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Job summary

Main area
Housing Officer
Grade
Band 4
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
310-ASMH-7148869-A
Employer
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Cavell Centre
Town
Peterborough
Salary
£26,530 - £29,114 per annum, pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
24/07/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust logo

Housing Officer

Band 4

Job overview

The Housing Officer plays a crucial role in supporting the housing needs of patients within an acute mental health hospital, focusing on ensuring safe, stable accommodation for individuals during their recovery.

The primary purpose of this role is to provide specialist housing advice, support, and intervention, addressing housing needs, preventing homelessness, and facilitating timely discharge planning.

Working within a multidisciplinary team, the Housing Officer helps ensure that patients are supported in accessing appropriate accommodation and welfare benefits, contributing to improved patient outcomes and social inclusion. This role requires close collaboration with local authorities, housing providers, and various external agencies to support individuals in their transition from hospital back to the community.

Main duties of the job

  • Conduct housing assessments and support discharge planning in collaboration with the MDT.

  • Provide welfare benefits guidance and liaise with relevant agencies to ensure continuity of support.

  • Prevent homelessness by advocating for patients at risk and assisting with housing applications.

  • Maintain accurate documentation and case management in line with NHS policies.

  • Build and maintain strong partnerships with external agencies and provide training to NHS colleagues.

  • Ensure safeguarding concerns are identified and managed effectively.

Working for our organisation

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting and empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.

Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development.

To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high-calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.

Please be advised we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date should we receive sufficient applications.

Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately, your application form will be rejected from the process. 

For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at www.cpft.nhs.uk

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.

To deliver timely individualised person-centred housing assessment, advice, support, and liaison for patients who cannot return home or who are at risk of homelessness.

To work with Cavell Centre MDT to identify current or potential problems which may provide a barrier to returning to current accommodation or that may increase risk of homelessness.

Where alternative housing is required, to work with CPFT staff and community agencies to source safe, appropriate housing in an efficient manner.

To develop and maintain a central signposting service and point of contact for housing, debt, or benefits advice.

To provide information to patients, carers, families, and staff on the Homelessness Reduction Act (2017), Duty to Refer, benefits entitlements and accommodation processes.

To manage a case load of referrals, from the adult wards at the Cavell Centre, autonomously, and efficiently.

To use high level of communication skills to compassionately convey sensitive or disappointing information effectively to patients, families, carers, and staff.

To highlight and report issues with the housing process for patients promptly to the patient, responsible clinicians, community teams and line manager.

Person specification

Education & Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • NVQ Level 3 or equivalent

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of supporting those with severe and enduring mental health conditions.
  • Work within the current housing and benefits systems
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of local systems specific to those under care of CPFT services.
  • Lived experience of mental health condition.

Knowledge & Understanding

Essential criteria
  • A clear communicator, supporting patients to express their wishes and needs
  • Build positive working relationships with a wider range of internal and external agencies
  • Understanding of current housing and benefits system
  • Understanding of Mental Capacity Act (MCA)
  • Understanding of principles of safeguarding
  • Knowledge of private and public sector housing options
  • Proven IT skills and good time management skills
  • Knowledge of local and national policies and procedures impacting housing provision.
Desirable criteria
  • Previous knowledge of mental health care provision
  • Awareness of key housing legislation relevant to supporting vulnerable adults, such as the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria
  • Manage working in a highspeed, emotive environment
  • Hold patients in consistent positive regard and advocate for their needs where appropriate
  • Manage and prioritise a caseload autonomously, seeking support where appropriate
  • Use supervision appropriately to support continuing professional and service development
  • Ability to maintain a professional, empathetic, and pragmatic attitude

Other

Essential criteria
  • Occasionally the ability to work flexibly may be required.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardNHS Employers Diversity and Inclusion PartnersVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyAge positiveDisability confident leaderInvestors in PeopleDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - BronzeImproving working livesCare quality commission - GoodMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.We offer Wagestream - A financial wellbeing benefit which lets you access your pay as you earn it.NHS Rainbow badgePrince's Trust - Proud to support the Prince's trust - Youth can do itStep into healthMenopause Workplace PledgeArmed Forces Covenant

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Andy Hudson
Job title
Modern Matron
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01733 776037
Additional information

Contactable between the hours of 10:00-15:00pm Monday-Friday

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