Advocacy Jobs in North East
Groundwork are recruiting for 7 Energy and Retrofit Advisors, one for each of the major local authorities.
Energy & Retrofit Advisors
Salary: £22,928 – £25,822 per annum
Hours: 37 hours per week
Contract: Initially fixed term to March 2025 with potential to be extended
Location: Gateshead, Sunderland, North Tyneside, Newcastle, South Tyneside, Durham or Northumberland
About us
Groundwork works across the UK helping communities find practical solutions to the challenges they face. We provide training and create jobs, reduce energy use and waste, re-connect people with nature and transform whole neighbourhoods. Step by step we’ll go on changing places and changing lives until everywhere is vibrant and green, every community is strong enough to shape its own destiny and everyone can reach their potential.
About the role
Advisors will provide energy advice and raise awareness of domestic retrofit, supporting increased retrofit awareness and activity as well as working alongside staff within Local Authorities to develop and deliver projects to engage our communities and stimulate retrofit activity across the region. Energy and Retrofit Advisors will work closely with Groundwork Green Doctors supporting households suffering from fuel poverty and referring them into more specialist support where needed.
This role requires a dynamic and dedicated person who can think on their feet, someone with a caring nature who has a strong desire for helping people and is passionate about making a difference. You will need to be highly organised and adaptable as no two days will be the same.
As Groundwork’s Greener Living team grows, this role offers potential for extension and progression toward a career in Energy and Retrofit Assessment.
This role is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure endorsed by the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Essentials
- Level 3 Domestic Retrofit Advice Course or willingness to undertake this within the first 3 months of the role.
- Experience of running community events/ activities
- Highly developed communication skills
- Excellent team player
- Strong motivation and a determination to provide excellent service to customers
- Commitment to equality and diversity
It’s a unique and challenging role that gives you the chance to make a difference to people’s lives every day.
Closing date: Midnight on Thursday 4th April 2024
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.
Make yourself at home
We want you to be yourself at Groundwork and we value everything that makes you unique. We recognise and celebrate your difference and together we make Groundwork a special and great place to work. As a Disability Confident employer we offer a guaranteed interview to applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role.
At Groundwork we ensure that we provide a safe environment for adults, children and young people to take part in any activity or service that we organise. We are committed to creating a culture that promotes safeguarding and the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk. Our safer recruitment practices support this by ensuring that there is a consistent and comprehensive process of obtaining, collating, analysing and evaluating information from and about candidates to ensure that all the people we appoint are suitable to work with our children, young people and adults.
No agencies please.
About this role:
As a member of YVC’s team of Health and Wellbeing Facilitators you will work closely with colleagues from South Tyneside’s Physical Health Hub, and Primary Care Mental Health Team to support people in South Tyneside, in particular those with learning disabilities and those who require support with their mental health, to meet their wellbeing and physical health needs.
You will help people to access the health services and support they need by ensuring people have information that is accessible to them, by supporting services to make reasonable adjustments, and by supporting the delivery of treatment and assessment programmes under the direction of practitioners.
You will also link with Social Care and Voluntary Sector services to ensure that people can access a range of support in order to improve their health and wellbeing. You will ensure that people’s voice is both heard and acted on to improve this support.
Who we are:
At Your Voice Counts, we help vulnerable people find a voice and gain control over their lives.
We help the people we support to speak up for what they want and need, to be better connected and to have choice and control in their lives.
Our values guide how we work, and we are all responsible for putting these into practice every day:
- Being accountable – We are honest and take responsibility for our actions.
- Being person-centred – We put people's needs first.
- Learning and growing - We challenge ourselves and each other to help us get better at what we do.
- Promoting equality – We work to get equal opportunities for everyone.
- Working together – We achieve more by working as a team than by acting alone.
Our wonderful staff embody our values and are dedicated to the work we deliver together. They are committed and passionate with a positive attitude. We all share the same vision and values.
We are committed to making Your Voice Counts a great place to work. We offer a supportive and fulfilling environment for our staff team with an enhanced range of staff benefits. You can find out more here.
Main Responsibilities:
· Take part in relevant supervision, support and training to ensure YVC deliver a consistent and high-quality service.
· You will promote mental and physical health and wellbeing by:
o Getting to know people who access our service and supporting them
to identify the health issues that matter most to them.
o Linking the person with their GP / Primary Care Health Hub for their annual health check/ mental health program.
o Helping people identify and understand their own health, wellbeing and social needs and empowering people around accessing reasonable adjustments to address their barriers to services.
o Aiding the person to understand their Health Action Plan and what matters to me program.
o Promoting people’s self-confidence and develop communication skills around health needs.
o Supporting people to engage with the appropriate services to treat and improve their mental and physical health issues
· Maintain an active caseload. Manage risk proactively. Keep accurate records using our Charity Log database. Maintain confidentiality for our clients.
· Work closely with colleagues with lived experience of learning disability or autism in the Quality Checker Team to carry out NHS Quality Checks across the GP Practices in South Tyneside.
· Assist in the monitoring and evaluation of the service, including the collection of case studies, data and by contributing to feedback and evaluation sessions with the aim of improving the service.
· Assist in the promotion of the service and when necessary, work outside normal office hours. Be prepared to travel within Tyne & Wear.
· Be an active participant in the wider YVC team and seek to work with all YVC colleagues to deliver our strategy, maintain quality and embed the values of the organisation.
Person Specification:
We are a values-based organisation and you will have demonstrable belief in the rights of people who use our services.
You will also have:
· Experience of working with people with learning disabilities and autistic people, or other marginalised and vulnerable groups.
· Curiosity and an ability to look beyond how the person presents in order to build a deeper understanding of what matters most to them.
· Creativity, with an ability to solve problems and take people with them in solutions.
· An ability to work in changing and complex environments, with the flexibility to adapt their approach as needed
· A high level of emotional intelligence, the ability to empathise, and a genuine desire to help others.
· The ability to communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders, including those with a learning disability, autistic people, family carers and professionals.
· Experience of considering and managing risk, and of conducting risk assessments, with good knowledge of safeguarding procedures.
· A good understanding of the health and wellbeing issues affecting disabled, vulnerable and socially isolated people – particularly those with learning disabilities and autistic people.
· Experience of making information easy to understand.
· Experience of working with health and social care professionals.
· Knowledge of the health and social care sector in South Tyneside, and of the communities and localities where our services are delivered.
· Good organisational skills, with an ability to prioritise work, and deliver agreed objectives quickly and efficiently
· The ability to work alone using their own initiative, as well as working as part of a team
· IT literacy, be confident using Microsoft Office, client databases and interactive platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams
· An understanding of the need for GDPR and client confidentiality.
You may also have:
· Experience of working within a community physical or mental health setting
· An understanding of co-production and have demonstrable experience of co-producing and delivering projects, workshops and training sessions.
· A sound set of skills to use social media to engage with a range of audiences
Returning your application form:
Before completing the application form carefully read through the Job Description and Person Specification. Consider the requirements of the job and use the form to explain how you satisfy various criteria. You should not enclose a CV as this will not be considered by the interviewing panel, but you may include additional sheets where there is insufficient room on the application form.
Please return your application form by 12.00 noon on Friday 5th April 2024. Interviews are expected to be held on Tuesday 9th April 2024.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Fuel Bank - Support Administrator
Location – Remote based role with occasional travel to the Midlands for team meetings & training.
Hours – Part & Full Time Positions. F/T – 37.5 hours Monday to Friday. P/T 20+ hours flexible Monday to Friday to suit the needs of the charity and individual’s work life balance.
Salary - £11.55ph (salary review’s to be conducted in April 2024).
Are you a confident communicator with strong administration skills? Are you happy to work in a busy reactive role processing queries and applications? Are you flexible, empathetic and able to deliver great customer service to our clients via email and telephone interactions?
Fuel Bank Foundation is the only UK charity to focus on the challenges of people living in fuel crisis. We provide emergency financial support through our network of partners who identify people who cannot afford to pre-pay for their energy.
As a Support Administrator, you will work closely with the team to support the communications through the email inbox, holding telephone assessments and by the processing of queries and applications. You will also work closely with other departments within the charity and ensure clear and consistent communication is delivered and additional support is given where needed.
Some of your duties and responsibilities include:
· Manage the daily queries that are received into the team’s inbox.
· Holding telephone assessments to establish the support needs of the client.
· Request additional information as required in regard to applications.
· Liaise with partners and applicants to ensure all relevant detail is given and gathered.
· Update inhouse systems and Excel spreadsheets.
· Monitor progress rates of applications and where communication may be needed.
· Ensuring all data is correct so that Internal departments can trust the integrity of the data on the company’s system.
· Escalate any queries where needed to other members of the team.
· Build relationships with key partners via calls and emails.
· To assist with all associated administration.
· Ensure the smooth running of each application.
· Liaise with internal departments regarding follow up communications.
· Produce reports where required for senior team.
· Accurate electronic filing of documentation.
The person for the role will:
· Have excellent interpersonal skills and be able to adapt the way you communicate to suit different situations.
· Have excellent written and verbal communication, with telephone customer service experience.
· Have strong empathy skills with real life skills to deal with sensitive situations with compassion and understanding.
· Have a passion for working in this area of support work.
· Have knowledge of internal IT software operating systems preferable.
· Have a good understanding of Microsoft Office particularly Excel and Outlook
· Be an effective communicator.
· Have effective problem-solving skills.
· Have the ability to manage workload effectively and prioritise.
· Be an effective decision maker.
· Have the flexibility to support customers and partner communications.
· Have great attention to detail.
· Be results focussed.
· Hold high personal values.
· Be organised.
· Have a continuous improvement mind-set.
· Be a great team player.
An understanding of the energy or this charity sector would be desirable but is not essential.
What will you receive in return:
· Support from a team of like-minded individuals who will support you to succeed in the role.
· Annual leave entitlement of 27.5 days (FTE), plus bank holidays plus the option to buy/sell extra days.
· A flexible working week to ensure work life balance.
· Enhanced pension contributions.
· Equal opportunity employers.
· Full onboarding programme with ongoing training and development opportunities.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Events and Communications Officer
Job Title: Events and Communications Officer
Responsible to: CEO
Location: Remote, with requirement for in-person attendance at some meetings and events during the year (travel expenses covered)
Hours: 14 hours per week across a minimum of 2 days per week (flexible days, to be agreed with successful candidate) with occasional out of hours working required (e.g. our annual summer residential camp and twice-yearly family weekend events, with TOIL for out of hours working)
Salary: £23,500 per year pro rata, 2 days/week (£9,400 actual)
Term: 12-month fixed term contract with potential to continue in role as funding allows
Annual leave and benefits: 33 days leave pro rata (13.2 days actual). Employer pension scheme with matched contributions of 5%
Closing Date: 15th April
ABOUT USHER KIDS UK
At Usher Kids UK, we’re devoted to empowering children, young people and their families living with Usher syndrome - a rare cause of progressive deafblindness.
From the point of diagnosis onwards we provide information, support and resources tailored to the specific and unique challenges of the condition. We create opportunities for families to connect at virtual and in-person events, helping them build friendships, skills and confidence for the journey ahead.
Our services are already changing the experiences and outcomes of the next generation: "Our daughter came back from Usher Kids UK summer camp absolutely buzzing - she was confident, proud and talked with excitement about how she is unique." Working at Usher Kids UK, you could help to ensure that every family living with Usher syndrome has access to this life-changing impact.
WORKING AT USHER KIDS UK
Our charity provides vital support to the Usher community. In recent years, demand has grown for our services so this year we are very excited to be growing our staff team. The new Events and Communications Officer will work alongside our CEO, playing a vital role in ensuring the success of our events and engaging with our families and collaborators.
The role will be varied and offers the chance to be an important part of our small and friendly team. We recognise the value that each person brings to our charity, encouraging innovation and development, and we support each other to provide the very best services for our community.
OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE
Events:
As Events and Communications Officer, a significant part of your role will be assisting in the design and delivery of our virtual and in-person events. These include:
o Regular (monthly) virtual events
o Twice-yearly family in-person events (usually a Saturday in April and in September or October)
o Annual residential camp for 11-25yr olds ( a 5-night residential held in July or August)
Some of the aspects you will lead on include:
o Communicating with our community and other stakeholders, such as venues and volunteers, pre- and post-event.
o Creating promotional and other event materials.
o Registration and organisation of the people involved in the event.
o Coordinating logistics before, during and after events.
Having worked so hard making sure that the event runs successfully, you will of course also be a vital part of the team helping to deliver the in-person events, which is an absolute joy!
Communications
You will assist in the design and delivery of our communications strategy. This will include:
o Determining how best to communicate with our families, including the children and young people, to ensure that we provide the support and services they need.
o Determining how best to communicate with our collaborators, including other organisations, funders and professionals in the sector, in order to continue and improve our offer.
o Managing the day-to-day delivery of our social media, emails, website, promotional materials and media archives.
o Keeping our CRM updated and proactively communicating with our stakeholders.
o Supporting our Governance Team with scheduling and meeting arrangements.
o Monitoring the impact of our events and engagement, using insight gained to identify unmet needs, and work as a team to create a plan to address these needs.
PERSONAL SPECIFICATION
Essential:
o Computer literate and confident using MS Office software.
o An excellent knowledge of different social media platforms and the types of content required to drive engagement.
o Experience of website/CMS systems.
o Understanding of printed promotional material.
o Good standard of written English and Maths (GCSE grade 5 or above).
o Good understanding and/or experience of implementing communication strategies appropriate for different audiences.
o Experience of design and delivery of virtual and in-person events.
o Experience of working with children, young people and families.
o Understanding of, and commitment to, the objectives of Usher Kids UK.
o Strong organisational and time-management abilities, adept at prioritisation and multitasking.
o Attention to detail with a proactive approach to achieving and maintaining high standards.
o Drive, determination and self-motivation, with a positive attitude towards work.
o Excellent interpersonal skills, comfortable in team settings and independent working.
o Ability to deliver out-of-hours work to accommodate Usher Kids UK events or travel in the UK and internationally.
Desirable:
o Experience of the charity sector.
o Knowledge of engagement and impact measurement and evaluation.
o Knowledge of safeguarding processes and systems.
Please upload the following to Charity Jobs by 15th April 2024:
o An up-to-date CV
o A covering letter (no more than 2 pages) explaining why you think you are the right candidate for this role. Please ensure you provide evidence and examples which demonstrate how your skills meet the criteria set out in the person specification.
We are actively recruiting for this role, so will be scheduling meetings and interviews as applications are submitted. Recruitment may end early should the right person be found prior to the closing date, so we encourage anyone interested not to wait before applying.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.