Advice and advocacy coordinator jobs in birmingham
About the role
Our passionate Regional Casework Coordinators are SSAFA’s front line of support for members of the armed forces community in need. They are the first point of contact for all beneficiaries into the Regional Office, assessing needs and allocating the case to one of our volunteer caseworkers.
You will sometimes handle complex problems from individuals who may be distressed, identifying the presenting and potential underlying needs to determine the best way to support the beneficiary. You will have ownership of cases from beginning to end, coordinating the casework process in a timely manner and ensure that the beneficiary journey is at the centre of the Service. You will have the opportunity to shape processes and procedures within the office which will lead to improvements in the service offered to clients.
To help you establish yourself in this new post you will receive excellent training and induction to SSAFA.
Whilst the post is homebased, to be eligible for this role you are required to live in the South West region in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire or Somerset. There will be occasional travel around the South West Region, and you will be required to travel for quarterly face to face team meetings.
About the team
The team work remotely and pride themselves in maintaining a close working bond which ensures the smooth operation of the office. You will work closely with volunteers from the eight SSAFA branches in the South West, supporting them to administer casework for SSAFA beneficiaries. The successful candidate will work as part of a larger team of 10, which includes two Regional Casework Managers and a Regional Operations Manager.
About you
To carry out this role successfully you will have a track record of providing welfare advice in key areas such as housing benefits, debt, disability, mobility or immigration issues. You will have knowledge of safeguarding and GDPR and experience in dealing with sensitive information and people in vulnerable situations. You will be able to provide excellent customer service by telephone, e-mail and face to face. You will have used Microsoft Office 365 to a high standard. It is important that you have experience of planning and managing your own workload, with minimal supervision.
It would be advantageous if you have an understanding of the way of life for today’s Armed Forces, veterans and their families and if you have experience of recruiting and supporting volunteers. An understanding of the voluntary sector and preferably the military charity sector landscape across the South West would be valuable
About SSAFA
SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, has been providing practical, emotional, and financial support to our Forces and their families since 1885. SSAFA, is a trusted source of support for the Armed Forces community in their time of need; last year our trained teams of volunteers and employees helped more than 53,000 people in need, including veterans, serving personnel (regulars and reserves) and their families.
SSAFA understands that behind every uniform is a person. We are here for that person and their family – any time they need us, in any way they need us, for as long as they need us.
Diversity and Inclusion at SSAFA
SSAFA exists to support a diverse range of beneficiaries within the armed forces community, and we believe diversity within our teams is key to ensuring we can deliver our services effectively. We thrive on differences and believe it is critical to our success as a worldwide charity. SSAFA is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace that seeks to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We therefore encourage applications from all genders, races, religions, ages and sexual orientations, as well as parents, veterans, people living with disabilities, and any other groups that could bring diverse perspectives to our business.
SSAFA is committed to using the Disclosure & Barring Service to ensure we, as an employer, safeguard those we serve.
No agencies please. Any unsolicited submissions from agencies will be accepted as a direct application from the candidate and no fees will be payable.
If you've applied for this role previously within the last six months, we encourage you not to reapply as we already have your details saved on our system and will contact you if a suitable position becomes available.
Closing date: Midnight on 03 December 2025. SSAFA reserves the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.
Interviews: 16 December 2025
Registered Charity
101 - 500
Our vision A society in which the Armed Forces, veterans and their families can thrive.
Thank you!
Job Title: Independent Visitor Co-ordinator
Service: Coventry & Warwickshire
Reporting to: Senior Independent Visitor Co-ordinator
Salary: £8,329.21 per annum (£24,293.53 FTE)
Location: Home based (with travel across the region)
Hours: 12 hours per week
Contract Type: Permanent
Job Introduction
- Are you passionate about supporting and developing volunteers?
- Are you looking for an opportunity to help make positive differences to the lives of children and young people who are looked after or care leavers of the local authority?
- Do you want to work with a leading national independent children’s charity?
Then come join us here at Coram Voice. We have an exciting opportunity for you to become a co-ordinator of our independent visiting service in Coventry & Warwickshire.
We are seeking candidates who are committed to our objectives for children and young people and equally committed to the organisation and the development of our services. We recognise we are a predominantly white workforce and are genuinely committed to encouraging candidates from diverse communities in order to improve the services to the children and young people we help.
Our work
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.
We provide:
- Advocacy services direct to children and young people in care, in need, in custody and to care leavers and children and young people with severe and complex mental health problems. 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.
- Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) to advocate for young people as qualifying patients under the Mental Health Act, in order to fully support them to get their views heard in matters relating to their mental health.
- Independent Visitor services offers a child or young person in care an adult volunteer who provides independent, one-to-one visiting, advice and befriending support. Our independent visitors can become the only long-term, consistent source of support throughout a young person's time in care.
- Independent services provide independent person services for complaints by children and for reviewing whether children should be locked up in secure units on welfare grounds.
- Policy and campaigning to create a better system for all children and young people looked after by the state, for their care to be more child-centred and to give young people a greater say in decisions about their lives.
- Participation services to ensure children and young people have a voice in the development and delivery of services and campaigns, and through the process, provide the opportunity to develop relevant skills which will be of benefit to them in their future lives.
- Training, development and information for young people, advocates and child care workers, offering courses in advocacy, children’s rights and child-centred practice across a range of areas including the National Advocacy Qualification.
About the Role
You will co-ordinate and deliver a statutory independent visitor service to children and young people in care or care leavers of Coventry & Warwickshire.
You will recruit, assess and train volunteers to become independent visitors, who are volunteer befrienders to children and young people looked after or care leavers. You will manage a cash flow to fund suitable activities for independent visitors to enjoy with the young person. You will manage data and reporting for this statutory service so that service leads and other stakeholders can understand the activity in the service.
We are a child led service, you will not act outside of the young person’s instructions (except in matters of child protection and safety.)You will build strong relationships with the child or young person, independent visitors and other significant adults, you will support Independent Visitors to develop long term, meaningful friendships with the young person.
You will work in partnership with other parts of the service, organisation and external agencies and professionals. This is to ensure there are pathways to attract and retain Independent Visitors in the area and sometimes out of area.
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 Leanne Hughes, Children’s Rights Manager and Debbie King, Senior Independent Visitor Co-ordinator. 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.
Please return your application to: via Blue Octopus.
Closing Date: 10th December 11:59.
Proposed Interview Date: 18th December.
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 global majority 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.
Registered Charity
51 - 100
We are a leading children’s rights organisation. We champion the rights of children and get young voices heard in decisions that matter to them.
Thank you!
People Adviser – Employee Relations
We are seeking a supportive and confident People Adviser with solid employee relations experience to help managers and staff navigate HR issues fairly, consistently, and in line with best practice.
Position: People Adviser – ER
Salary: £35,000 to £40,000 per annum
Location: Remote with occasional travel
Hours: Full time, 37 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Closing Date: 30th November 2025
Interview date: Week commencing 8 December 2025
About the role
This is a hands on role providing first line HR advice and support across the organisation. You will be a trusted point of contact for staff and managers, helping them resolve people issues with confidence while ensuring policies are applied fairly.
You will also support the People Partner and Business Partner with employee relations casework, HR administration, policy compliance, and general queries. Your guidance will help managers lead well, improve consistency, and strengthen staff engagement.
Key responsibilities include:
- Providing first line HR advice to managers and employees
- Supporting employee relations cases including performance, disciplinary and grievance matters
- Ensuring HR policies are applied fairly and consistently
- Managing HR administration including contracts, changes, absence records and exit interviews
- Maintaining accurate HR documentation and records
- Supporting policy review and implementation
- Contributing to employee engagement and wellbeing activities
- Helping identify training needs and supporting HR related training
- Managing HR data and preparing reports
- Supporting wider HR projects and continuous improvement
About you
You will be approachable, clear and supportive, confident providing advice and building trust with staff at all levels.
Essential skills and experience:
- Experience providing HR advice and HR administration support
- Knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice
- Experience handling employee relations cases
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
- CIPD Level 3 or equivalent experience
- Strong attention to detail and organisational skills
- Able to handle confidential information with discretion
- Comfortable using HR systems and Microsoft Office
Desirable:
- Experience in the charity, health or social care sector
- Working towards CIPD Level 5
- BSL skills or willingness to learn
About the organisation
You will be joining a specialist national charity supporting the health and wellbeing of deaf people across the UK. Services include care, therapy, advocacy, domestic abuse support, and children and young people’s services. Their work is delivered by deaf people for deaf people in British Sign Language, and they are recognised as one of the largest disabled people’s organisations in the UK.
To Apply
You will be redirected to our client’s website to complete an online application for this role, there is also a BSL video translation of the job description.
Other roles you may have experience of could include HR Officer, HR Advisor, HR Administrator, People Officer, People Advisor, HR Coordinator, Employee Relations Administrator. #INDNFP
