Advocacy Jobs in Berkshire

Join us in a pivotal role that blends money and energy guidance with compassionate support, right at the heart of our mission to assist kidney patients across the South West. We're introducing a vital position within our Patient Support Services Team, focusing on providing targeted money and energy advice to those navigating the financial challenges of living with kidney disease.

In this home-based, full-time position, you'll be a member of a team dedicated to making a tangible difference. The role involves delivering bespoke money and energy guidance—via phone, video calls, and occasionally in-person—to address the unique financial obstacles faced by kidney patients. Your role will encompass everything from offering practical advice and assessing financial needs to connecting patients with broader specialist support networks.

This role demands at least 2 years of experience in advocacy, social work, or a related field within the health and social care sector, with a particular focus on financial and energy support. For those yet to achieve a Level 3 qualification in Money and Energy Advice, we're here to support your professional development in this area. Applications from those with experience of living with CKD in a personal or professional capacity are particularly welcome. The role is a two-year contract initially. We can consider applications for a split role or job share, please indicate the hours you are seeking.

Please apply through CharityJob with your CV and a covering letter outlining why you are perfect for this role.

In this varied and rewarding role you will engage, motivate and support young carers and in doing so you will make a real difference to young carers within Surrey.

You will be based at our offices in Burpham, Guildford for approximately one day a fortnight, with access to hotdesking at any time. Your remaining working hours will be spent engaging with young carers within youth settings, schools or other settings or undertaking planning/recording work from home. You will be need to be available during times that children and young people are available, and this includes planned evening and weekend work.

We are a Surrey wide service, our team work collaboratively to cover the county and for efficiency, your work will be focused in a specific geographical area. This is a fixed term role to cover a maternity leave.

Key responsibilities

• To complete an assessment of need with young carers and provide signposting advocacy and support.
• To work in schools/colleges to increase the identification and support of young carers.
• To provide regular and on-going time out and fun club sessions for young carers to meet others in similar situations and have a break from their caring role.
• To update the database and SYC webpages– for example to update young carers records and update details of planned youth clubs.
• To provide signposting and advocacy to Young Carers and their families.
• To facilitate bespoke sessions for 16-17 year olds.
• To facilitate a program of on-line activities (i.e. via zoom) to young carers.

About you

You must:

• Be confident in encouraging children, young people and their parents/carers to engage with our activities.
• Have experience of working with children, young people and families. e.g. in youth services /voluntary sector / social work settings.
• Have awareness of issues surrounding Young Carers.
• Have a flexible approach to working hours, as regular planned weekend and evening work is required.
• Have an ability to form good working relationships with young people and their families.
• Have experience recording case notes and information about children and young people. Have a good professional knowledge of standard Microsoft packages and databases
• Have a driving license and use of own vehicle. Mileage expenses are paid.

The successful applicants will be DBS checked to an Enhanced level.

About us

Action for Carers Surrey has a vision ‘that every unpaid carer in Surrey is heard, valued and supported.’ We are a committed, local charity determined to make a difference to young and adult carers across Surrey.

Our values are Focus, Inclusion, Respect and Excellence.  By keeping to our values, we are able to provide an innovative, high quality and compassionate service to carers in every community in Surrey, making a real difference to their wellbeing.

We offer our staff a friendly, supportive, flexible workplace and are committed to welcoming applicants from a wide range of backgrounds as well as supporting staff who have their own caring responsibilities. To this end, we offer staff a weeks paid carers leave.  We also provide a generous holiday entitlement, starting at 28 days plus bank holidays, an employee assistance programme, pension and opportunities for development and training.

People living with Parkinson's value the services and opportunities Parkinson’s UK provides, delivered by committed and skilled colleagues, volunteers and partner organisations. Following an investment of 1.5 million we have the opportunity to build on the quality and reach of our community services. 

About the role

You’ll empower your clients to take actions for themselves or will advocate on their behalf for better service, support and outcomes, so they can live their life with Parkinson's in the way they choose.

You’ll deliver tailored information and support through a range of channels including telephone, video and email and, where appropriate, home visits and in community settings.

You’ll be responsible for building excellent relationships with healthcare professionals and other relevant agencies, as well as our network of volunteers and groups.

What you'll do:

• Provide professional person centred, in depth support to clients by a range of means, ensuring the most efficient and effective use of resources.

• Provide support on a variety of health and social care issues, including appropriate emotional, employment and welfare benefits support and advocating with and on behalf of clients. 

• Work flexibly across the service responding to enquiries through a range of channels.

• Work closely with clinicians, specialist nurses and other professional colleagues to raise the profile of the service, increase depth of support and achieve improved outcomes for people with Parkinson’s.

What you'll bring: 

• Experience of managing and delivering individual case work, including advocating for clients and supporting people to navigate  the health and social care system 

• Experience and understanding of safeguarding and your role in keeping clients safe and  implementing organisational policies and procedure

• Ability to be calm and use emotional intelligence in challenging casework

• Demonstrable digital competence, with experience of effective use of a range of tools including online case management systems

• The ability to build effective working relationships with others including working within multi disciplinary teams internally and externally 

You must live in the area you’re applying for in order to carry out this role. 

Please apply by sending us your CV, together with supporting statements. The supporting statement should fully demonstrate how you meet all the criteria as stated in the "What you'll bring" section of the role description.

We are operating rolling recruitment for this vacancy and reviewing applications as they are received. We reserve the right to close this vacancy when we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

The successful candidate will be required to: 

• live in the area specified, and be able to travel freely and flexibly throughout the area and occasionally further afield without reliance on public transport

• Preferably hold a full driving licence

• provide occasional cover on Saturdays and/or Bank holidays

• provide their own broadband service with a minimum download speed of 2Mb 

This role will require an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. You’ll be required to apply for one; refusal to do so will result in the offer being withdrawn.

Anyone can get Parkinson’s. It’s vital that the people who work for Parkinson’s UK are representative of our diverse community. We actively encourage people from all sections of the community to apply, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, age, disability, sexual orientation, or religion.

Please note, a Welsh copy of the following job description is available on our website.

Rewilding Britain - Wales Advocacy Coordinator

Since Rewilding Britain was formed in 2015 rewilding has moved from being a niche idea to playing a significant role in the fight against some of the biggest global challenges we face. Rewilding Britain is at the forefront of this change, acting as a catalyst for debate and action, and demonstrating the power of working with nature to build a sustainable world where people thrive.

Imagine a Wales where the connection between culture and nature is reawakened. Where a rich tapestry of native woodlands, wetlands, wildflower meadows and grasslands is stitched back together. Where land and seas teem with life and where nature-based enterprises support thriving communities far and wide. And imagine that this has been led and achieved by local people.

Rewilding Britain wants to see rewilding flourishing across 30% of Britain, reconnecting us with the natural world, sustaining communities and tackling the interconnected nature and climate emergencies.

We influence policy, inspire public action and catalyse joined-up practical and financial support to help establish rewilding across Britain’s land and seas. Through a rapidly growing Rewilding Network we’re bringing together a community of rewilders - from land managers and farmers, to charities, community groups and national parks - to inspire and support each other to create a wilder, more prosperous Britain. It’s not too late - but we must act now.

We're now seeking a self-motivated Welsh Advocacy Coordinator to join our team and help steer Rewilding Britain’s policy and advocacy activities in Wales. The successful candidate will be an innovative, driven and forward-thinking individual with a proven track record of advocacy, policy or influencing work within a relevant sector. This is an exciting opportunity to join our fast growing charity and directly contribute to the growth of the rewilding movement.

Job purpose:

There's already a growing rewilding movement across Wales. Increasingly, land managers are looking for ways to incorporate rewilding into their practices, at a time the Welsh Senedd is investigating ways for Wales to meet its net zero and nature recovery commitments. Building on this, you'll help support the development and delivery of a collaborative and locally-led rewilding vision and work to ensure that it is mainstreamed within Welsh Government policy and practice.

Objective of the Role:

In collaboration with key Welsh organisations and stakeholders, develop, research and lead the delivery of evidence-based policy influencing, public affairs and campaigning activities which support the mainstreaming of rewilding into policy and practice in Wales.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Coordinating the planning and delivery of policy and influencing activities in Wales, primarily through working with and developing new partnerships in Wales
• Keeping up to date with changing policies and legislation in relation to rewilding, identifying opportunities to deliver positive change
• Developing relevant policy positions and communicating these in order to influence the Welsh policy environment
• Gathering intelligence and research, summarising evidence and communicating learning in order to develop these policy positions
• Ensuring that the connection between localism, communities, culture and rewilding is integrated into Rewilding Britain’s work in Wales
• Building and maintaining effective stakeholder relationships, particularly with civil servants, policy makers, national and local decision-makers, and campaigning/landowning/marine bodies
• Working with Rewilding Network members in Wales to build broad engagement in joint advocacy activities, backing this up with compelling evidence of the benefits of rewilding
• Developing the creation of a co-operative approach to Rewilding in Wales (e.g. similar to that of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance)
• Providing political monitoring and intelligence to colleagues across the organisation and partners operating in Wales
• Working collaboratively with other organisations, influencers and campaigns

Skills, experience and behaviours

Skills and experience

Essential:

• At least 5 years’ experience of working in policy, public affairs and/or campaigns in a relevant field in Wales
• Demonstrable understanding of the political, economic and cultural landscape in Wales relevant to rewilding
• Highly organised with excellent networking skills
• Ability to analyse research and evidence to influence policy
• Persuasive communication skills which influence and motivate
• Ability to work autonomously, showing initiative while building excellent relationships with the wider team
• Skilled at combining policy, public affairs and campaigning activities, with clear evidence of impact

Desirable:

• Ability to speak Welsh is highly desirable.
• Experience managing work remotely
• Experience in and understanding of rewilding
• Experience of public speaking
• Experience of dealing with press and other media
• Project management experience

Behaviours

Essential:

• A self-starter with initiative and motivation who works to make things happen.
• Positive, collaborative attitude.
• Passionate, confident and adaptable.
• Focussed and results driven.

This job description is not all encompassing and may change to reflect need. Your duties may be reviewed from time to time and revised and updated in consultation with you to reflect appropriate changes.
 

Terms and conditions and staff benefits

This is a full-time role at 35 hours per week, but we're open to applications from those looking to work 28 hours or more per week.

The salary is £38k - £45k per annum (depending on relevant experience).

There will be some freedom for the person to determine their own working arrangements each week, within limitations, providing the work is delivered.

Rewilding Britain employees benefit from 25 days annual leave per year (pro rata for part time roles), rising to 30 days over 5 years. A generous employer-matched pension scheme is also available.

We are a virtual team who work from home and/or co-working spaces. We'll support you to achieve a suitable virtual working environment. Some meetings are held face to face across Britain, so a willingness to travel with occasional overnight stays is desirable.
 

Use of artificial intelligence tools: Rewilding Britain does not accept cover letters, presentations or answers to recruitment questions whose content is AI generated and we will actively screen for this as part of our recruitment process. Rewilding Britain does not use AI tools to review candidate applications; real people will review and shortlist applications.
 

Equality in employment: Candidates will be shortlisted and selected according to suitability for the post without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
 

Rewilding Britain is not a licenced sponsor at this time. Any offer of employment will be made subject to the provision of a valid right to work in the UK.

Salary: £34,000 to £37,000 per annum (FTE), depending on experience.

Hours: 35 hours per week FTE, we will consider flexible hours & 3 or 4 day week working.

Place of work: Remote/Hybrid.

Please note that the role will require some attendance at face-to-face meetings in either the Scottish parliament or Northern Ireland Assembly and therefore applications are welcomed from people living in, or with easy access to, Edinburgh or Belfast. You will also be required to attend our Hatfield Office for a minimum of 4 (all staff) days annually.

About us

We're the UK's leading charity for Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Right now, an estimated 500,000 people in the UK are living with a lifelong disease many people have never heard of and for which there is no known cure. Because of the stigma and misunderstanding surrounding these diseases, thousands of people are suffering in silence. But we’re here to support and champion their cause and our new ambitious plans will help to make a real difference.

The role

Are you passionate about making a positive impact on the lives of those living with Crohn's and Colitis? At Crohn’s & Colitis UK, we are seeking a dedicated Policy Lead to play a pivotal role in shaping our policy and public affairs initiatives in alignment with our strategic objectives and UK-wide influencing priorities. As a Policy Lead, you will have the unique opportunity to contribute to the development of our policy and public affairs engagement plans that ensure a strong and influential voice for individuals affected by Crohn’s and Colitis.

Working closely with the Head of Policy and Campaigns and the Policy Manager, you will actively engage in effective policy development and advocacy efforts, making a tangible difference in the lives of thousands of people across the UK. Join our team and be a driving force in creating positive change for those impacted by these conditions.

This role will require some attendance at Scottish Parliament, or Northern Ireland Assembly and other Government offices for face-to-face meetings.

About you

• develop and deliver evidence-based policy initiatives to transform services
•  build and maintain relationships with decision makers across Scotland and Northern Ireland
• communicate with them succinctly and effectively to amplify our voice
•  keep track of policy developments in Scotland and Northern Ireland
• use your knowledge of health policy and build networks to change systems.

Together, we will achieve better diagnosis, better care and better lives for everyone affected by Crohn’s and Colitis.

How to apply

Closing date: Tuesday 7th May 2024 – 9am.

If you wish to apply for this role, please provide a cv and supporting statement giving evidence and examples of how you meet the criteria of the person specification and what you feel you would bring to the role.

Please note: no applications will move forward within the recruiting process without a supporting statement. Applications will be assessed as and when they are received, and interviews arranged, so we may close the position before the closing date if a suitable candidate is found

We are an inclusive employer and offer equal opportunities to all regardless of an individual’s age, disability, gender identity, marriage or civil partnership status, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

We are not a licensed sponsor at this time. Any offer of employment will be made subject to valid right to work in the UK being provided.

We will not be accepting any contact from Recruitment Agencies or Media Sales

As the Training Programmes Manager you will have oversight and responsibility for the healthcare professional training projects and activities, as well as growing the M4RD network within HCP groups and training institutions.

You will be key to rolling out Rare Disease 101 training for healthcare professionals all over the UK and potentially abroad. While you are not expected to deliver training yourself you will be pivotal to creating opportunities and facilitating all aspects of the programme.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Co-lead M4RD’s Ambassador Programme, managing the clinical and medical student ambassadors.

• Planning and delivering training events.

• Deliver educational and training projects inline with M4RD’s current strategy and work programme.

• Collaborate  with training institutions and NHS workplaces inline with M4RD’s current strategy and work programme.

• Potential to manage up to two members of the M4RD Team.

• Support the CEO and Operations & Finance Manager with recruitment duties, operational strategy and development and coaching any relevant staff.

About us:

Community ConneX is a campaigning organisation and a multi-project service provider working across West London. We support autistic people, people with a disability, and people and families experiencing barriers to live healthier, happier, and inclusive lives. We do this by ensuring their needs, rights and aspirations are met.

Advocacy 1st is a free, independent service provided by advocates who specialise in the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act and the Mental Health Act.

Location: Remote based in Oxfordshire

Key duties:

· Recruiting, training and providing ongoing support to volunteers

· Working with the children and young people to assess their service requirements

· Working with stakeholders to raise awareness and recognise and identify care leavers and young people in need of the Independent Visitors and Care Leavers service

· Looking at opportunities to engage and work with services to identify care leavers and independent visitors

· Reporting and discussing all safeguarding concerns with the service manager

· Completing initial assessments and matching volunteers to young people

· Raising the profile of the Independent Visitors and Care Leavers service

Our ideal candidate:

· Has qualifications relevant to the role

· Has experience of working with children and young people.

· Is aware of legislation such as Care Act 2014, Children and Families Act 2014, Children Act 1989, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the child (UNCRC)

· Has excellent communications and writing skills, and the ability to tailor written and verbal communications to a wide range of different audiences

· Can maintain existing relationships and develop new relationships with clients, families, colleagues and volunteers

· Can generate reports and make presentations

In return we offer a range of benefits including:

· Pension contribution up to 5%

· Death in service insurance

· Employee assistance programme

· Bluelight Card

· Cycle to work scheme

· 23 days of annual leave + bank holidays (increases after 2 years of service)

· Gym membership

· Healthcash plan

· Professional development

We are committed to safeguarding and equal opportunities, and we guarantee an interview to all applicants with disabilities meeting the minimum criteria for the post.

We also want to ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable facilities to participate in job applications or interviews to perform essential job functions. To support this, we are a Disability Confident committed employer.

Nature Based Solutions Manager - London and Slough
Location: London and Slough/Hybrid Working
Salary: £34,405.00 (plus a London weighting allowance of £3,714 depending on base location)
Vacancy Type: Fixed Term contract until 31st March 2027, 37.5 hours per week working 5 days in 7
Function: Project Management

As our Nature Based Solutions Manager, you will be at the forefront of the co-creation of NBS that change peoples' lives and the places they live in two projects - Project Sponge in Slough and Community Bluescapes in Richmond, London. Alongside the other team members, you will demonstrate the power of urban wetlands and other blue infrastructure to help communities to adapt to climate change and build better, safer, more natural places to live.

Your key role will be to co-design and deliver with the local community NBS interventions that build resilience to flooding, provide space for wetland wildlife and improve health and well-being of citizens. You'll manage the tendering process and contractors; ensure high quality and innovative interventions are created and effectively communicate messages about climate change and nature-based solutions to citizens, partners and stakeholders.

This is an exciting, innovative approach to climate change adaptation at street and neighbourhood level. It places local residents at the heart of decision-making, design and delivery of interventions that help keep them safe from floods, droughts, heat stress and create more natural places too.

This role is suitable for hybrid working with the expectation that the successful candidate will spend up to half the working week on site with options for working from home or in office accommodation as appropriate.

 About You

You'll need  a professional qualification in NBS/SuDS/NFM design and installation or similar or significant equivalent experience from previous roles.

We are looking for someone who is well-organised; a creative thinker, a team player, an effective communicator at ease with co-design principles and practice and someone who can be an ambassador for NBS, WWT and our partners.

Travel between sites is needed and so a full driving licence is required.

About Us

We’re WWT, and we’re on a mission to restore the super-powered ecosystems we call wetlands. There’s never been a more important moment for our work, and we’ve got some phenomenal people on the case.

Whether they’re taking a new visitor under their wing, or conducting ground-breaking research further afield, our team are second to none. And there’s nothing we love more than watching them soar.

Whatever you do here, you’ll be helping to restore wetlands and unlock their power. So, the only question left is, what role will you play?

 Why you’ll love working at WWT

• Wake up every day knowing your work is helping to restore wetlands, and our world
• Be surrounded and inspired by our team of passionate, dedicated people
• 33 days annual leave (which goes up to 38 days after 5 years of service) – this includes bank holidays and you have flexibility to take those days whenever you want
• Free entry to all our wetland centres, including your family
• Free car parking and secure bike storage areas
• Colleague discount on shopping and memberships
• Cycle to work scheme
• Contributory pension scheme
• Life Assurance of three times your salary, for peace of mind for your loved ones
• Independent personal, workplace and financial advice from Care first

Closing Date: 06/05/2024

Interested?

If you would like to apply and find out more about this position, please click the apply button to be directed to our website.

WWT is an equal opportunities employer and all applications will be considered solely on merit.

No agencies please.

We are looking for an enthusiastic Nature and Wellbeing Manager to lead our exciting new project expanding RSPB's flagship 'Nature Prescriptions' Programme into Wales building on the expertise and experience of our Scottish and English colleagues.

Nature and Wellbeing Manager
Reference: APR20247410
Location: Flexible in Wales
Salary: £32,022.00 - £34,377.00 Per Annum
Hours: Full Time, 37.5 Hours per week
Duration: Fixed Term, 22 months
Benefits: Pension Scheme, Life Assurance Scheme, 26 days' Annual Leave

We have a wealth of evidence that individuals with a greater connection to nature experience improved mental wellbeing, greater vitality and happiness, and deeper life satisfaction. Research also shows that increasing your connection with nature can positively impact a range of conditions, including stress, anxiety and depression, as well as outcomes for some physical health conditions too.

RSPB 'Nature Prescriptions' are designed to encourage and prompt people to connect to nature in support of their goals for better wellbeing. We believe that everyone, no matter where they live or the challenges they face, has the right to access nature, and to feel this strong connection to the natural world. Inspiring and enabling healthcare professionals and others in the NHS to prescribe nature, is a key route for the RSPB to enable more people from more diverse communities to access the natural world. In so doing we hope that those who feel more connected to nature, will want to act to save it.

Working with healthcare professionals and local communities in Cardiff and surrounds, you will use co-design to create materials in different formats that will support those who need it most. This is a great opportunity to work with a brilliant team of friendly and enthusiastic colleagues across the UK who have successfully implemented this approach elsewhere.

We're looking for a someone who is:

• Passionate: About connecting people to nature to improve their health and wellbeing.
• Courageous: In sharing this passion to enthuse healthcare and other professionals.
• Inquisitive: A natural curiosity to explore and understand and meet people where they are.
• Bold: Willing to contribute innovative ideas, particularly when addressing health inequalities.
• Collaborative: Fosters a collaborative, enjoyable and solution focused way of working with partners.
• Comfortable Challenging the Status Quo: Nature Prescriptions offer a way of improving wellbeing outside of the typical medical model of healthcare.

Key tasks will include:

• Lead the development of and promote the delivery of three new RSPB Nature Prescriptions to people living in diverse communities within Cardiff and the surrounding area.
• Develop relationships with key stakeholders in the NHS, health care and social care professionals to inspire and enable them to feel engaged and supported to co-create and prescribe a Nature Prescription, and to connect RSPB with the health sector to help create doors for future work.
• Engage with local healthcare professionals and community groups to co-design Nature Prescriptions materials with local people, community groups and healthcare professionals so that they reach a large diversity of people, and those that need and can benefit the most.
• Develop the project plan and ensure that the right governance structure for project management is in place and RSPB internal project management practices are followed, so that the project stays on track, comes in on budget and risks are identified, escalated, and managed within tolerances.
• Work with local environmental networks to build a picture of nature-based activities available and identify opportunities for partnership working.
• Lead on developing ways to evaluate and measure the impact of the project, including engaging with those prescribing and local communities to gather stories and case studies that demonstrate the benefits to wellbeing and connectedness to nature.
• Build internal relationships with RSPB employees and volunteers working with nature prescribing and nature and wellbeing across the UK.
• Develop a strategy and plan for Nature and Wellbeing work legacy aiming to learn from the work done in Scotland and England and from the communities and health care professionals in Cardiff and surrounds to support development of future work in Cardiff and beyond.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

• Experience of working within or alongside the health and wellbeing sector.
• Project management experience with experience of leading on and developing and delivering projects with diverse communities.
• Experience of developing external partnerships and balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders.
• Experience in delivering workshops or training, ideally with a co-design element.
• Excellent verbal and written communicator able to communicate nature and wellbeing messages in a way that is understood by a range of audiences and that engenders their support.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills with the ability to manage and deliver a varied workload.
• Skilled in using Microsoft 365 suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams.

Desirable skills, knowledge, and experience:

• Experience of SharePoint management.
• Experience of recruiting and managing volunteers.
• Welsh speaker or learner.

Closing date: 23:59, Friday 17th May 2024
We are looking to conduct interviews for this position from 3 June 2024.

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

The RSPB is a licenced sponsor. This role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship - the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract.

As part of this application process you will be asked to provide a copy of your CV and complete an application form including evidence on how you meet the skills, knowledge, and experience listed above.Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application.

No agencies please.

Are you passionate about ensuring everyone can engage effectively with the digital world? Are you a brilliant influencer who relishes harnessing great policy and research to realise social change? Do you want to work in a pioneering initiative with impact at its core?

Then this could be the role for you. At the Digital Poverty Alliance, we are looking for our new Policy & Insights Manager. You must be able to inspire us and our partners and spearhead our public affairs work, including through our National Delivery Plan to unite action to end digital poverty by 2030.

We bring together charities, corporates and government to address the underlying issues stopping families gaining full access to digital services such as education, healthcare and employment. We seek social change through our National Delivery Plan, whilst also delivering solutions in local areas that help real people and provide evidence for change. 

This is an exciting, high profile and fast-paced role, joining our small team and working alongside partners, National Delivery Committee members and our wider stakeholders to effect real change for people. You will report directly to the Chief Executive, working alongside our Head of External Affairs.

A big part of our social change ambition is delivered through our public affairs work; influencing policy makers so that our ambitions are shared with government, companies and with everyone able to deliver to our vision of a world where everyone is able to connect successfully with the digital world where and when they want to.  You will also be responsible for drafting white papers, analysing trends and data, and identifying new insights.  You will support our Industry Forum, working with existing and new members to broaden the group.

The DPA aims to work through partners in delivering to our core mission and, as such, we retain only a small core team with support from our PR agency. As such, you’ll lead on delivering our policy and public affairs work, from briefing MPs to developing our policy positions.

Whilst the role is remote based, you will regularly need to attend in-person meetings and events in central London (daytime and evening), as well as undertaking travel across the UK. Given the need to attend meetings in Westminster and Whitehall, you will need to live within commuting distance of London.

Key focus areas

• Building relationships with public, private and third sector organisations, including the wider DPA community.
• Working to convene and collaborate with organisations and individuals committed to ending digital poverty.
• Work with colleagues across local, regional and national governments and across political parties to advocate for policies to promote digital inclusion.
• Undertaking research and analysis to understand digital poverty and the impact of policies to address it.
• Managing policy and research projects including the ongoing development of the national delivery plan and supporting ‘proof of concept’ projects.
• Developing commercial and research partnerships with organisations and supporting the development of the industry forum.
• Communicating the DPA vision and perspective through verbal and written communication.

First interviews will be held w/b 6th May 2024 via Microsoft Teams.  Second interviews will be held soon after.  The role is to start as soon as possible.  Please note this role will be subject to a DBS check.

Unfortunately, due to the expected volume of applications and our small team, we will not be able to acknowledge every application.  If you have not heard from us by 6th May you have not been successful on this occasion.

Citizens Advice Wirral is a local charity that supports Wirral residents by providing advice, information, casework and social prescribing services. We assist clients with a range of issues including benefits, debt, employment, housing and life challenges that affect their health and wellbeing. Citizens Advice Wirral also actively works for change in the policies and practices of organisations that impact our clients - we are passionate about the difference our Research and Campaigns work can make to people’s lives.

Our values shape how we as an organisation operate and how we work with each other across all roles: Open and Honest, Professional, Empowering, Non-judgmental and Approachable. They apply to all areas of our advice-giving, our research and campaigns work and how we challenge discrimination and champion equality.

We are recruiting for a Help To Claim adviser to provide support to people making a new Universal Credit claim and work with them up until they receive their first correct payment. This role will involve working across a variety of channels including telephone, web-chat and video conferencing.

Working for Citizens Advice Wirral has a range of benefits including:

• A generous holiday allowance of 25 days (rising to 30 days) plus bank
• holidays (pro-rata)
• Agile working, including up to 5 additional days of flexi leave each year
• (pro-rata) and both home and office-based days (role dependent)
• A contributory pension scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme

To find out more and start your application please go to our website via the apply button.

Closing date: 5pm 28th April 2024

Since 1962 the National Autistic Society has been campaigning to transform lives, change attitudes and create a society that works for autistic people. In National Programmes we champion the rights and interests of autistic people and their families, making sure national policy and legislation to reflect their needs. We provide autism training and best practice services and want all autistic people to have access to services and support that fully meet their needs. We provide diagnostic services, training, accreditation, consultancy and conferences, designed to support all professionals and organisations. 

Who we are looking for:

Autism Know How helps transform lives and change attitudes by delivering autism best practice, knowledge and professional development products for professionals, autistic people and families. This role is key to the success of the department. The successful candidate will lead the commercial development function in Autism Know How in:

• Developing and delivering a strategy to increase the sales of our products and packages and expand our reach
• Enabling a framework and culture of continual quality improvement
• Creating a culture of team-work, structured innovation, commerciality and collaboration

This is a wonderful opportunity to join a passionate, dedicated team and play an instrumental part in further shaping this successful department.

The role is full-time permanent role working 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday. However, part time hours will be considered.

To view the job description please click here 

What we can offer you:

• Auto-enrolled Pension Scheme
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Excellent induction, training and development programme including training about autism and opportunities to attend our conferences
• Online staff discount scheme for a range of benefits such as cycle to work scheme, season ticket loan & shopping discounts for places such as Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys, Halfords, Nike, Apple and loads more!
• Healthcare Cash Plan
• Life Assurance at 2 x base salary
• A portfolio of fantastic new salary sacrifices benefits and other flexible benefits private health, dental insurance, car salary sacrifice scheme, activity pass, holiday trading, enhanced pension & salary deduct loans (eligibility criteria may apply)
• Access to a 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme & counselling programme
• Free access to the Headspace App – a global leader in mindfulness and you can enrol up to three friends or family members for free!
• Eligibility for a Blue Light Card

Where you will be working:

This role is home-based with some national travel. 

About our application process: 

When providing a supporting statement, please refer to the job description and person specification and include any information that shows your suitability for the role. 

We do reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

For some roles, successful applicants will be required to complete the relevant safeguarding checks which will include additional references and criminal background checks.

Applications for this job are sought from anyone who is suitably qualified and experienced for the role but particularly welcome from those with a diagnosis of autism.

The National Autistic Society is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and adults who use our services and as such expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be required to complete the relevant safeguarding checks.

We are an equal opportunities employer.

Why Access Social Care Exists 

Every day millions of older and disabled people are denied the social care they need. Most local authorities can’t meet the growing demand for care, and none are confident they can meet their legal duties in the future. This affects all of us - we will all need social care at some point in our lives.

We all have a right to hold public bodies to account, but most of us cannot afford lawyers so rely on legal aid. The 92% drop in legal aid cases since 2010 means that we have nowhere to turn. Without access to justice, our rights do not exist. The rule of law is broken.   

What we do 

Access Social Care provides free legal advice and information for people with social care needs, helping achieve a better quality of life. We work with communities to increase knowledge of the law and our rights. We highlight the gap left by cuts to Legal Aid and provide advice for those who can’t afford it.

With a 98% success rate, our network of lawyers provide access to justice when things go wrong. We collaborate with social services whilst ensuring legal obligations are met. We are working towards a future where social care is adequately funded and we all get the support we need.   

We provide rights awareness training to front line managers, and legal advice and support to families and individuals. As well as providing access to justice, our aim is to drive system level change through evidence-led influencing and strategic casework. We operate our casework service mainly under a membership model where organisations involved in the social care sector contract with Access Social Care to provide legal assistance to their clients.

This is an exciting time to join ASC. We have a new strategy and are growing quickly. We have more than doubled in size and income since we started operating in April 2020 and we anticipate that this strong growth will continue for the duration of our next strategic period. We are dedicated to the people who need our help, but we also care deeply about our team, and we think that work should be an exciting and satisfying place to be.

About the role

As we move into 2024, Access Social Care is launching a new workstream aimed at training more experts in community care law. To achieve our aims, we will be developing learning and development programmes for internal and external use. We are looking for an experienced learning and development professional to lead this programme of work.

 We want you to:

• Oversee the development and delivery online and in person training on the Care Act 2014 and associated legislation, regulations, guidance and caselaw.  We already have some training materials in-house, but you will need to expand and develop these for different audiences (carers, social care providers, advocates, advisers and caseworkers).
• Work with external stakeholders at academic institutions to develop degree/diploma level learning modules.
• Work closely with others at ASC and play a key role in developing the skills and knowledge of our trainee caseworkers and other new staff.
• Work alongside the Head of Business Development to develop a learning and development income stream.

Responsibilities

1. Project management of the Access Social Care learning and development offer: Working with internal and external stakeholders and using project management tools and software you will drive the project forwards ensuring milestones and deadlines are met, delivering reports 

2. Content and resources development: Work closely with our Head of Digital Content, Product Manager and legal team members to develop training materials for use online and in person on the Care Act which enable people with different starting points to understand the rights of social care users, to enforce those rights, and to understand the responsibilities of social care providers and local authorities.

3. External training strategy development. Work with the Head of Business development to develop an income stream from learning and development.

4. Training delivery: Deliver training internally and externally, online and in person, using a variety of training techniques, and tailored materials to engage different audiences with different immediate purposes.

5. Intelligence gathering: Contribute to our understanding of systemic problems in the social care and community care law systems, feeding back to legal colleagues' issues that are brought up in training session.

6. General tasks: Undertake such other tasks as may reasonably be required or asked of you in order to respond to organisational needs and specifically needs within the legal team.

This list of tasks is not exhaustive and will be reviewed from time to time in discussion with the post holder.

For full details on this role please see attached job discription.

How to apply 

We hope that having read this far; you still want to apply!

Please ensure that your CV and supporting statement do not include your name – use initials only. This will ensure that we avoid unconscious bias in our shortlisting process. To apply, please provide the following documents:

• An up-to-date CV
• A completed diversity monitoring form - linked in the full job discription attached.
• A supporting statement of no more than two pages, addressing why you meet the essential requirements of the person specification

If you want support applying, contact us.

Timeline for the recruitment process

Closing date:  23.59pm on Tuesday 23rd April 2024

Interviews: will be held virtually on MS Teams on Thursday 2nd May and Friday 3rd May 2024

Please ensure you keep these dates free.

At Access Social care, we aren’t interested in tokenism. We know that if we are to make the biggest difference for the people that need us the most, we need to get Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and anti-racism right. Part of this is recruiting greater diversity in all our teams. 

With this in mind, we particularly welcome applications from candidates with experience of the communities we serve, including people with direct experience of the social care system, and from marginalised groups, particularly Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, older and disabled people, and trans and non-binary people.

To note we are only able to accept applicants with the right to work in the UK.

Job Title: Advocate

Service: Coram Voice Shropshire

Contract Type: Part Time – Permanent

Hours: 17.50 hours per week

Salary: £11,150.50 per annum (£22,301 FTE)

Location: Home Based with Travel Across Shropshire.

About Coram:

Coram is committed to improving the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable children and young people. We support children and young people from birth to independence, creating a change that lasts a lifetime. 

Coram is the UK’s oldest children’s charity founded by Thomas Coram in London helping vulnerable children and young people since 1739. Today, the Coram group helps more than one million children, young people, families and professionals every year by providing access to the skills and opportunities they need to thrive.

About Coram Voice:

Coram Voice exists to enable and equip children and young people to hold the system to account, to challenge and support it to do its job properly and to uphold the rights of children and young people to actively participate in shaping their own lives.

Coram Voice strives for a society which recognises, and willingly accepts, its responsibilities to children and young people, where the inequalities and discrimination they currently face have been eradicated. Where those children and young people are fully engaged in all decisions that are made about their lives. Where the views, needs and feelings that they express are at the core of those decisions.

Coram Voice is a national independent children’s charity established in 1975 and has grown to become one of the leading organisations for children and young people in the UK.

Coram Voice is a leading children’s rights organisation. We champion the rights of children. We get young voices heard in decisions that matter to them and work to improve the lives of children in care, care leavers and others who depend upon the help of the state.

Our Advocacy services we provide advocacy direct to children and young people in care, in need, in custody and to care leavers and children and young people with mental health needs. Advocates around the country support children and young people to get their voice heard in decisions about their lives. This may be through the telephone helpline or through an advocate working directly with a child, for instance, to support them at a review meeting or to help them make a complaint about their care. Coram Voice provides visiting advocacy services to most of the secure units nationally, to Secure Training Centres, Juvenile Young Offender Institutions, psychiatric hospitals, residential special schools and children’s homes.

About the Role

You will work directly with care experienced children and young people and those on Child Protection Plans providing them with advocacy support in the community and in a variety of settings. You will empower and support them to ensure their voices are heard within decision–making processes that effect their lives. You will be a capable ambassador for Coram Voice with the ability to engage effectively with professionals, carers, other stakeholders and most importantly children and young people.

If you have the necessary experience and skills and a commitment to promoting the rights of young people, we would like to hear from you.

What you will receive

We wish to reward and recognise the valuable contributions our staff make to the organisation and offer an attractive benefits package to do so. Coram Voice benefits package includes a competitive salary, a matched pension scheme up to 5% of salary, generous leave entitlements of up to 25 days’ annual leave plus an additional 3 days paid leave between Christmas and New Year. A supportive work environment fostering a good work/home life balance and a suite of family friendly policies, which promote employee wellbeing.

You will get a genuine opportunity to make a difference every day.

Recruitment process

Shortlisting will be undertaken by our Children’s Rights Managers. Successful candidates will then be invited for interview. The interview process comprises of a written exercise and a panel interview. Successful candidates will have a further one to one interview in accordance within Warner recommendations. Internal candidates will need to notify HR of their interest in the post and they will provide further information on the internal application process.

Returning your application:

• We cannot accept general CVs.
• When completing your application form, you need to address each point of the person specification and demonstrate how you meet it.
• Applications must be fully completed.
• If you are a current Coram Voice employee you may submit a supporting statement only addressing the person specification requirements for the post.

Closing date: 14th May 2024 at 23.59pm

Interview date: w/c 20th May 2024

General consideration for applications:

• DBS checks: all posts are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring check.
• Training: All successful candidates are required to complete our compulsory training programme which includes training in Advocacy (Being a Voice) Safeguarding and Diversity
• Conflict of interest: the independence of the service is important to Coram Voice. Prospective applicants need to raise any other potential conflicts of interest when initially contacting Coram Voice about this post.

Coram is an equal opportunities employer and we believe a diverse workforce enables us to improve the services to the children and families we help. We are genuinely committed to encouraging candidates from all sections of the community we seek to support. This includes those from, Asian, African, Caribbean and other minority ethnic backgrounds, those that identify as LGBQT+, those with disabilities, those with lived experience of care, those with neuro-diversity, and those from other groups who are underrepresented at Coram.

If applicants feel comfortable, we would encourage them to draw on lived experience as well as professional experience in their personal statement as part of their application.

We are committed to the safeguarding of children and where appropriate will require the successful applicant to undertake a check from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Registered Charity No. 312278.