Service Coordinator

Role: Service Coordinator - Advocacy Lead

Salary: £35,000 per annum (pro-rata) + £3333 London Allowance - £38,333 per annum, pro-rata

Location: Central London

Contract/Hours: Permanent, Part Time, 30 hours per week Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

Benefits:

• 29 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays, with up to 5 additional days for continuous service and option to buy or sell leave
• Gain professional qualifications and excellent training/development opportunities
• Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages
• Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover
• Staff discount portal and Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 national retailers discounts.

Vulnerable children in the UK need your help.

Wherever you work in the Action for Children family, you'll be helping to change the lives of the most vulnerable children in the UK. Last year, we helped more than 671,000 children and families across the UK. From direct work in communities to national campaigning, we are focused on making sure every child has a safe and happy childhood, and the foundations they need to thrive.

Why Action for Children?

Working here is more than a job. Everyone in the Action for Children family is passionate about protecting and supporting children. It's the sense of purpose that drives us every single day.

The London IV and Advocacy Service delivers Independent Visitors, Advocacy, Appropriate Adults in Age Assessments and Return Home Interviews for children in contact with Children's Social Service.

How you can create brighter futures

In this role, you will be leading a dynamic and diverse team of employed and freelance children Advocates and Volunteer Coordinators that frontline these services. With casework/advice work managerial experience and a strong understanding of the rights of Children in Need, Looked After Children and Care Leavers - including young refugees and children with disabilities -, and the children safeguarding framework, you will be responsible for the provision of inclusive services to the highest standard, both to children and commissioning bodies.

You will be a key player in delivering continuous services' improvement and innovation, within budget, as well as developing good partnership work with all stakeholders.

In this role, you will:

• Provide a high-quality Advocacy, Independent Visitors, Appropriate Adults and Return Home Interviews services to children and young people.
• Lead a team of Advocates and Volunteer Coordinators delivering services under the relevant National Standards and Guidance.
• Give advice on best practice and the rights of children in need, looked after children and care leavers.
• Collaborate with senior staff and managers to review and evaluate service provision, ensuring continued improvements, driving innovation and business development for an assigned area of work.
• Provide support to children, young people, and families by agreeing and applying interventions, liaising with other agencies and professionals.
• Participate, chair, facilitate and lead multiagency meetings.
• Nurture, develop and promote effective relationships and communication with colleagues, community organisations, partner agencies and other external agencies.

Let's talk about you

You will bring a dynamic approach to leading the Advocacy Service's growth and development, ensuring new approaches to the work are successfully implemented and securing the compliance with the relevant legal framework and applicable standards. You will also support the Independent Visitors Service, as needed, including by supervising volunteer coordinators, and providing cover for the service.

• Significant experience of working with children, young people and families in a multi-agency environment.
• Experience delivering services and promoting service improvement and innovation.
• The proven ability to lead by example with the completion of processes and procedures.
• Advanced experience of chairing, supporting, and contributing to service planning meetings.
• Experience of development and practice of community working, including influencing involvement.
• The ability to produce clear, concise written reports.
• Ability to prioritise workload to achieve and deliver within agreed timescales and within budget.
• Demonstrable experience, knowledge and understanding of childcare legislation and safeguarding requirements.

Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

Talent Pool

We know talent when we see it. But sometimes we find the right person but not for the right job. We'd love to keep your details for when the right job comes up. Let us know if you'd rather we didn't.

Diversity, equality and inclusion

At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace.
We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children.

Don't meet every single requirement?

If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with the job description, we'd love you to apply anyway. You might just be the perfect person for this role, or another role within the Action for Children family.