Volunteer Independent Advocate

The HOPE project (Helping Others Participate and Engage) is a partnership project between Age Cymru, Age Cymru local partners and Age Connects Wales partners across the whole of Wales. HOPE will enable older people (50+) and carers to engage and participate, access information and have their voices and wishes heard. People will be supported to make their own choices and decisions, to understand their rights and promote involvement as the person requires.

Advocacy Volunteer Role

You will support people in your local community to have their voices and wishes heard and to achieve their personal aspirations and goals. Within this role you will support people with their issues or concerns and to ultimately empower them to be able to resolve similar issues themselves in the future.  Together you will develop a personal action plan and work to achieve their aspirations.

Main duties and responsibilities of advocacy volunteers

·       To listen to and understand the issues and desired outcomes of the person you are supporting

·       Establish appropriate ways of working to meet each person’s needs

·       Help the person understand and access the opportunities and information available to them to make informed choices and decisions

·       Develop an action plan with the person wanting advocacy support, working together towards achieving their desired outcomes

·       Enabling the person to shape the advocacy support they wish to receive

·       Provide practical support and help as needed. This may take form of

–          Helping the person to prepare for appointments or meetings and / or providing appropriate assistance to ensure the person’s views and wishes are taken into account

–          Helping to write letters or filling in forms

–          Exploring and researching options that are available to the person

·       Provide the support required, establish appropriate boundaries including appropriately ending the support

·       Attend meetings with your supervisor at Age Cymru as agreed and update regularly on the status of the support being provided including any concerns

·       Keep records of your meetings and comply with data protection regulations, ensuring that our service user information is kept confidential.

• To adhere to all Age Cymru values, policies, and procedures
• Respond to the requirements and requests by your supervisor at Age Cymru

Requirements to become a volunteer

As part of your role, we will need you to complete required processes to become a HOPE advocacy volunteer. We will need your initial application form; from there we will contact you to discuss the role and requirements further. As part of the recruitment process, we will ask you to complete our DBS check and provide us with contact details of two referees. As an advocacy volunteer, you will be asked to complete our volunteer agreement and induction training, prior start date.