Independent Visitor Co-ordinator

Coram Voice; Coventry; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A national independent charity for children seeks a coordinator for their statutory independent visitor service. The role involves recruiting and training volunteers, managing relationships with children in care, and ensuring effective reporting to stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have experience working with children and strong organizational skills. This position is based in Coventry and offers competitive benefits, including generous leave and a supportive work environment.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Matched pension scheme up to 5% of salary

Generous leave entitlements of up to 25 days annual leave

Supportive work environment

Qualifications

• Experience in working with children and young people.
• Ability to develop long-term relationships with stakeholders.
• Strong organizational skills for managing data and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Co-ordinate and deliver a statutory independent visitor service.
• Recruit, assess and train volunteers.
• Manage data and reporting for the statutory service.

Job description

About the Role

You will co-ordinate and deliver a statutory independent visitor service to children and young people in care or care leavers of Coventry & Warwickshire. You will recruit, assess and train volunteers to become independent visitors, who are volunteer befrienders to children and young people looked after or care leavers. You will manage a cash flow to fund suitable activities for independent visitors to enjoy with the young person. You will manage data and reporting for this statutory service so that service leads and other stakeholders can understand the activity in the service. You will build strong relationships with the child or young person, independent visitors and other significant adults. You will support independent visitors to develop long‑term, meaningful friendships with the young person. You will work in partnership with other parts of the service, organisation and external agencies and professionals.

Responsibilities

• Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) to advocate for young people as qualifying patients under the Mental Health Act, in order to fully support them to get their views heard in matters relating to their mental health.
• Independent Visitor services provides a child or young person in care with an adult volunteer who provides independent, one‑to‑one visiting, advice and befriending support.
• Independent services provide independent person services for complaints by children and for reviewing whether children should be locked up in secure units on welfare grounds.
• Policy and campaigning to create a better system for all children and young people looked after by the state, for their care to be more child‑centred and to give young people a greater say in decisions about their lives.
• Participation services to ensure children and young people have a voice in the development and delivery of services and campaigns, and through the process, provide the opportunity to develop relevant skills which will be of benefit to them in their future lives.
• Training, development and information for young people, advocates and child care workers, offering courses in advocacy, children’s rights and child‑centred practice across a range of areas including the National Advocacy Qualification.
• Recruit, assess and train volunteers to become independent visitors, who are volunteer befrienders to children and young people looked after or care leavers.
• Manage cash flow to fund suitable activities for independent visitors to enjoy with the young person.
• Manage data and reporting for this statutory service so that service leads and other stakeholders can understand the activity in the service.
• Build strong relationships with the child or young person, independent visitors and other significant adults.
• Support independent visitors to develop long‑term, meaningful friendships with the young person.
• Work in partnership with other parts of the service, organisation and external agencies and professionals.

Why Join Us

• Are you looking for an opportunity to help make positive differences to the lives of children and young people who are looked after or care leavers of the local authority?
• Do you want to work with a leading national independent children’s charity?

About Coram Voice

Coram Voice is a national independent children’s charity established in 1975 and has grown to become one of the leading organisations for children and young people in the UK. Coram Voice is a leading children’s rights organisation. We champion the rights of children. We get young voices heard in decisions that matter to them and work to improve the lives of children in care, care leavers and others who depend upon the help of the state.

Services We Provide

• Advocacy services direct to children and young people in care, in need, in custody and to care leavers and children and young people with severe and complex mental health problems. Advocates around the country support children and young people to get their voice heard in decisions about their lives.
• Visiting advocacy services to most secure units nationally, to Secure Training Centres, Juvenile Young Offender Institutions, psychiatric hospitals, residential special schools and children’s homes.

Equal Opportunity

Coram Voice is an equal opportunities employer and we believe a diverse workforce enables us to improve the services to the children and families we help. We are genuinely committed to encouraging candidates from all sections of the community we seek to support, including those from global majority ethnic backgrounds, those that identify as LGBQT+, those with disabilities, those with lived experience of care, those with neuro‑diversity, and those from other groups who are underrepresented at Coram.

Benefits

• Competitive salary.
• Matched pension scheme up to 5% of salary.
• Generous leave entitlements of up to 25 days annual leave plus an additional 3 days paid leave between Christmas and New Year.
• Supportive work environment fostering a work/home life balance and a suite of family friendly policies which promote employee wellbeing.