Advocate

Our advocates work with children and young people who are in care, leaving care, receiving support from children's services, or otherwise experiencing difficulties in having their rights, wishes and feelings recognised. Advocacy may involve supporting a child or young person to: understand their rights and entitlements; express their wishes, feelings and views; participate meaningfully in meetings and decision-making processes; understand information and decisions affecting them; challenge decisions or actions that they believe are unfair or do not reflect their wishes and feelings; make a complaint or raise concerns; access appropriate services and support; identify and understand their options; communicate directly with professionals, services or decision-makers; and have their voice heard when decisions are being made about their lives. Our advocacy is child‑led, independent, confidential and rights‑based. The advocate's role is to support the child or young person to have as much control as possible over their advocacy and to ensure that their voice is heard, rather than to speak on their behalf or make decisions for them. We work in accordance with recognised principles and standards of good advocacy practice, including the Advocacy Charter, the Advocacy Code of Practice, the National Standards for the Provision of Children's Advocacy Services and Coram Voice's quality and professional practice requirements. About the Role We are looking for an Advocate to join our Cheshire East team. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about children's rights and wants to make a meaningful difference to the lives of children and young people. You may already have experience of advocacy and hold, or be working towards, an IAP City & Guilds Level 3 or IAQ City & Guilds Level 4 qualification in Advocacy. Alternatively, you may have transferable experience and be looking for an opportunity to develop your career in children's advocacy. You will work directly with children and young people in, and on the edges of, care, providing independent advocacy in the community and across a range of settings. You will support children and young people to have their voices heard and to participate meaningfully in decisions about their lives. This may include supporting them to understand their rights, express their wishes and feelings, understand their options, challenge decisions, raise concerns and make complaints. The role will involve working alongside children and young people to identify what is important to them and to support them to communicate their views in a way that works for them. You will use a range of advocacy approaches and communication methods, adapting your approach to the individual child or young person's circumstances, needs and preferences. You will maintain the independence of the advocacy relationship and work constructively with social workers, carers and other services to ensure that the child's or young person's views are heard, considered and responded to. You will manage your own caseload, maintain accurate records, contribute to effective case management and work in accordance with Coram Voice policies, procedures and quality standards. Safeguarding is central to our work. You will be expected to recognise and respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns and to ensure that children and young people are supported safely throughout the advocacy process. Our advocacy is child‑led, independent, confidential and rights‑based. The advocate's role is to support children and young people to exercise choice and control and to have their own voice heard, rather than to make decisions on their behalf. Recruitment process Our Children’s Rights Managers will undertake shortlisting. Successful candidates will be invited for interview. The interview process comprises of a written exercise and a panel interview. Successful candidates will have a further one to one interview with an independent Warner consultant in accordance within Warner recommendations. Internal candidates will need to notify HR of their interest in the post and they will provide further information on the internal application process. Coram is committed to improving the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable children and young people. We support children and young people from birth to independence, creating a change that lasts a lifetime. Coram is the UK’s oldest children’s charity founded by Thomas Coram in London helping vulnerable children and young people since 1739. Today, the Coram group helps more than one million children, young people, families and professionals every year by providing access to the skills and opportunities they need to thrive. About Coram Voice Coram Voice is a national independent children’s charity, established in 1975. We are one of the UK’s leading organisations working to ensure that children and young people are heard, their rights are respected and the systems responsible for supporting them are held to account. We exist to enable and equip children and young people to have a meaningful voice in decisions about their lives. We provide independent advocacy that supports children and young people to understand their rights, express their wishes and feelings, participate in decisions and challenge decisions or practices where necessary. Our vision is for a society in which children and young people are listened to, respected and actively involved in decisions that affect their lives, and where inequality and discrimination are challenged and eradicated. Our Advocacy services Coram Voice provides independent advocacy directly to children and young people in a wide range of circumstances. What you will receive competitive salary; matched pension contributions of up to 5% of salary; generous annual leave entitlement of up to 25 days, increasing with length of service; an additional three days' paid leave between Christmas and New Year; family‑friendly policies; support for employee wellbeing; a supportive working environment; and opportunities for learning, development and professional growth. Interview date: Interviews are likely to take place on Thursday 5th November. General consideration for applications DBS checks: all posts are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring check. Training: All successful candidates are required to complete our compulsory training programme which includes training in Advocacy (Advocacy in Action), Safeguarding, and Diversity. Conflict of interest: the independence of the service is important to Coram Voice. Prospective applicants need to raise any other potential conflicts of interest when initially contacting Coram Voice about this post. Coram is an equal opportunities employer and we believe a diverse workforce enables us to improve the services to the children and families we help. We are genuinely committed to encouraging candidates from all sections of the community we seek to support. This includes those from, Asian, African, Caribbean and other minority ethnic backgrounds, those that identify as LGBQT+, those with disabilities, those with lived experience of care, those with neurodiversity, and those from other groups who are underrepresented at Coram. If applicants feel comfortable, we would encourage them to draw on lived experience as well as professional experience in their personal statement as part of their application. We are committed to the safeguarding of children and where appropriate will require the successful applicant to undertake a check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. Registered Charity No. 312278. #J-18808-Ljbffr