Youth Advocate TLNT_NI

Position: Youth Advocate TLNT1_NI
Job Title:

Youth Advocate

Location:

100 Great Patrick Street, Belfast, BT1 2LU
Salary: NJC points 19-24 £ 32,061 - £35,412 Reporting to:

Advocacy Service Manager Term: 1 year Fixed term with a possibility of extension

Hours:

37.5 hours per week Role Purpose To provide professional, independent advocacy support to children and young people living in kinship care, foster care, residential care, and to care-experienced young people across the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT) and other Health and Social Care Trusts as required. As a Youth Advocate, you will ensure that children and young people are informed, empowered, and supported to participate meaningfully in decisions that affect their lives.

The role promotes and safeguards children's rights and entitlements in accordance with the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, the Children (Leaving Care) Act (Northern Ireland) 2002, the Adoption and Children Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and other relevant legislation, policy, and guidance.

Key Responsibilities Individual Advocacy Support Provide independent, young person-led advocacy support to ensure children and young peoples views, wishes, and feelings are heard in relevant decision-making processes. Maintain professional boundaries and ensure the advocates role remains independent from statutory services and other service providers. Provide children and young people in care and leaving care with relevant user-friendly information about their rights and entitlements and support them in interpreting and understanding information so that they can make well-informed decisions.

Clearly explain the advocates role, including confidentiality, to children and young people. Support children and young people to develop the skills and knowledge to self-advocate and to represent their views to key decision-makers. Link in with groups and forums for children and young people so that advocates share insight in the issues facing young people in care and work in partnership to develop solutions.

Ensure adherence to the advocacy charter, codes of practice and standards. Visiting Advocacy Maintain a visiting advocacy service for children and young people in residential care and across other settings. Build and maintain positive, trusting relationships with children and young people through regular visits to residential care settings. Promote awareness of advocacy services, children's rights and complaints procedures. Ensure that children and young people in residential care are informed of their rights and provide individual advocacy support to chidlrenadn young people as requied.

Rights, Safeguarding & Legal Frameworks Promote and uphold childrens rights under the the Children (NI) Order 1995, the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2002, the Adoption and Children Act 2022 the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and relevant guidance and standards. Recognise, respond to, and report safeguarding concerns promptly in line with VOYPICs safeguarding policy and procedures.

Keep children and young people informed about safeguarding actions taken, in line with best practice and their safety. Keep up to date with policy, practice, and legislative changes impacting children and young people in and leaving care. Communication, Inclusion & Accessibility Use a range of communication methods and tools (e.g., easy-read, visual aids, trauma-informed approaches, digital platforms) to enable meaningful participation by children, young people and care leavers with diverse needs.

Work with interpreters, communication aids, and specialist services where required. Promote anti-discriminatory practice and ensure services are inclusive,…