Supporting Victims to Cope with Their Trauma, Through Emotional and Peer Support

Helpline and Befriender Coordinator
Job application pack /

RoadPeace is the national charity for road crash victims. Our role is to support victims, campaign for judicial reform and reduce road danger. Our members include those who have been bereaved or injured in crashes and those who are concerned about road danger.

Our Vision:

A world where road danger is not tolerated and where road crash victims receive justice and compassion

Our Mission:

We exist to support and empower those bereaved and injured by road crashes and their families; to improve the justice system’s post-crash response andto spare future generations from preventable death and injury. As a membership charity, we put victims at the heart of our work, equipping them to support other victims, campaign for change and shape RoadPeace’s work. Our work for and with victim’s centres around:

•Supporting victims to cope with their trauma, through emotional and peer support

•Remembering those who have been killed or seriously injured in road crashes by organising acts of remembrance; offering support and solidarity to the bereaved and highlighting the devastating toll of road death

•Empowering victims with information and helping them to achieve justice

•Campaigning for reform of the justice system, so that it is fairer for victims and reduces road danger

•Challenging society’s complacency towards risk on our roads

Our Values:

Our values underpin our actions as individuals and as an organisation. They shape our culture and guide our behaviours and decision-making.

•We are victim-centred

We put victims at the heart of what we do. We are a membership charity and involve members and victims wherever possible, empowering them to get involved in service delivery, campaigning and decision-making.

•We are compassionate

We treat everyone with compassion and sensitivity to their unique experience and needs.

•We are collaborative

We work in partnership with and support other organisations, recognising that we can achieve more when we work together. We share our knowledge and best-practice freely with other organisations, campaigners and policy-makers.

•We are evidence-based

Our work is grounded, in published research and official statistics, and informed by the experiences of victims, our members and those of partner organisations.

•We are pioneering

We are thought-leaders, shaping the debate, and informing and inspiring other organisations. We are courageous and, when needed, willing to speak out on more radical or less popular agendas.

About the Position

RoadPeace has an exciting opportunity for a compassionate individual tojoin our organisationand make a significant difference toour charity and to the lives of the road crash victims we support.

We are seeking a highly organised, efficient and compassionate individual with good interpersonal skills to assist our Support Services Manager (SSM) in the delivery of some of our most highly demanded support services (Helpline and Befriender Service). This will include providing emotional and advocacy support to victims of road crashes (bereaved and injured) in a highly sensitive and empathic manner andassist with providing regular supervision for volunteers and project-based activities.

How to apply

To apply, please send your CV and cover letter detailing why you are interested in the position and how you meet ALL of the essential criteria on the person specification.Please also complete the details form at the end of this pack and submit with your CV and cover letter.

Please email your CV, cover letter and completed form to . Please put ‘Helpline and Befriender Coordinator’ in the subject header.

The closing date is midnight on Wednesday 11th April 2018. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview during the week beginning 23rdApril in the RoadPeace office in Brixton. Please note that these dates are provisional and may be subject to change – we will notify candidates if so.

RoadPeace contact details

Shakespeare Business Centre

245a Coldharbour Lane

Brixton

London, SW9 8RR

Tel: 020 7733 1603
Email:

Website:

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Job Description

Job title: Helpline and Befriender Coordinator

Grade:NJC Scale 5

Salary:£26,966 (pro-rata) for a 35-hour week

Hours:Part-time –21hours a week

These hours would ideally be spread over 5 days but a preference for 3 or 4 days will also be accommodated.

ContractOne year fixed-term contract

Holiday entitlement:25 days paid holiday per year (pro rata), in addition to public holidays

Location:RoadPeace office - Brixton, south London

Reports to:Support Services Manager

Responsible for:Co-ordination of the delivery of our helpline and befrienderservice to road crash victims

Main purpose of the post

To co-ordinate the effective provision of emotional support and practical information for those bereaved and injured in road crashes via the helpline/befriender services, including assisting the SSM with training and supervision of volunteersand project based activities as required.

Main duties and responsibilities

Helpline and Befriender Service

1. Act as first point of contact for all service users accessing RoadPeace through the helpline telephone and email
2. Provide direct emotional support and casework & advocacy assistance to road crash victims
3. Listen and assess each caller individually undertaking the RoadPeace needs assessment
4. Administer the screening process for victims and manage the allocation of befriender volunteers
5. Signpost callers to the relevant RoadPeace support services
6. Follow up with victims on a fortnightly basis via telephone to ensure their wellbeing and send out further information to callers as required by post
7. Keep thorough records of all helpline calls and update & maintain contact database for monitoring & evaluation purposes
8. Provide regular monitoring reports to the SSM
9. Assist with organising supervision for volunteers
10. Assist with active outreach to promote awareness of RoadPeace services

General

1. Support SSM to recruit, train and coordinate a team of support volunteers
2. Assist with the monitoring & evaluation of RoadPeace’s support services
3. Respond flexibly and undertake any such other duties as are commensurate with the nature of the job to meet the needs of the charity
4. Publicise RoadPeace and represent the charity at external functions, events and meetings as requested
5. Additional tasks may be necessary to be undertaken to further the charity’s goals. This could include communication, marketing, fundraising or administration functions, depending on need, and generally but not necessarily exclusively, in relation to your main role
6. Adhere to the organisation’s data protection, equal opportunities and health and safety policies, and all other RoadPeace policies
7. To work occasional evenings and weekends

Person Specification

The successful applicant will be a highly organised and compassionate individual with excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively and sensitively with vulnerable service users who have been affected by road crashes. A flexible working approach is also a crucial aspect to this post.

Please note that this role involves contact with road crash victims along with reminders of the trauma and devastation caused by crashes. RoadPeace is a victims’ charity, so we welcome applications from bereaved or injured victims of road crashes for all advertisedroles. However, we take our duty of care towards our staff very seriously. For this reason, RoadPeace does not employ people who have suffered bereavement or serious injury from a crash less than 2 years ago, as we wish to avoid re-traumatisation. If you have experienced a road crash, please note this on your application form so we can explore this with youif you are shortlisted.

Essentialand desirable criteria

Essential criteria

Experience

At least two years’ experience of advice, advocacy or casework and working with vulnerable adults, preferably on a helpline

Experience of coordinating volunteers

Experience of delivering training programmes to volunteers

Qualifications

Educated to degree level or equivalent

Skills and attributes

Friendly and empathic with excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to respond to traumatised individuals sensitively and professionally

Effective person-centred listening and probing skills to support victims and signpost them to the most appropriate services, in particular over the telephone

Clear and concise written and oral communication skills

Resilience and confidence in working with distressing information

A good understanding of the limitations of helpline work

A general understanding of the impact of those suddenly bereaved or seriously injured on roads and a willingness to learn more on these issues and to adopt RoadPeace’s processes for helping our callers

Friendly, empathic and professional manner

Competent in use of MS Officeprogrammes such as Word and Excel, and experience with the use of databases

Able to work independently and on own initiative, with minimal supervision

Organised and methodical, with an ability to prioritise a busy workload, work under pressure and meet deadlines in a professional manner

Flexible and willing to adapt to changing needs of the team/organisation

Committed to quality and continual improvement

Desirable criteria

Experience of working with trauma and the bereaved

Experience of working in the charity sector

Knowledge of criminal justice issues and the inquest system

Other details
Is your current post your sole regular employment? / Yes / No
If NO, please give details:
Are you a British subject or a national of any EU country? / Yes / No
If NO, do you have the right to work in the UK and a current work permit? / Yes / No
If so, please state the expiry date of your right to work in the UK and/or your work permit.
Do you have a full driving licence? / Yes / No
Do you have any current endorsements on your driving licence? / Yes / No
If YES, please give details:
Do you have personal experience of a road crash?
If YES, please share brief details (including date of crash and whether you experienced injury or bereavement as a result):
Disabilities
Do you require any special arrangements to be made for your interview on account of a disability? / Yes / No
If "yes", please give brief details of the effects of your disability on your day-to-day activities, and any other information that you feel would help us to accommodate your needs during your interview and thus meet our obligations under the Equality Act 2010:
Convictions
Have you ever been convicted of a criminal offence? If so please give details of any unspent convictions. Spent convictions do not have to be declared as the job is not one covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.

References

Please give the details of two referees, stating how long you have known them and in what capacity. (One should be your current or most recent employer.)

Referee 1 / Referee 2
Name: / Name:
Address: / Address:
Email address: / Email address:
Contact telephone number: / Contact telephone number:
Occupation: / Occupation:
Nature of relationship: / Nature of relationship:
Time known: / Time known:
Data protection
Information from this application may be processed for purposes registered by the Employer under the Data Protection Act 1998. Individuals have, on written request [on payment of a fee] the right of access to personal data held about them.
I hereby give my consent to RoadPeace processing the data supplied in this application form for the purpose of recruitment and selection.
Declaration
I declare that the information given in this application is to the best of my knowledge complete and correct.
Signature: Date:
Please note: Any false, incomplete or misleading statements may lead to dismissal should this application lead to an offer of employment.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES MONITORING FORM

In accordance with our Equal Opportunities Policy, we will provide equal opportunities to all employees and job applicants and will not discriminate either directly or indirectly on the grounds of race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, national origin, sex, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, religion or age.

You may decide not to answer one or any of the questions on this form but if you do respond, all information provided will be treated completely confidentially and will be used solely for the purpose of equal opportunities monitoring. The monitoring form does not form part of your job application and will therefore be detached from it on receipt, stored separately and not seen by the interview panel. You can post this form separately if you wish. Thank you for your assistance in completing this form.

Gender: / Male
Female
Prefer not to say
Marital status: / Married
Single
Other (please specify)
Prefer not to say
Age band: / Under 18
18 – 20
21 – 30
31 – 40
41 – 50
51 – 60
61 – 65
Over 65
Prefer not to say
Sexual orientation: / Heterosexual
Homosexual
Bisexual
Transsexual
Prefer not to say
Disabilities: / None
Physical disability
Mental disability
Prefer not to say
Race/nationality/
Ethnic origin: / White / English
Scottish
Welsh
Irish
Other white background (please specify)
Mixed / White and Black Caribbean
White and Black African
White and Black British
White and Asian
Other mixed background (please specify)
Asian / Indian
Pakistani
Bangladeshi
British
Other Asian background (please specify)
Black / Caribbean
African
British
Other black background (please specify)
Chinese
Other ethnic group (please specify)
Prefer not to say
Religion: / Christian
Catholic
Jewish
Sikh
Muslim
Hindu
Buddhist
Rastafarian
None
Other religion (please specify)
Prefer not to say

For the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998, I hereby confirm that by completing this form I give my consent to RoadPeace processing the data supplied on this form for the purpose of equal opportunities monitoring.

Name (please print clearly): ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Signature:…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Date: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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