About Us
Community Connex is a campaigning organisation and a multi-project service provider supporting adults, young people and children with learning disabilities, mental health issues and other disadvantages, along with their families and carers, to ensure their needs, rights and aspirations are met. As part of our commitment to supporting parents involved in the Families First for Children Pathfinder Programme, we are seeking a dedicated Independent Advocate – Parental Advocacy Specialist to join our team.
The Role
As an Independent Advocate, you will provide expert advocacy support for parents, helping them navigate local authority processes, voice their concerns, and access information to make informed decisions. Your primary goal is to empower parents to effectively advocate for themselves within the children’s services sector.
Key Responsibilities
· Provide tailored advocacy support in line with the NDTI Advocacy Charter, ensuring parents’ voices are heard.
· Engage with clients on a one-to-one basis to understand their perspectives and build rapport.
· Assist clients in challenging decisions by local authorities and other agencies, including supporting complaints and obtaining legal advice.
· Facilitate parent participation in professional meetings, providing oral and written representation of their views.
· Maintain high-quality records in line with Advocacy 1st standards.
· Stay informed on relevant legislation and practices, including safeguarding guidelines and children’s acts.
· Collaborate with the team to raise awareness of advocacy services within local communities.
· Support awareness-raising activities and triage referrals when needed.
· Mentor and provide shadowing opportunities for colleagues in advocacy practices.
What we are looking for
· Strong understanding of advocacy principles and relevant legislation (e.g., Children Act, Human Rights Act) and safeguarding practices.
· Commitment to valuing, supporting, and providing choices for people with a range of support needs, enabling them to have control over their opportunities.
· Experience working with parents and/or children in an advocacy, social work, or related capacity.
· Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
· Ability to manage and prioritise a diverse caseload while maintaining a compassionate approach to support clients through challenging situations.
· Flexibility to adapt to varying service needs and work collaboratively across the service.
· Ability to adapt to hybrid working, including home-based work and travel across Luton with a car.
What We Offer:

• Hybrid working with equipment provided

• Mileage expenses for travel

• Pension contribution up to 5%

• 23 days of annual leave + bank holidays (increases after 2 years of service)

• Health cash plan

• Ongoing training and development opportunities

• Wellbeing Hub

• Bluelight Card

• Cycle to work scheme

• Death in service insurance

Apply Now:
If you are passionate about empowering parents and want to make a positive impact, we want to hear from you! Send your CV to recruitment@communityconnex.co.uk
Community Conne X is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
We also want to ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable facilities to participate in job applications or interviews to perform essential job functions. To support this, we are a Disability Confident committed employer.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: £21,000.00-£23,000.00 per year
Benefits:

• Company pension
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee discount
• Health & wellbeing programme
• Referral programme
• Work from home

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Location:

• Luton, Bedfordshire (required)

Work Location: In person
Application deadline: 18/08/2024
Reference ID: Independent Advocate, case work, mental capacity act, mental health act