Job Description

At Rethink Mental Illness, everything we do starts with people. Our Advocacy teams stand alongside individuals who need support to understand their rights, express their wishes and navigate complex decisions about their care.
We’re now looking for a Trainee Single Discipline Advocate RPR Triage — someone with passion, empathy, and the motivation to learn. If you’re ready to grow into a specialist advocacy role and make a genuine difference every day, we’ll support you every step of the way.
This is a part time (17.5 Hours) role based in Camden & Islington

What this role is all about
As a Trainee Advocate, you’ll begin your journey by enrolling on the Level 4 Independent Advocacy Practice qualification. We’ll give you protected study time, close supervision, and practical learning opportunities so you can build knowledge and confidence.
You’ll start by shadowing experienced advocates and gradually progress toward managing your own caseload. Your primary focus will be providing Relevant Person’s Paid Representative (RPR) support to people who have been deprived of their liberty under the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
In this role, every day is about upholding rights, reducing restrictions, and ensuring each person’s voice — spoken or unspoken — is respected in decisions about their life.

What you’ll be doing
• Supporting people to understand their rights and options under DoLS.
• Visiting clients across the community, including care homes, supported living and hospital settings.
• Empowering people to express their wishes — or representing their rights when they cannot express their views.
• Learning to assess capacity, challenge decisions, and request reviews where necessary.
• Building strong working relationships with professionals, carers and partner agencies.
• Keeping accurate, person centred records on our case management system.
• Identifying safeguarding concerns and raising alerts appropriately.
• Managing your own time and visits effectively as a field based worker.
• Developing the skills needed to progress into a qualified Single Discipline Advocate (RPR).

What we’re looking for
You don’t need advocacy experience — just the right attitude and values.
• You’re ready to commit to the Level 4 Advocacy qualification.
• You bring transferable skills and a desire to grow into a specialist advocate role.
• You’re empathetic, non judgemental, and passionate about people’s rights.
• You can communicate with individuals who may have a range of communication needs.
• You’re organised, curious, and proactive about developing your knowledge.
• You’re confident using IT and managing your own workload.
• You can travel across Camden & Islington to visit clients and attend training.

Your development matters
From day one you’ll be supported with:
• A structured training pathway
• Shadowing, mentoring, and reflective practice
• Regular supervision
• Opportunities to learn across different advocacy remits
When you successfully complete the qualification, you'll progress into a Single Discipline Advocate (RPR) role.

Ready to start a career that truly changes lives?
If you’re driven by purpose and want a role where every conversation matters, we’d love to hear from you.
Apply today and help us create a future where everyone feels heard, respected and empowered.

Why Work With Rethink Mental Illness?
At Rethink Mental Illness, we believe that when you feel supported, you can make the biggest difference. That’s why we offer a range of benefits to help you thrive:
• Inclusive Culture: Join staff networks that champion diversity and inclusion.
• Wellbeing Support: Access our Wellbeing Hub, Employee Assistance Programme, and the Unmind mental health app.
• Recognition & Rewards: Enjoy discounts, cashback offers, and celebrate achievements through our PULSE platform.
• Flexible Working & Generous Leave: Starting at 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays and your birthday off), with options to buy or sell extra days.
• Learning & Development: Grow your career with structured onboarding and training opportunities.
• Financial & Family Support: Contributory pension scheme, enhanced family leave, and travel benefits like season ticket loans and cycle-to-work schemes.
• Referral Bonus: Earn up to £300 for introducing someone to our team.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
Diversity is important to us, and we appreciate difference through difference, inclusiveness and belonging. It gives us a deeper understanding of the world, our society and the diverse communities we’re working with. By including everyone, we are able to draw on the unique experiences and expertise of our people to help shape and enrich our workplace and improve our services. One way we are doing is through our valued staff networks which play a critical and highly valued role in keeping us focused on creating a diverse, inclusive and engaged employer.  We recognise and support staff networks and support groups for our ethnically diverse and LGBTQIA+ colleagues. We are also proud to have been awarded Disability Confident Employer status and are a signatory to the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter.
We aim for our workforce to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve; for those who work for us to feel heard, valued and feel they belong; and for our work to help tackle wider mental health inequalities. We therefore actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including applicants with lived experience of mental illness, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and any other gender identity not expressed here (LGBTQIA+); people who are neurodiverse, have a health condition, or a disability or hidden disability and people from an ethnically diverse background - regardless of your age, religious or spiritual belief, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, political view or socio-economic status.

Becoming a truly anti-racist organisation
We have an ambition of become a truly anti-racist employer, campaigning organisation and service provider - and in our efforts to influence policy and wider societal factors impacting on mental health set out in our anti-racist statement . We have designed a multi-year anti-racist programme of work contained in our Race Equality Action Plan which demonstrates our intention to hold ourselves accountable and be judged on our progress on becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.