Depaul Homeless Health Peer Advocacy Programme
Temporary Role
Working Hours – Full Time 35 Hours Per Week Monday-Friday
Salary- £12.80 per hour
OVERVIEW:
The aim of this service is to reduce unplanned use of health services, missed appointments and to re-engage and retain individuals in specialist care services. The Homeless Health Peer Advocacy programme works directly with homeless services; such as hostels to support vulnerable individuals to access health care.
ROLE DESCRIPTION:
We are looking for an individual who has lived experienced homelessness, addiction or personal experience of supporting a close relative with the same. The Peer Advocates accompany service users to and from health appointments and help people better understand their health needs and receive appropriate support. We work to improve service users' confidence in using health services and increase their ability to access healthcare independently.
The Homeless Health Peer Advocates will attend health care appointments with service users, supporting in navigating the health care system and advocating on behalf of the service users to ensure they get the treatment they need. The HHPA service is open to all which will involve the Peer Advocates supporting people with co- morbidities such as drug/alcohol addiction, complex mental health needs, domestic and family violence, cognitive impairments, and people with forensic history.
Depauls Values:
- We celebrate the potential in people
- We put our words into action
- We aim to take a wider role in civil society
- We believe in rights and responsibilities
Depauls vision is of a society in which everyone has a place to call home and a stake in their community.
Depauls mission is to end homelessness and change the lives of those affected by it.
We believe that we cannot achieve our vision & mission without the active involvement of volunteers in our work.
Working with Depaul will give you an opportunity to work with an organisation that underpins its work in the following values
Working with Depaul will give you a unique opportunity to experience our work and what a values-led organisation means. As a staff member you will experience first-hand our approach to the issue of homelessness and how we work with and value those affected by it.
Our service users come from all backgrounds and may have a range of complex needs. This may include mental health, domestic violence, convictions, bereavement, unemployment, alcohol and addictions issues etc.
PAID PEER ADVOCATE’S MAIN TASKS
- Work alongside different referring agencies such as the homeless nurse, the Addictions Treatment unit and a host of voluntary and/or health related agencies.
- Participate in assessing new referrals referred into the service with the line manager.
- Accompany and advocate for people at health care appointments. This may be a variety of appointments, including gp’s, hospital, dental, mental health and many more.
- Provide clear effective handovers to service user’s key workers after appointment support.
- Using a check in/check out system with the line manager before and after appointments.
- Help health care providers to make contact with service users and notify them of their appointments.
- Focus on building the skills and confidence to enable service users to continue accessing health services independently.
- Facilitate health promotion groups.
- Engage in lived experience groups and support the development of Depauls Lived experience group.
- Engage in supporting different research as appropriate and support with assessing service user’s health outcomes through the questionnaires.
- Attend different homeless services highlighting the HHPA service to staff and service users.
- To attend team meetings and any training organised by line Manager which has been identified as beneficial for your progression in the role.
- To adhere to all Depaul policies and local procedures.
- To adhere fully to Organisational Risk Management Procedures, especially in relation to assessing risk and to lone working.
- To ensure that all service users information is recorded and stored as required (OTIS database/other records) and in line with Data Protection regulations and Depaul’s Confidentiality Policy.
- To respect the service users' right to confidentiality in our relationship with them as per the Depaul Confidentiality policy and code of conduct.
- To promote respect, diversity and equal opportunities.
- To attend supervision sessions with Line Manager to discuss your professional development.
The above list is not exhaustive; additional areas of responsibility may be added over time.
SKILLS OF A PEER ADVOCATE
The ideal advocate should:
- Have a lived experience of homelessness and/or addictions or supporting a close relative with the same.
- Be willing to travel to different locations, this may involve some occasional travel to different counties in Ireland.
- Good time management skills.
- Have good written and verbal communication skills.
- Be secure in recovery if relevant.
- Basic IT skills.
QUALITIES OF A PEER ADVOCATE:
- Be committed and reliable.
- Understand the importance of boundaries and be comfortable to ask for support when needed.
- Be keen to learn new skills.
The ideal advocate should:
- Be a good listener who is interested in others and what they have to offer.
- Be confident to speak about their own experiences.
- Treat others in a non-judgemental way and with respect.
- Be comfortable with working alone with service users and to be aware of any risks should they arise.
Experience
- 1 year paid relevant work experience or 2 years relevant volunteering experience
Skills
- Good working knowledge of risk assessment and risk management processes
- Good IT skills, including working knowledge of using IT systems to record client information
- Good written and verbal communication skills.
- The ability to compile and present accurate written and electronic reports
Knowledge
- Have an understanding of homelessness and the issues that can lead to homelessness
- Have an understanding of what supports can be offered in homeless services to promote positive futures
- Have a knowledge of the statutory and voluntary sector resources available to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness
- Understand the importance for Health and Safety standards in the delivery of services on a day to day basis.
- Knowledge of relevant statutory and voluntary agencies and the ability to network/liaise with all relevant bodies
- Knowledge and willingness to work within the guidelines of Depaul vision mission and values.
Circumstances
Availability Monday- Friday and must be flexible between 8:30-6
Must have access to a car and a full, clean driving license
Access NI
This Post is subject to an Enhanced Access NI check. Having a criminal record will not necessarily debar you from working with Depaul. This will depend on the nature of the position, together with the circumstances and background of your offences or other information contained on a disclosure certificate.
NISCC
This post is subject to NISCC registration, if you do hold a valid registration this must be completed within your probationary period.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES:
Depaul strives to create a diverse and inclusive programme and is committed to ensuring equality of access to our opportunities and equality of treatment for our volunteers in all our policies and practices. We welcome applications from individuals aged 18 and over from a diverse range of backgrounds.
Closing date 26.6.26
