Our Vision
Hope Family Trust is an anti-poverty charity situated in East London. Our Barking Foodbank Project is one of the food banks in the UK supported by Trussell Trust. Aligned with Trussell Trust’s overarching vision to stop UK hunger and poverty, Hope Family Trust is deeply committed to putting an end to food insecurity in the borough of Barking and Dagenham.
At the heart of our approach lies community engagement, which forms the bedrock of our local strategy to combat reliance on foodbanks in our borough. You will be a linchpin in our team, enabling us to achieve our vision.

About The Role
We are seeking an experienced and self-motivated individual with strong interpersonal and empathetic skills to provide specialist welfare rights advice and advocacy, helping individuals make informed decisions and improve their financial resilience.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing advice service that plays a key role in helping local people experiencing financial hardship maximise their income and reduce reliance on emergency food support.

The successful candidate will help develop the service, support and mentor volunteer Gateway Assessors, and contribute to the future growth of welfare advice provision across Barking and Dagenham.

As Senior Welfare Rights Adviser, you will provide advice services covering a broad range of subject matters, including welfare benefits, housing, employment, community support, social care, education, and immigration signposting.

You will provide specialist welfare rights advice and advocacy to Barking Foodbank clients in outreach settings, supporting clients throughout the entirety of their benefit application journey, including handling welfare benefits cases and helping to prepare mandatory reconsideration requests and tribunal appeals.
You will build strong relationships with other organisations, local authorities, and other agencies through meetings and events. You will also attend ongoing training, as it is crucial to stay informed about current political and economic drivers of social injustice, and changes in legislation affecting the clients Hope Family Trust works with.

Essential criteria:
• At least five years’ experience providing welfare rights advice, from initial claims through to mandatory reconsiderations and tribunal appeals
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with empathy and a non-judgemental outlook

Desirable:
• A proven track record of successful client outcomes at appeal tribunals
• Knowledge of key issues causing economic injustice and hardship
• Experience of the charity sector

This is an exciting full-time position, working four days at our outreach sites and one day in the office.

We are reviewing CVs on an ongoing basis, so it is highly recommended to submit your application as soon as possible. The closing date for this vacancy may be brought forward if a strong applicant is identified.