Caseworker

A Caseworker is someone who carries out welfare work for the Royal Air Forces Association. Welfare work is about listening to an individual and assessing their needs to find out how the Organisation can provide help and support to them.

Support can include anything from:

• Helping put a client with a disability in touch with social services, so they can apply for funding for a wet room
• Something as simple as filling in a form to get a new fridge, for a client who cannot afford to replace their broken one
• It could also be informing clients of the holiday breaks the Association offers in one of its three Wings Break hotels

Caseworkers may also need to gather complex information on beneficiaries to help with applications for care home fees or similar and this can involve providing clear and precise information on finances and correspondences. Caseworkers work with "clients" who are members of the RAF family.

The caseworker will:

• Visit potential beneficiaries, listen to their concerns and asses their needs
• Identify areas of support and make referrals to partner agencies as required
• Record visits and maintain good records of activities, recommendations and actions
• Electronically record requests for help on the Case Management System (Form A) for which training is provided
• Undertake follow up visits as required
• Provide regular updates to the AWO
• Complete monthly returns cataloguing their activity

Skills

• Experience of welfare work
• Listening skills and asking pertinent questions
• Communication skills
• IT skills
• Report writing skills
• Building relationships with a wide variety of people
• Research skills (in terms of finding out local area information about social services, hospital services, local council information, other charity support on offer, etc.)
• Team working skills