Independent Advocate

BVSC EDI Group; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 22,000 - 26,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave (pro-rata)

Bank holiday (Rising to 30 days pro‑r‑

Birthday off as holiday after 1 year

Discretionary Christmas shutdown

Pension plan

Death in service

Bike to work

Job summary

POhWER in Birmingham seeks a part-time Independent Advocate to support Deaf and hard of hearing clients, providing statutory advocacy across Mental Capacity, Mental Health, and Care Act frameworks. This home-based role involves travel across Birmingham and surrounding areas.

You will deliver persuasive representations, liaise with public and voluntary bodies, and handle sensitive information with discretion.

Qualifications

• Experience of working with Deaf people and providing BSL communication support.
• Ability to work remotely with strong communication and time management.
• Advocacy qualification requirement and sponsorship support during probation.

Responsibilities

• Provide advocacy representations for clients across health and social care.
• Collaborate with public and voluntary organisations to address client issues.
• Work remotely from home with travel across Birmingham and surrounding areas.

Skills

BSL Level 6

Deaf communication

Advocacy support

Tools

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

POhWER. Closing Date: Sunday 27th September.

Are you qualified for BSL Level 6? Do you thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment? Are you ready to take on a role that impacts your community? An exciting opportunity has arisen for a part time Independent Advocate to join our Birmingham team. This role covers statutory advocacy services including Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy, Independent Mental Health Advocacy and Care Act Advocacy. The post will be home based working across Birmingham including providing advocacy support for the Deaf and hard of hearing people in care homes and on secure mental health hospital wards in our area.

As an Independent Advocate, you will provide crucial support to vulnerable adults facing significant health and social care challenges. Your role involves delivering persuasive verbal and written representations on behalf of clients, collaborating with public and voluntary organisations, and taking directed actions to address client issues. This role demands flexibility, excellent communication, and the ability to handle sensitive information confidently.

You will need to have experience of working with Deaf people and providing BSL communication support. Due to this specific element of this role, a minimum proficiency of level 6 British Sign Language (BSL) is required.

Hours of Work

Part Time: hours to be agreed working between Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm

Location

Home based with travel across Birmingham and the surrounding area (Applicants should live within the Birmingham area/within reasonable travelling distance; have a full driver’s licence and access to their own transport, travel expenses will only be paid within the Birmingham border area.)

Salary

Starting salary to be agreed dependent on hours (£25,877.80 pro-rata)

Contract Type

Permanent

Independent Advocate Requirements

• Strong communication and time management skills to successfully work remotely.


• Excellent IT skills, including the use of Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel, and the ability to learn software packages such as client management databases.


• Attention to detail to ensure accurate recording of records and reporting to meet tight deadlines.

Desirable

• Previous experience in advocacy, information and advice, or a similar role within health, social care, or the voluntary sector.


• Demonstrable experience working with vulnerable adults in the Community and also within secure Mental Health settings.


• Working knowledge of public and voluntary organisations.

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave (pro-rata)


• Bank holiday (Rising to 30 days (pro-rata) after 5 years’ service) with the option to buy or sell up to 5 days leave


• your birthday off as an additional holiday day after 1 years’ service!


• Discretionary shutdown days at Christmas with up to 4 additional days leave.


• 1 Community Leave Day per annum.


• Cash Wellbeing Healthcare Plan which covers Optical/dental/alternative therapy and more!


• Auto enrolment Pension plan


• Death in service cover.


• Bike to work scheme.

Meet the Organisation: Who We Are and What We Do

At POhWER, we are committed to empowering individuals and enabling their voices to be heard. We provide advocacy and information services to support people in making effective decisions about their health and social care. Our team is dedicated to listening, exploring options, and taking action to meet our clients' best interests.

We provide a full induction, training and equipment including a laptop and mobile phone. It is a contractual requirement that all advocates hold or are working towards an advocacy qualification. The most recognised qualification is the City and Guilds Level 4 Independent Advocacy Practice Qualification (IAP) for practising advocates, previously completed City and Guilds Level 3 National Advocacy Qualification (NAQ). If you do not already hold an NAQ certificate or diploma or IAP qualification or equivalent, the expectation will be that you will gain the City and Guilds IAP qualification following successful completion of probation and pre-enrolment process. POhWER will fully sponsor this and provide a reasonable amount of study time and in return expect advocates to manage their time and complete within 12 months of registration.

Interview Date: To be confirmed

An enhanced DBS check and National Offender Management Service vetting will be conducted for this position.

We're proud to support our colleagues from the armed forces signing the Armed Forces Covenant in August 2024.

POhWER is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

We encourage applications from all backgrounds, cultures, and abilities, and particularly welcome candidates from groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

Our goal is to foster an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute.

This includes, but is not limited to, people with disabilities, women, men, Black, Asian and other racially minoritised people, LGBTQ+ who are currently under-represented in our workforce.

To help embed inclusion for all, from day one, we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and employee networks to support people from different backgrounds.

POhWER is an equal opportunities employer, holder of the Investors in People Silver award, and a member of the MINDFUL EMPLOYER scheme.

We are a member of the Disability confidence scheme, and disabled applicants who meet all the essential criteria will be guaranteed an interview.