The Independent Visiting and Advocacy Coordinator will play a key role in delivering high-quality, child-centred services across Sefton. Working across both the Independent Visiting and Advocacy Services, the postholder will coordinate and oversee service delivery, ensuring that children and young people in care receive appropriate support, opportunities to have their voices heard, and access to positive, trusted adult relationships.
The role involves managing referrals, supporting and supervising volunteers and advocates, promoting the services to stakeholders, and ensuring services remain independent, responsive to individual needs, and compliant with contractual requirements and performance standards. The successful candidate will be committed to achieving positive outcomes for children and young people and have significant experience of working directly with children and young people from diverse backgrounds.
Advocacy service
· Oversee the day-to-day delivery of advocacy services ensuring an appropriate response is made to all children and young people referred to children’s services.
- Manage referrals and allocate cases to advocates in a timely and efficient manner.
- Maintain accurate records, databases, and case management systems.
- Ensure services meet quality standards and contractual obligations.
- To ensure contractual targets are consistently being monitored and met
- To lead on marketing activity for the geographical area allocated. Ensuring the service is well promoted within local authorities and amongst its staff and young people.
- To assist with, and at times lead on training delivery
- To liaise with social workers, carers and other professionals on young people’s behalf.
- To assist in the recruitment, training and supervision of advocates
- To support delivery of the services, including holding a case load proportionate to your availability
- Delivery of direct advocacy support as & when required
Independent Visiting service
· To coordinate and develop the Independent Visitor Service in line with Reconstruct guidance, organisational policies, and the National Standards for Independent Visitors.
· To meet with children and young people following referral to introduce the service and co-produce their individual profile, ensuring their views are central to the matching process. To ensure children and young people are informed, consulted, and actively involved at all stages of the service, with their wishes and feelings recorded and reflected in ongoing monitoring of the relationship with their Independent Visitor.
· To meet with significant adults, including those with parental responsibility where appropriate, to support recruitment and matching decisions, taking individual circumstances into account.
· To lead on the recruitment, selection, and onboarding of volunteer Independent Visitors.
· To ensure Independent Visitors complete a full induction and training programme, and receive ongoing support throughout their match to enable them to carry out their role confidently and effectively.
· To provide regular formal 1:1 supervision and support to Independent Visitors through telephone contact, email, and both individual and group meetings.
· To ensure children, young people, and volunteers understand Reconstruct’s policies on confidentiality and safeguarding, including clear guidance on record keeping and information sharing.
· To support and promote active participation of children and young people in the ongoing development of the service.
· To contribute to service promotion, including partnership working with foster carers, residential staff, social workers, advocates, participation workers, and Children in Care Councils.
· To maintain accurate financial, administrative, and case records in line with organisational requirements, including monitoring and authorising volunteer out-of-pocket expenses.
· To maintain a good working knowledge of local services and systems relevant to the role.
· To collate and provide statistical information and case studies as required by the line manager or wider organisation.
· To actively recognise, challenge, and address discrimination and prejudice in the workplace.
· To treat all individuals with respect, dignity, and fairness, and to promote equality and diversity in all aspects of service delivery.
· To adhere to organisational Health and Safety policies and procedures.
· To maintain confidentiality at all times and comply with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Reporting and Monitoring
- To collate, monitor and analyse quantitative and qualitative data relating to service delivery and outcomes.
- To prepare regular reports, statistical returns, case studies and outcome information for internal and external audiences, including commissioners.
- To complete quarterly monitoring reports and contribute to service evaluation processes.
- To support monitoring, evaluation and reporting requirements for allocated contracts.
Partnership Working and Promotion
- To lead on promotional and marketing activity within the allocated geographical area, ensuring services are well promoted amongst local authorities, partner agencies, professionals, carers and young people.
- To build and maintain effective working relationships with statutory agencies, community organisations and other stakeholders.
- To attend and contribute to multi-agency meetings and forums as required, representing the organisation professionally.
- To contribute to wider organisational Communities of Practice and relevant national and regional networks.
- To maintain a good working knowledge of local services and systems relevant to children and young people.
Safeguarding, Compliance and Quality Assurance
- To ensure compliance with safeguarding and child protection procedures and respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns.
- To ensure compliance with the Children Act, Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance, GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018 and all other relevant legislation and guidance.
- To ensure children, young people, staff and volunteers understand policies relating to safeguarding, confidentiality, information sharing and record keeping.
- To maintain accurate financial, administrative and case records in line with organisational and contractual requirements.
- To ensure contractual targets, KPI’s and quality standards are consistently monitored and achieved.
- To support audits, evaluations, inspections and contract monitoring processes.
- To contribute to the development and review of policies, procedures and service improvements.
- To authorise and monitor volunteer out-of-pocket expenses, ensuring submissions are completed accurately and on time.
Recruitment, Training and Supervision
- To lead on the recruitment, selection and onboarding of volunteer Independent Visitors, advocates and Return Home Interview workers as required.
- To ensure all volunteers and staff complete induction and mandatory training programmes.
- To assist with and, where appropriate, lead training delivery and facilitate group sessions.
- To provide regular formal supervision, support and guidance to advocates, Return Home Interview workers and Independent Visitors through telephone contact, email, individual supervision and group meetings.
- To identify training and development needs and support continuous professional development opportunities.
- To facilitate team meetings and promote a collaborative and reflective learning culture.
Equality & Safeguarding
Reconstruct is an inclusive organisation committed to equality and diversity. We warmly welcome applications from candidates from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds.
Any offer of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, confirmation of the right to work in the UK, and an enhanced DBS check.
Interested?
Please send your CV and covering letter or contact us for an initial informal discussion about the role. [email protected]
Job Type: Part-time
Pay: £27,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Work from home
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Sefton
