HOMELESS HEALTH PEER ADVOCACY PROGRAMME PAID PEER ADVOCATE: WORKING HOURS - 28 HOURS PER WEEK OVER 4 DAYS (*FLEXIBLE)
Salary - €29,620.62 (pro rata)
DESCRIPTION: DEPAUL'S VISION is of a society in which everyone has a place to call home and a stake in their community.
DEPAUL'S MISSION is to end homelessness and change the lives of those affected by it.
We believe that we cannot achieve our vision & mission without the active involvement of volunteers in our work.
Working with Depaul will give you an opportunity to work with an organisation that underpins its work in the following values:
We celebrate the potential in peopleWe put our words into actionWe aim to take a wider role in civil societyWe believe in rights and responsibilitiesOur service users come from all backgrounds and may have a range of complex needs.
This may include mental health, domestic violence, convictions, bereavement, unemployment, alcohol and addictions issues etc.
OVERVIEW: St James's Hospital has developed the first hospital-based Inclusion Health Service in the world.
This service provides inpatient and outpatient liaison for homeless adults.
The Depaul Homeless Health Peer Advocacy programme will work closely with the Inclusion Health teams, homeless services and other health care professionals.
The aim of this service is to reduce unplanned use of health services, missed appointments and to re-engage and retain individuals in specialist care services.
The Homeless Health Peer Advocacy programme works directly with homeless services such as hostels to support vulnerable individuals to access health care.
ROLE DESCRIPTION: We are looking for an individual who has a lived experience of homelessness to join our team.
The Peer Advocates accompany service users to and from health appointments and help people better understand their health needs and receive appropriate support.
We work to improve service users' confidence in using health services and increase their ability to access healthcare independently.
The Homeless Health Peer Advocates will attend health care appointments with service users, supporting them in navigating the health care system and advocating on behalf of the service users to ensure they get the treatment they need.
The HHPA service is open to all which will involve the Peer Advocates supporting people with co-morbidities such as drug/alcohol addiction, complex mental health needs, domestic and family violence, cognitive impairments, and people with a forensic history.
PAID PEER ADVOCATE'S MAIN TASKS: Work alongside different referring agencies such as Inclusion health teams, homeless services and medical services.Participate in assessing new referrals referred into the service with the line manager.Accompany and advocate for people at health care appointments.
This may include a variety of appointments, including GP's, hospital, dental, mental health and many more.Provide clear effective handovers to service user's key workers after appointment support.Using a check in/check out system with the line manager before and after appointments.Help health care providers to make contact with service users and notify them of their appointments.Focus on building the skills and confidence to enable service users to continue accessing health services independently.Facilitate health promotion groups.Engage in lived experience groups and support the development of DePaul's Lived experience group.Engage in supporting different research as appropriate and support with assessing service user's health outcomes through questionnaires.Attend different homeless services highlighting the HHPA service to staff and service users.Attend team meetings and any training organised by line Manager which has been identified as beneficial for your progression in the role.Adhere to all Depaul policies and local procedures.Adhere fully to Organisational Risk Management Procedures, especially in relation to assessing risk and to lone working.Ensure that all service users' information is recorded and stored as required (OTIS database/other records) and in line with Data Protection regulations and Depaul's Confidentiality Policy.Respect the service users' rights to confidentiality in our relationship with them as per the Depaul Confidentiality policy and code of conduct.Promote respect, diversity and equal opportunities.Attend supervision sessions with Line Manager to discuss your professional development.The above list is not exhaustive; additional areas of responsibility may be added over time.
SKILLS OF A PEER ADVOCATE: The ideal advocate should:
Have a lived experience of homelessness.Be willing to travel to different locations, this may involve some occasional travel to different counties in Ireland.Good time management skills.Have good written and verbal communication skills.Be secure in recovery if relevant.Basic IT skills.QUALITIES OF A PEER ADVOCATE: Be committed and reliable.Understand the importance of boundaries and be comfortable to ask for support when needed.Be keen to learn new skills.Be a good listener who is interested in others and what they have to offer.Be confident to speak about their own experiences.Treat others in a non-judgemental way and with respect.Be comfortable with working alone with service users and to be aware of any risks should they arise.EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES: Depaul strives to create a diverse and inclusive programme and is committed to ensuring equality of access to our opportunities and equality of treatment for our volunteers in all our policies and practices.
We welcome applications from individuals aged 18 and over from a diverse range of backgrounds.
APPLICATION: If you are interested in becoming a Homeless Health Peer Advocate, please answer the following questions.
You will have to undergo Garda vetting if successful in your application.
If you have any queries you can contact Rachel McMahon: 0860787099.
*At Depaul Ireland, we understand the importance of flexibility.
While the role involves working 28 hours over 4 days, we are happy to consider individual requirements.
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