Advice Centre Worker

Also known as:

Information Welfare Worker
Welfare Adviser

Introduction

Advice centre workers help people to cope with a variety of problems, and to find out what their rights and responsibilities are. People contact advice centres to get free, impartial and confidential advice on a range of issues including employment rights, welfare benefits, disputes between tenants and landlords, consumer law and financial problems.

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Work Activities

Advice centre workers help people to cope with a variety of problems and to find out what their rights and responsibilities are.

Being an advice worker involves a lot more than just handing out information. It means thinking about a person's problems and helping them to approach a solution from a variety of angles, finding and using all the available information to make the best decision. Advice centre workers spend time explaining the information fully, and helping the client to think about how best to use it. In the case of financial problems they may spend time with the client calculating how best to pay off the clients debts within the client's available budget.

Advice centre workers give out free, impartial and confidential advice on a wide variety of issues, including employment or legal rights, tenants' rights and welfare benefits. They keep accurate records of each client's case. Unlike counselling, where the client works with one counsellor, many different advice workers may deal with one case. It is therefore very important that each advice worker can find up-to-date, accurate and data protected notes on each client, which their colleagues have recorded from previous consultations.

Much of the work involves face-to-face interviews. Centre workers also reply to written enquiries. Increasingly, however, workers give advice by phone or email. Some advice organisations have set up call centres to increase the amount of advice they give over the phone.

Some clients need advice and support over a long period of time. In mediation, advice workers act on their client's behalf, for example, by writing letters or making phone calls. In representation, advice centre workers present their client's case in court or at a tribunal. For example, they may be involved in legal disputes between landlords and tenants, clients' appeals against unfair dismissal from employment, or cases brought against companies that are accused of selling faulty goods.

Sometimes advice workers need to refer clients to another source, for example, a social worker or solicitor.

Advice centre workers may develop expertise in a particular area, such as housing or welfare benefits.

They generally work in small teams, usually made up of both voluntary and paid staff. It is possible for people to start off as volunteers and go into paid jobs. Advice centres often have a paid co-ordinator or manager. It is their responsibility to recruit, train and supervise staff.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

As an advice centre worker, you must be committed to helping people solve their problems and achieve social justice. You must be able to empathise with clients but at the same time be able to give clear, impartial and objective advice. You must be non-judgemental and avoid imposing solutions. Instead, you should have a patient, open-minded approach, helping clients to work through all the available information and options.

Good communication skills are very important. You must be able to listen carefully, and ask the right questions to find out more about the client's problems. You must be articulate and have the confidence to represent clients' cases in court or at a tribunal.

In mediation, you will need strong written skills to write letters on clients' behalf.

Advice centre workers should have good number skills, for example, to help clients understand benefit entitlements.

You will need to develop a thorough knowledge of current legislation, including social security benefits, equal opportunities legislation and consumer law. Advice work can be very varied, so you must be well organised and able to deal with several on-going cases at the same time.

Tact and diplomacy are very important, because you will handle sensitive issues. People who seek advice may be distressed, so you must be able to calm and reassure them.

You will need the ability to work as part of a team and to be involved in liaison with other professionals, for example, social workers, solicitors and staff at Jobcentre Plus.

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Pay and Opportunities

Pay rates for advice centre workers vary widely depending on the duties of the post, and the qualifications and experience required.

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Advice centre workers earn in the range of £16,000 - £19,000 a year, rising to £22,000 - £26,000. Higher earners can make around £28,500 a year.

Full-time advice centre workers work a basic 36-40 hours, Monday to Friday. Part-time, temporary and flexible working arrangements may be available.

Local authority departments are major employers. Other opportunities are with the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) - the United Kingdom's largest advice centre organisation, with offices in most towns and cities. Many people begin working for the CAB on a voluntary basis, although CAB also employs paid staff.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Employers value a sense of responsibility. Skills and abilities gained in a customer-facing role are an advantage.

Courses at various levels are available from a number of centres by open/distance learning. Relevant courses have titles such as: information, advice and guidance, and counselling and mediation.

• 32% of people in occupations such as this work part-time.
• 27% have flexible hours.
• 10% work on a temporary basis.

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