Job responsibilities
JOB PURPOSE
The Payment and Collections Assistant supports the
finance team by ensuring the accurate collection of social care income and the
effective checking, preparation and issuing of invoices and payments to
providers and service users. The role requires strong organisational skills to
manage and prioritise workloads on a weekly basis.
The postholder will be expected to communicate
with a wide range of stakeholders, including service users, family members,
care providers, and legal representatives, both by telephone and in writing,
responding professionally to a diverse range of needs and enquiries. The role
also involves working across multiple internal systems to carry out financial
checks and provide effective support to the wider finance team.
Key Responsibilities
Payment
to Providers
Make contractual
payments to providers within agreed timescales and relevant intervals.
Work closely with
providers to build positive working relationships and strong communication
links.
Chase providers for
unallocated invoices.
Liase with social work
managers and social work admin to resolve any internal/external queries.
Collection of Income
Calculate standing
order payments and make any financial adjustments necessary i.e. refund
overpayments or invoice for shortfalls.
Advising clients on
payment options available and assist those with general social care finance
matters.
Debt
Recovery
Monitoring debts
relating to adult social care using a variety of internal systems.
Maintain and monitor a
new client list, preventing debt from accruing where possible. This will
involve following processes and working on your initiative to resolve cases.
Engaging with External
providers via various methods to resolve debt and obtain payment.
Support the finance
team to set up payment plan agreements, monitor ongoing payments, and refer for
further recovery if needed.
Setting up direct
debits for payment of adult social care services ensuring the direct debit
guarantee rules are adhered to.
Complete write off
processes as and when required which will involve liaising with service users,
other professional and completing relevant documents.
Engaging with External
solicitors in relation to payments that are due for social care.
Support the Debt
recovery Officer in chasing the property paperwork required
Monitor Deferred Payment Accounts linked to a legal charge.
Setting up direct
debits for payment of adult social care services ensuring the direct debit
guarantee rules are adhered to.
General Duties
Support and train other
team members when required.
Support and advise the
social workers in relation to adult social care finance matters
Manage phone calls and
Emails
Undertake general
office/administration duties.
Be aware of and adhere to best practise.
SKILLS
In order to undertake
this role, you will need to:-
Well-developed
communication skills.
Use negotiation skills
in order to obtain the best position for the individual and the organisation.
Use your professional
judgement and analytical skills will be required in order to meet the demands
of this role.
Have excellent IT
skills including a good working knowledge of spreadsheets, word processing,
email systems, and internal systems will be required.
Confidence in your
ability to complete forms accurately.
Work mainly
unsupervised within an agreed framework and within a complex, contentious,
sensitive and confidential environment.
Exercise professional
judgement in routine and complex cases, requiring interpretation of a range of
legislation, guidance and procedures to inform decision making from a range of
options.
Perform standard
mathematical functions and complex calculations accurately.
Analyse and interpret
information to ensure that the organisation complies with legislation and
national standards, identifying areas for improvement and development, advising
senior management where appropriate.
Be able to create and
maintain excellent working relationships.
Be able to manage your
own workload effectively and switch from one area of work to another throughout
the day.
NB:This job description gives only the principal duties and responsibilities of the post and, therefore, the post holder will be required to undertake various other duties which are implicit in the principal duties and which are commensurate with the post. Focus has the right to modify the Job Description (in accordance with the grade of the post) and modifications will be by mutual consent wherever possible.