Further to Your Interest in This Post, Please Find

Further to your interest in this post, please find:

• Information about CPAG and about the post

• Job description
• Person specification
• Equal opportunities monitoring form
• Additional information on Terms and Conditions of Employment

To apply, please send your CV along with a covering letter outlining why you are apply and how you meet the person specification. Please take particular care to provide full details of how you meet the person specification. We would also be grateful if you would return the recruitment monitoring form if you are willing to do so (this is not a requirement for consideration for the post but will assist us to review our recruitment procedures). Please send your CV, covering letter and monitoring form by email, to or by post to:

Recruitment

Child Poverty Action Group

30 Micawber Street

London

N1 7TB

marking the envelope “Confidential”.

If you require further information or need us to make any special arrangements to enable you to participate in the selection process please contact us on 0207 812 5201.

Closing date: 12pm, 17 November 2017

Interviews: 27 November 2017

General Information

About CPAG

Child Poverty Action Group works on behalf of the one in four children in the UK growing up in poverty. It doesn’t have to be like this. We use our understanding of what causes poverty and the impact it has on children’s lives to campaign for policies that will prevent and solve poverty – for good. We provide training, advice and information to make sure hard-up families get the financial support they need. We also carry out high profile legal work to establish and protect families’ rights.

Our vision

Our vision is of a society free of child poverty, where all children can enjoy a childhood free of financial hardship and have a fair chance in life to reach their full potential.

Our mission

Our mission is to promote action to prevent and end poverty among children and families with children in the UK.

Our values:

• Expert – we are the leading voice for children and families in poverty in the UK
• Independent – we advocate solutions to child poverty based on the evidence
• Ambitious – we know child poverty isn’t inevitable, and we won’t stop until no child grows up in hardship

What We Do

Policy and campaigning

We seek to achieve positive outcomes through our high-profile lobbying and campaigning work – using evidence to influence government and media. We publish research and information on the causes and effects of child poverty (including briefing materials on our website - and seek radical and practical solutions. Our journal Poverty, published three times a year, carries articles and features to inform and stimulate debate on poverty, its causes and consequences, and the action required to tackle it.

Rights and Advice

We provide expert advice, training and information to welfare rights advisers, lawyers and others on all aspects of the social security and tax credit systems. Our staff in London and Glasgow respond to around 2,000 queries a year from advisers. Our bi-monthly Welfare Rights Bulletin keeps them up-to-date on new legislation and developments. Over 12,000 people a year attend CPAG’s training courses, conferences and seminars. Through carefully selected test cases, we challenge unjust legislation, unfair or discriminatory decisions.

Publishing and Resources

CPAG publishes the major handbooks used by thousands of advisers, community workers, lawyers and members of the public. The Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook gives full coverage of all aspects of social security and tax credits. We publish legal reference works such as: CPAG’sHousing Benefit and Council Tax Benefits Legislation and handbooks on child support, fuel rights, debt advice, migration, council tax, student support and personal finance. For more information see our website at

There are currently two offices from which this work is undertaken, the main office being in London and CPAG in Scotland, located in Glasgow. There is a recognised union to which most permanent staff belong.

Background to the Post

Based in our London office, between Old St and Angel, the London Campaign Coordinatorwill report to the Director of Policy, Rights & Advocacy.

The postholder will lead CPAG’s successfulproject on London Child Poverty that has been funded by the Trust for London since 2011. The project has successfully strengthened London’s child poverty voice, informed policymakers about the London impact of welfare reform measures and promoted a range of solutions to reducing the capital’s child poverty levels.

The main project activities are to:

1) co-ordinate work across London's voluntary sector, assisting with the convening of the London Child Poverty Alliance (LCPA), and working to build links across voluntary sector groups in order to strengthen the voice advocating on behalf of poor families in London.

2) undertake evidence-based campaigning on key issues affecting low income families in London.

3) work with local authorities to share best practice and to strengthen their approach to tackling child poverty.

4) ensure that the voices of families living on a low income are heard within policy debates about the issues that affect them, increasing policy makers' understanding of the issues and the case for change.
Terms and conditions of employment

Job title: London Campaign Manager

Contract: Fixed term – 9-12 months (maternity cover)

Salary: £33,031 to £40,803perannumplus an automatic enrolment into CPAG’s nominated Group Personal Pension Scheme

Hours: This post is a full time 35 hours per week post. Normal working hours are 9:30 am – 5:30 pm (including a 1 hour unpaid lunch break). Overtime is not payable, but CPAG operates a ‘core hours’ and TOIL (Time Off In Lieu) policy.

Annual leave:30 days a year annual leave (as well as four days during the Christmas-New Year period when the office closes). The holiday year runs from April to March. The basic annual leave is pro rata depending on starting date and hours.

Other benefits Interest free travel loan, income protection insurance and ‘death in service’

include:provision, and a range of leave entitlements for family and other reasons (details are on the attached sheet).

There is a six-month probation period for this post. (Please note that entitlement to the pension contribution and other benefits are not first dependent on successful completion of the probation period).

CPAG’s Commitment to Equal Opportunities

CPAG aims to be an equal opportunities employer and will apply objective criteria to assess merit. It aims to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the ground of race, colour, nationality, religion, ethnic or national origins, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, responsibility for dependants, disability or age. Selection criteria and procedures will be reviewed to ensure that individuals are selected and treated on the basis of their relevant merits and abilities. All employees will be given equal opportunity and, where appropriate and possible, special training to enable them to develop their potential both within and outside CPAG. CPAG is committed to a programme of action to make this statement effective, and will bring it to the attention of all employees.

Job Title:London Campaign Manager (9 - 12 months maternity cover)

Reports To: Director of Policy, Rights & Advocacy

Team: Policy, Rights & Advocacy

Grade: D

Main Purposes of Job:

To lead and coordinate CPAG’s activities on child poverty in London

To play a leading role in working with other organisations and networks so that the London child poverty voice is strong, focused and strategic.

To lead on establishing strategic partnerships to influence the development and delivery of key strategies and policies affecting London child poverty

To work as a member of the Policy, Rights & Advocacy team contributing to its overall objectives

Tasks and Responsibilities:

1. To provide knowledge and expertise to CPAG on London child poverty causes, impacts and solutions.

1. To establish CPAG as the lead player on child poverty in London forging strategic alliances with organisations, networks and partnerships.

1. To take a lead role in developing policy positions on London and provide authoritative, concise briefings for internal and external CPAG audiences, including submissions to the London Mayor and national government.

1. To lobby and campaign to ensure London child poverty issues are understood by London and national policymakers.

1. To write regular articles and updates for internal and external publications and contribute to the development of the website, ensuring the relevant sections are up to date.

1. To support CPAG’s hosting and campaigning activities for the End Child Poverty coalition in order to improve public understanding of child poverty issues in London.

1. To play an active role in existing networks and/or develop and maintain a network of London poverty organisations to share information and learning among members, promote partnership approaches and to coordinate joint influencing activities.

1. To actively promote examples of good practice to all those working on poverty issues in London.

1. To establish and maintain strategic partnerships to reduce child poverty with the London Mayor, local and central government and others with responsibility for London poverty.

1. To establish and maintain strategic relationships with other voluntary, public and private sector bodies working on child poverty-related issues, including health, housing and jobs.

1. To ensure the voices of London families in poverty are heard in key forums and in the development and delivery of strategies

1. To represent CPAG at speaking engagements, events, relevant coalitions and networks and at meetings with external stakeholders.

1. To ensure compliance with all CPAG’s policies and standard practice, with specific attention to Diversity and Equality.

1. To supervise the work of volunteers and occasionally temporary staff assisting with policy and campaigns activities in the team.

1. To take on any other reasonable tasks which contribute to achievement of the job purpose and the aims of CPAG.

Person Specification – London Campaign Manager

In the interests of monitoring our recruitment procedures we would be grateful if you could complete this form. We will separate this document from the application form and it will not take part in any selection process.

Please tick as appropriate

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Male Female

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Do you have a disability as defined under the Disability Discrimination Act (defined asa physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on [your] ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities)?

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Yes

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No

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Please provide details of any special arrangements you would require if invited to interview

What age group do you belong to?

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Under 25

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26 – 35

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36 – 50 OP

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Over 50

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CPAG is keen to improve our recruitment practices and ensure we do all we can to attract a diverse range of applicants for our posts. To assist us, we would be very grateful if you would tell us about anything that attracted you about the organisation or the post that may help us to improve our recruitment process in future. Please also tell us how you heard about this vacancy.

Thank you for providing this information to assist us with our recruitment monitoring

Additional Information on Terms and Conditions of Employment

CPAG offers 30 days annual leave (in addition 4 given days are taken when the office is closed over the Christmas break), along with a range of family and other leave entitlements as follows:

26 weeks paid maternity leave and 26 additional weeks unpaid maternity leave

6 weeks paid leave for staff whose partner has or adopts a baby

(These entitlements are also available to staff who adopt children).

13 weeks unpaid parental leave for parents or guardians of children up to age 16 (18 weeks for parents or guardians of disabled children)

10 days paid leave for staff members who have to care for a dependent

5 days paid leave for urgent domestic reasons

5 days paid leave for staff who carry out public duties

10 days paid study leave subject to agreement by CPAG

An unpaid career break of up to 6 months available to staff after 2 years’ service

Time off in lieu to allow staff to work flexibly

Arrangements apply pro rata to part-time staff

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