Accommodation Assistant, Greyfriars Hostel, Perth

Job Description

Accommodation Assistant (Fixed Term until 4 January 2026) - PKC12209
£26,766 - £29,131
Greyfriars Hostel, Perth

Greyfriars House is a homeless hostel which provides temporary accommodation for adults, both male and female.

This is a valuable service for individuals with no access to accommodation or permanent address.  

As an Accommodation Assistant, you will work as part of a team to promote the safety, security and general welfare of residents and the building.  

You will be required to work shifts on a rota basis which consists of early shifts, backs shifts and night shifts.  This includes weekend work and lone working. As a result, you will be paid a generous shift allowance.  

You will carry out a range of duties which will include:

• Booking-in residents.
• Monitoring CCTV.
• Cleaning of vacant rooms and communal areas.
• Ensuring that the hostel is a well maintained and safe environment for residents.
• Ensuring residents pay service charges/service charge arrears.
• Ordering goods and services.
• A variety of form filling.
• Communicating/liaising with multiple internal and external agencies.
• Handling sensitive and confidential information.
• Dealing with challenging situations as and when they occur.

No two days are ever the same.  The role provides lots of variety, some challenges and many rewards.  Greyfriars can be a fast-paced environment with lots happening at the same time.  You will build relationships with the residents providing them with advice and assistance with the aim of helping them to move on from Greyfriars and take the next step in being able to manage in their own tenancy and ultimately, play a role in helping them to improve their quality of life. 

Requirements

The operation of the CCTV cameras is a vital part of the role, to enable you to operate this effectively along with all other relevant systems and equipment, you are required to have good IT skills.  

Accuracy, attention to detail and a factual approach are all essential.  

You will be able to communicate effectively with clients and service users to build relationships along with internal and external agencies to ensure the provision of a high quality service. 

You will have experience in dealing with or working in at least one of the following areas:

• Drug and alcohol.
• Mental health.
• Social Care.
• Any form of abuse .

You will have a non-judgemental approach, be caring and sensitive to residents’ individual circumstances.

You will understand and have an awareness of how to help residents with a range of issues they may need advice and guidance with.  You will also need at times to take a firm but fair approach when dealing with more challenging behaviours or situations.  

Through the course of your role, you must ensure that you maintain confidentiality of all Council information. 

To ensure the smooth running of the hostel, you will be a highly organised individual and have the ability to prioritise your workload.  As it is a fast-paced working environment, there will be times when you will need to carry out a number of tasks in quick succession and you will need to make decisions on the spot often in emergencies.  

You will need to have high levels of personal resilience to cope with the demands of the role. 

You should have a good awareness of different types of Health and Safety legislation as it is important that you ensure your own safety and wellbeing.  It is crucial that the Hostel is safe and well maintained.  Residents’ safety and wellbeing is also extremely important.  

In addition, you should keep up to date with relevant Housing and Homeless legislation as well as the Hostel’s processes and procedures to ensure the high standards are maintained. 

You should also have a good understanding of Scottish Social Service Council’s Codes of Practice.  

There will be a thorough induction training programme and ongoing training and development opportunities which include both internal and external training.

Whilst not essential, it would be beneficial to have an SVQ2 in Health and Social Care/Social Services and Health Care (or equivalent in a relevant discipline) or a willingness to work towards it. 

The Individual

If you would like any more information about this position, please contact Lesley Gray on 01738 783443.

When completing your application for this post, please ensure that you provide contact details (including e-mail addresses) for two referees. One should be your current or most recent employer.

Please APPLY ONLINE. Facilities are available at all public libraries in Perth and Kinross. If you have a disability and require reasonable adjustments, please call 01738 475555 to discuss.

Please note, as this office will be closed from Tuesday 24 December 2024 at 5pm until 8:45am on Friday 3 January 2025, there will be no-one available to assist you with technical help over this period.

As part of our safer recruitment measures, any offer of employment will be subject to the successful completion of mandatory checks including eligibility to work in the UK, Disclosure Scotland or PVG, qualifications, references, and fitness to undertake the post. This may also include an Overseas Criminal Records Check if you have spent time living overseas.

A healthy work life balance is important to Perth & Kinross Council and we provide supportive management and flexible working arrangements to help you achieve a healthy work life balance. You will have access to training and support for continued professional development.

Some jobs may have been traditionally carried out predominately by one gender, but we would encourage you to apply if you meet the requirements, irrespective of your gender.

Perth & Kinross Council welcomes applications from former armed forces personnel/reservists. Many of the skills picked up during your military career could be transferred directly into a role with local government.

At PKC our values and behaviours influence our work and support us in the delivery of the Perth and Kinross Offer. In your application, and should you be invited to interview, you will be asked to describe situations that support the criteria required in the role and which also demonstrate our values and behaviours. Find out more about PKC and you could soon be joining our team!

Find out more about working for Perth & Kinross Council and living in one of the most scenic areas of Scotland Jobs, careers and employment.

What we can do for you

If you are successful in a role with Perth & Kinross Council, you will have access to a range of benefits to help your physical, mental and financial wellbeing.