Do you want to work with a leading advocacy charity organisation supporting those in need?
Do you have experience of working or volunteering in welfare, support or health and social care and are looking for a new challenge?
Are you keen to make a difference to people who want to be heard?
Then come and join us here at VoiceAbility.
We have an exciting opportunity for an Advocate to join our team in Cheshire West and Chester. Your role will require you to travel to locations such as hospitals and care homes across the area to meet with clients and professionals and be home based for administration; therefore, a suitable home internet connection is essential.
About us
VoiceAbility is an independent charity and one of the UK’s largest providers of advocacy and involvement services. We deliver a wide range of service contracts funded by local authorities, health trusts and other voluntary and private sector organisations.
We’ve been supporting people to have their say in decisions about their health, care, and wellbeing for over 40 years. We make sure people are heard when it matters most. For more information on what Advocacy is and the services offered then please visit our website.
About you
Desirably you will have some experience of working as an Advocate, providing welfare, supporting, or caring for Adults or young people who have support needs, ideally for those with a variety of communication needs, mental ill health, physical health issues, or barriers to accessing education and support.
You should have worked or volunteered in health, social care, welfare, support services, education or young person’s services, or advice and guidance.
How will you make a difference?
You will be responsible for ensuring the individual’s wishes, feelings, beliefs, needs, and values are met to create positive outcomes for the people you support.
You will support people to speak up for themselves and grow in confidence, equip them to understand and exercise their rights and options, and will assist them in the decision-making process relating to their care, treatment, and support.
You will work resourcefully and collaboratively with the individuals you support. You’ll be creative in your approach to empower our clients by ensuring you meaningfully explain people’s options and rights to them. You’ll support individuals to fully participate in decisions affecting them and will make sure they have their voices heard.
Professional Development?
You will have plenty of opportunities to enhance your professional abilities and you will make a real difference every day. Advocates are expected to be willing to gain, or to already hold, the Level 3 Award in Independent Advocacy Practice with disciplines suitable for the role they work in.
Benefits
28 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time colleagues) rising to 30 days upon 5 years’ service
5% employer pension & minimum 3% employee contribution
Salary sacrifices pension scheme
Separate Life Assurance Cover (equivalent of two times your annual salary)
Staff discount scheme including retail discounts, entertainment, holidays, gym membership etc
24/7 Employee Assistance programme
Access to remote counselling service
Paid Disability Leave
Paid compassionate Leave
Home Working Allowance
Support with continuous professional development
Access to Clifton Strengths Coaching for development
Personal Development Plans
How are staff supported to work remotely?
VoiceAbility has a small number of offices. Employees including Team Leaders are homebased for Administration and meetings will be held online as well as in person in the relevant community.
When you need to travel for work, expenses will be paid (mileage or public transport costs).
VoiceAbility offers the usual regular manager one to ones, Staff forums and communities of practice depending on role. Team meetings with a mix of virtual and in person approach.
Equality and Diversity
VoiceAbility believes in fostering an inclusive workplace which welcomes, values and celebrates the diversity of its staff and partners, treats all on a basis of equality and encourages all to meet their maximum potential.
VoiceAbility are a Disability Confident employer, any applicant that identifies themselves as having a disability and can demonstrate that they meet all the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview. If you need to apply in a different way, please visit our vacancy page on our website.
How to apply
To apply for this role please sign up for a recruitment account by clicking the apply button on this page. Follow the instructions to create your account, upload your CV, and complete our short application form.
Important Dates:
Closing date for applications; 30 April 2025 Midnight
Don’t forget to read the person specification so you can tell us about yourself and how your skills, abilities and experiences match the criteria outlined in the person specification.
Want to know more about VoiceAbility and the role?
Please visit the vanacy page on our website
We look forward to hearing from you.
NB: If you don't already hold the Independent Advocacy Practice qualification, and you are successful in your application, it is a requirement that you complete the core element within 12 months of commencing the training. VoiceAbility will fund this training.
Registered Charity 
101 - 500
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
About Respect
Respect is a pioneering UK membership organisation in the domestic abuse sector. Founded in 2000, we have built our expertise over the last 23 years in what was then a fledgling sector and recently have seen significant and rapid growth.
Respect supports frontline organisations across the UK, so that together we can end domestic abuse. Our work is wide ranging: we offer accreditation of specialist services; we provide training for individuals and organisations working in the sector; we work in partnership with others to innovate and develop practice; we provide two helplines to enable service users to get the help and advice they need; we lobby influencers to improve policy and practice; we support up-to-date research undertaken by specialists in the field; and we fundraise to ensure important work continues to happen.
Respect has seen rapid growth over the last few years, and we now have 60+ staff running a range of projects and core activities and have ambitious plans for further growth and influence.
Our vision
We want a world where everyone is free from domestic abuse. Where it is never ok to control, harm or cause fear. Where those who perpetrate domestic abuse are stopped, held to account and given the chance to change.
Our mission
We work with our members, partners and allies to stop the harms done by those who perpetrate domestic abuse. With innovative practice, robust research and quality data, we build evidence of what works, promote safe, effective practice and drive high standards. We use our voice, in collaboration with others, to call for a response to domestic abuse that matches the scale of the problem. We will not stop, until domestic abuse stops.
Our Focus
Respect was founded to focus on perpetrators of domestic abuse and this, including our vital work with young people who cause harm, will remain our key priority. Our work with male victims will continue as an important, distinct, project.
Our Values
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Pioneering - We explore innovative ideas and develop new approaches with curiosity and rigour.
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Collaborative - We work in partnership with our members, partners and allies to bring about individual, societal and systems change.
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Accountable- We listen to survivors and centre their needs in our work. We hold perpetrators to account for their behaviour and hold ourselves and our members accountable for ours.
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Respectful - We live up to our name. We are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do. We are honest, compassionate and boldly challenge injustice.
Make a Change
Make a Change is a community-wide, early response approach to people using abusive behaviours (or who are concerned that they might be) towards a current or ex-partner. The model has been developed by Respect in partnership with Women’s Aid Federation England, drawing inspiration from their Change that Lasts approach. It includes three strands: expert support programme for perpetrators with parallel support for survivors, workforce development and community outreach.
Improving the safety, freedom and wellbeing of adult and child survivors of domestic abuse is a key outcome for our work with perpetrators. The Make a Change model is a multi-partner project offering local areas a framework for delivering perpetrator work. Where feasible, we aim to establish partnerships with local survivor domestic abuse service to deliver parallel support for survivors (referred to as Integrated Support Service) as part the expert support strand.
Purpose of the role:
The Senior Communications and Policy Officer will work with the Make a Change team at Respect to advance the development of communication and policy activities for the Make a Change model in project sites and nationally to encourage uptake in new areas. They will also work with Respect’s Communications and Influence leads to ensure alignment with the organisation's broader messaging and advocacy efforts, maximising the impact of Make a Change initiatives. The postholder will lead on developing and implementing communication strategies and plans in partnership with our delivery partners across the sites.
We would particularly welcome applications from individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and across all protected characteristics1, particularly from people from the following under-represented groups:
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Black and minoritised people
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Disabled people
We always welcome and support applications from those who have personal experience of domestic abuse.
Please follow the link to find out more.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.