Visual Impairment Adviser

'I am a visual impairment advisor for Sight Concern Bedfordshire and I love my role as it is so varied and rewarding, I get to meet people with a visual impairment who may be struggling financially or in their personal lives. We can make a real difference by checking allowances and benefits for them and supporting them to make these applications. We work closely with the Eye Clinic Liaison Officer at our local hospitals, and I liaise with other local agencies and organisations to ensure our clients have the best all round support. As well as making home visits to some clients I also use our inhouse reporting systems and provide our management team with case studies to help support with reporting for our funders. Come and apply to join our dedicated team for this rewarding role'. Kathy - Visual Impairment Advisor for Sight Concern Bedfordshire.

We are currently looking for a Visual Impairment Advisor to join our successful, experienced, and expanding team. This is a new post to assess the needs of severely sight impaired (blind) and sight impaired (partially sighted) people in their own homes and in the community, by co-ordinating sight support services to meet their requirements. We are looking for a person who is passionate about reaching out to the community, delivering impeccable service and support to make a positive difference in our client's lives. The successful individual will have a 'can do' attitude and a desire to grow within the organisation. This position could potentially lead to a progressive role within the organisation with further opportunities for specialised sight loss training and/or degree level qualification.

The ideal candidates will have one to two year's full time or part time equivalent of recent paid or unpaid experience of advice work in an advocacy, social welfare, or support service setting. You will be comfortable with conducting home visits, confident dealing with people and completing benefits applications. Although experience in a similar role and an interest in sight loss would be an advantage, if equal opportunities, diversity and wellbeing are important to, you think that have the attributes that we are looking for and want to make a difference in Bedfordshire, then we encourage you to apply, as we will provide all the training that you need to develop your skills.

What you will be doing

The primary purpose of the Visual Impairment Advisor is to assess the needs of severely sight impaired (blind) and sight impaired (partially sighted) people within the Bedfordshire communities, to develop and deliver support plans and apply for benefits to help improve their quality of life. You will update client records and visit client homes in and around the Bedfordshire area on a daily basis, so you must be able to travel around the County. Some hybrid working is possible, but the role is mainly outreach.

Sight Concern Bedfordshire is the leading local charity supporting people affected by sight loss through a wide range of tailored services and support. Founded in 1999 our purpose of "enhancing the independence and quality of life for people living with sight loss in Bedfordshire" is at the core of everything we do.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who wants to give back to the community to join a growing charity. Our staff are our greatest asset, so we have a great package to offer. This includes have a full-time equivalent salary range of between £23,151 to £25,500 (pro-rata for part time hours of working) and a comprehensive wellbeing offering to accompany the role. We really do mean flexible with 16-20 hours/week between the Bedford Office and client home and community visits), 25 days holiday (pro-rated) plus bank holidays, a generous pension scheme and, on top of all of that, the chance to collaborate with a wonderful team doing something every day to make a difference to people's lives. Here's what one of our colleagues has to say about working with us.