Regional Support Officer – East Central Region

Regional Support Officer – East Central Region

Home based – covering Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire

Full time

Permanent

We support farming people across England and Wales with expert, one-to-one practical, financial and emotional help, 365 days a year. From confidential advice and mental health support to direct financial assistance, our tailored services respond to the unique challenges of farming life.

At the heart of our mission is a commitment to strengthening resilience; helping farming people feel valued, supported and better equipped to navigate uncertainty and change. We’re working to close the farming wellbeing gap and build a future where farming people can thrive. Over the past 25 years alone, we’ve delivered around £¼ billion in direct financial support to the farming community.

Today, our wrap-around support services are evolving to reach more people before crisis hits.

To work as part of a team that provide high quality casework and grant applications to farming people that come to RABI for support.

• Provide high quality information, advice and guidance in an empathetic and professional manner.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of welfare and benefits legislation, ensuring awareness of any changes that may affect beneficiaries or service delivery.
• Conduct a holistic needs assessment for each service user according to their individual circumstances.
• Manage a caseload of beneficiaries working with each service user to establish the most appropriate sources of support and agree an action/support plan with them.
• Collation of evidence for grants applications, checking that essential criteria have been met and progressing applications to the next stage of RABI’s internal grants process.
• Provide a face-to-face service when there is an over-riding need to do so by visiting service users.
• Collaborate with other agencies/service providers who can offer additional support options and attend meetings when required and in coloration with RSM/SRSM.
• Liaise with partners, ensuring that agreed actions are followed up.
• Log and communicate details of cases in a timely and accurate manner to ensure that records are up to date and the wider team has the information they need to provide support.
• Explore, assess and elevate any safeguarding concerns according to the RABI safeguarding policy.
• Contribute constructively to the development of the Service Delivery team and function, for the benefit of service users.
• Work constructively and collaboratively to solve problems with the support of colleagues.
• Attend all internal meetings as required.
• Be an ambassador for Service Delivery internally within RABI and with external organisations.
• Demonstrate commitment to Safeguarding, Equality and Diversity and Health and Safety promoting a safe and inclusive environment.

• Experience providing services to vulnerable service users, listening and supporting in a non-judgemental way.
• Knowledge and insight into state benefits and complementary support services (whether national/local/statutory agencies.).
• Strong ability to manage a diverse caseload effectively, prioritising competing demands to include keeping excellent case records.
• Excellent communication skills, being able to establish rapport and build trust quickly.
• The ability to build a practical plan alongside a service user and adapt approach to different circumstances and personalities.
• Excellent problem-solving and critical thinking abilities, particularly in complex situations
• Knowledge of data protection principles and how to apply them.
• Knowledge or experience of safeguarding best practice.
• Excellent IT software skills and aptitude to adapt to new systems and processes.
• Flexible, resilient and solution focussed working with sensitivity and integrity.
• Collaborative, constructive, and solution-focussed.
• Ability to work flexibly, depending on the needs of the team and of service users.
• Farming background or knowledge of the farming community environment.
• Releva…