Inquiries and Decisions Officer

Location: Greater London

Are you passionate about preventing homelessness and making a tangible difference in people's lives?
Do you believe in delivering housing services with empathy, integrity, and a focus on the individual?
We're looking for a committed and experienced Inquiries and Decisions Officer to join a local authority in North London, supporting vulnerable residents with housing solutions that put compassion and customer care first.

As an Inquiries and Decisions Officer, you will be at the heart of the homelessness prevention agenda, delivering clear, lawful, and empathetic decisions under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

Your role will involve managing and progressing applications-particularly those in existing backlog-by carrying out detailed assessments, making legally sound decisions, and ensuring every applicant feels supported and informed throughout the process.

You will take a trauma-informed approach to your work, recognising the impact of trauma and adversity on individuals and adapting your communication and service delivery accordingly. With a clear focus on safeguarding, you'll work closely with internal services like Children's and Adult Social Care, as well as external partners such as hospitals, probation services, and voluntary organisations.

Key Responsibilities:

· Conduct homelessness inquiries and make main duty decisions for both singles and families.

· Help reduce the Council's backlog of homeless applications through timely and robust casework.

· Build and maintain effective working relationships across council departments and with external stakeholders.

· Attend case conferences and multi-agency meetings to advocate and advise on housing duties.

· Identify safeguarding risks and make appropriate referrals to support services.

· Support rough sleepers, survivors of domestic abuse, care leavers, asylum seekers, LGBTQ+ residents and other vulnerable groups.

· Prepare detailed responses to complaints, Councillor enquiries, and LGSCO investigations.

· Make onward referrals and ensure joined-up support for every applicant.

· Carry out occasional home visits as part of your investigative duties.

What We're Looking For:

· Strong working knowledge of homelessness legislation (especially HRA 2017).

· Experience making formal homelessness decisions in a local authority setting.

· Excellent communication, time management, and organisational skills.

· Empathy, resilience, and a person-centred mindset.

· Commitment to delivering services that are inclusive, accessible, and trauma-informed.

How to Apply

If you are interested in this role and meet the criteria above, please send us your application today. If you have any questions about the vacancy, please click APPLY NOW.
 
If you do not hear from us within 48 hours of applying, your application has been unsuccessful.

If you feel that this job matches your skills but not the rate, location, or seniority, please feel free to send us your CV anyway. We constantly recruit for similar roles across all levels, UK-wide, and would be pleased to speak with you confidentially about your employment status.
Even if you're currently satisfied in your role, we welcome calls from public sector professionals looking to make future connections. Our specialist team at Carrington West has over 100 years of combined experience in this market. For more information, call Cheryl at Carrington West on (phone number removed).

By applying for this position, you agree for Carrington West to hold and process your personal data in accordance with our Data Protection Policy. Your data will only be shared with third-party clients for roles relevant to your application. You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting us