About The Advocacy Project
We help people speak up and make decisions about their health, wellbeing and social care. We’re here to make sure people who are vulnerable because of their circumstance can understand their rights, make effective choices about their lives and voice their concerns.
Some of the ways we do this include:
· advocacy services that make sure people can express their wishes when decisions are being made about their care or wellbeing
· user involvement projects that help organisations improve what they offer by listening to people who use their services
· local Healthwatch services, which act as health and social care champions for the areas they serve and give people a direct channel to share their feedback
· innovative Personal Health Budget projects that allow people to access items and services to improve their wellbeing.
Our services are independent, confidential, and free to those receiving them. Together, our teams are standing up for essential rights and supporting people to have a say on the issues that matter to them.
About the role
The post-holder will lead a team of advocates working with adults and young people across NHS and private hospitals and the local community.
You will be required to provide line management support, be the point of contact for our stakeholders and ensure high quality delivery of our advocacy contracts.
Key responsibilities
î Lead the delivery of assigned advocacy services actively encouraging your team to contribute to service planning, quality improvement and development.
î Ensure the team provides instructed and non-instructed advocacy and signposting, working to the advocacy empowerment cycle and actively promoting self-advocacy throughout all work with service users where practicable.
î Ensure the team capture high quality advocacy notes, outcomes information and other evidence into the Case Management System in a timely manner.
î Maintain up-to-date knowledge of new legislation and reports and current trends and issues in mental health, mental capacity, care act, and health and social care legislation, local and national policy relating to people with mental health issues and disseminate across your team.
î Ensure quality standards are achieved by implementing operational policies and procedures to maintain professional and consistent advocacy services.
î Ensure contracts are delivered within budget, to agreed key performance indicators, case work standards and monitoring requirements, eg producing reports including quarterly monitoring reports.
î Lead on raising awareness of the advocacy service to service users and potential referrers.
î Ensure referrals are allocated efficiently, appropriately and within the requirements of the contract.
î Provide support and supervision to your staff team including professional development, appraisals, team meetings and work review meetings, and organisational activities such as CPD lectures and staff briefings.
General responsibilities
î Participate in team meetings and training (and make sure your staff to attend).
î Keep to our policies, including health & safety, and risk regulations.
î Work to our mission, vision, and values.
î Carry out other projects and tasks as needed.
î Participate in personal, team and organisational development.
î Contribute to monitoring reports.
Person specification
Essential
î Experience of delivering advocacy.
î Achieved qualification in advocacy.
î Proven leadership ability and strong people management skills.
î Experience of managing contracts and delivering advocacy services.
î Understanding of statutory and non-statutory advocacy.
î Sound knowledge of current issues in health and social care policy, practice and legislation.
î Exceptional stakeholder management abilities with experience of building effective relationships with ranging commissioners, partners, service users and colleagues.
î Excellent communications (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills. Effective in working with a wide variety of stakeholders ranging from trustees to service users and employees.
î Commitment to working within The Advocacy Project code of conduct, equalities and safeguarding policies.
î Ability to work as part of a team and on your own initiative, to plan and prioritise your own workload.
î Willingness to promote The Advocacy Project and the mental health service in line with our mission, vision and values.
Desirable knowledge, experience and qualifications:
î Achieved qualification in advocacy management Advocacy qualification.
Benefits of working for us
We’re committed to providing an empowering, flexible and supportive working environment for all our staff.
Our employee benefits include 30 days annual leave (including up to 3 days between Christmas and New Year), participation in a pension scheme with 6% employer contribution, access to a free confidential counselling service, and an interest-free travel/bike loan.
All our staff are supported to learn and develop in a variety of ways, including a monthly lecture series where we invite sector experts to talk to our staff on topical issues.
We are a Disability Confident and Mindful Employer.