Part-Time Social Welfare Jobs

Burnham and Weston Energy CIC is looking for a programme manager to nurture and grow our energy advice service.

The service is delivered by a small team of trained Home Energy Advisors who visit people in their homes to provide advice on how they can save money on their bills and make their homes warmer and healthier to live in. They also install small energy efficiency measures such as LED lights, draft proofing and radiator reflectors. Households are then referred on to further support to help them access welfare payments and grant funding for home upgrades including insulation, boiler replacement and energy efficient appliances. 

The current team of 2 Home Energy Advisors have capacity to deliver around 700 home visits per year. We receive referrals from a range of local organisations. We employ a Programme Co-ordinator to manage and generate home visit referrals and bookings, provide follow up support, and manage events and communications.

From this foundation, our growth objectives for the Home Energy Savings service are to:

• Continue to raise awareness of the service amongst local organisations and the public, and increase the number of referrals and vulnerable householders who benefit.
• Grow the team of Home Energy Advisors as demand requires, to at least double the team by the end of 2025.
• Secure additional funding to support the service.
• Develop partnerships which broaden and deepen the ways we can help households, including unlocking funding and support for energy efficiency retrofit.

Role responsibilities

• ​Manage, mentor and support our team of Home Energy Advisors and the Programme Co-ordinator, and oversee its growth.

• Responsible for team safeguarding, H&S, mental health, team building, mentoring and training;

• Manage the delivery of our Home Energy Saving Service across North Somerset and the former districts of Sedgemoor and West Somerset and Taunton, seeking opportunities to strengthen and grow the service.
• Manage the delivery of grant funder requirements including ensuring KPIs are met, budgets managed and reports provided.
• Manage the delivery of our referral partnership contract with LEAP AgilityEco including ensuring KPIs and contractual requirement are met and that households referred to LEAP receive the best possible support.
• To secure and manage further funding partnerships (such as Redress or MCS funding),
• Responsible for ensuring company policies relating to the advice programme are kept up to date and consistent with requirements or partners. Responsible for ensuring working practice is in accordance with our policies and that risk assessments and management plans are in place and adhered to.
• Manage relationships with organisations referring households to the energy support programme and receiving onward referrals from us.
• Develop partnerships which broaden and deepen the ways we can help households.
• Develop our CRM and IT systems.
• Represent Burnham & Weston Energy at local events and forums, nurture and grow our networks and relationships with local stakeholders and deliver our comms via the website and social media channels.

Essential requiremnts:

• Experience of leading and managing home visit teams including safeguarding, H&S, mental health, risk assessment and management, team building, mentoring and training. Experience of managing front line service teams is more important to us than energy advice experience. We can organise mentoring support from other community energy enterprises who have developed and scaled up local energy advice services.  
• Experience of overseeing complex case work.
• Experience of grant programme and service contract management including management of budgets, KPI delivery, reporting and meeting funder requirements.
• Experience of securing grant and service contract funding including applications, contract negotiation and ensuring funding requirements are in place.
• Committed to and rooted in the communities we serve: Weston-super-Mare, Burnham-on-Sea, Highbridge, Mark, Winscombe and the surrounding rural areas.
• Understand the local public, community and private sector landscape and be well networked.
• An ability to bring people together, bring out the best in people and make things happen.

Useful requirements:

• Understand the complex world of energy support funding.
• Experience of being a home energy advisor and/or managing home energy advice teams.
• A track record of business development, ideally in a social enterprise, charity or public service context.
• Competent with communications and social media.
• Confident in network and relationship building.

Would you like to provide support, advice and guidance to the Royal British Legion members in Northumbria? Are you an effective communicator who can build relationships with our diverse volunteers? If so we would love to hear from you.  

Our Membership Engagement Team provide support, advice and guidance to ensure that our members can continue to be the force for good in their communities.  Through strong relationships with our members, the Branches and the County Committees, the Team facilitates the sharing of great practice and ensure that the membership remain compliant. The Membership engagement officers (MEO) are actively engaged within their areas, meeting Branch members, supporting their activities and building a stronger membership fit for the next 100 years. 

Come and be part of the leading Armed Forces charity, making a difference to the lives of those who have served to keep us safe and protect our way of life.

The Membership Engagement Officer (MEO) is a key role which inspires and engages our membership to be active and fulfil their role and purpose while remaining compliant with the Legion’s Membership handbook and policies. We are looking for an effective, diligent multi-tasker with excellent customer service and communication skills who can both support and challenge.

The MEO provides organisational support, advice and information to our members, and works closely with County Committees, membership central team staff and other departments.  This a varied role which covers a range of duties from connecting and building relationships with Branches to compliance oversight and responding to membership queries.

Here at RBL, we aim to support our people and their wellbeing, with a package including generous paid holiday allowance and pension scheme contributions, and a range of optional benefits and discounts.

You will be contracted to your home address. You will be expected to work both there, using our collaboration tools to work with colleagues and members, and on a mobile basis with frequent travel to local branches and at other locations in the Northumbria area and beyond (incl. for monthly team meetings).

This is a Part Time post, working 21 hours per week, Monday-Friday. Working arrangement to be as agreed with Management and a degree of flexibility is needed. Evening and weekend work will be required.

For more detailed information about the role, please see our Vacancy Information Pack attached to our direct advert.

RBL is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive organisation, reflecting the diversity of the armed forces community and of wider society. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and personal characteristics and aim to operate an inclusive recruitment process.

Closing Date: Sunday 19th May 2024

Befriending Scheme Coordinator

Part-time, 21 hours per week

£13,152 per annum (£21,921 FTE)

We have an exciting part time opportunity to join our Befriending Service which aims to ease loneliness and isolation of older people across Dacorum.

You will be responsible for coordinating our volunteers who either provide companionship through home visits or friendly telephone chats. You will also help to promote volunteering throughout Dacorum.

This rewarding position offers flexibility and autonomy in the way that you work.

It requires someone with excellent communication and organisation skills.

As you will be required to travel throughout the Dacorum area, a full driving licence with daily use of a car is essential.

Main purpose of Role

The purpose of the role is to coordinate the Befriending Service by carefully matching volunteers to visit an older lonely, isolated person in their own home to provide friendship and company.

Key Responsibilities

• Receive and record referrals for the befriending scheme from a variety of health and social care professionals, voluntary organisations, or family and friends
• Make contact with potential clients by undertaking initial telephone assessments and carrying out initial assessment visits, taking time to understand the needs of the clients and to assess suitability for the befriending scheme
• Actively recruit volunteers for both the visiting service. This will include interviewing potential volunteers and completion of DBS and references checks
• Provide individual inductions for all new volunteers recruited within the locality, ensuring that volunteers are appropriately trained to carry out their befriending role
• Carefully match volunteers with a client to ensure compatibility, and personally introduce visiting volunteers to clients
• Maintain regular contact with volunteers and clients to offer ongoing support and advice
• Manage and organise own administration work, ensuring that it is accurate and meets quality targets
• Complete and record monitoring forms
• Respect the confidentiality and dignity of clients and their rights to make their own decision
• Promote volunteering throughout the district by using a variety of media, attending public events and generally raising the profile of Age UK Hertfordshire
• Maintain the database, keeping up to date and accurate records
• Attend all training and meetings as requested by the Service Manager
• Work within AUKH policies and procedures and keep up to date with legislation for volunteer based projects.

In order to be successful you must be able to demonstrate the following skills and experience:

Essential

• Proven IT skills including MS Office and Outlook to an intermediate level as well as database management experience
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal together with the ability to tailor your communication style to your audience
• The ability to work both as part of a team as well as independently
• Excellent organisational skills where you are able to priorities tasks in order to meet deadlines and/or expectations
• A positive, helpful, conscientious work ethic
• Full UK driving licence and own car
• The ability to be flexible in working hours from time to time

Desirable

• Experience of dealing with either volunteers and /or the elderly/vulnerable. This could have been gained from a previous role or a personal situation
• Experience of when you have had to assess clients needs in a sensitive manner
• Knowledge of the local area

We offer

Training and development, travel expenses and a contributory pension scheme

TO APPLY

Submit your CV and a covering letter telling us how you meet the requirements of the role by the closing date of noon, Monday 13May 2024.

Interviews are scheduled to be held on Thursday 16 May and/or Friday 17 May 2024.

Take a look at Age UK Hertfordshire's website Work For Us for further information

East Cambridgeshire working from home and in the community

Ref MYP-241

Are you a highly organised, collaborative and compassionate individual with direct or indirect experience of the criminal justice system?  Do you have a proven record of supporting young people involved in, or at risk of, entry into the Criminal Justice System?

If so, join St Giles as our Mentor/Facilitator, where you will combine your lived experience of overcoming similar barriers to the client group and your professional experience to provide crucial guidance, support and mentorship to targeted at-risk young people, already within or at high risk of entering the criminal justice system.

About St Giles Trust 

An ambitious, well-established charity that helps people facing adversity to find jobs, homes and the right support they need.  Central to our ethos is our belief that people with first-hand experience of successfully overcoming issues such as an offending background, homelessness, addictions and gang involvement, hold the key to positive change in others.  

About this exciting opportunity

As Mentor/Facilitator, your focus will be to oversee the delivery of a vital Mentor Programme to targeted at risk students and young people up the age of 25 years and to establish and maintain positive relationships with each young person to provide emotional support, guidance and mentorship.  You will be expected to address each individual’s needs and challenges, utilising personal experiences, local knowledge, professional skills and St Giles’ materials to offer support and intervention, while also assisting each young person with setting and achieving academic, personal, and career goals.

We will count on you to collaborate with professionals to support and develop strategies to minimise the risk to young people and to maintain a trauma informed approach, that recognises and responds to trauma and amplifies the voices and experiences of individuals.  Developing positive, pro-social attitudes, behaviour and social skills among those you mentor and supporting and/or co-delivering whole school awareness and professional sessions are also key aspects of the role.

What we are looking for

• Sound knowledge of the challenges and issues facing vulnerable young people
• An understanding and demonstration of professional standards and accountability
• Experience of working collaboratively with multi-agency partners
• Excellent record keeping and good technical literacy of Microsoft Applications
• A commitment to excellent safeguarding practice
• Excellent interpersonal, relationship-building and communication skills, verbal and written
• A flexible, collaborative and professional approach to your work
• Full Driving Licence and your own transport.

Please note this role requires an Enhanced Adult and Children with the Child Barred list.

In return, you can expect a competitive salary, generous leave allowance, staff pension, flexible working, a mentoring programme, an advice and counselling service, season ticket loan and much more.

We are an equity and inclusion confident employer. We welcome all applications and we particularly encourage applications from people of the global majority (black, brown, multi- heritage) and those who identify as disabled, neuroexpansive, neurodiverse, with any protected characteristics and/or social barriers or challenges. We value the empowering and informative impact that all lived experiences and diversity of thought can offer the organisation.

St Giles will guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria set out in the Job Description for the vacancy.

To apply, please visit our website via the ‘Apply’ button.

Closing date: 11 pm 21 May 2024       

Interview date: 31 May 2024 on Teams.

Job Title: Administrator/Receptionist

Salary: £22,011

Hours: Full-time or Part-time (We are open to job-shares)

Location: Tyseley, Birmingham

About this role

This role is a pivotal one in Central England Law Centre as we strive to deliver excellent service to our wide range of clients from the local community in Birmingham.

The receptionist/administrator is the first point of contact for all clients whether they visit in person, send an email or contact us by phone.  The person will also be responsible for providing administrative support to our caseworkers whilst overseeing all aspects of the management of the office from coordinating IT equipment, ordering office supplies and ensuring all building maintenance is up-to-date.

The successful candidate will be subject to a basic DBS check.

Responsibilities

• Provide an excellent client focused reception service in person, by email and phone
• When required, provide general signposting information to clients
• Ensure that all records are kept up to date and files are maintained to a high standard
• Provide reports from Law Centre data sources as required
• Maintain asset logs of Law Centre equipment and identify equipment needs
• Coordinate IT issues with our external IT support
• Ensure building maintenance is up to date

Person Specification

Essential

• A demonstrable commitment to social justice and a commitment to and understanding of the aims and objectives of the Law Centre.
• The ability to work sympathetically and effectively with a wide variety of staff, volunteers, partners, and clients
• A non-judgemental attitude 
• The ability to communicate effectively and sensitively
• An understanding of the importance of confidentiality
• The ability to get on with people and be polite under pressure and to work co-operatively as part of a team

Desirable

• Knowledge of the work of Central England Law Centre or similar social justice organisations
• Experience of case management systems
• Experience of operating a telephone switchboard
• Experience of working with the public and in a busy and demanding environment

About CELC:

A fairer, more just society in which an understanding of rights and their power is embedded within communities.

Central England Law Centre is the UK’s largest Law Centre. Our size enables us to provide legal expertise across eight different areas of social welfare law including: discrimination; employment; health and social care; housing; immigration and asylum; public law; and welfare benefits. This means that we can offer services that can address all of the interconnected problems people face in their everyday lives.

What we offer: 

•  37-hour working week;
•  Flexible working hours and a hybrid working arrangement;
•  28 days holiday (rising by 1 day per year of service to 35 days after 5 years of service) plus 8 statutory days;
•  Pension scheme membership;
•  Access to an employee assistance programme;

We invite interested candidates to download our Recruitment Pack for this role from our website.

Closing date: 12pm on the 17th May 2024

Interviews will be held in week commencing: 20th or 27th May 2024

You will provide support to our Cost-of-Living Crisis Clinic Consultant to co-ordinate the efficient service delivery of our busy Cost-of-Living Crisis Clinics, used by clients who need assistance to make successful applications for: welfare benefits; social housing; lower utility and broadband tariffs; and crisis and general grants.   You will work with a wide range of people internally and externally, providing support and supervision to volunteer advisers and helping clients.

You will be a confident communicator who will have the right blend and balance of strong administration skills with excellent interpersonal and customer-facing skills and legal knowledge, working for a charity supporting and enhancing the lives of people in the local community.

This role is central to Westway Trust’s commitment to deliver activities and events to the benefit of the North Kensington community. You will also work from and help to co-ordinate the delivery of our Cost-of-Living Crisis Clinic at our outreach site, St Luke’s Community Centre, EC1V.

Key responsibilities of the role include but not limited to:

General Duties

• Being the initial point of contact; receiving calls and emails from clients and referring agencies, , and booking client appointments in an efficient and timely manner
• Setting up and clearing away after Cost-of-Living Crisis Clinic sessions, (currently, Tuesdays, at St Luke’s Community Centre, 90 Central Street, Islington, EC1, and Wednesdays at Westway Trust, 1 Thorpe Close, Ladbroke Grove, W10).  Sessions start at 9.00am and finish around 1.00pm
• Meeting, greeting and orienting (showing where the facilities are and H&S guidance) clients and volunteers
• Triaging clients on to our database and referring clients who are out of scope to other relevant organisations
• Assisting clients to complete online and paper forms both face-to-face and remotely
• Liaising in a positive manner with our stakeholders, eg. clients, other teams within Westway Trust, our funder, a City Law firm, and our hosts, Westway Trust and St Luke’s Community Centre
• Responsibility for monitoring our work, completing simple reports, writing case studies, making sure volunteers complete their data entry after advising clients, and running case management statistics using AdvicePro, our case management system) (training on AdvicePro will be provided)
• Recruiting, inducting, training and supervising volunteers both corporate (from the City) and lay (students and local residents)
• Casework; writing up case notes about clients helped
• Attending relevant meetings and training and keeping resources up-to-date
• General administration including: photocopying, scanning and record keeping, and coordinating the general day-to-day activities of the Cost-of-Living Crisis Clinics
• Effectively contributing to make our Cost-of-Living Crisis Clinics high performing in line with the values of Westway Trust

Appeals & Representation Duties

Responsibility for our legal appeals representation service, including:

• Triaging clients, including reading appellant’s hearing bundles to assess the merits of their case
• Case management of appellants’' appeal cases, (ie, smooth management of appellants' cases from inception to post-hearing)
• Attending hearings
• Guiding and case managing lawyers/law students on applications for leave to appeal/set aside to the Upper Tribunal/Judiciary, (from the Lower Tribunal).  Full training will be given

Qualifications: You will have or be working towards a law degree or equivalent. 

Knowledge and Experience:

• A good understanding of the law in any jurisdiction
• Experience of providing an efficient, customer focused service, with a personable and collaborative approach and ability to provide, develop and maintaining friendly positive relationships with customers, staff, volunteers and other stakeholders
• Good time management and organisational skills
• Excellent administrative skills
• High level of IT skills. Experience of using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint and database software (we use AdvicePro)

Personal Skills:

• Good people management/awareness skills
• Good communication and presentation skills, orally and in writing.
• Ability to work independently and on own initiative with minimum supervision
• Ability to work as part of a team in a multi-cultural and diverse environment
• An inquisitive mind and good problem solver
• Interest in civil law
• Good memory and research skills
• Demonstrable understanding and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion

Connections to/understanding of North Kensington or the surrounding area is highly desirable

Age UK and its network of local and national partners across the UK deliver a wide range of services to millions of older people every year. We want to ensure that those services are of a high quality and of real value to the people who receive them. A key component of this is the Network Quality & Compliance Team, which oversees Age UK's Quality Assurance Framework of quality standards, assessments, and processes for dealing with non-compliance.

We have an exciting part-time opportunity for a Service Quality Adviser to join our Network Quality & Compliance Team. This role is part of the team that supports Age UK and its network of local and national partners to provide consistent, high-quality services to the public. The team is responsible for ensuring that training and guidance is available on how to run high quality services and supports individual network members with quality challenges and non-compliance.

The provision of Information and Advice (I&A) and our quality standards for these services, are a key element of this role. The successful post holder will have demonstrable experience of managing or supervising an I&A service and ideally, a broader understanding or experience of quality assurance and delivering services to older people.

This is a part-time, home-based opportunity, working 21 hours per week. Salary advertised is FTE. (Actual salary range for 21 hours per week - Actual £20,406 - £22,554)

Please note:
* You will be required to travel throughout the UK.
* You will be required to attend meetings in London, possibly as frequently as one a month. Travel expenses are paid to the London office and other Age UK locations.
* You should have a commitment to equality and diversity, social justice and giving people a voice.

Must haves:

* Experience of the provision of a range of services (including information and advice) to quality standards (including legal and regulatory) in a not-for-profit organisation or other relevant context.
* Experience of managing or supervising the delivery of services (including information and advice).
* Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate with staff in different locations, write reports and training materials.
* A wide range of influencing skills, including the ability to build and maintain relationships with internal and external partners in order to meet objectives.
* Strong project management skills, with the ability to work flexibly and autonomously, managing individual projects to meet organisational objectives and achieve deadlines.
* Proven ability to work as part of a flexible team including remote staff.
* Good IT skills including an ability to use Microsoft Office (including Excel) effectively in preparing reports, presentations and in managing email communication. Experience of using CRM databases and other data management systems to manage client information is desirable. Experience of using online training and communication resources such as Teams or Zoom.

Great to haves:
* Experience of community development, working with volunteers and/or supporting small local voluntary organisations.
* Experience of delivering services to contracts and / or consortium working.
* Knowledge of public policy and practice issues in the delivery of services to older people.
* Proven ability to evaluate services and projects, interpret data and report on findings.
* Creativity and innovation including the ability to identify solutions and resolve complex issues.

What we offer in return

• Competitive salary, 26 days annual leave (pro rata) + bank holidays
• Excellent pension scheme, life assurance, health cashback plan and EAP
• Car Benefit Scheme, Cycle to Work Scheme and Season Ticket Loan
• Tech scheme - buy any tech from Apple or Currys, up to £1000, and spread the cost over 12 months, interest free
• Blue Light Card Scheme
• You Did It Awards - recognition awards from £100-250.

Additional Information

All CVs will be anonymised by our recruitment system when you apply for a role at Age UK. Please note that our system is unable to anonymise cover letters, and we would therefore ask that to support the work we are doing on making our recruitment selection process fairer and more unbiased, that you remove any personal information from your cover letter/supporting statement, including your name before uploading this. All equalities monitoring information is also anonymised and not shared with the hiring panel. Your name and address will only be known to us once you are invited for an interview.

Age UK is an Equal Opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates, regardless of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital/civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity. We guarantee an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria under the Disability Confident Scheme. Please note that on occasion, due to high numbers of applications, Age UK reserves the right to limit the overall number of interviews offered, and therefore, it may not always be practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people that meet the minimum criteria for the job.

Age UK is committed to safeguarding adults at risk, and children, from abuse and neglect. We expect everyone who works with us to share this commitment.

Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert at any time.

Age UK politely requests no contact from recruitment agencies or media sales. We do not accept speculative CVs from recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.

Join the award-winning Independent Society of Musicians

Central London – Assistant to the Senior Leadership Team

Part Time (28 hours per week)  and Permanent – Circa £38K - £40K pro rata

The award-winning ISM is the dynamic, change making professional membership body for musicians. With a current membership of over 11,000, the ISM is known for its campaigning work as well as services to musicians ranging from legal support and representation to counselling and professional development.

The ISM is now looking for an Assistant to the SLT who will carry out a broad range of duties, from working with the CEO on external affairs and diary management through to being involved in all aspects of Board meetings and looking after the ISM’s offices. You will be comfortable working at a senior level liaising with a wide range of people from Board members to politicians and have excellent interpersonal skills and great attention to detail. You will be proactive, a great problem solver, trustworthy and committed. 

You will be joining a professional staff team who are based in Bayswater, London. The role is for 28 hours per week and we envisage that you will work four days per week, three of which will be in the office.

For a full job description for this role please see the attached specification.

To apply please send your full CV and covering letter saying why you are the right person for the job via the link on our website.

Closing date is Monday 13 May at 9.30. Interviews will take place face to face and applications generated by Ai will not be considered.

This role is an exciting opportunity to help support the mission of the charity through a programme of income-generating corporate cooking teambuilding challenges. We have been running these successfully for several years and are now looking to replicate the model outside London, starting with a pilot in central Birmingham.

You will facilitate and run our Food Invention Challenges in a kitchen facility in central Birmingham, collaborating with corporate teams, local stakeholders and the venue.

We are seeking a people-oriented person with great communication skills, who is looking for a flexible role that has the potential to grow. If you have a love of food, strong organisational skills and enjoy creating fun and engaging teambuilding sessions, then this is the role for you!

Benefits: We offer 26.5 working days (this includes 3.5 days for the Christmas close down) pro rata based on FTE/working hours. Plus additional holiday for length of service, up to a maximum of 30 days (pro-rata for part-time). Our healthcare package allows staff to claim money back on healthcare bills and includes access to telephone counselling and online GP appointments.

How to apply:  Please upload a CV of no more than two sides, and a covering note/letter of no more than two sides explaining why you are suitable for the role, via our vacancy website.

Deadline for your application:  11.59pm on 7th May 2024.

Shortlisted candidates will need to complete a 30 minute task prior to being invited to interview.

Interviews scheduled for:  week commencing 13th May 2024

Inclusivity: FoodCycle is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from individuals of all backgrounds. We are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone feels valued and respected.

Please note that you will need to have existing Right to Work in the UK to apply for this role. We do not hold a sponsor licence therefore we are unable to provide visa sponsorship.

About the organisation

nia has been delivering services to women, girls and children who have been subjected to sexual and domestic violence and abuse, including prostitution, since 1975. The organisation has three main aims: to provide services for women, girls and children who have experienced men’s violence; contributing to ending male violence against women and girls, and to inform and influence policy and public awareness.

About the post - Hybrid working

nia is now entering the next phase of our work to become an Anti-Racist organisation and we are seeking a Development Officer to support us with this next stage. The Anti-Racism Development Officer will play a key role in the delivery of the Anti-Racism action plan and in embedding Anti-Racist practices across the organisation

Part of the role includes Co-ordination of nia’s Anti-Racism Working Group to co-produce tangible outcomes; harnessing the expertise of those most impacted by racism and embedding an Anti-Racist framework across the organisation.

About you

We’re looking for a highly organised and self-motivated woman who is passionate about ending violence against women, girls and children. You’ll have a ‘can-do’ approach and demonstrable commitment to nia’s approach to prioritising women, upholding and promoting feminist, trauma-informed and anti-racist practice.

CV's will not be accepted

Closing date:                 10am, 7 May 2024

Interview date:               16 May 2024

The post is subject to an enhanced vetting and barring check and open to women only. Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR), Schedule 9 (Work; Exceptions), Part 1 (Occupational Requirements), of the Equality Act (2010) applies

Community Advice Works is an established community charity based in New Cross in South
East London. As the only charity in the London Borough of Lewisham offering a general
drop-in advice service, we are a critical source of support to vulnerable residents. We have
built a strong reputation within the Borough for providing high quality, independent, person-
centred welfare and housing advice. The organisation employs several part-time staff and
has a team of volunteers. In addition to providing advice we currently deliver a domestic
violence project at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital.

Like many charities in the advice sector, CAW is going through a process of change. We are
looking for an experienced and community-driven individual with a strong set of managerial
and interpersonal skills, preferably with a background in advice work, to maintain the strong
structures and reputation for excellence that we have developed.

As service manager, you will work with our friendly staff and trustee team to deliver our vital
service. We pride ourselves on providing a flexible, inclusive and rewarding work
environment, and are parent-friendly. Our community links and reputation are very important
to us, and we are looking for a service manager who shares our commitment to community
and public service - whether your experience is the public, private or charity sector.

Key duties

• Staff and volunteer management
• Line manage staff by providing support and supervision as needed, conducting regular performance reviews, and identifying staff training needs
• Oversee recruitment, training, and management of volunteers to ensure they are properly supported and equipped to help meet CAW’s service goals

Service delivery

• Ensure high quality and timely service delivery in line with the Service Level Agreements with our various service partners
• Identify any issues with service delivery and help develop cost-effective solutions to them as appropriate
• Compile and maintain accurate statistics on service performance to share with funders and CAW trustees
• Develop and maintain positive relationships with our key service partners through regular engagement, including attendance at regular service partnership meetings
• Engage regularly with our funders and other key stakeholders to build and maintain positive working relationships, and provide them with timely reporting on our service performance as needed 
•  Update service level agreements with existing funders, and draft new agreements as needed
•  Interact with clients as needed in a friendly and professional manner

Administration and Finance

• Ensure day-to-day administrative processes are functioning smoothly, and that necessary policies and procedures are up to date
• Line manage work of receptionist/administrative support worker

Fundraising and Marketing

• Help identify new funding and other revenue-raising opportunities
• Support the work of the fundraising sub-committee in preparing funding applications
• Work with trustees and external vendors to ensure CAW website is kept up-to-date
• Work with trustees and external vendors (as appropriate) to develop a social media presence for CAW
• Identifying and supporting efforts to increase CAW’s profile in the local community and to build relationships with key local stakeholders as appropriate Governance
• Prepare monthly reports for the trustees on service performance
• Maintain good lines of communication with trustees on all operational matters
• Attend trustee board meetings as needed

Person specification
Essential criteria

• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in a managerial role
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
•  Strong teamwork and interpersonal skills, including ability to manage a diverse range of working relationships in an effective, empathetic but professional manner
• Experience of working in a busy environment, managing competing work pressures and prioritising tasks appropriately to ensure key deadlines are met
• Strong attention to detail
• Experience preparing reports and compiling service statistics
• Ability to think strategically, to identify problems and devise effective solutions
• Ability to work on own initiative, within established practices and procedures

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge and experience of advice work
• Experience with fundraising
• Experience with financial management in the charitable sector
• Knowledge and experience of the local community and voluntary sector in Lewisham

At Independent Age, we believe that no older person should face financial hardship. That’s why, by 2027, our goal is to have improved the lives of one million older people. Our impact across policy, campaigning, information and advice, grant-making and partnerships improves lives by increasing the financial well-being of older people in financial hardship, enabling greater choice and independence in wider areas of life. We want to find talented individuals from diverse backgrounds to join us on this journey.

Responsibilities and Person Specification:

This role is an integral part of the day-to-day delivery of our Advice and Support Service, which has been re-shaped and is due to go live in the summer of 2024. The service is targeted at older people in or facing financial hardship, and provides information, advice and follow up support relating to a range of issues, including Welfare Benefits, Social Care and Housing. 

As an Adviser (Health Social Care and Housing) you will be responsible for providing specialist support to older people, their families and carers through our advice service with their housing and social care enquiries as well as providing generalist level support on a range of issues through our duty service. 

 You should have in depth, specialist level knowledge of Health and Social Care or Housing (ideally both) as they relate to older people, experience of working within a high volume advice setting and advice supervision framework such as the AQS framework

For full details on the role and requirements, please review the job description and person specification.  If your experience doesn’t align perfectly with all of the criteria in the person specification but you do meet most of them and are excited about the role, we encourage you to apply anyway. 

This is a full-time role, 35 hours per week, which you can choose to work over five days or a 9-day fortnight. We also are open to this role being worked on a part-time basis on a minimum of 28 hours per week.

What it’s like to work at Independent Age:

 We celebrate diversity at Independent Age and champion the differences that make each of us unique. We actively support and encourage people from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and skill sets to join us and help shape what we do. We aim to attract and retain a wide range of talent and create an environment where everyone can feel safe, protected, welcome and included.

We offer great benefits including 28 days annual leave plus public holidays, a generous pension scheme with life assurance, and fantastic learning and development opportunities. We also offer a number of enhanced leave provisions and benefits.

We know that a good work life balance helps us perform at our best and supports wellbeing. Flexible working hours and hybrid working is standard for all (those contracted to work in the office usually attend 1 day per week). But if you need a different form of flexibility, we are always happy to talk flexible working. 

You can find out more about what it’s like to work at Independent Age by visiting our website.

Salary information:

Hybrid working in London: £32,682 per year, increasing to £33,600 after 6 months and £34,493 after 12 months Pro-rata if part-time

Homebased (with regular travel to London): £29,453 per year, increasing to £30,267 after 6 months and £31,054 after 12 months. Pro-rata if part-time. 

Application Process:

To apply, please visit our website to submit a CV and a Supporting Statement, detailing how your skills and experience meet the criteria within the Job Description and Person Specification (please do not hesitate to contact us if you have specific requirements and need support to apply in an alternative format).

To support our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion our hiring managers use anonymous shortlisting. Therefore, please do not include your name, photo, or information to indicate your gender or age in your CV and supporting statement. Please do not omit dates of employment. Please ensure the title of any uploads does not contain your name. 

Independent Age is committed to safeguarding and follows Safer Recruitment practices to ensure we are safeguarding those we work with. We therefore ask that you supply your full work history with explanations for any gaps in the application documents you submit and, if offered the post, we will require two employment references including your current or most recent employer. A basic DBS Certificate will be required for this role.

Closing Date: 6th May

Interview Dates: 

First Round: 15th or 16th or, Second Round: 21st May

Join Our Team as a secondee: VCS Neighbourhood Facilitator

Transforming Communities, Enhancing Well-being

Are you passionate about making a tangible difference in your community? Do you have a knack for connecting people and organisations for a common cause? If yes, then seize this unique opportunity to become a Neighbourhood Facilitator for the City & Hackney Neighbourhoods Programme.

About Us

Hackney CVS is the leading force in City & Hackney’s voluntary and community sector, committed to supporting groups to meet the needs of the local community, especially those most in need. Through our City & Hackney Neighbourhoods Programme, we're pioneering a place-based approach to integrated health and care across eight Neighbourhood Forums. Our mission is to empower residents and the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) to lead the change towards improved health outcomes and reduced inequalities.

The Role

As a Neighbourhood Facilitator, you will be seconded into Hackney CVS and:

• Lead two of the eight established Neighbourhood Forums, driving community engagement and cross-organisational collaboration to identify local issues and co-produce solutions.
• Work closely with resident groups, service providers, and the Neighbourhood Leadership Group, ensuring that community insights and VCS expertise shape local services and pathways.
• Organise engaging community forum meetings, conduct outreach, and foster strategic connections to enable positive system change.
• Serve as a bridge between residents, VCS organisations, and health and care partners, creating opportunities for co-creation and influencing system changes to address health inequalities.

What We Offer

• A secondment opportunity from July 2024 – March 2026, with a pro-rata salary of £34,944
• A contribution of £5,700 per annum to employer costs to the secondee’s employer.
• Professional development opportunities, access to chairing and evaluation and impact training and more.
• The chance to work within a supportive team and contribute to meaningful, community-driven change.
• Hackney CVS benefits include a beautiful garden for relaxation, staff wellbeing champions, a summer away day, and a festive party.

Who You Are

• A self-starter with excellent organisational and communication skills, passionate about community well-being.
• Experienced in health/well-being, outreach activities, and facilitating group discussions, preferably within the City & Hackney area.
• Knowledgeable about the VCS/not-for-profit sector and the public sector landscape, especially in health and social care.
• Skilled in partnership building, project management, and problem-solving, with a creative approach to identifying solutions.

Join Us

This is more than a job; it’s a chance to be at the heart of community transformation in City & Hackney. If you're ready to make a difference and have the skills we're looking for, we would love to hear from you.

For further details about the Neighbourhoods Programme, visit our website.

Deadline for applications: 23:59 pm on Sunday 12 May 2024

Interviews: Week commencing Monday 20 May 2024

Hackney CVS is committed to diversity and equality of opportunity. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Transform lives, communities, and systems. Become a Neighbourhood Facilitator.

At Independent Age, we believe that no older person should face financial hardship. That’s why, by 2027, our goal is to have improved the lives of one million older people. Our impact across policy, campaigning, information and advice, grant-making and partnerships improves lives by increasing the financial well-being of older people in financial hardship, enabling greater choice and independence in wider areas of life. We want to find talented individuals from diverse backgrounds to join us on this journey.

Responsibilities and Person Specification: 

This role is an integral part of the day-to-day delivery of our Advice and Support Service, which has been re-shaped and is due to go live in the summer of 2024. The service is targeted at older people in or facing financial hardship, and provides information, advice and follow up support relating to a range of issues, including Welfare Benefits, Social Care and Housing.  

As a Generalist Adviser you will be responsible for supporting older people, their families and carers through our duty service with their welfare benefits and housing and other issues relating to financial hardship in later life.  

You should have a good level of knowledge of welfare benefits, social care and housing as well as experience of working within a high-volume advice service, ideally a telephone-based service. 

For full details on the role and requirements, please review the job description and person specification.  If your experience doesn’t align perfectly with all of the criteria in the person specification but you do meet most of them and are excited about the role, we encourage you to apply anyway. 

This is a full-time role, 35 hours per week, which you can choose to work over five days or a 9-day fortnight. We also are open to this role being worked on a part-time basis on a minimum of 28 hours per week.

What it’s like to work at Independent Age: 

We celebrate diversity at Independent Age and champion the differences that make each of us unique. We actively support and encourage people from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and skill sets to join us and help shape what we do. We aim to attract and retain a wide range of talent and create an environment where everyone can feel safe, protected, welcome and included.

We offer great benefits including 28 days annual leave plus public holidays, a generous pension scheme with life assurance, and fantastic learning and development opportunities. We also offer a number of enhanced leave provisions and benefits.

We know that a good work life balance helps us perform at our best and supports wellbeing. Flexible working hours and hybrid working is standard for all (those contracted to work in the office usually attend 1 day per week). But if you need a different form of flexibility, we are always happy to talk flexible working. 

You can find out more about what it’s like to work at Independent Age by visiting our website.

Salary information:

Hybrid working in London: £32,682 per year, increasing to £33,600 after 6 months and £34,493 after 12 months Pro-rata if part-time

Homebased (with regular travel to London): £29,453 per year, increasing to £30,267 after 6 months and £31,054 after 12 months. Pro-rata if part-time. 

Application Process:

To apply, please visit our website to submit a CV and a Supporting Statement, detailing how your skills and experience meet the criteria within the Job Description and Person Specification (please do not hesitate to contact us if you have specific requirements and need support to apply in an alternative format).

To support our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion our hiring managers use anonymous shortlisting. Therefore, please do not include your name, photo, or information to indicate your gender or age in your CV and supporting statement. Please do not omit dates of employment. Please ensure the title of any uploads does not contain your name. 

Independent Age is committed to safeguarding and follows Safer Recruitment practices to ensure we are safeguarding those we work with. We therefore ask that you supply your full work history with explanations for any gaps in the application documents you submit and, if offered the post, we will require two employment references including your current or most recent employer. A basic DBS Certificate will be required for this role.

Closing Date: 6th May

Interview Dates: 

First Round: 15th or 16th May, Second Round: 22nd May