Welfare Rights Adviser
Department - Support hub
Salary £32,445 per annum ( £19,467 pro rata for part time)
Hours of work 22.5 hours a week over three days.
Base Hybrid working for the foreseeable future with regular attendance to the office at least 2 days week at Royal Free Charity, The Pears Building, Pond Street, London, NW3 2PP and Royal Free Hospital- Support Hub
The role
The welfare rights adviser will report to the welfare rights supervisor.
The welfare rights adviser will be supporting people affected by long term health issues with financial challenges, supporting with benefit and housing advice, and referring on for further support where appropriate.
Experience as a welfare rights adviser, including managing your own casework, is essential when applying for this role.
Principal accountabilities / responsibilities: -
Welfare rights advice and casework
· To provide welfare rights advice and casework for people affected by long-term health conditions, including inpatients, outpatients, and carers.
· To work at least two days per week on site, mainly based at the Royal Free Hospital or the Royal Free Charity office
· To provide advice and support primarily on welfare benefits and housing matters (that do not require a solicitor).
· To check whether clients are in receipt of all the benefits they are entitled to and help them claim relevant benefits.
· To help clients understand benefit decisions and challenge them (where appropriate) by way of mandatory reconsiderations and appeals.
· To help clients ensure they keep to their responsibilities in respect of their benefit claims, for example by notifying any relevant changes of circumstances.
· To refer or signpost clients to other agencies or departments as appropriate, e.g., housing solicitors; community care cases involving social services and NHS duties, FCA-regulated debt and immigration services.
· To signpost or refer to other services that might be valuable to a client such as condition specific charities, mental health support, or offerings in the local community that would improve their health and wellbeing.
· As part of this role, there may be some advice given to NHS staff.
· There may also be some involvement in new advice projects
· There will also be some triaging new referrals as part of this role
The team
The support hub department is here to support people affected by long term health conditions (patients and carers), to help them with the practicalities of living with a chronic condition; to improve wellbeing and quality of life.
We are here to transform patient experience and staff experience and change lives for the better.
We aim to play our part in addressing inequalities in health, through supporting with the wider determinants of health (e.g., finances, housing); areas which can have a direct impact on someone’s health outcomes and recovery. Through doing this, we support the NHS and Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust staff, stepping in where they may not have the time or expertise.
We are proud to hold the Advice Quality Standard (AQS), recognising us as well-run legal advice service, operating within social welfare law, and committed to social justice.
Organisation
The Royal Free Charity stands at the threshold of its most important period of development.
Our vision is for everyone served by the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (RFL) to have access to world-leading healthcare, delivered by a thriving workforce, and driven by medical research that has a global impact. We support the 17,000 staff of the RFL and their two million patients across Barnet, Chase Farm, North Mid and Royal Free hospitals and more than 30 NHS services.
Through the services we provide, and the programmes and equipment we fund, we make a profound and immediate difference to patients’ experiences of care.
The recruitment process
To apply for this post, send your:
- CV (please include your last employer and dates of employment)
- Cover letter addressing how you meet the criteria set out in the job description and person specification.
Please note, that applications submitted without a cover letter may not be considered for this role.
Closing date for application: Monday 10 November 2025, 12 noon.
Interview date: Wednesday 19 November 2025
Please kindly note that we may close the job advert before the closing date if we receive a large volume of applications.
- You must be eligible to work in the UK
We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may require during the recruitment process.
As an equal opportunities’ employer, the Royal Free Charity is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership.
We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join the Royal Free Charity and act in line with our values of dedication, innovation, partnership, energy and respect.
Registered Charity
51 - 100
We accelerate improvement and innovation beyond what the NHS can provide
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
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FearFree delivers services across the Southwest for victims, children and perpetrators of domestic abuse, sexual violence and stalking with the aim to break the cycle of abuse and support all to live free from fear. We provide trauma responsive support, and this post will be fundamental to ensuring service users, stakeholders and partners experience this in our daily delivery.
Our compassionate and dynamic Group Facilitators provide the ‘beating heart’ of support within our multi-disciplinary teams working with individuals of all ages affected by domestic abuse, including those with harmful behaviours, and sexual violence.
This varied and rewarding role involves delivering trauma-informed groupwork and limited one-to-one support across a range of programmes, including:
- Empowerment and recovery groups for those who have experienced domestic or sexual abuse.
- Behaviour change programmes for individuals using harmful behaviours in their relationships.
- Digital peer support and learning opportunities through our online survivor platform, ‘Connecting You’.
Working collaboratively with our IDVA (Independent Domestic Violence Advisor), ISVA (Independent Sexual Violence Advisor) and Behaviour Change teams, you will help ensure that support is safe, inclusive, and effective for people with a range of experiences and risks. You will play a vital part in championing people to recover from trauma, build safe relationships, and move forward with dignity and hope.
FearFree is committed to flexible and hybrid working and this role will be a mix of home based and office based, alongside requiring travel for multi-agency meetings and other deliverables.
This role may include evening and weekend work when required.
Key Responsibilities
Group Facilitation and Delivery
- Deliver structured, evidence-based and trauma responsive group programmes for victims/survivors and individuals who have used harm.
- Foster safe, inclusive spaces that promote empowerment, emotional safety, and constructive challenge.
- Co-facilitate groups with trained colleagues, volunteers or peer mentors/Experts by Experience as needed.
- Support the ongoing development and review of group materials and content.
- Work flexibly and manage your own schedule, including facilitating evening groups on a rotational basis to meet the needs of those unable to attend during working hours.
One-to-One Support
- Provide limited 1:1 support for medium-risk clients who may be waiting for or transitioning between group programmes and/or other services.
- Contribute to joint safety and support planning alongside IDVAs, ISVAs and Behaviour Change Workers.
- Monitor and respond to safeguarding concerns in line with organisational policies.
Digital Survivor Platform – Connecting You
- Update and upload resources, tutorials, and activities for survivors accessing the platform.
- Support survivors engaging with online content, including managing enrolments and online group access.
- Design and deliver trauma-informed self-paced tutorials and reflective learning tools.
Peer Mentoring and Survivor Involvement
- Support the recruitment, mentoring and involvement of ‘experts by experience’ in group delivery.
- Encourage and nurture survivor voices and peer leadership within both in-person and digital forums.
- Training and Awareness-Raising.
- Deliver training sessions to professionals and external partners where required.
- Speak at community or public events to raise awareness of domestic and sexual violence, healthy relationships, and recovery.
Application
To apply, please download the full job description/person specification along with the application and equality monitoring forms. Please send the completed application form and optional equality monitoring form direct to FearFree.
There is no specific closing date for this role and this vacancy will close once a suitable candidate is found, so early applications are encouraged.
For information about the processing of your personal data at FearFree, please visit our website.
FearFree is committed to encouraging equality and diversity in the workplace. We strive to be a diverse and inclusive place to work where we can all be ourselves and individual differences are recognised and valued.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.