Join The Team

Advent Advocacy is offering an exciting opportunity to join our team as an Independent Advocate in Mental Health.

In this role, you will provide independent advocacy to people receiving care and treatment in secure mental health settings, as well as residential and care-home services. You will support people with a range of needs, including learning disabilities, physical health conditions, mental health needs, acquired brain injuries and dementia.

You will help people to understand their rights, express their views and wishes, and ensure that their voice is heard in decisions about their care, treatment and wellbeing.

Role Overview

You will work independently across assigned services, supporting eligible people under the Mental Health Act 1983 and providing advocacy in line with relevant legislation, contractual requirements, and Advent Advocacy’s policies and procedures.

This is a lone-working role. You will be required to travel to and work in the allocated services as an Independent Advocate.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required for this post.

Purpose of the Role

You will deliver effective:

• Generic mental health advocacy

• Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)

• Paid Relevant Person’s Representative (PRPR) advocacy

You will support people using the services allocated to you, ensuring they are able to communicate their wishes, feelings, beliefs and views to staff and professionals involved in their care, treatment and wellbeing.

Where appropriate, you will empower people to self-advocate and make informed decisions. You will also promote awareness of advocacy services among people using services, their families, and service staff.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver advocacy in a positive, professional and proactive manner, building effective relationships with people using services and with service staff.

• Be physically present at allocated services to provide advocacy support to eligible individuals.

• Obtain relevant handover information from service staff at the start of each visit and provide appropriate verbal feedback before leaving.

• Use a range of communication methods to ensure that all eligible people have the opportunity to access our opt-out advocacy service.

• Provide non-instructed advocacy, where appropriate, for people who are unable to engage directly with the service.

• Support people to understand their rights under the Mental Health Act 1983, Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Human Rights Act 1998.

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of the advocacy services available to people, including IMHA, Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA), Care Act advocacy and PRPR advocacy.

• Make appropriate referrals to local-authority advocacy services where required.

• Maintain professional boundaries, integrity and confidentiality at all times, acting on the person’s instructions when raising concerns.

• Recognise and respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns, escalating these to service staff, the Advent Advocacy Safeguarding Team and the relevant local authority where necessary.

• Ensure safeguarding concerns and alerts are recorded, monitored and followed up in accordance with organisational procedures.

• Attend meetings with people using services, staff and other professionals when requested by the person being supported.

• Where appropriate, provide remote advocacy support for important meetings held outside your scheduled service visits.

• Maintain clear, timely and detailed case notes, along with accurate statistical information, in line with Advent Advocacy’s Case Note and Reporting Policy.

• Complete records for all advocacy work undertaken, including work delivered during ad-hoc service cover.

• Prepare and submit monthly and quarterly reports for allocated services within the timescales set by the Quality Assurance Team.

• Complete all required induction training and successfully complete the three-month probationary period.

• Attend and participate actively in regular supervision with your designated supervisor.

• Complete ongoing continuing professional development (CPD) and training as directed by your supervisor.

• Share learning and good practice with colleagues across the organisation.

• Undertake other duties that are reasonably required and consistent with the overall purpose of the role.

Person Requirements

The successful candidate will be passionate about empowering people, committed to upholding rights, and able to work independently while maintaining strong professional relationships.

You will need to demonstrate:

• An understanding of the importance of independent advocacy.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

• The ability to communicate effectively with people with a wide range of communication needs.

• Confidence working independently and managing a varied workload.

• Strong organisation, time-management and record-keeping skills.

• The ability to maintain confidentiality, professional boundaries and accurate case records.

• A working knowledge of safeguarding responsibilities.

• A commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion and human rights.

• A willingness to travel to allocated services and work independently across the local area.

Location: Darlington DL3, Middlesbrough TS2, Hartlepool TS26, Bishop Auckland DL14

Salary: £13,226.67 per annum (£24,800 pro rata)

Job Type: Part-time hours (20 hours per week)

Working Pattern: Monday – Friday

Essential: A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be carried out for this position

Location: Wellington TA21

Salary: £13,226.67 per annum (£24,800 pro rata)

Job Type: Part-time (20 hours)

Working Pattern: Monday – Friday

Essential: A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be carried out for this position

Location: Bury BL8 and Manchester M6

Salary: £21,162.67 - £24,800 per annum

Job Type: Full-time and Part-time hours available (32 to 37.5 hours per week)

Working Pattern: Monday – Friday

Essential: A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be carried out for this position

Location: Daventry NN11

Salary: £7,936 per annum

Job Type: Part-time (12 hours per week)

Working Pattern: Monday – Friday

Essential: A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be carried out for this position

Location: Hatfield AL9, Potters Bar EN6 and Borehamwood WD6 3QU

Salary: £24,800 per annum

Job Type: Full-time (37.5 hours per week)

Working Pattern: Monday – Friday

Essential: A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be carried out for this position