SWAN supports and empowers people to have a voice, by ensuring access to high quality, independent advocacy support. We believe that everyone has the right to be heard & respected, the right to choice in decisions about themselves and the right to be safe.
Role Overview
The Advocacy Support Team are the first point of contact for the organisation in their contracted areas. They are responsible for handling calls, responding to enquiries, and triaging incoming referrals from a range of professionals and vulnerable people.
This is a busy and demanding role which requires the Team Supervisor to ensure that our clients and referrers always receive the best possible service. Each contract has a dedicated Advocacy support officer(s) with specific contractual and local knowledge to support the service area.
The Team Supervisor must be professional and helpful with high standards and is expected to lead by example. It is the Team Supervisors responsibility to ensure that the advocacy support team are knowledgeable, responsive and up to date with the services that we offer, be prepared to go the extra mile and ensure that we offer a ‘no wrong door’ approach.
The Team Supervisor has overall line management responsibility for the Advocacy Support Team and volunteers who support this area of business, ensuring a working pattern that delivers adequate and responsive team cover across all SWAN contracts. Responsibility also includes working in alignment with SWAN values and working collegiately to build collaborative relationships with all Service Managers and the wider workforce.
The Advocacy Support team, work within a hybrid model and need to remain flexible in their working hours to ensure cover during sickness and annual leave periods.
The Team Supervisor must be available to cover the Business between 9am–5pm Monday to Friday and be mainly office based, but with the flexibility of occasional home working.
The post is subject to 2 references including previous employer, evidence of right to work in the UK and an enhanced DBS check.
Salary - £28,921,11 - £31,602.88, the lower salary will be paid to new starters
Please Note; We will be actively interviewing suitable applicants on an ongoing basis and reserve the right to withdraw this advert before the closing date if a suitable applicant is found.
Duties and responsibilities
· Lead and Line manage the team to provide a friendly and professional first point of contact for the organisation.
· Support our advocacy teams in the delivery of outcome focused, issue based, person directed advocacy support in line with the relevant legislation for the advocacy/advice discipline, regulations, codes of practice, funding bids and internal policy and procedures.
· Ensure all referrals (online, phone calls & emails) are processed in line with statutory guidance and service criteria to meet contractual deadlines.
· Provide information and signposting to other organisations.
· Ensure thorough knowledge and understanding of all SWAN’s contracts to advise and support the team
· Ensure consent and confidentiality protocols are adhered to.
· Accurately record all essential information on SWAN’s client database
· To ensure all mandatory training is in date and identify any training needs and report them to the Head of Services
· Ensure accurate collation, recording and reporting of all data, providing reports as required.
· Provide and minute regular weekly catch-up meetings and team meetings. Follow up actions as necessary.
· Provide regular supervision in line with SWAN’s requirements for direct reports.
· Undertake all other people management responsibilities for the team in relation to absence and performance management
· Provide cover as needed to support sickness/annual leave across the team
· Assist with the recruitment and onboarding of Advocacy Support team members
·Identify risks at the point of referral and ensure compliance with risk management procedures
· Ensure the effective de-escalation of client issues in accordance with the organisation’s policy and procedure
· Adhere to all relevant legislation and organisational policies and procedures in relation to safeguarding.
· To act as a role model by demonstrating commitment to safe working practices.
· To identify risks in delivering the services and ensure compliance with risk management procedures
· Work with continuous improvement in mind and raise issues to your line Manager
· May include other duties in line with the needs of the business
General Information
The Employee must always carry out his/her responsibilities with due regard to SWAN’s policies and procedures in particular; Health & Safety, Financial Authorisation, Confidentiality with regard to the Data Protection Act 2018 and all other relevant regulations.
Equality, diversity and inclusion are core to our values. In the selection of our staff, we are committed to equality with regards to protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. We welcome applications from disabled people. The Employee must ensure a positive commitment towards equality by treating others fairly and not committing any form of direct or indirect discrimination, victimisation or harassment of any description and to promote positive working relations amongst employees, suppliers and clients.
The above Job Description is not intended to be exhaustive; the duties and responsibilities may therefore vary over time according to the changing needs of the company.
Experience and Knowledge crucial for the role:
· Experience of working within services for vulnerable people
· Some experience of managing people and/or resources
Desirable:
· Knowledge of contracted services in the voluntary sector
· Understanding of the principles and role of advocacy
· Experience of working in a Customer Service Environment
INDSUPP
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £28,921.11-£31,602.88 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company pension
- Health & wellbeing programme
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Taunton TA2 6HB: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)
Application question(s):
- To help us with our shortlisting, please use this opportunity to tell us why we should consider you for this role
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (preferred)
Work Location: In person
