathing space, debt relief orders, bankruptcy, and debt management plans.

2. Maintaining standards of service delivery and ensuring that advice and casework conforms to the Citizens Advice membership requirements, the Advice Quality Standard, and the minimum individual file review score of the Money and Pensions Service Advice Quality Framework.

3. Complying with systems for monitoring and reporting purposes.

4. Working collaboratively with colleagues to ensure that the service area meets key performance indicators and targets.

5. Analyse and interpret complex information, communicating this effectively in writing with particular emphasis on negotiation and representation.

Research and Campaigns

1. Keeping up to date and participating in current research trends and campaign issues by providing information on a client’s circumstances,

Essential Criteria

1. An understanding of and commitment to the aims, principles and policies of the Citizens Advice service including a strong commitment to equality and diversity.

2. An understanding of the problems and issues associated with unmanageable debt, particularly energy debt, and their implications for clients and advice service provision.

3. Recent experience of providing advice to the Advice Quality Standard and/or the willingness and ability to complete full debt advice training.

4. A good understanding of the skills and techniques used in interviewing through telephone and digital advice channels.

5. The ability to understand the needs of others and to empower clients to take action for themselves.

6. The ability to monitor and maintain own standards, prioritise work and meet deadlines and targets.

7. The ability to give and receive feedback objectively and sensitively and a willingness to challenge constructively.

8. The ability to work as part of a team and to respond positively to change.

Here are some examples of how we help our clients:

In Person Enquiry.

Mr Jones attended our drop-in service regarding multiple debts which had accumulated when, due to severe and sudden illness, he was forced to finish work. Mr Jones was unable to communicate by telephone due to his illness so needed in person support. He was anxious as his creditors had been contacting him asking him for payments and some were threatening court action.

The Caseworker helped Mr Jones obtain details of all his debts. They arranged a formal Breathing Space to stop further action from his creditors for 60 days. The Caseworker helped Mr Jones complete a budget, checked his benefit income was correct, and helped him claim charitable support to maximise his income. They also looked at practical ways of helping him reduce his bills and expenditure. Unfortunately, Mr Jones still had very limited income to make affordable payment arrangements to his creditors.

The Caseworker then advised him of all the options and solutions available. Mr Jones chose a Debt Relief Order insolvency solution, which the Caseworker completed, to give him a fresh start by effectively clearing his debts.

Telephone Enquiry.

Miss Smith contacted our advice line for help with her energy arrears. She struggled with a language barrier due to a limited level of English and was vulnerable due to a mental health condition. With a combination of several telephone calls, together with interpreting services, the Caseworker was able to successfully help her.

The Caseworker contacted the fuel provider concerned and advised of her vulnerabilities. They requested that Miss Smith’s details were placed on the Priority Services Register. Even though it was Wintertime, Miss Smith had not been topping up her prepayment meter as she could not afford to do so, so arrears via unpaid standing charges, were also accruing. The meter was also in an awkward position, so she found it difficult to access to top up. The Caseworker assisted her in contacting the fuel provider to install a new smart meter which she could access easier. Miss Smith was then able to use an app to top up her meter which she found more convenient.

The Caseworker assisted Miss Smith in completing a budget, benefit claims, charitable support and fuel vouchers. The Caseworker looked at ways of reducing her expenditure and easy energy efficiency measures Miss Smith could undertake herself in her home.

As a result of these actions, Miss Smith then had some disposable income and was able to start to top up her prepayment meter regularly and keep warm. The Caseworker also assisted her with the completion of a successful trust fund application to her fuel provider, to repay the arrears in full.

Requirements

Person Specification:

1. To be appointed as an Energy Debt Specialist, you will need to have knowledge and experience of complex debt casework, covering priority and non-priority debt advice, options, and insolvency solutions.

You will also need to have the Institute of Money Advisers Certificate in Money Advice Practice or MaPS Caseworker accreditation equivalent. NEA Level 3 City and Guilds Level Energy Awareness would be desirable too.

• OR for a trainee - at least 6 months’ experience of delivering excellent customer service in a regulated environment such as banking, insurance, or a contact centre.

2. Experience of achieving performance and quality targets/KPIs.

3. Ability and willingness to undertake training and development to comply with Money and Pensions Service and Citizens Advice quality standards.

4. Effective oral and written communication skills.

5. Numerate to the level required by the tasks.

6. IT literate with the ability to use software packages including Microsoft Office products in the provision of advice and preparation of formal written materials.

7. Ability and willingness to work as part of a team.

How to Apply

For more information and to apply, please click on the redirect button.

About us

Citizens Advice Liverpool is a charity that provides free, confidential and impartial advice to people who live and work in the city. We depend on a workforce of paid staff and over 120 trained volunteers. We give people the knowledge and the confidence they need to find their way forward – whoever they are, and whatever their problem. We are the leading provider of advice and advocacy services in Liverpool and have helped clients with over 106,000 issues in 2022/2023.

CAL have achieved accreditation with the Workplace Wellbeing Charter, showing we are committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our workforce. We've also gained an award for outstanding contribution by an employer to workplace health and wellbeing 2022 by Merseycare NHS Foundation Trust.

We've gained awards from Citizens Advice National recognising our Advising Margainalised Communities Team for championing equity, diversity and inclusion in both 2021 and 2021. We were also named volunteer team of the year in 2022.