Peer Worker Jobs in Birmingham

Why Access Social Care Exists 

Everyday millions of older and disabled people are denied the social care they need. Most local authorities can’t meet the growing demand for care, none are confident they can meet their legal duties in the future. This affects all of us, we will all need social care at some point. 

We all have a right to hold public bodies to account. But most of us cannot afford lawyers so rely on legal aid. The 77% drop in community care legal aid cases since 2010 means we have nowhere to turn. Without access to justice, our rights do not exist. The rule of law is broken. 

What we do 

Access Social Care provides free legal advice and information for people with social care needs, helping achieve a better quality of life. We work with communities to increase knowledge of the law and our rights. We highlight the gap left by cuts to Legal Aid and provide advice for those who can’t afford it. 
With a 98% success rate, our network of lawyers and barristers ensure fair access to justice when things go wrong. We collaborate with social services whilst ensuring legal obligations are met. We are working towards a future where social care is adequately funded, and we all get the support we need. 

About the role 

This is an exciting time to join our organisation. We have a new strategy and are growing quickly including across our senior leadership team. We have nearly tripled in size and income since we started operating in April 2020 and we anticipate that this strong growth will continue for the duration of our next strategic period. 

We are looking for someone with excellent people skills to play a key role in developing and piloting an approach to support people to engage with and use our on-line Social Care early legal help tool. Initially, this project will be focused on how to support carers who have multiple barriers to accessing the support they and the person they care for need.

We want to pilot a network of Peer Navigators who will act as an interface between the tool and people who are most underserved by social care and advice services and experience intersectionality of barriers. The role would particularly suit someone who has experience of the social care system as a family carer or disabled person and/or someone who has experienced barriers to accessing services due to other protected characteristics. 

The role is new and will initially focus on working within our place-based Hubs of Croydon and Gloucestershire. The role will require a creative person who can work in partnership with other members of the team, people with lived experience of social care support and social care organisations.  They will need to develop a set of policies and procedures for the delivery of the project and recruit, train and supervise the Peer Navigators.

To be a success in this role, you should be an excellent team worker, communicator, proactive, flexible, excellent people skills, highly organised and able to meet deadlines. You should also have a thorough understanding of co-production.

Responsibilities 

• With Hubs manager, Hub team members and people with lived experience – refine the aims of the project and identify priorities 

• Develop and implement a project plan for delivery of the project 

• Develop a role description for the Peer Navigators 

• Identify and test different options for advertising and recruiting Peer Navigators 

• Train Peer Navigators in the Care Act and use of the chatbot 

• Develop guidance on how people can seek advice about their employment and benefit status in relation to fulfilling the role 

• Develop and run an appropriate supervision process to ensure good quality support is offered 

• Arrange further training as chatbot develops 

• Set up and run Peer Navigator team meetings to ensure they feel supported, and we learn from their experiences 

• Devise a monitoring and evaluation framework and set up proformas for peer navigators to capture outcomes 

For the full job discription, values, key responsilities and personal specification please see attached.

How to apply  

We hope that having read this far; you will want to apply!  

Please ensure that your CV and supporting statement do not include your name – use initials only. This will ensure that we avoid unconscious bias in our shortlisting process. To apply, please provide the following documents:  

• An up-to-date CV  

• A completed diversity monitoring form  -  link found in JD attached.

• A supporting statement of no more than three pages, addressing: 

  • The essential requirements of the person specification 

  • Looking at our workplace values, please share with us what our value ‘inclusive’ means to you and an example of something you have done in your work, volunteering or personal life which show us that you share this value. 

 If you want support applying please contact us.

Timeline for recruitment process  

Closing date: 9am on Monday 22nd April 2024 

Interviews on Monday 29th April 2024 

Please ensure you keep these dates free.  

At Access Social care, we aren’t interested in tokenism. We know that if we are to make the biggest difference for the people that need us the most, we need to get Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and anti-racism right. Part of this is recruiting greater diversity in all our teams.    

With this in mind, we particularly welcome applications from candidates with experience of the communities we serve, including people with direct experience of the social care system, and from marginalised groups, particularly Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, older and disabled people, and trans and non-binary people.  

To note we are only able to accept applicants who have the right to work in the UK.

Betknowmore UK is collaborating with partner organisations to work as part of a wider team, on the delivery of the Armed Forces Gambling Harms Support Network (AFGHSN). The work will include the provision of training and gambling awareness activities, helping to raise and address the subject of harmful gambling. Working and engaging with armed forces support and personnel services, individuals harmed by gambling, their wider network, stakeholders, and other relevant groups within the veteran and active armed forces communities, the aim is to create trained personnel able to support the work of the AFGHSN.​

A key aspect of the role will be working with individuals experiencing gambling harms, requiring an empathetic and compassionate approach and awareness of the complex issues being addressed. A robust management of safeguarding and safe working practices is essential.​

It is essential that you are based within one hour travelling time of London, as extensive travel to London and the UK is expected.

Role Purpose

An armed forces veteran or someone closely involved with the armed forces (a family member for example), the post holder will also have a unique insight on gambling harms, and their impact on health and wellbeing specifically within the military.

The Armed Forces Peer Aid Coordinator will initially prioritise engaging with veterans and military organisations to deliver the AFGHSN training programme, along with gambling awareness activities. The purpose is to upskill key armed forces personnel and those in connected communities, enabling and enhancing their knowledge, skills and confidence to address gambling harms. ​

The second key responsibility is to recruit, train and support Peer Supporters to deliver safe, effective support for individuals and their networks that have been harmed by gambling. It is expected that Peer Supporters will be individuals with ‘lived experience’ of gambling harm themselves or as an ‘affected other’.​

The post holder will work with the Head of Peer Support Services to support the development and maintenance of the systems and structure of the service, ensuring that governance and polices are implemented, safeguarding and safe working practices are strictly adhered to, and a clear understanding established of how the service integrates with other support and treatment networks.​

The AFGHSN Peer Aid team will ensure that the support and working relationships are safe and secure, and the health and wellbeing of all participants is intact. Peer Support will be in a befriending capacity and should be provided with a considered and transparent approach. Other support activities will be developed, such as group support and weekly meet ups.​

Stakeholder management is essential to the role, as is establishing and maintaining relationships within the AFGHSN, alongside confident communication skills to deliver presentations and other promotions within armed forces community, education and health centres to help grow and evolve the service. 

We are especially keen to receive applications from​ individuals with experience of gambling addiction​ and recovery from within the armed service with a minimum of two years abstinence.​

Please review the full Job Pack before applying with your CV and cover letter.

Previous applicants need not apply.

An exciting and rewarding opportunity has arisen to join our Aquarius service in Birmingham. The Youth Participation Worker will facilitate and develop a Youth steering group, support aftercare for young people leaving treatment, coordinate and facilitate diversionary activities to support young people and their families.

The post holder will develop and support delivery of all volunteer programmes inclusive of Peer Support and Peer Mentoring Programmes, to include the recruitment, placement and retention of volunteers/peer mentors.  They will ensure that general service User participation and empowerment is implemented across the Service.

In addition, the post holder will:

• Actively recruit volunteers, peer mentors and facilitate Youth Steering group meetings.
• Work with the Senior practitioner & Team leader, to develop and implement a service user involvement strategy, including establishing and supporting a service user board.
• Develop and deliver volunteer, peer mentoring and service user involvement programmes in accordance with the Aquarius organisational framework.
• Support the delivery of aftercare provision.
• Assist colleagues with the coordination and delivery of diversionary activities.
• Keep accurate records and the necessary data for reporting and evaluation purposes.
• To provide written records and reports as required by the organisation.
• Be available to work days, evenings, and weekends when required, to meet the demands of the service and be willing to travel to various locations, as necessary.

An energetic and confident self-starter, you have a certificate in youth and community work e.g. NVQ Level 3 or above, DipSW, Mental Health Nursing, Counselling, Addiction Studies) or significant experience of working in a similar role with a commitment to complete NVQ Level 3 Health and Social Care. As well as significant knowledge and experience of working with young people, you have knowledge of project planning and experience of working in the substance misuse sector. What’s more, you have a flexible approach, a commitment to the principles of confidentiality and excellent record keeping and Microsoft Office.

This is a permanent full-time role requiring the post holder to work 37 hours per week.

To apply, please visit our website and send a CV and covering letter explaining why you feel you are right for the role.

This is a rolling recruitment process. Candidates will be interviewed as and when they are shortlisted.

We are committed to increasing our diversity and we would welcome applications from those with lived experience and/or who are from a BAME background.

Aquarius is part of Recovery Focus, a national group of charities highly experienced in providing specialist support services to individuals and families living with the effects of mental ill health, drug and alcohol use, gambling and domestic violence. We know that recovery can look and feel very different to each and every one of us. But we also know that if we provide the right support, at the right time, we can inspire recovery nationwide and that recovery is possible for everyone

The Huntington's Disease Association is a UK registered charity that supports people affected by Huntington's disease across England and Wales. We provide information, advice and support to families, friends, and healthcare professionals.

We are looking for an experienced Volunteer Manager to support and inspire those who volunteer for the charity. You will lead them in line with the vision, mission and values of the charity and work to fulfil the goals of our strategic plan. You will strengthen our current volunteering strands with effective governance and great communication and will develop new volunteering opportunities within the charity.

You will manage our volunteer-led Branches and Support groups who offer peer support, fundraising opportunities and activities locally. You will also manage HD Voice, our panel of volunteers, who contribute to the internal development of the charity and ensure that the voice of the Huntington’s community is at the heart of research into the condition.

You will co-ordinate all aspects of the volunteer journey from recruitment, selection, induction, training and ongoing support and develop effective policies, procedures and guidance for volunteers as well as developing an effective monitoring and evaluation process.

We are looking for someone with strong volunteer management skills who has experience of training volunteers and of writing policies, procedures and guidance in line with data protection guidance. Also someone with great communication and relationship management skills who has experience of managing volunteers at all stages of their volunteer journey.   

There will be regular evening and weekend work as many of our volunteers work themselves so need the support out of office hours. There will be a need for travel across England and Wales. 

This is a fantastic opportunity for the right candidate to bring their knowledge, skills and experience to our organisation.

We offer great benefits including 25 days annual leave plus public holidays (pro rata for part time staff), a pension scheme with 3% employer contribution, a tax-free working from home allowance, a Medicash scheme, a flexible working approach, a supportive and positive working environment and fantastic learning and development opportunities.

We are committed to equal opportunities in our recruitment process and in order to find out how well we are doing, we collect monitoring data. This will not form part of the selection process in any way and will be used for monitoring purposes only. The completion of this form is voluntary.

The Huntington's Disease Association is looking for someone with the ability to work in a way that promotes the safety and wellbeing of adults at risk, children and young people. We follow safer recruitment practices to ensure we are safeguarding the people we work with. We require the successful candidate to provide two employment references and undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check for enhance disclosure before joining the charity.

Full details of how we securely handle the data you provide to us as part of the recruitment process can be found in our privacy notice for job applicants on our website.

Click on 'apply' to begin your application. To ensure your consideration, please upload both a CV and cover letter. Your cover letter should include why you are applying for the role and how you meet the requirements of the person specification. The job description and person specification can be found within the job vacancy pack.

Applications submitted without a CV and cover letter will not be considered.

Closing date for applications is Friday 3 May 2024, 5 pm
Interviews will be held Friday 17 May 2024.

About us:

Action for M.E. is the only charity in the UK providing direct support including healthcare to children and adults with M.E.. We provide vital support services, campaign for change and invest in ground-breaking research to help put an end to the ignorance, injustice and neglect experienced by people with M.E.
 

Opportunity: 

Having been paused to new referrals, Action for M.E.’s free, independent, Adults Advocacy service will soon be re-opening. It’s one of our range of free Support Services that work with adults, young people, and/or families living with M.E. We support colleagues across the team to take part in and share reflective practice, self-care, peer-support and training.

Our Adults Advocacy service offers non-statutory, single-issue, instructed advocacy for adults with a confirmed diagnosis of M.E. We encourage self-advocacy where possible, though many of our clients are too severely affected by M.E. to be able to take undertake this.  

As an Adults Advocate, you will manage a caseload of clients, as well as inputting and contributing to the triage process along with your Advocacy colleagues. You will meet with clients by phone, email, Zoom and/or SMS; we can also facilitate communication by post if this is required. We are not able to offer home visits or face to face meetings.

What we can offer you:

We offer fully remote and flexible working with generous annual leave (30 days plus bank holidays, pro rata). The wellbeing of our staff is important to us, we offer a range of benefits to employees including (but not limited to) access to free counselling and voluntary wellbeing weekday sessions, examples of recent sessions include guided group meditations and a book club. 

To view the full job description, download the job pack, and apply for this role, please visit our Recruitee site (please note that we only accept applications via Recruitee; any application sent directly to an Action for M.E. mailbox will not be considered).

Should you have any questions about the role, or require any reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to contact our recruitment team, details of how to do this are contained in the application pack, "how to apply" section. 

Closing date for applications: 11th May 2024, 23:59 (BST)

Organisation: Scriptoria Sustainable Development Solutions

Contract: Full time, permanent 

Location: Flexible (London and/or remote, plus business travel)

Salary: £35,000 – £38,000 – depending on experience 

Start date: ASAP 

Do you have a scientific PhD and postdoc/industry experience? Do you want to apply your scientific skills and research experience to health and sustainable development projects? Are you interested in meeting people, sharing your skills and learning to be a first-class communicator? Then this is the job for you.

Who we are 

Scriptoria is a values-driven, ethically-focused consulting company that has a strong international reputation for excellence. We specialise in helping clients around the world to tackle sustainable development, poverty reduction, health, and climate and environmental issues. Our Consulting, Data, Communications and Training Teams focus on knowledge management, data management and communications to help research, international development, government and other organisations better manage information and communicate their findings. 

Who we're looking for 

We are looking for a dynamic new team member with a PhD in a science/STEM subject to join our innovative Consulting Team and to contribute to the work of our Data and Training Teams. Agriculture and the health sciences are areas we are particularly interested in.

Specifically, we want an individual with a passion for research and sustainable development, a friendly, outgoing personality and a willingness to learn new skills. We’re looking for someone who wants to engage with international development and research projects to help them work more efficiently and have a greater impact.

This role will offer a range of experience and the opportunity to contribute to the diverse range of services that Scriptoria provides.

Approximately half of your time will be spent working with our exceptionally experienced team of knowledge management and data consultants to help us develop and deliver cutting-edge data-management/analytics solutions and project-management software systems to our clients. Your work will also involve working to help us manage and organise the projects we deliver to clients. The other half of your time will involve meeting with and training clients (to pass on your skills in research communications), both online and through face-to-face courses. Finally, you will be encouraged to contribute to company-wide strategy and business development. 

Your role will include:

• Helping sustainable development and research programs to develop and implement digital tools and analytics systems to better manage their workflows and use their data 

• Working with projects in Africa and Asia to provide technical advisory and consulting services to help them to better manage and share information, knowledge and data

• Training and mentoring international researchers by delivering courses, workshops, and individual support in areas including journal article/report writing, grant writing, project management and communications for non-specialists 

• Contributing to business development across the company, including marketing and client outreach.

Working with Scriptoria 

Our senior team has an exceptional skill set, and we recognise that candidates with all the skills we need simply may not exist. But don’t worry, if you have some of the skills we want but lack others – we will train you to fill those gaps. This will include thorough training in the delivery of our well-respected training courses. 

Our staff have the choice to work wholly or partly from home or from our office in Tooting, SW London, during regular operational hours (08.30-17.30). If working from home, staff must have a working environment suitable for holding video-call meetings/training sessions with clients. 

Wherever you work, you will interact regularly with senior team members to gain new skills and exchange ideas.  

This job will require regular travel to deliver training courses (mostly in the UK, estimated 2 to 8 days per month) and may also involve international travel, including to developing countries. So, applicants must be willing to travel (in line with UK government guidance). 

Key skills and experience 

Essential 

Qualifications and skills

• A PhD in a quantitative STEM research subject 

• 2 years minimum of postdoc/industry experience (in a research or research-support role) 

• A strong understanding of research processes and data analysis and management 

• A demonstrated talent for writing - including writing journal articles and writing for non-specialists 

• At least one first-author paper in a peer-reviewed journal 

• Experience delivering live training/teaching courses 

• An excellent, practical knowledge of MS Excel and MS PowerPoint 

• Excellent English language skills, to the standard of a native speaker 

• The right to work in the UK

Characteristics and interests 

• A friendly, open personality (bright, resilient, cheerful, confident) 

• A passion for international development and building researchers’ skills 

• An interest in information management and technology, data systems and analytics and in helping create new IT systems and software (programming skills are not required for this role) 

• A willingness to travel and to take a flexible approach to working hours when travelling 

• The confidence required to give presentations and training courses and to lead (facilitate) meetings, online and in person 

• The ability to work very well under pressure and self-manage 

• The ability to juggle multiple tasks and work alongside the company Directors 

Desirable 

• Experience working on collaborative research projects with international partners 

• Experience working with programs such as Microsoft SharePoint or other knowledge management tools 

• Experience with statistical analysis in R 

• Experience in grant writing and/or grant management 

• Experience writing communications materials that translate science for non-specialists and encourage engagement 

Salary and annual leave 

Salary will depend on qualifications and experience but is expected to be between £35,000 and £38,000 p/a (depending on experience). Annual leave is 25 days per year plus public holidays (33 days).

We’re extremely proud of the support we offer to those living with inherited, progressive sight loss.  Our services provide a safe place to find accurate information about inherited retinal conditions; to ask questions and share thoughts, feelings and anxieties with those who genuinely understand.

We are growing our information and support service and looking for two Helpline and Information Coordinators to join our team  working 21 hrs per week.

You will be the first point of contact for our telephone helpline, actively listening to callers, assessing their needs and providing high quality information and signposting to Retina UK’s resources including our amazing team of lived experience volunteers who will provide emotional support and guidance as well as coping strategies.  We believe that our community deserve the very best support and you will be the professional face of our telephone helpline.

Additionally, you will have responsiblity for the development of information materials and online resources, further enhancing the support we offer to our community.  We are looking for someone with previous experience in a similar role with a charity or in an eye health and social care setting.  If you want to ensure that people living with inherited, progressive sight loss have the best support experience when they really need it, we’d love to hear from you.

The closing date is Sunday, 28 April, interviews will be held on 7 and 8 May at our Buckingham office. We do reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

This role will be homebased, however regular attendance at our Buckingham office will be required. We offer a generous annual leave entitlement, company pension, a confidential employee assistance programme, eye testing, current statutory leave provisions (ie dependant care) and flexible working.