Thank You for Enquiring About the Post of Information, Advice and Advocacy Officer

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for enquiring about the post of Information, Advice and Advocacy Officer.

This pack contains:

An introduction to Transport for All

The Job Description

The Person Specification

Application form

Equality Monitoring form

The closing date for applications is5pm on Thursday 26thMay 2016

We will inform all candidates as to whether or not they have been shortlisted. The interviews will take place at our offices in Brixton

About Transport for All

London is one of the wealthiest cities in the world yet many transport services remain out of bounds for its disabled and older citizens. Physical barriers like flights of stairs, gaps and obstacles combined with the way services are run prevent many from getting out and about and living independent lives.

These barriers can seriously restrict lives, and at worst condemn people to becoming isolated, housebound and undermine health and quality of life.

Rooted in the social model of disability, Transport for All (TfA) has been dedicated solely to tackling these problems and championing the cause of accessible transport in the capital for nearly three decades. We pride ourselves on being a pan-impairment grassroots organisation with disabled and older members from across every borough of London. In addition we have an on-line community of over 9000 followers across our social media platforms.

The work we do includes:

Maintaining our ‘one stop shop’ website with regular stories, news, links, maps and tips on travelling around London accessibly. It has on average 13,000 visitors a month.

Running campaigns and lobbying on local, London-wide and national accessible transport issues. Recent significant successes have included ensuring Crossrail is fully accessible when it opens in 2019 (as it was initially planned without full step-free access) and overturning the ban that rail companies have on the use of mobility scooters.

We run five Transport Action Groups that bring together disabled and older residents to campaign, lobby and exert influence around local accessible transport issues. They are in the boroughs of Newham, Redbridge, Lambeth, Ealing and Brent.

We are a partner in the successful London-wide Power Up Project which provides training in capacity building for the capital’s disability sector and works with over 100 disabled and older people’s organisations.

We run the Pan London Mobility Forum which is the only forum in the capital that brings together disabled and older representatives to discuss strategic London-wide transport issues.

We provide disability equality training (DET) to the transport industry based on the experiences of our members and service users. Our clients include London Underground and Uber.

TfA has established a ‘critical friend’ relationship with London’s transport commissioners and providers including Transport for London, London Councils, Association of Train Operating Companies, the Transport Committees of Parliament and the London Assembly as well as many local authorities. We have regular meetings with these agencies and their senior management teams; and we are the ‘go to’ organisation with regard to eliciting the feedback of disabled and older Londoners on transport issues.

In addition we also run Information, Advice and Advocacy (IAA) services.

Our services are unique in London as they are solely dedicated to accessible transport. Operated primarily via a telephone helpline and website/email, our IAA services answer access queries about all of the capital’s transport modes from the Tube to Riverboats to the Taxicard scheme. We also inform our service users of the range of transport concessions and benefits they are entitled to, from the Blue Badge to the Disabled Person’s Railcard.

Our advocacy services work to: support disabled and older people to speak up for their rights, make appeals against decisions that have gone against them (for example when applying for a Disabled Person's Freedom Pass), and importantly register complaints against transport providers when disabled and older people have been let down. We organise face-to-face meetings between service users and transport providers to resolve problems and educate transport staff about the realities of travelling as a disabled and/or older person.

Transport complaints that have been escalated to a higher level also feed into our campaign and media work and we work closely with our service users to come up with strategies that apply the maximum amount of pressure on transport providers, commissioners and decision-makers.

TfA’s IAA services have a track record in winning improvements and change when services fail. They also empower disabled and older people to secure their rights and travel with greater freedom and independence.

We are looking for an officer who is passionate about helping people to get out and about; and who can contribute to the development of our IAA services at an important juncture in their history.

Is that person you? If so then we very much look forward to reading your application.

Yours sincerely,

Faryal Velmi

Director

Information, Advice and Advocacy Officer

Job details

Job Title / Information, Advice and Advocacy Manager
Contract Duration / Three years from the start of employment. Subject to a 6 month probation period
Hours / 28 hours a week
Salary / £25,500 (28 hours pro rata)
Pension / Employer contribution of 6% of gross salary to a private pension scheme of the employee’s choice
Annual Leave / 25 days (pro rata) and rising by 1 day for each year worked up 30 days (pro rata)
Reports to / Information, Advice and Advocacy Manager
Location / Our offices in 336 Brixton Road, Brixton. London.
SW9 7AA. Some London wide travel will be required

Information, Advice and Advocacy Officer

Job Role Overview

You will work on the frontline of London’s only Information, Advice and Advocacy (IAA) services that are solely dedicated to accessible transport.

You will advise and support disabled and older people to travel accessibly through answering their queries generated via our helpline or email. You will also be an advocate and take up complaints when transport services have failed or let our service users down, working with both IAA and other TfA colleagues to secure the best outcome.

Occasionally you will accompany service users to meetings with transport providers in order to resolve problems, and work to keep our range of information resources (digital and hard copy) up to date.

You will also work to assist in the promotion of our IAA services to both TfA members and London’s disabled and older communities.

Information, Advice and Advocacy Officer

Job Description

Overall

1. To assist in the effective and efficient running of TfA’s Information, Advice and Advocacy (IAA) services.

Information and Advice

2. To build up and maintain an advanced level of knowledge of London’s transport network. In particular how it can be navigated accessibly as well as the range of accessible transport services, benefits and concessions available so to provide high quality IAA to service users.

3. To work shifts returning calls left on voicemail, answering new helpline calls and providing appropriate information, advice and support when needed.

4. Provide timely written responses to email enquiries generated by email or TfA’s website.

Advocacy

5. To act as an advocate and take up complaints from service users - working with them to make their voices heard, resolve transport problems and achieve the best outcome.

6. When needed accompany services users to meetings with transport providers who have registered complaints in order resolve problems and improve services.

7. To regularly review and discuss advocacy casework with the IAA team and decide which cases will be escalated.

Additional duties

8. To keep the Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) and monitoring systems up to date with accurate information on a daily basis.

9. To contribute towards the achievement and maintenance of the Advocacy Quality Standard and other sector-recognised IAA benchmarks or quality standards.

10. To work with the IAA manager and other colleagues in the promotion of TfA’s IAA services.

11. To comply with the data protection regulations and legislation, ensuring that systems are maintained in such a way that service users' information remains confidential.

12. To be responsible for your own personal learning and development.

13. To work collaboratively across TfA’s teams, sharing responsibility for the achievement of jointly agreed objectives, as and when appropriate.

14. To administrate and organise your own work to ensure that it is accurate and meets deadlines and reporting requirements laid out by the funder(s).

15. To work with the IAA team to recruit, induct and support volunteers.

16. To undertake any other tasks, duties or projects which may arise from time to time which are in line with the general level of this post and as instructed by the line manager.

Information, Advice and Advocacy Officer

Person Specification

Criteria / Essential / Desirable / Assessed?
Experience and knowledge
To hold a recognised and accredited qualification related to Advice and/or Advocacy / X / Application
At least one years’ experience of a paid or voluntary role working in an Information, Advice and Advocacy service / X / Application
Interview
Experience of using monitoring databases and systems to both quantitatively and qualitativelymonitor and evaluate services / X / Application
Interview
Experience of working with disabled and older people / X / Application
Interview
Willingness to acquire an in-depth knowledge about London’s transport network and keep that knowledge up to date / X / Application
Interview
Knowledge of how inaccessible transport services affect disabled and older people in London / X / Application
Interview
Commitment to and understanding of the Social Model of Disability / X / Application
Interview
Direct lived experience of being a Deaf or Disabled person
Skills / X / Application
Interview
Excellent verbal and written communications skills appropriate to a diverse audience. / X / Application
Interview Test
Highly developed inter-personal, negotiating and listening skills / X / Application
Interview
Proven ability to use own initiative to tackle problems and find solutions / X / Interview
Test
Good IT skills and experience of using Microsoft Office software / X / Application
Interview
Ability to manage a diverse workload and work under pressure / X / Application
Interview
Test
A team player who can both offer leadership and delegate when required / X / Application
Interview

All shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a short test as part of the interview process.

Application for the role of Information, Advice and Advocacy Officer

How did you learn of this vacancy?

Name:Surname:

Address:

Home no:Work no:

Mobile no:Email:

Name, address of present/most recent employer:

Telephone no: Email:

Current post title and brief description of duties:

Current pay:

Period of notice required by current employer:

References:

Please give names and address of two referees, one of whom should be your current or most recent employer.

1. Employer
Name
Job Title
Company
Address / 2. Employer/Personal
Name
Job Title
Company
Address
Telephone no / Telephone no
Email / Email

Education

General Education / Level / Grade
Further Education/Professional Qualification / Qualification / Grade

Employment History

Name and address of employer
(Most recent first) / Position / Key Achievements / Salary / Reason for
Leaving

Supporting Statement

This is an opportunity to draw attention to your skills, experience, knowledge and interests which make you suitable for the post. Please make particular reference to the Job Description and Person Specificationand as much as possible cover all the points. Use additional sheets if necessary.

Declaration

The information given in this application is, to the best of my knowledge, true and accurate. I understand that any false declarations may lead to the withdrawal of a job offer or termination of employment.

Signature of applicant:

Date:

Please email or post your completed application form to:

Email:

Post: Transport for All. 336 Brixton Road. London SW9 7AA

The deadline for all applications is 5pm on Thursday 26th May

Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form

Monitoring the diversity of our applicants and staff is an essential part of TfA’s commitment to Equality and Diversity. Please complete this form and return it with your application form. It is entirely confidential and will not be made available to those involved in shortlisting or in the selection process, or for any purpose other than monitoring and statistical reporting.

1. How would you describe your ethnic origin (tick one)?

White / Mixed / Asian/Asian British / Black/Black British / Other Ethnic Groups
British / What & Black Caribbean / Indian / Caribbean / Chinese
Irish / White & Black African / Pakistani / African / Vietnamese
Portuguese / White & Asian / Bangladeshi / Black other – please specify / Other – please specify
Other – please specify / Any other mixed background – please specify / Any other South Asian – please specify

2. Gender:MaleFemale

3. Do you consider yourself to be transgender? Yes No Prefer not to say

4. Are you:Heterosexual LesbianBisexualGayPrefer not to say

5. Do you consider yourself to be a disabled person?

Yes NoPrefer not to say

6. Age18-2526-4041-6565+

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