Youth Advocate

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, responsive, and culturally competent.

Confidentiality, Data Protection & Information Governance

• Adhere to confidentiality procedures and communicate their limits to children and young people.
• Ensure compliance with UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, and VOYPICs records management and retention policies.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and high-quality case records, capturing outcomes and emerging themes.

Case Management & Quality Assurance

• Manage a caseload effectively, prioritising according to need, risk, and timescales.
• Actively participate in case management, supervision, and reflective practice, providing updates and outcome information as required.
• Contribute to monitoring, evaluation, and quality assurance processes, including impact and outcomes reporting.
• Record advocacy outcomes and the difference advocacy has made for children and young people.
• Contribute to contract monitoring requirements through accurate data collection and reporting.

Partnership Working & Influence

• Work collaboratively with health and social care professionals, carers, families, education, and other partners to promote best practice in childrens rights and participation.
• Provide information and advice to professionals, carers, and young people on rights, entitlements, and the role of advocacy.
• Escalate concerns and challenge decisions respectfully where children, young people and care leavers rights, entitlements or welfare may be compromised.

Training, Workshops & Service Promotion

• Prepare and deliver advocacy training and workshops to carers, professionals, and young people.
• Support VOYPICs communications work in line with branding and style guides, helping to promote the advocacy service among children and young people, families, carers, and professionals.

Digital Competence

• Use secure digital platforms for communication, recording, and remote engagement (e.g., virtual meetings, digital submissions), in line with data security policies.

Organisational Responsibilities

• To comply with and implement VOYPICs policies and procedures.
• To work in line with VOYPICs safeguarding, confidentiality, equality, GDPR and health & safety policies.
• To attend and participate in team meetings and other relevant meetings as appropriate
• To attend training courses as appropriate.
• To contribute to the activities, promotion and development of VOYPIC as an agency. working on behalf of children and young people.
• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the role.

The key responsibilities above give a broad outline of the functions of the post. However, these duties must be approached in a flexible manner. The post holder will be expected to adapt to changing circumstances and undertake other duties appropriate to the grade of the post as allocated by your line manager. The outline of responsibilities may change from time to time.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential Requirements

Qualifications

• Degree in Social Work, Youth & Community Work, Law or Psychology,

Experience

A minimum of two years’ paid experience working directly with vulnerable children and young people, both on an individual basis and within group settings.

• Experience of supporting young people to have their voices heard in decision making process
• Experience supporting children and young people with a range of needs, strengths, and communication styles.
• Experience building positive relationships with young people, families and professionals.
• Experience maintaining accurate records and handling confidential information.

Knowledge

• Understanding of the needs and experiences of children in care and care-experienced young people.
• Knowledge of children’s rights, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
• Awareness of relevant legislation and guidance, including the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995.
• Understanding of safeguarding, child protection, equality, diversity and inclusion.

Skills

• Strong communication and engagement skills.
• Ability to advocate, influence and achieve positive outcomes for young people.
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities and maintain professional relationships.
• Commitment to children’s rights, participation and inclusion.

Desirable

Experience

• Experience in care settings (residential, foster, kinship or leaving care).

Knowledge

• Knowledge of trauma-informed practice.

Other

• Full driving licence and access to a vehicle for business use.

How to apply

Applications will only be accepted on the official application form. Attached CVs will not be considered, either in lieu of the application form or in conjunction with it. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that they complete both the:

1. Application form

1. Equal Opportunities Monitoring form

An Access NI Enhanced Disclosure is required for the role.

Applications can be reviewed and downloaded by clicking in the apply button below.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 28th October at 5pm.

Applications received after this time and date will not be accepted.

Interviews will be held on 10th and 11th November 2026 in our offices at 100 Great Patrick St, Belfast BT1 2LU

Equal Opportunities Policy

VOYPIC is an equal-opportunity employer. The aim of its policy is to ensure that no job applicant receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex, pregnancy or maternity, gender reassignment, martial or civil partnership status, religious or similar philosophical belief, political opinion, racial group, sexual orientation , disability, age nor should they be disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which are neither justified

nor relevant to the job.

We are keen to increase the diversity of perspectives and experience in our staff team and welcome applications from people with experience of care, those with a Disability, from Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic backgrounds and LGBTQ+ communities.

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