Rough Sleeping Prevention Adviser

Job summary

This role will lead on the local area focussed approach to short term rough sleeping and champion the needs of single people to avoid rough sleeping. They will work with local authorities and their partners to develop effective services that meet the needs of this cohort and support the transition of services from crisis focused to prevention.

Delivering on the ambitions in the national homelessness strategy this role will work across sectors to change the practice of rough sleeping verification based access to services and align approaches to the Homelessness Reduction Act to have effective interventions to prevent and relieve homelessness for single homeless people who are found non-priority. This role will promote approaches where resources are allocated on the basis of an assessment of support needs, rather than immediate housing or rough sleeping status.

This role is field-based and requires regular travel, including some overnight stays, to local authorities and partner organisations across the region. Post holders will be expected to undertake face-to-face visits several times each week to build relationships, provide support, gather intelligence, and represent the department. Applicants should therefore be comfortable with frequent travel and able to work flexibly across a range of locations as required by business need.

Job description

As the Rough Sleeping Prevention Adviser you will:

• Work across sectors in local areas and to improve the response to single homelessness and the move away from a verification-based model of delivery for rough sleeping services.
• Build collaborative relationships with local authority managers, commissioners, providers, and community-based services to refocus interventions to work within the Homelessness Reduction Act and align efforts to reduce rough sleeping and prevent and relieve homelessness.
• Provide expert advice around service design and engagement approaches with single homeless people and rough sleepers to improve delivery and support the development of local strategies including their action plans and targets.
• Providing challenge to local areas where there is concern regarding performance including failure to recognise the needs of the single homeless and rough sleeping cohort.
• Work closely with colleagues across the adviser and policy teams to provide a joined up approach to advice, support and challenge from MHCLG.
• Provide subject matter expert support across the adviser teams and to designated policy specialisms to improve understanding of delivery implications and the need of the sector.

Person specification

• Expert Knowledge of Homelessness Prevention and Rough Sleeping Systems
• Experience of leading, designing, commissioning, or delivering homelessness prevention and rough sleeping interventions.
• Knowledge of multi-agency working across housing, health, probation, DWP, VCS and local government.
• Ability to translate evidence and policy into practical improvement activity for local authorities.
• Strong understanding of homelessness legislation, statutory duties and prevention pathways.

Core Success Profile Behaviours

• Working Together Builds trusted relationships with local authorities, combined authorities, health bodies, probation services and voluntary sector partners. Influences without direct authority to drive improvement and change.
• Communicating and Influencing Presents complex data, policy and operational information clearly. Provides constructive challenge and support to senior stakeholders.
• Delivering at Pace Manages multiple local authority relationships and competing priorities. Focuses on outcomes and continuous improvement.
• Leadership Acts as a subject matter expert and role model. Supports sector learning and promotes evidence-based practice.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,092, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £16,829 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).At MHCLG we offer many benefits that range from tailored career pathways and flexible working to MyLifestyle Staff Benefits Scheme, Childcare Vouchers, and Cycle to Work Schemes. For more information, please click here.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Application and Selection

The application process will be split into 2 stages, testing the following Success Profiles:

Behaviours , Experience , Strengths

Please ensure your CV does not contain any personally identifiable information.

Note: We do not consider direct CV applications. All applications must be submitted via the provided application link.

Important: Your CV and Cover Letter must be merged into a single document before uploading.

Stage 1: Sift (CV & Cover Letter)

Experience:

In your CV and covering letter, please include:
a. why you are interested in the role;
b. how you meet the essential skills and experience required

If you run into any technical problems when applying through Be Applied (for example, trouble logging in or submitting your application), their support team can help. Please contact them at hello@beapplied.com.

Stage 2: Interview

• Behaviours: Communicating and Influencing, Delivering at Pace, Working together, Changing and improving

• Experience: Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.

• Strengths: The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

Candidates will be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation, further details will be provided on invitation to interview.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 20/07

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 03/08 and are currently being held remotely via videocall. This could be subject to change.

Disability Confident Scheme (DCS)

We are a Disability Confident employer.

We apply a fair and proportionate interview process for all candidates. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to progress candidates who apply under the Disability Confident Scheme and meet the required minimum selection criteria.

However, where high application volumes are received, progression to interview may be limited to those who best meet the role criteria. In these circumstances, the benchmark required to proceed to interview may be raised for all candidates.

How We Recruit

Find out more about our recruitment processes here.

• Applying

• Sifting

• Interview

• Interview Results & Feedback

• Reserve List

• Near Miss

• Civil Service Grades

• We are a DCS, RIS & GPTWV employer

• Reasonable Adjustments

How to Apply

Find out everything you need to know before applying here.

You must review the following information from the MHCLG Career's Site before submitting your application. This step is essential to ensure your eligibility for the role and that your application is completed correctly.

• Security Clearance Requirements

• Civil Service Nationality Requirements

• Right to Work

• Civil Service Code and Recruitment Principles

• CV Declaration

• Sponsorships

• Salary and Grade

• Existing Civil Servants

• Conflict of Interest

• Location and Flexible Working

• Internal Fraud Database

• Appeals and Complaints

• Fixed Term Appointments for:

• External Candidates

• Existing Civil Servants (Including Loans)

• Secondments

• MHCLG employees

Security Clearance Requirements

National Office:

London Office: + CTC

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Nicola Forsdyke
• Email : Nicola.Forsdyke@communities.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@communities.gov.uk

Further information

If you are unsure about any part of the process or require additional information about the post to enable you to progress your application, you should speak to the Resourcing team - recruitment@communities.gov.uk. Candidates can appeal at any stage of the recruitment process if they believe there has been:

a procedural irregularity

an infringement of the Civil Service equal opportunities policy

exceptional circumstances which were not notified to the interview panel which might have affected performance on the day.

It is important to note that these are appeals about the process not the decision. In the first instance, an appeal should be directed to the MHCLG Resourcing Hub at recruitment@communities.gov.uk.

If the MHCLG Resourcing Hub is unable to satisfactorily resolve your complaint, you may contact put your complaint in writing to the Civil Service Commission, Room G8,1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ or by email to: info@csc.gov.uk