Advocacy Volunteer

This is a rewarding role and requires someone who is caring, compassionate and empathetic and resilient, when faced with a challenging situation.

The role may require you to attend meetings, visits and liaise with clients and health and social care professionals, by phone and email.

You will be pivotal in empowering your client and ensuring their voice is heard and their rights are upheld.

Reporting to: Advocacy Manager

Contract: Voluntary Position

Salary: Expenses will be provided

People First Independent Advocacy is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee, providing a wide range of support and information services across the North of England, aimed at helping people to live informed, respected, healthy, and fulfilled lives. We have been delivering services for 31 years and have a deep understanding of our communities and the unique challenges they bring. We also deliver People First Services, a registered charity, the object of which is the relief of people with learning difficulty.

Our Head office is based in Carlisle, supported by offices in Barrow and Lancashire.

People First offers a range of Advocacy support including Care Act Advocacy, Self-Advocacy, Independent Mental Health Capacity Advocacy and NHS complaints Advocacy.

Advocacy is an amazing tool which empowers people, whom for whatever reason, can find themselves feeling vulnerable at any time in their lives by providing relevant advice, support, and information.

As a volunteer advocate you will join our Advocacy team which supports people from all over Cumbria on a wide range of issues including accessing information, safeguard issues, delays in Local authority processes and support under a deprivation of liberty safeguard authorisation.

You will work alongside people to support them to feel confident to speak up for themselves, have their rights and choices respected and be listened to.

People First Independent Advocacy is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee, providing a wide range of support and information services across the North of England, aimed at helping people to live informed, respected, healthy, and fulfilled lives. We have been delivering services for 31 years and have a deep understanding of our communities and the unique challenges they bring. We also deliver People First Services, a registered charity, the object of which is the relief of people with learning difficulty.

Our Head office is based in Carlisle, supported by offices in Barrow and Lancashire.

People First offers a range of Advocacy support including Care Act Advocacy, Self-Advocacy, Independent Mental Health Capacity Advocacy and NHS complaints Advocacy.

Advocacy is an amazing tool which empowers people, whom for whatever reason, can find themselves feeling vulnerable at any time in their lives by providing relevant advice, support, and information.

As a volunteer advocate you will join our Advocacy team which supports people from all over Cumbria on a wide range of issues including accessing information, safeguard issues, delays in Local authority processes and support under a deprivation of liberty safeguard authorisation.

You will work alongside people to support them to feel confident to speak up for themselves, have their rights and choices respected and be listened to.

An advocacy volunteer would manage their own caseload of clients, scheduling visits or phone calls with clients and attending meetings when appropriate. This role would include:

• Visiting clients either at their home or within a care home or hospital setting and attending meetings remotely by video conference or face-to-face.
• Putting forward clients views and wishes to professionals and challenging decisions about the clients care and support.
• Signposting clients to other services as appropriate and helping the client to explore their options and rights and to provide them with information to help make informed decisions.
• Completing administrative tasks as required which will include updating notes on the organisations client records database.

Person Specification

• Good organisational and time management skills.
• Good written skills and IT literate.
• The ability to listen to, engage and communicate with people from diverse backgrounds, both face-to-face and over the telephone.
• The ability to deal with emotionally challenging situations, resilient and empathetic.
• The ability to identify with and understand the needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged people.
• An understanding of the needs and issues faced by people accessing health and social care services.
• The willingness to undertake relevant training.
• A commitment to valuing diversity and equal opportunities.
• A commitment to providing a high-quality service, centered on the needs of the client.

Driving

A current driving licence and access to own transport is required for this role. This post requires you to have the appropriate ‘business use’ insurance in place as occasional business use of your car is required.

Applicants must be willing to undergo a DBS check and any other safeguarding checks as appropriate to the post. The appointment will be subject to the satisfactory outcome of these checks.