Practical & Financial Solutions Support Officer

WHO WE ARE

At the Irish Cancer Society, we have a vision that by 2025, 3 out of 4 Irish cancer patients will survive their diagnosis and everyone affected by the disease will have access to world-class treatment, care and support.

We’re looking for a Practical Support and Financial Solutions Support Officer to join our team. As a Practical Support and Financial Solutions Support Officer you will support people who have been affected by cancer to find solutions that will help ease the burden of cancer – this may involve getting medical cards, supporting someone returning to work, or finding childcare when a parent is going to medical appointments.

If you are passionate about supporting people through their cancer journey; are good at active listening and getting relevant information from people; and want to take your career to the next level with opportunities for development and learning, this role is for you.

Join us to change the lives of people affected by cancer in Ireland.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

A cancer diagnosis impacts all areas of a person’s life. At the Irish Cancer Society, we aim to reduce this burden of cancer and improve the quality of life for everyone affected by cancer.

To do this, the Irish Cancer Society are rolling out a new community based service. This service will support people affected by cancer in the area, by giving easy access to nurse-led information and advice, financial and practice supports, exercise and nutrition services, and emotional and psychological supports.

The community service is being delivered by a cross-disciplinary team, providing outreach services in different locations across Ireland.

We are looking for a Practical Support and Financial Solutions Officer to join this new team.

As a Practical Support and Financial Solutions Officer, you will be responsible for completing assessments with people who have identified a financial or practical need. You will put the person at ease, and work with them to find the best solution(s) to their concerns, and engage with other organisations that may also be able to offer support.

Your main duties and responsibilities will include:

Service Delivery

• Complete Assessments with Service Users, at various Irish Cancer Society locations, other outreach locations or in the home / where the Service User is, on any financial and practical concerns they may have
• Create a Support Plan with the Service User based on the Assessments and ensure all items are followed through with. This may include writing a letter to appeal a medical card refusal, making telephone calls on their behalf, completing a referral form or advocating on behalf of the Service User with a third party such as a financial institution
• Provide information to Service Users (e.g. leaflets, booklets, etc.) or signpost them to other internal services within the Irish Cancer Society, as well as other relevant external organisations such as Citizens Information, or MABS
• Ensure that all personal details are stored securely, and in line with the Irish Cancer Society’s GDPR policies and procedures
• Work with the Support Programmes Coordinator (Practical &Financial) to support the development of a range of new and innovative support programmes aimed at improving the non-medical supports offered by the Society to people impacted by cancer, with a particular focus on practical supports such as financial (banking & insurance) advice & supports, benefit advice & supports, workplace related advice & supports
• Working across the Services Team, to ensure that the supports are delivered into the overall patient journey for people accessing the Society’s services

Programme operations

• Ensure successful delivery of the Society’s practical and financial support services developed for people impacted by cancer across multiple channels
• Support with policies and processes to administer the services, and make sure reporting procedures are adhered too
• Maintain an up to date knowledge of the benefits system, and update on a regular basis – both internally on our systems, and on the website
• Keep up to date with legislation, policies and procedures, read relevant publications, and undertake appropriate training

Evaluation and continuous improvement

• Adhere to effective monitoring,evaluation and reporting systems for each programme, and work to ensure their effective implementation
• Report on key indicators agreed for each area of work, and document and report on programme learnings
• Proactively identify opportunities for improvement in our service delivery or operations.

Stakeholder engagement and relationship building

• Build and maintain relationships with existing internal and external stakeholders, and develop new relationships with other relevant agencies to be able to respond directly to the specific needs of people impacted by cancer, as directed by your manager
• Build effective relationships across the Society and work in collaboration with Services Team and wider Irish Cancer Society colleagues to contribute to the successful delivery of the organisational strategy

WHO YOU ARE

A people person: whether it’s greeting someone in one of the Irish Cancer Society locations in person or remotely,, working with colleagues and volunteers, or engaging with clinicians you understand what makes people tick, and create effective relationships.

A great communicator: you are able to communicate effectively across multiple channels (face-to-face, written, digital) and adopt your style to meet the audience where they are. You will also be confident in delivering presentations to groups of people

Wonderfully Organised: you are able to manage lots of different tasks at the same time, keep things ‘going as planned’ and take pride in running a tight ship.

Technologically savvy: you’re comfortable using digital and technology tools for the management and delivery of programmes, and identifying new ways that technology can support your work. You know your way around the Microsoft platform.

Flexible and open to travel: you are willing to be a team player, meet service users where they are and get involved with other events in the organisation such as Roadshows, Daffodil Day, Barretstown camps, other external events or training events and this will mean travelling to different locations.

YOUR QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• A degree or professional qualification in social work, community development, or related field. Additional relevant work experience will be considered in lieu of a formal education qualification 
• A minimum of 3 years relevant work experience in service delivery, community support, or social care. The Irish Cancer Society measures experience by the quality of the experience gained, rather than number of years worked 
• Experience in needs assessment, support/care plans, and report writing
• An understanding of approaches/strategies required to address social and health inequalities at service delivery is desirable
• An understanding of approaches/strategies required to address the practical impacts of living with or after a cancer diagnosis at a service delivery is desirable

HOW TO APPLY

If you are interested in applying for this position, please send curriculum vitae and cover letter to Amanda Walsh, Recruitment Administrator by email to recruitment@irishcancer.ie

The closing date for applications Thursday 6th April 2023

The Irish Cancer Society is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building an inclusive environment for all employees. We know that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

WE DO NOT REQUIRE THE ASSISTANCE OF AGENCIES