Advisor jobs in London

Independent Living Advisor (Self-Directed Support Service)
Salary: £30,000 per annum
Hours: 35 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Location: Action on Disability, Mo Mowlam House, Clem Attlee Court, London, SW6 7BF

The Organisation

Action on Disability (AoD), founded in 1979, is one of London’s leading Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations. As we believe in the social model of disability, our values and principles embrace inclusive and accessible ways of working both internally and in all our activities, seek the participation and contribution of our members, and encourage and respect diversity.

The organisation is a medium sized charity with a Board of Trustees (at least 75% is disabled trustees), 20 staff and a strong ad hoc staff and volunteer base including many with direct experience of disability – all of whom are passionate about removing the barriers that disabled people face.

AoD provides five key services. These are: Youth, Employment, Welfare Benefits, Independent Living and Our Place.

AoD’s Independent Living Service

The Independent Living Service (Self-Directed Support Service) is a new service that will provide support to Direct Payment users within the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The service will enable disabled people to have genuine choice and control over the way in which they lead their lives.The post-holder will be working alongside disabled people to enable them to have more choice and control over their care and support needs.

Purpose of Post

To work with individuals, their family and friends (where appropriate) to provide them with information, advice and assistance to enable them to access and manage a Direct Payment

(DP) and recruit and manage a Personal Assistant (PA).

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Support to individuals employing their own Personal (care) Assistant (PA) or engage an agency to deliver care and support.

1. Provide information and advice on becoming an employer and the role of the Personal Assistant.
2. Ensure that the client understands their legal obligations and responsibilities of being an employer.
3. Work with clients to: set up a profile on the Find-a-pa website, advertise and recruit a Personal Assistant, create a personalised job description and specification identify the level of experience and training requirements needed for the role.
4. Advise and help to calculate the PA’s salary and on costs (full training provided).
5. Support the client through the interview process and where necessary sit in during interviews.
6. Support individuals to reference, check legal status and where necessary DBS their support worker.
7. Support individuals to set up an induction plan for their PA and enable them to identify training needs.
8. Support the client to complete payroll and insurance documentation.
9. Work with the client to draw up a Statement of Particular (contract) for the employed PA (templates provided).
10. Encourage DP employers to take a lead in all employment issues. Information on where to seek advice e.g. ACAS, Fish and Premier Care helpline will be given and clients will be encouraged to use them.
11. Ensure that the individual has a back-up plan for emergencies.
12. Encourage DP employers to be assertive and proactive with their Personal Assistants.
13. Work with agencies to set up support for clients who may not wish to employ a PA directly.

Ongoing support to individuals in receipt of Direct Payments

1. Providing advice on employment issues.
2. Support individuals to solve practical problems e.g. lateness of staff, change of needs.
3. Support individuals to recruit again if necessary.
4. Assist individuals to re-look at budgets, training and job descriptions as they change over time.
5. Assist individuals to ensure that they continue to manage their Direct Payment or budget.
6. Support individuals to make informed choices.
7. Meet with the DP Support Group on a regular basis.
8. Assist in the development of training and other resources to support employers to manage their DP and their PA relationships.
9. Develop links and professional relationships with Social Work teams to support a healthy level of referrals.

For all work:

• Work in a person-centred way.
• Comply with AoD’s agreed policies and procedures.
• Participate in the wider development of the service and contribute to service improvement as required.
• Be computer literate and administratively self-supporting.
• Undertake any other reasonable duties as identified by the Self-Directed Support Service Lead or line manager.

Special requirements

• Ability to travel within the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.
• Some attendance at meetings and events outside of normal office hours will be required.

Person Specification

To be considered for this role, candidates must have:

• Good standard of education.
• Experience of recruiting volunteers or staff.
• Knowledge of employment law.
• Understanding of social care and Direct Payments legislation.
• Experience/knowledge of supporting individuals to recruit and manage employees.
• Experience of working with clients with support needs.
• Experience of using a person-centred approach.
• Ability to think creatively and to come up with solutions.
• Ability to gather and assess information efficiently.
• Numeracy skills and knowledge of budgeting.
• Ability to use Word and Excel packages to a high standard.
• Ability to work under pressure, and to tight deadlines.
• A flexible approach and able to work on own initiative
• Good communication skills including interpersonal, written, presentational and spoken.
• Ability to guide in a sensitive way
• Ability to assess and match skills and personalities to individual needs and preferences.
• Commitment to the Social Model of Disability and to promote choice, independence, rights and inclusion.
• Understanding of and commitment to the aims of the organisation.
• Excellent practical understanding of the need for confidentiality.
• An understanding of equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice

Desirable qualities

• Experience of working with disabled people
• Lived experience of disability

Closing Date: Friday 10th July 2026
N.B. we reserve the right to close this vacancy early and/or begin interviewing before the closing date if a suitable candidate is identified.
Early applications are therefore encouraged.

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 successful candidate will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS check.

We welcome applicants from all walks of life.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we actively encourage applications from Disabled people and people with long term health and mental conditions. We operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme in that we will guarantee an interview to all Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post. Please state in a cover letter if you wish us to consider you for this guaranteed interview scheme.

AoD is a Living Wage Foundation registered employer and all of our employees, casual workers and contractors are paid above the London Living Wage.

No agencies please.

Situated within beautiful gardens and grounds, the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability (RHN) is a leading national centre of excellence and one of the longest-running charities and independent hospitals in the UK.

Set in a stunning Grade II listed Victorian building, the RHN provides adult person-centred services across the entire care pathway—from post-acute rehabilitation to end-of-life care—for people with complex neuro-disabilities and their families. Underpinned by a strong research and education framework, the RHN is more than a hospital; it is a vibrant community where residents engage in music, art, and holistic support to achieve the best possible quality of life. 

Job Title: Fire Risk Management Advisor
Responsible to: Head of Estates/Fire Safety Manager
Hours: Full Time (36 hours per week)
Salary: £50,000-£58,000 depending on experience
Location: Putney, London (some hybrid working flexibility)
Contract type: Permanent

Join the Estates team at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability and play a key role in protecting patients, staff, visitors and infrastructure through expert fire risk management and fire safety training.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced fire safety professional to act as RHN’s competent person for fire risk management, leading on compliance, training, risk assessment and continuous improvement across a complex healthcare environment.

Key responsibilities

• Lead on fire risk management and support statutory compliance across the RHN estate
• Oversee fire risk assessments, audits and remedial action plans
• Provide specialist technical advice on fire safety, capital projects and building compliance
• Develop and deliver role-specific fire safety training programmes
• Support emergency preparedness, evacuation planning and incident response
• Work closely with clinical teams, estates, contractors and external regulators including the Fire & Rescue Service
• Monitor fire safety performance, analyse trends and contribute to governance reporting.

Essential criteria:

• Level 4 Diploma in Fire Safety (or working towards)
• Level 3 Certificate in Fire Risk Assessment (or equivalent)
• At least 12 months’ experience in a fire safety or fire risk management role
• Strong working knowledge of:
• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
• Building Regulations 2010
• Fire risk assessment principles and fire safety legislation
• Experience identifying and managing complex fire risks
• Experience developing or delivering fire safety training programmes
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office / Microsoft 365

This role offers the chance to make a meaningful impact within a specialist healthcare organisation while working collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams.

Why the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability is a great place to work:

• Generous Annual Leave entitlement

• Free counselling and therapy sessions and other mental wellbeing support through our partner CIC Wellbeing 

• Get involved in our free on-site wellbeing programs, including weekly yoga, and monthly pottery club (we are the UK’s only hospital with its own kiln)!

• Draw down a percentage of your monthly wages a few weeks early to help with unexpected costs.

• Financial support services such as low-interest loans and help with savings accounts through our partnership with London Capital Credit Union.

• Join our wellbeing networks to connect with people in our hospital; we have a Pride network, Women’s network, and our Race Equality network. We also have heritage events to celebrate the diversity of our workforce – most recently we had a South East Asian celebration.

• Free on-site parking (rare in London!)

• More benefits: Cycle2Work scheme, tech purchase support scheme, Blue Light Card discounts, and more.

Please note, to be eligible to apply for this role, you must have the Right to Work in the UK. We are unable to offer sponsorship to applicants currently.

RHN is a care provider for vulnerable patients at extreme risk. In consequence, safeguarding patients will always be our highest priority.

RHN is proud to be a diverse and inclusive employer that respects and values the differences of our people to achieve their full potential. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please do not hesitate to contact our Resourcing Team

The RHN recognise the importance in addressing environmental sustainability and we strive to contribute to reducing our carbon footprint.

We are proud to be Disability Confident Employer and we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We encourage applications from disabled people and will make reasonable adjustments to support you through the recruitment process and in the workplace.

We reserve the right to close this advert earlier than the advertised closing date if a sufficient response is received.