The Pack Contains the Following

11th May 2015

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for applying for the post of Disability Rights Advocate for CHOICE IN HACKNEY. Please read the entire pack carefully before completing the application form.

The pack contains the following:

Page 2
Page 7
Page 8
Page 11
Page 12
Page 14
Page 23
Page 24 / Organisation’s Background
Management and Staffing Structure
Job description
Salary, hours and closing date
Person Specification
Application Form
Monitoring Form
CHOICE IN HACKNEY Equal Opportunities, Equality and Diversity Policy

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Nelson

Director

CHOICE IN HACKNEY

ORGANISATION’S BACKGROUND

CHOICE IN HACKNEY (CHOICE) is a voluntary organisation, which provides Advocacy, Volunteering, Advocacy Training & Employment, Active Lifestyle, Support Brokerage & Support Planning and other Independent Living Services to disabled people in London. CHOICE supports disabled people from all communities to obtain the services they need to live independently, with dignity and to make choices about their lifestyles.

CHOICE is an organisation run by disabled people, for disabled people and is committed to empowering disabled people. We work to the social model of disability. This approach proposes that disability is defined by barriers, negative attitudes and exclusion in society. It is a model based on equality and suggests that an impairment does not lead to an individual being excluded from aspects of society. Rather, it is society’s failure to accommodate these impairments which creates this barrier.

The Board of Trustees, the majority of whom are disabled people, is responsible for the strategic direction of the organisation. The organisation is also committed to mostly employing disabled people, as we believe that this makes for a more equal relationship between staff and service users - through their shared experience as disabled people.

CHOICE is committed to equal opportunities for all, and is opposed to all forms of discrimination on the grounds of impairments, age, race, culture, gender, religion, beliefs or because someone is lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgender etc.

Using a model pioneered in North America, the CHOICE project opened in January 1992. Originally funded for 3 years by the Inner City Partnership, CHOICE is now jointly funded by City & Hackney Mind Advocacy for All Hackney, City Bridge Trust, East End Community Foundation, The Henry Smith Charity, Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Outward and Societe Generale – Talents & Partage. It is now a well-established, innovative and effective disability organisation.

CHOICE currently employs a Director, 2 part-time Advocates, 1 part-time Advocacy Training & Employment Co-ordinator, 1 part-time Volunteer Co-ordinator and 1 part-time Support Planning & Support Brokerage Officer.

PROJECTS RUN BY

CHOICE IN HACKNEY

1. Advocacy:

Advocacy is the support and encouragement given by a professional advocate to a disabled user, to enable him/her to obtain services needed to live an independent and dignified lifestyle in the community.

The advocate is an active resource person for the service user, assisting the service user with such things as:

· Analysing and identifying issues.

· Understanding rights and responsibilities.

· Understanding policy, procedure and protocol.

· Considering options and developing a strategy for resolution.

· Contacting appropriate agencies to put in services for the user.

The advocate works in ‘partnership’ with the disabled user. This means that the advocate does not take control of the user’s life, but researches the options so that the user can make informed choices and take decisions, which the advocate will assist them to fulfil.

2. Volunteering:

The Volunteer Project consists of two key strands:

· Office volunteers – disabled and non-disabled volunteers gain office experience whilst supporting CHOICE in its core functions.

· Provision of one-to-one support to disabled people in the community from volunteers – including befriending, escorting, gardening and reading.

The project has many benefits for the community. It has promoted inclusion and aided integration, by enabling disabled and non-disabled volunteers to work side by side within the CHOICE office. The project has also developed employment skills through the recruitment of office volunteers and provided disabled people in the community with much needed services through the befriending scheme.

The project works with 30-50 disabled and non-disabled volunteers per year and provides services to 30+ disabled service users. The Volunteer Coordinator liaises with other local organisations and statutory services to recruit service users appropriate for the project. Individuals can also refer themselves to the project as service user or to volunteer.

3. Advocacy Training & Employment:

The project provides:

· 12-session classroom based training including topics on case management, statutory authority services and disability-related legislation. Also included as a key component of the course is a job search workshop, where trainees are supported to develop good interview techniques and job application skills. This is followed by:

· Work placements – these last from 10-12-weeks and provide our trainees with opportunities to put into practice some of the skills they have acquired through the training.

We run 3 programmes per year, enabling people to enrol on any one of the programmes.

The fully accredited training programme trains up to 30-disabled people per year in advocacy and employment issues. On successful completion of the course, trainees are awarded 20 credits at the equivalent of an “A” Level qualification, from the Open College Network Credit 4 Learning. Many former trainees have commented that they have a new found sense of acceptance and self-belief since completing the training.

4. Active Lifestyle:

The Active Lifestyle Project provides disabled people with a befriender who will encourage them to undertake regular exercise and recreational sporting activities – thereby increasing self-confidence and health as well as reducing social isolation.

The project was funded by Comic Relief for 9-months and during that time we developed a database of centres / venues and activities, which are suitable for disabled people. Activities undertaken included (but were not restricted to) swimming, gym, keep fit classes, Boccia, golf workshops, kayaking at Hackney Reservoir, women’s boxing, tennis and free tickets to attend the Leyton Orient Football Club Community Day. It is hoped future funding can be secured to continue this valuable project.

5. Support Planning & Support Brokerage (SPB):

SPB - is helping an individual to develop a plan which helps him / her to find out what services / support systems are available to best meet his / her outcomes. It also provides support in contacting / liaising with providers to buy in these services and to ensure that they are in place for the individual.

This project also provides training to disabled and non-disabled people, enabling them to become fully qualified Support Planners / Brokers. The course is fully accredited by the Open College Network Credit 4 Learning. The trainer is a fully qualified Support Planner / Broker who is also Co-ordinator of the London Brokerage Network.

There are 2-training programmes per year with each programme consisting of 5-full days of training, followed by coursework. Once fully qualified, the trainee Support Planners / Brokers will be responsible for carrying a minimal caseload whilst being supervised by the SPB Officer. These trainees will volunteer with us for at least 1-day a week for up to 6-months to provide a:

· User-led information, support planning & brokerage service to people accessing and receiving individual budgets.

CHOICE IN HACKNEY

MANAGEMENT AND STAFFING STRUCTURE

DISABILITY RIGHTS ADVOCATE

For CHOICE IN HACKNEY

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title : DISABILITY RIGHTS ADVOCATE

Reports to : The Director

Grade / Salary : Scale 6 pt 26 (£25,480pa) for 35-hours per week

pro rata for 21 hours per week = £15,288pa

pro rata for 14 hours per week = £10,192pa

Contract : Fixed term (funded to 31st March 2016 with a strong possibility of an extension)

Main Purpose:

1. To enhance and run the CHOICE IN HACKNEY (CHOICE) advocacy service for disabled people – empowering service users to speak up, have their voice heard and access appropriate services.

2. To provide one-to-one advocacy support in the following areas:

· Health and social care

· Housing

· Welfare benefits

Please note this is not exhaustive list.

3. To provide up to date case management / monitoring for the advocacy service and produce reports.

4. To provide supervision to trainee advocates and volunteer advocates.

Duties:

To:

1. Respond to referrals and initiate external referrals via telephone, in writing, email etc.

2. Undertake face-to-face meetings and develop appropriate person-centred plans.

3. Work in partnership with the individual to meet their outcome.

4. Agree realistic goals with the individual based on their identified needs and to draw up a written plan of action. This will be followed by the coordination of services from various agencies, ensuring services are in place for the user.

5. Ensure service user case management files are kept up to date using Salesforce and other software packages.

6. Capture outcomes using the Outcomes Star.

7. Empower service users by supporting them to progress to self-advocacy. Also, feeding back regularly to them to ensure that services are appropriate, accessible and meet their needs.

8. Publicise the service to potential service users and external agencies via presentations, advertising and mailing publicity material.

9. Develop a best practice guide.

10. Monitor service delivery and produce reports.

11. Supervise trainees on placement as well as volunteer advocates.

12. Ensure external organisations and trainees/volunteers are kept aware of other services provided by CHOICE.

13. Be self-servicing in administration.

14. Develop with the Director, realistic work programmes for each year, targets for achievement and quality assurance measures in keeping with CHOICE monitoring and evaluation procedures.

15. Work as a member of the team.

16. Carry out any other reasonable tasks as requested by the Director.

NB: These duties will be regularly reviewed by the Director with the post holder and are likely to change as the work of the project continues to develop.

General Duties:

1. Attending regular supervision, appraisal and staff meetings to discuss workloads, priorities and other issues.

2. Attending internal and external training relevant to the job, as approved by the Director.

3. Sharing the responsibility of welcoming visitors to the office with other members of staff.

4. Carrying out all responsibilities and duties in accordance with CHOICE’s Equalities / Diversity policy.

5. Complying with CHOICE’s Health and Safety Practices.

6. Adhering to CHOICE’s policies and procedures.

DISABILITY RIGHTS ADVOCATE

For CHOICE IN HACKNEY

SALARY

Grade / Salary : Scale 6 pt 26 (£25,480pa) for 35-hours per week

pro rata for 21 hours per week = £15,288pa

pro rata for 14 hours per week = £10,192pa

Job Title : DISABILITY RIGHTS ADVOCATE

Reports to : The Director

Hours : 14-hours per week

21-hours per week

Contract : Fixed term (funded to 31st March 2016 with a strong possibility of an extension)

Holidays : 25 working days a year (pro rata).

CHOICE staff are welcome to join a trade union of their choice.

CLOSING DATE for receipt of completed applications is 4.00pm on Friday 29th May 2015.

DISABILITY RIGHTS ADVOCATE

For CHOICE IN HACKNEY

PERSON SPECIFICATION:

Essential requirements:

Experience

1. Providing holistic one-to-one advocacy to disabled people in a sensitive manner.

2. Supervising trainees / volunteers.

3. Writing / maintaining case notes and producing reports.

Skills, Abilities and Knowledge

4. Active listening skills and the ability to empathise.

5. Skilled at giving information to individuals and groups.

6. Excellent oral and written communication skills.

7. Good organisational skills, ability to prioritise caseload, work under pressure and meet deadlines.

8. Good negotiation and problem solving skills.

9. Ability to advise external agencies on good practice.

10. Ability to make information accessible to service users.

11. Ability to create a network with other disciplines / agencies.

12. Ability to research and explain information relating to service user’s issues.

13. Ability to understand the wishes / needs of disabled people and speak up on their behalf.

14. Ability to work as part of a team and independently on one’s own initiative as and when necessary.

15. A knowledge of issues faced by disabled people.

16. A knowledge of and ability to use Information Technology packages such as Microsoft Word, Access, Powerpoint and Excel.

Commitment

17. Commitment to and ability to demonstrate the Social Model of Disability.

18. Commitment to and understanding of Equal Opportunities and Diversity.

19. Enthusiastic and positive attitude to work and commitment to the ethos of CHOICE.

Other

20. Willingness to attend some evening and weekend meetings.

CHOICE IN HACKNEY

APPLICATION FORM FOR EMPLOYMENT

AS DISABILITY RIGHTS ADVOCATE

FOR 14 HOURS / 21-HOURS PER WEEK (circle as appropriate)

Mr £

Mrs £ Surname…………………………………………………………...

Ms £

Miss £ Forename(s) ……………………………………………………...

Address………………………………………………………………………...

……………...…………………………………………………………………...

…………………...……………………………………………………………...

Postcode. ………………………………………………………………………

Tel No. (Day)……………………………………………………………………

Tel No. (Evening)………………………………………………………………

Mobile No:………………………………………………………………………

Email address:…………………………………………………………………

Date of birth………………………………………………………………………

B. EDUCATION AND TRAINING

(i) Schools Dates Qualifications

………………………………………………………………………………

(ii) Colleges/Universities Dates Qualifications

………………………………………………………………………………

(iii) Other relevant training Dates Qualifications

………………………………………………………………………………

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C. Employment History (Please commence with most recent employer continuing on a separate sheet if necessary).

Dates
from - to / Name and address of employer / Job title and duties relevant to this post / Reason for leaving

Current notice required………………………………………………

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May 2015

Code: Adv.

D. REFERENCES

Please give the names and addresses of two people who are able to provide a reference for you for this post. One of your referees should be your current or most recent employer. We will not contact your present employer without your consent.

First reference:

Name…………………………………………………………………...

Position…………………………………………………………………

Organisation…………………………………………………………...

Address………………………………………………………………...

………………………………………………………………………….

Tel No……………………………………………….………………….

Email …………………………………………………………………...

Can we contact this referee before the interview? Y/N