We are looking for Volunteer Community Advocates to support our All Age Advocacy Service in Essex. You will be based at home but will be able to travel across Essex when necessary to complete visits. Ideally, you will be able to dedicate 4-6 hours per week to volunteering between 10am – 4pm Monday to Friday. You will need to be willing to use your own IT equipment i.e laptop or computer however, we will provide you with a mobile phone to use whilst you are volunteering.

As a Volunteer Advocate you will be supporting a range of people including those with learning, physical and sensory disabilities as well as mental illness, who need support with a health and social care issues and are not eligible for a statutory service.

You will receive training and regular supervision to ensure you feel confident in your role. You can read more about the benefits of volunteering on the full advert on our website.

About the service

Rethink Essex All Age Advocacy Service offers a range of statutory and non-statutory advocacy services. As a volunteer you will be supporting our delivery of community advocacy for people who are 18 and above, and live in Essex area (not Southend, Thurrock or London Boroughs). We do not support people with everyday decisions but when important decisions are being made which could affect their quality of life, independence or have long term consequences.

What you will be doing as a Volunteer Advocate

• You will hold a small caseload supporting people to do a range of issues which may include: Health and medical treatment issues; Issues with social care providers; complaints about providers of services including the council as well as support to access services.
• You will offer support on a short-term basis and focus on a specific issue
• You will support people by enabling them to find information, understand their rights and choices, have a voice and make their own informed decisions. 
• You may be supporting people in making difficult or important decisions which may impact on their quality of life and independence and have long term consequences.

What will make you a great fit for this role?

• You will live in Essex
• You will have good communication skills
• You will have the ability to empathise
• You will have the motivation to secure the rights of people from all backgrounds
• You will have experience of working within, or having knowledge of, health and social care
• You will have good knowledge of IT skills for recording information and using e-mails
• You will be flexible and able to volunteer between 10am – 4pm Monday to Friday

Who are we?

We’re Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: “A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.”

We welcome applications from everyone, applicants with lived experience, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ ), people with a disability, or those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are actively encouraged to apply. We are proud to have also been awarded Disability Confident employer status. We have an ambition of becoming an anti-racist organisation and we recognise there is more to do in ensuring our recruitment is fair and inclusive, which is why we are recruiting new roles in helping us to achieve this.