Job Description

• Location: Hackney E8
• Service: Adult Services - Direct Payments
• Pay: 18.30 Per Hour PAYE / 24.66 Per Hour Umbrella
• Hybrid
• Reports To: Direct Payments Manager
• Start: ASAP
• Length: 6 months

Are you an organised administrative professional with a passion for helping others? The London Borough of Hackney is looking for a Direct Payments Support Assistant to join our Adult Services team. In this vital role, you will act as the "front door" for the Direct Payments Team, providing excellent customer service and high-quality administrative support to empower service users within our community.

You will guide residents through Direct Payment queries, ensure care packages and financial documents are processed accurately, and maintain the vital IT systems that keep our service running smoothly.

• Frontline Support: Act as the first point of contact for the team via phone, email, and the Mosaic system. You will answer queries, escalate complex issues, and signpost residents to alternative council teams when necessary.
• Referrals & Care Packages: Handle incoming Mosaic referrals for new direct payments, amendments, suspensions, and closures. Upload care packages onto Carefirst and Comino systems.
• Financial Administration: Process service users' timesheets and invoices for third-party direct payments on a monthly basis within strict timeframes. Reconcile payments against expenditure and raise electronic orders for stationery and equipment.
• Monitoring & Compliance: Work directly with residents to ensure monitoring requirements are met. This includes scanning, filing, and recording relevant documentation while strictly adhering to Data Protection and security policies.
• Team Collaboration: Provide daily administrative support to the wider Direct Payments team, working flexibly alongside a multi-disciplinary network of stakeholders and agencies.

To thrive in this role, you should possess a blend of excellent organisation skills, financial awareness, and a customer-focused approach.

• Proven experience developing and maintaining administrative and IT systems within a complex organisation.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, databases) and a strong ability to adapt to specialist council systems like Mosaic, Carefirst, and Comino.
• Experience servicing and minuting meetings is preferred.
• Strong financial skills, including the ability to understand financial assessments and reconcile records.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey information confidently, clearly, and assertively to a diverse community.

• Organised & Resilient: Ability to prioritize your own workload, manage conflicting tasks, and meet tight deadlines under pressure.
• Collaborative: A team player who can build strong partnerships with service users, relatives, carers, and external agencies.
• Committed Learner: A desire to continuously develop your professional practice and keep up-to-date with new work concepts.
• Value-Driven: A commitment to promoting Equal Opportunities and adhering to the Council's Diversity, Equality, and Health & Safety policies.

• A good understanding of the Personalisation agenda for Adult Social Care and the role of Direct Payments.
• Awareness of the political and government frameworks impacting adults and their carers.

By joining Hackney Council, you will be part of a forward-thinking authority dedicated to delivering the right help at the right time to our community.

Commercial Services Trading Ltd is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.