£33,500 including £2000 car allowance
Permanent, Full Time
We are looking for a compassionate, proactive and resilient Independent Living Officer (with on‑call) to join our team supporting customers living in our Independent Living schemes across Bedford. This is a rewarding role where every day you will make a meaningful difference to customers' independence, well-being, and safety.
In this role you will provide a high‑quality, responsive housing management service, build strong and supportive relationships with customers, and help maintain safe, well‑run schemes. You will also take part in our 24/7 on‑call responder rota as part of the bpha Respond service, providing essential emergency support to Independent Living and bpha Respond customers outside normal office hours.
What you will be doing
Housing Management & Customer Support
Manage three independent living schemes in Bedford
Build positive, trusting relationships with customers through regular contact, welfare checks and timely follow‑up when needs change.
Support customers to understand and maintain their tenancy, addressing concerns early and sensitively.
Manage a varied caseload, completing needs assessments, risk assessments, and person‑centred plans.
Respond to arrears, ASB and safeguarding concerns in line with policy, ensuring issues are managed quickly and professionally.
Scheme Safety & Compliance
Ensure schemes remain safe, secure and well‑maintained through regular inspections and prompt repair reporting.
Complete core health and safety checks, building inspections, fire safety actions and documentation on time.
Support sign‑ups, move‑ins and tenancy changes to ensure a smooth and positive customer experience.
Community, Collaboration & Support Planning
Work with partner agencies, support teams, local authorities and health professionals to ensure joined‑up support.
Encourage engagement and help maintain a positive community atmosphere by supporting events and resident involvement.
Assist customers with higher levels of need, coordinating multi‑agency plans and reviewing progress regularly.
On‑Call Responder Duties (Essential Part of the Role)
Participate in a 24/7 on‑call rota, delivering an in‑person emergency responder service to customers in Bedford.
Provide telephone support to out‑of‑area schemes during evenings, nights and weekends.
Attend emergency call‑outs-such as falls, welfare concerns, alarm activations or urgent safeguarding issues-responding with care, professionalism and calmness.
Coordinate with emergency services when required and record all on‑call activity accurately for service learning and improvement.
Meet response targets, including responding to 90% of call‑outs within 30 minutes.
What we're looking for
Warm, confident and empathetic communication skills.
Someone calm under pressure who can work independently and make sound decisions.
Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage a busy and varied workload.
Experience supporting individuals with diverse or complex needs.
Understanding of safeguarding, boundaries, risk management and tenancy‑related issues.
IT literacy and accuracy in record keeping.
A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle (essential for on‑call).
Why work with us?
You will join a supportive, values‑driven team committed to helping people live safely and independently. We will provide training, ongoing development and opportunities to broaden your skills, including specialist training linked to responder duties.
bpha reserves the right to close this vacancy early should we feel we have received an adequate number of relevant applicants
Salary description
£31500.00 - £33500.00 per year