Early Intervention Officer

The Service & Team: 

This role sits within the Housing Options Service and forms part of our Homeless Prevention. The team works proactively with individuals who are at risk of homelessness, providing tailored advice, support, and practical solutions before housing problems reach crisis point. Working collaboratively with colleagues and partner organisations, you will help deliver Cornwall's commitment to early intervention and a preventative approach to housing support. 

The Role:

• Early Intervention & Homelessness Prevention- Provide timely support to people at risk of homelessness or rough sleeping, helping them remain in their accommodation or secure alternative housing. 
• Person-Centred Casework- Manage a caseload, assess housing needs, and develop personalised housing plans that help customers achieve sustainable housing outcomes. 
• Outreach & Community Engagement- Deliver outreach and drop-in sessions with partner agencies to identify housing issues early and reach people who may not access traditional services. 
• Advice & Housing Solutions- Provide practical advice on housing options, tenancy matters, welfare benefits, and homelessness prevention to help customers make informed decisions. 
• Partnership Working -Work closely with internal teams and external agencies to coordinate support and achieve positive outcomes for customers. 
• Advocacy, Negotiation & Problem Solving- Negotiate with landlords and housing providers, resolve housing issues, and identify creative solutions to prevent homelessness. 
• Record Keeping & Service Improvement- Maintain accurate case records, monitor outcomes, and contribute to service improvement through effective data recording and reporting. 

 

This is a public/customer-facing role, where the statutory English language requirement for public sector workers applies.                    
 

This position will be subject to a enhanced criminal record disclosure check. 

 

Working Pattern:

• Monday to Friday working pattern, with flexibility required to meet service needs.
• Hybrid working arrangement combining home, office, and community-based working.
• Regular travel across Cornwall will be required.
• Outreach, drop-in sessions, and face-to-face client work form an important part of the role.
• Participation in occasional out-of-hours work and service rotas may be required. 

 

What you’ll need to succeed:

• Excellent Communication Skills – Able to build trust quickly and engage effectively with people facing challenging and often complex circumstances.
• Empathy & Resilience – Comfortable supporting vulnerable individuals while remaining calm and professional in crisis situations.
• Strong Case Management Skills – Able to manage a busy caseload, prioritise workloads, and achieve positive outcomes.
• Problem-Solving & Creativity – Skilled at identifying practical solutions and overcoming barriers to housing stability.
• Partnership Working – Experience of working collaboratively with a range of statutory, voluntary, and community organisations.
• Negotiation Skills – Confident negotiating with landlords, agencies, and stakeholders to secure the best outcomes for customers.
• IT Proficiency – Able to maintain accurate records and use Microsoft Office and case management systems effectively.
• Knowledge of Housing & Homelessness – Understanding of housing options, welfare benefits, and homelessness legislation, including the Housing Act 1996 and Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, would be advantageous. 

Whilst experience within housing, homelessness, or support services would be beneficial, we are particularly interested in people who share our passion for helping others, have a strong customer focus, and are committed to learning and developing their skills. Full training and support will be provided.

Please read the role profile for the full details of this role attached below in this advert

 

What you’ll get in return:

Cornwall Council’s ambition is to be an employer of choice, a high performing Council and a learning organisation. We commit to providing a reward and benefits package to attract, motivate and reward our employees. We offer a range of flexible working options to our staff. This helps provide our employees with a greater work/life balance. Whilst still ensuring that service needs are met.

 

Our core employee rewards and benefits include:

• a competitive salary.
• a defined benefit pension scheme, based on your career average earnings. This includes the option for extra voluntary contributions
• a generous annual leave entitlement with the potential to purchase additional leave.
• a national award-winning employee health and well-being programme
• Employee benefits scheme giving employees access to a wide range of discounts to local and national goods and services

 

Additional Information:

Cornwall Council is unable to offer visa sponsorship or transfer existing sponsorship for this role.

 

The full role profile is attached here

We recommend saving a copy of this to refer to if you are invited to an interview.

For more information or an informal chat about the role please contact Dawn Reid (Dawn.Reid@cornwall.gov.uk)

 

Application Process

Please attach a supporting statement to your application, you can add your Education & Qualifications details manually using the application form timeline or you can upload your CV. Remember to demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points marked as ‘Application’ on the Role Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had. Guidance on how to complete your application can be found here – The application process_._

 

Please note that applications cannot be edited after they have been submitted, please contact careers@cornwall.gov.uk if you have any queries or require assistance with your application.

 

Existing employees must apply using their Cornwall Council email address through the Opportunity Marketplace on Oracle.

Cornwall Council deliver services to more than half a million local people and over five million visitors a year. Working here - Cornwall Council

We are happy to talk about flexible working options such as part-time or compressed hours. More examples of our flexible working opportunities can be found here - flexible working options.

Fairness and inclusion are at the heart of our vision for Cornwall. In order to best serve our communities, we are striving to achieve a diverse workforce that is inclusive of all backgrounds, cultures and identities; e.g., race, disability, sex, gender reassignment status, age, religion and sexual orientation. We are an equal opportunities and Disability Confident employer, and we will assess applicants on their merits.

Cornwall Council is committed to safeguarding and following safer recruitment principles to help make sure our staff and volunteers are suitable to work with children, young people and adults at risk. It’s a vital part of creating a safe and positive environment and making a commitment to keeping all service users safe from harm.