Advocate jobs in bedford, england

We are working in partnership with the Church of England who are seeking an Independent Chair for their Racial Justice Panel.

The Racial Justice Panel (RJP) was established by the Archbishops’ Council in December 2024 following the successful conclusion of the work on the Archbishops' Commission for Racial Justice led by the Lord Boateng PC, CVO. The RJP is to provide independent assurance that the work of racial justice is being carried out effectively by the Church, in accordance with agreed plans and wider best practice.

The RJP Panel, albeit a critical friend, maintains its independence, offering rigorous scrutiny and challenge to the Church in its work on racial justice including examining progress against strategic and delivery plans. It shall produce an annual report to be laid before the General Synod. 

The RJP are looking to appoint an experienced independent Chair who will provide excellent leadership, direction and independent scrutiny and challenge to the Church of England and bring external expertise from holding a highly senior role. 

They are looking for an independent chair who:

• Is a gifted leader, who will support the Church of England in further strengthening its safeguarding arrangements and partnerships.
• Is passionate about working collaboratively at all levels, with a proven track record in improvement work at a national level.
• Knows how to hold organisations to account and possesses the skills to support the development of senior leaders.
• Understands through senior level personal experience, the core aspects of racial justice at a national level and in the field of statutory and/or voluntary sector.
• Is empathetic, strategic, emotional and has analytical skills, and able to act as a ‘critical friend’ in supporting and challenging people and institutions to help improve their racial justice focus, practice and arrangements.
• Has a relevant academic or professional qualification.
• Has an understanding of the structure of the Church of England and an appreciation for the role that faith plays in the context of racial justice.

The successful candidate will be a senior leader, with excellent communication, organisational and interpersonal skills.   

Please note: Experience of church structures and practices, either professionally or personally, are neither a barrier nor a qualification required for this role. However, the candidate must be in sympathy with the aims and work of the Church of England.

The AC is due to be replaced by CENS in 2-3 years’ time, and the role of the RJP will be reviewed once CENS is established. 

For more information, please contact Sandra Smith, Associate Director, Charisma Charity Recruitment. Applications should be submitted through the Charisma website and include your CV and supporting statement (each of which should not exceed two A4 pages). 

We welcome and encourage applications from prospective candidates of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or other category protected by law.

Closing date for applications: 11 June 2025

Client Interview date: TBC

Creative Support is a visionary provider of adult health and social care services, with skilful, bright and enthusiastic staff. We require an organised, confident and skilful assessor to develop and deliver Diploma health and social care vocational qualifications.

Within this exciting role, you will assess a caseload of 30 vocational Diploma learners in a variety of settings at levels 2, 3, 4 and 5 in adult health and social care qualifications and associated subject matters. You will help support staff on vocational qualification programmes in accordance with professional standards, Skills for Care occupational standards and the CQC inspection framework for Health and Social Care.

As part of a fast-paced team and as an independent, self-directed practitioner, you will inspire and develop a workforce focused initiative to enhance the skills and knowledge of the social care workforce.

Interviews will begin on 3rd June 2025.

Vacancy Reference Number: 82538

Applications for this role must be submitted via the Creative Support website using the above vacancy reference number.

Benefits of working with Creative Support include a probationary bonus, pension contributions, 28 days Leave and company paid enhanced DBS.

We are a passionate, inclusive, and anti-racist organization - Stonewall Diversity Champion, Disability Confident Employer who have recently received Investors in People Gold award.

We can only accept applications from candidates who are located in and eligible to work within the UK

Volunteering Development Officer - Local Groups
Reference: APR20257427
Location: Flexible in UK
Salary: £27,123.00 - £28,956.00, Per Annum Pro Rata
Hours: Part-Time, 22.5 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Benefits: Pension Scheme, Life Assurance Scheme, 26 days' Annual Leave (pro rata)

The RSPB strategy to 2030 is all about saving nature through people. Our aim is that our volunteers and Local Groups are embedded in this strategy and continue to deliver impactful work to save nature. To do this, we want to build on our existing relationships and ways of working and harness their enthusiasm, working as one team for nature.

This role would continue the smooth transition from the Saving Nature through Local Groups project into core delivery, taking responsibility of the Vision and Local Group action plan.

What's the role about?

The successful candidate will raise the profile of our groups externally as well as empower and support staff to build productive and collaborative working relationships with the groups.

You will develop resources and guides that will help groups run efficiently, improve their activity programmes and grow their membership. Working closely with country teams you will deliver workshops, training and support to Local Groups as appropriate.

You will raise awareness and understanding of volunteering, championing it to ensure that it is valued and seen as a positive way of meeting business needs.

You will also deliver a recognised and respected source of leadership, support and transformational advice to the UKHQ team seeking to develop new volunteering initiatives.

This role would have an individual specialism but with the ability to be flexible to cover the priorities required across the department and the UK wide needs, ensuring that they identify and own the ‘once for all volunteering work’, i.e. the information, processes, procedures and projects that affect volunteering across the whole organisation, and support this through funding, project development, training and resources.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

• Understanding and knowledge of volunteering innovation, best practice and sector standards.
• Demonstrable track record of having successfully and effectively developed a range of volunteering roles and schemes across an organisation.
• Experience of providing operational advice and guidance on volunteer involvement to people at all levels.
• Building effective stakeholder relationships with a focus on community groups.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills; ability to manage and deliver a portfolio of work and balance the priorities and needs of multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to be proactive, use initiative and work independently.
• Strong skills in identifying and analysing problems, issues and areas of improvement, working collaboratively to develop creative strategies and solutions.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, successfully influencing, persuading, guiding, listening to, and negotiating with others, constructively challenging thinking.
• Experience of working in a customer-focused environment.

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Qualification in volunteer management.
• Good training, facilitation and coaching skills; ability to enthuse and inspire and increase others’ confidence.
• Experience of working in an HR/Customer database.

Closing date: 23:59, Wednesday 21st May 2025
We are looking to conduct interviews for this position from 4th June 2025.

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.

We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a world richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on nature’s side. People of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we are particularly interested in receiving your application. Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application.

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

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 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.

Could you support individuals to deescalate crisis and improve mental health and wellbeing, through focussed 1:1s and structured crisis interventions?

Crisis Recovery Worker 
Post no: 636 
Salary: £24,088 per annum (£7,975.08 actual) 
Contract: Permanent 
Hours: 12.25 hours per week, 5:00pm to 23:00pm 2 days per week (across 7 day rota) 
Location: Milton Keynes

About Us

Mind BLMK works across our communities to support positive mental health and wellbeing. Working closely with a range of partners, we offer a number of activities from our wellbeing centres and local venues to make a difference to the mental health and wellbeing of people in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, and our aim is to make sure that no-one has to face a mental health problem alone.

About our Community Crisis Cafés

Our Community Crisis Cafes offer a safe, welcoming and non-judgmental environment outside of normal working hours for those who feel in mental distress or crisis.

About the Role

This will involve working with service users in a preventative way, assessing needs, deescalating crisis, offering coping strategies, signposting to other services and ensuring they feel supported, through the process of improving their mental health and wellbeing.

Staff will work with a team of Crisis Recovery Workers & volunteers and will, at times, involve working out of the MK Hospital, at Eaglestone Centre, alongside the CNWL NHS team manning 111 option 2 calls and managing referrals.

Service Delivery

• Deliver crisis focussed 1:1s and ensure outcomes which supports individuals experiencing a mental health crisis in Houghton Regis & Central Bedfordshire, in line with Mind BLMK’s agreed crisis service and requirements as well as contract requirements.
• Assessing need and suitability for the service in line with the access to services process, and undertaking 1:1s.
• Contribute to maintaining an effective volunteer workforce for the service in line with Mind BLMK’s HR policies, procedures and guidance (workload planning and support).
• Carry out Cash Handling, Health and Safety and Data Collection responsibilities as directed by the Team Leader in line with Mind BLMK’s policies, procedures, requirements and guidance.

Entitlements/benefits:

• 25 days (pro rata) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays (pro rata)
• Auto-enrolment NEST pension scheme (employer contributes 3%, employee contributes 5%)
• Optional Health Plan
• Discounts available through Blue Light Card & Tickets for Good
• In-house and external Learning and Development as appropriate for the role.
• Flexible Working On request (in line with Mind BLMK policy on Right to Request Flexible Working)

If you have a passion for working in mental health and possess the required skills, we would love to hear from you.

Closedown: 5pm on Tuesday 20th of May 2025
Interviews: TBC 
Please note: We reserve the right to close this advert early if enough suitable applicants apply.
Start date: ASAP

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.

Mind BLMK has been committed to the Mindful Employer charter and the Disability Confident Employer Scheme since 2008.

Please note: Mind BLMK follows Safer Recruitment practices and we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. Therefore all our roles are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

No agencies please.