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The Counselling and Outreach Coordinator role is key to SEL Mind's exciting new counselling service for Black residents of Southwark, delivered as part of the wider Southwark Wellbeing Hub. This full-time role will shape the Wellbeing Hub's provision to the Black community, expanding equitable access to culturally-appropriate support.
As Coordinator, you will provide initial clinical assessments to prospective service users and coordinate a small pool of Trainee Counsellors, expanding future access to Black-led counselling. You'll line manage an Administrator who is responsible for scheduling and other practical elements of the service. You'll also work closely in partnership with community organisations to ensure relevant, de-colonial approaches, including maintaining a delivery partnership with Black Psychotherapy.
The main working site is a community centre in SE5, and the community outreach work involves regular travel across the borough. You will play a vital role in building community trust, ensuring that we are creating routes into the service and continually seeking and implementing feedback.
We are seeking a qualified therapist who is passionate about improving Black people's access to early mental health support. Relationships and partnership working is vital, so you should be able to work independently but collaboratively, to be proactive and show initiative.
The role will involve:
- Undertaking skilled assessments of client needs and risks, taking into account the nature and complexity of presenting needs and suitability for short-term therapeutic work
- Recruiting and training volunteer Counsellors, ensuring trauma-informed work integrating spirituality and cultural values, using creative therapeutic modalities, and maintaining therapeutic relationships that honour diverse healing approaches
- Maintaining a live engagement strategy and actively reaching out with physical presence to grassroots organisations, faith groups, community centres, cultural associations, and spaces for people experiencing difficult situations including e.g. food banks and advice/advocacy organisations
- Contributing to the development and continuous improvement of the service, bringing recommendations to support the SWH's inclusivity and best practice
This role involves providing culturally specific support to Black clients. Applicants must be able to demonstrate lived experience of, and deep cultural understanding within, Black communities, and the ability to build trust with Black service users.
Successful applicants will be expected to undergo an Enhanced Level Disclosure and Barring Service check.
Closing date: Thursday 7th May (11:59pm)
Likely interview date: Monday 18th May
We encourage early applications as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications.
About Us
SEL Mind supports people with mental health problems and dementia in the boroughs of Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark. We are proud of our diverse workforce and know that our organisation is made stronger by the variety of backgrounds, experience, and ideas within it. We promote a culture of inclusion and representation, and are working hard to build a workforce that even better reflects the communities we support.
SEL Mind is somewhere that you can be your authentic self without fear of discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, neurodivergence, gender, age, lived experience of mental health problems or anything else that’s part of who you are.
Read more about staff benefits and why staff love working here on our website.
Registered Charity
101 - 500
We work to be there when it matters for people living with mental health problems and dementia in Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham, and Southwark
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
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Role purpose
Providing independent Health complaint advocacy for a statutory rights based service under the Health and Social Care Act 2014, empowering qualifying individuals to raise concerns, speak up, and participate in decisions about their care and treatment. The post focuses on ensuring individuals have dignity and respect, clarifying options to challenge decisions, and supporting involvement, independence, and wellbeing. It is also about helping in providing accessible information, facilitating advocacy escalation if necessary, in writing to the parliamentary and Health service ombudsman, whilst monitoring outcomes of individuals to improve experiences towards suitable resolutions.
This role will include listening and providing information and representing people’s views. You may be asked to support people by attending Best Interests Meetings, Review Meetings, Safeguarding meetings, Hospital PALS Manager’s Meetings, Community Mental Health meetings, Social Care Practitioners meeting, Mental Health Review Tribunals, Ward Round Meetings and Care Plan Approach meetings focussing on solutions to any NHS complaint
We must provide advocacy to Ealing residents over 18. You will ensure that people have their voice heard, views and rights understood and feel more in control of decisions affecting them.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide people with information about their rights
- Help people understand the information given to them and the options available
- Empower individuals to challenge and raise concerns themselves about their care and treatment.
- When required liaise with key health care professionals, parliamentary and health ombudsman on behalf of individuals when required
- Represent key meetings when required
- Delivering IHCA Advocacy Awareness campaigns and other workshops in person and online when required.
- Understanding Safeguarding and GDPR compliance.
- Administrative duties include the completion of case notes, quarterly reports, managing the inbox, triaging referrals to ensure they meet the eligibility requirements, and onboarding clients onto the database.
- Action planning with the client, identifying goals and empowering them to create this document and own it collaboratively
- Work in line with the Advocacy Charter
- Following our non-instructed advocacy policy to ensure those who have communication issues, still get effective representation.
- Also, an understanding of IMCA.
Person Specification
Essential:
- At least 2 years’ experience/knowledge of providing Independent Health Complaint Advocacy towards the NHS
- Excellent listening skills
- Strong communication and case planning skills
- Completed Kate Mercer Advocacy Training (formal external qualification) or equivalent.
- The ability to build good relationships
- Commitment to equitable access and digital proficiency.
- Ability to work to deadlines and work independently
- Flexibility, reliability, and confidence when speaking with a range of people
- Experience and good working knowledge in Microsoft Office products
- Excellent report writing skills
- Knowledge and experience of supporting people with learning and communication difficulties
- An awareness of diversity and ability to research complex and sensitive issues independently and quickly
Desirable:
· Lived experience of mental health
· Driving license
· Other Languages
Post is subject to a DBS check.
We are an equal opportunities employer and are proud to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified people from all backgrounds.
Registered Charity
101 - 500
We’re here to make sure that everyone suffering with a mental health problem gets the help they need to recover.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.