Visiting Advocate – Midlands (including Stoke on Trent, Clent and Shifnal)
Job Description
Responsible to: Midlands Visiting Advocacy Coordinator
Salary: £20,198 FTE
Hours: 14 hours (plus additional hours when required) per week
Coram Voice Advocates are accountable to the organisation for their professional standards and are expected to comply with the Coram Voice Code of Ethics and Practice Guidelines.
Coram Voice staff work in line with our brand, values and management principles, in particular by:
· Building and maintaining meaningful, supportive, mutually empowering relationships with and between colleagues, partners, and children and young people.
· Accepting personal responsibility for our work and being accountable for delivering results against those responsibilities.
· Recognising that we each have a role to play in contributing to Coram Voice success, in particular in involving children and young people in shaping the future of Coram Voice services.
Purpose
· To provide skilled independent support to children and young people who wish to raise concerns about their care or make representations.
· To empower young people either by enabling them to represent their own views or by speaking on their behalf, or both.
· To ensure the child’s viewpoint is heard and to assist the child/young person in seeking a satisfactory resolution to any issues raised.
Tasks
1) To clarify the concerns and wishes of the child/young person, enabling them to understand their rights, how they can make their views heard and what choices they have regarding decisions being made about them.
2) To enable the child/young person to communicate their views and wishes and to seek a satisfactory resolution to any issues raised.
3) To articulate the views of the child/young person on his/her behalf as required.
4) To make a contract with the child/young person about the help s/he wants and agreeing the way in which the advocate undertakes the work on their behalf.
5) To promote and maintain a positive working relationship with staff and other professionals to facilitate the resolution of any issues raised by the young people.
6) To sometimes attend meetings with the child/young person or ensure the child knows how to access support. Negotiate with agencies and write letters on behalf of the child/young person as appropriate.
7) To assist the child/young person to make a complaint if this is necessary, both at the informal (pre stage 1) and formal stages of the complaints procedure.
8) To maintain accurate records of visits and work done using the correct recording system.
9) To maintain clear records of time and expenses and to complete claim forms as required.
Training, supervision and appraisal
1) Advocates will be accountable to the Coram Voice Midlands VA Coordinator and will participate in supervision and appraisal.
2) Advocates will be expected to take responsibility for their personal development and learning, including undertaking Coram Voice mandatory training and further training as needed.
Specific tasks for advocates in secure residential settings
1) To visit children and young people in residential accommodation a regular basis (fortnightly/weekly) as required by contract.
2) To establish rapport with the young people and be available to listen to the residents about their concerns and introduce the VA service to newly admitted young people.
3) To enable the views of young people to be taken into account in the development of policies and the planning and delivery of services.
4) Report to your supervisor monthly.
5) Participate in the production of an annual report of the service and to attend contract review meeting(s)
6) To attend meetings young people may have with other professionals and to support them in these relationships in order for their views, wishes and feelings to be fully represented within decision making processes.
7) Keep up to date with developments in relation to relevant legislation.
8) Plan annual leave and liaise with the Visiting Advocate and supervisor to ensure a seamless service delivery.