About the Role
We have a variety of rewarding opportunities across Newcastle, South Tyneside, and Gateshead. These include roles ideal for those new to Advocacy as well as experienced Advocates with a background in statutory advocacy.
As an Advocate with us, you’ll support individuals in diverse circumstances to have their voices heard by health and social care professionals and other key stakeholders. Your work will help ensure people are empowered to make informed decisions about their lives and care.
The role involves travel to locations such as clients’ homes, hospitals, care homes, and community settings. While some work can be completed from home, particularly administrative tasks, access to your own transport and a reliable home internet connection is essential.
About You
We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds. Ideally, you’ll have some experience in advocacy or in providing care, support, or welfare services to adults or young people—particularly those with communication needs, mental ill health, physical health issues, or difficulties accessing support.
You may have worked or volunteered in health or social care, education, youth services, support services, or in advice and guidance roles. Above all, we’re looking for people who are passionate about making a difference and supporting others to be heard.
How Will You Make a Difference?
· You’ll help clients understand their rights, entitlements, and choices; providing clear, accessible information tailored to their needs.
· You’ll support individuals to express what matters to them—or speak on their behalf when needed—ensuring their views, wishes, values, and beliefs are represented.
· You’ll promote self-advocacy and confidence-building at every opportunity, encouraging people to speak up for themselves.
· You’ll work creatively and collaboratively to empower individuals to participate in decisions affecting their lives.
· You’ll act in line with relevant legislation (including the Mental Capacity Act, Mental Health Act, Care Act, and Human Rights Act), and you’ll constructively challenge professionals and services to uphold their duties.
· You’ll escalate concerns appropriately to safeguard individuals and contribute to improved service delivery.
To learn more about Advocacy and the services we provide, please visit our website.
Professional Development
We’re committed to helping our team grow. Whether you’re starting your career in Advocacy or looking to expand your expertise, we offer a range of development opportunities. We’re proud of our track record in supporting staff to build knowledge, skills, and experience across various advocacy roles.
Equality and Diversity
At Your Voice Counts, we are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace. We value diversity, promote equality, and work to ensure everyone can reach their full potential.
We are a Disability Confident employer. Applicants who identify as disabled and meet all essential criteria will be offered an interview. If you require an alternative way to apply, please contact our HR team to discuss your needs.
Person Specification
We’re looking for passionate and committed individuals who can support people to be heard and make informed choices. Below are the qualities, experience, and skills we’re looking for in an ideal candidate.
Essential Criteria
Experience and Knowledge
· Experience of working or volunteering in health, social care, education, youth services, support services, or advice and guidance.
· Understanding of the challenges faced by people with mental ill health, physical health conditions, learning disabilities, or communication difficulties.
· Awareness of the importance of confidentiality, safeguarding, and professional boundaries.
· Knowledge of health and social care systems, and how to support people to access services.
Skills and Abilities
· Strong communication skills, including the ability to listen actively and adapt communication to meet individual needs.
· Ability to build trust and positive relationships with clients and professionals.
· A person-centred and empathetic approach to supporting others.
· Confidence in working independently, managing your own time and workload.
· Ability to write clear and accurate case notes and reports.
· Confidence using IT systems, including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook), and experience of using contact or case management systems such as Charity Log.
Commitment and Practicalities
· Commitment to upholding the rights of individuals and promoting equality and inclusion.
· Willingness to travel across Newcastle, South Tyneside, and Gateshead to meet clients and professionals in various settings.
· Access to your own transport and a suitable home internet connection for remote working and admin tasks.
Desirable Criteria
· Previous experience working as an Advocate or in a similar role supporting people to understand their rights and make decisions.
· Experience of supporting individuals with complex needs, including those who may lack capacity or have significant communication barriers.
· Familiarity with relevant legislation (e.g. Mental Capacity Act, Mental Health Act, Care Act, Human Rights Act).
· Understanding of different types of statutory advocacy (e.g. IMCA, IMHA, Care Act advocacy, NHS Complaints advocacy).
· Formal training or qualifications in advocacy, social care, counselling, or a related field.
Registered Charity 
21 - 50
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
About this role:
Your Voice Counts deliver high quality independent advocacy services that support people with a range of health and social care needs. We are looking for a Senior Advocate to support our Advocacy team, and to help us ensure delivery of an effective, high-quality service. The Advocacy team provides a range of advocacy services across the North East including non- statutory and statutory advocacy roles to clients under the Mental Health Act, the Mental Capacity Act, the Care Act and DOLS legislation.
As Senior Advocate, you will line-manage a team of advocates and be responsible for providing support, developing your team, and managing performance. You will work closely with our Head of Advocacy to review, maintain and improve the quality of our advocacy services, including analysing data and producing reports. You will support the effective and timely allocation of referrals, and you will be a point of contact for queries about our advocacy services.
You will also be expected to manage your own caseload of advocacy referrals. This will involve meeting with clients, professionals and other stakeholders and ascertaining and representing your client’s wishes, views and beliefs. As such, the role involves travel to locations such as clients’ homes, hospitals, care homes, and community settings. While some work can be completed from home, particularly administrative tasks, access to your own transport and a reliable home internet connection is essential.
To learn more about Advocacy and the services we provide, please visit our website.
What we do:
Your Voice Counts’ advocacy services promote social inclusion, equality and social justice by supporting people to say what they want, to secure their rights and to represent their interests when they are unable to do so themselves.
The Advocacy Charter
“Advocacy is taking action to support people to say what they want, secure their rights, pursue their interests and obtain services they need. Advocacy providers and advocates work in partnership with the people they support and take their side, promoting social inclusion, equality and social justice.”
The Advocacy Charter, Revised 2018
Main Responsibilities:
1. Provide appropriate line-management support and challenge to members of the advocacy team, including providing case support to advocates in your team.
2. Oversee the training and development of your team.
3. Monitor service capacity and support the allocation of referrals to Advocates.
4. Ensure, through regular monitoring and feedback, the quality and accuracy of case notes, reports and record keeping from the Advocates in your team.
5. Respond to relevant queries from referrers, service users, members of the public and other stakeholders.
6. Maintain a focus on the delivery of a high-quality advocacy service. Review key statistical and qualitative data to ensure the service is reaching agreed targets.
7. Carry a case load of advocacy referrals – the size of your case load will be dependent on the size of the team you are managing and your hours of work.
8. Promote and publicise the advocacy service in creative ways to ensure it reaches people who may require the service. Promote the service to other stakeholders such as partner organisations and professionals.
9. Keep abreast of developments in relevant legislation and good practice guidance.
10. Assist the Head of Advocacy and Senior Management Team to determine any future development of the service and take lead responsibility for specific areas of work as required.
11. 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.
12. This is not an exhaustive list of duties, and you will be expected to undertake other duties commensurate with the duties of the post as may be reasonably directed and/or as necessitated by your changing role within the organisation and the overall business objectives of the organisations.
Person Specification:
Just as our values are key to our ways of working, attitude is key to our staff team. We work in challenging, changing circumstances with a very vulnerable client group. We are looking for someone with excellent interpersonal skills, an ability to develop team working, empathetic and supportive but not afraid to challenge when challenge is needed. We are looking for someone who has good attention to detail and understands the importance of effective systems and processes. We’re looking for someone who has a demonstrable belief in the rights of people who use our services.
You will:
• Have experience of managing teams of front line workers - ideally within the context of health and social care, and with experience of providing supervision to staff who provide 1:1 support to vulnerable clients
Or
• Have experience of delivering independent advocacy (or a similar type of role involving case work) in a range of health and social care settings
• Have strong interpersonal skills, with an ability to develop team working. Be able to motivate, support and drive high performance in your team.
• Have a strong focus on collaborative working within a dynamic team and a commitment to helping everyone improve.
• Be well-organised with an ability to handle a busy workload and prioritise effectively.
• Have excellent IT skills - ideally experience of using Excel, databases and contact management systems such as CharityLog or equivalent, with an ability to produce reports.
• Be an excellent communicator, with an ability to adapt your approach in order to engage with a wide range of stakeholders
• Have excellent verbal and written communication skills and be able to communicate effectively with vulnerable people who often have significant communication barriers.
• Have a commitment to equal opportunities and confidentiality.
• Approach issues objectively and diplomatically.
• You must have a full clean driver’s licence and access to a vehicle you can use for work purposes during work hours. Alternative arrangements can be made for people whose disability prevents them from driving.
Desirable:
• Hold an Independent Advocacy Qualification, including the IMHA, IMCA and/or Care Act modules
• Good knowledge of Gateshead, Newcastle, South Tyneside and the surrounding area, including a good understanding of health and social cares services and local voluntary sector organisations.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.