Welcome to CAUSE
Foreword from the CEO
Dear Applicant,
Thank you for considering the Carer Advocate role in the Newry and Mourne, Southern Trust Area with CAUSE, especially as we celebrate our 30th anniversary. For three decades, we have passionately advocated for unpaid carers supporting loved ones with mental health challenges. As we enter this new chapter, building and nurturing meaningful relationships will be key to driving our mission forward. We are looking for a dedicated, creative, and dynamic individual to step into this impactful role, could this be you?
At CAUSE, we are committed to empowering unpaid carers through personalised support and advocacy. In this role, you will provide vital one-on-one support to carers, ensuring they have the resources and emotional backing needed to navigate their unique challenges. Additionally, you will facilitate group work programmes that foster community, shared experiences, and mutual support among carers.
You will join an already established team of Carer Advocates, working together to build partnerships with key stakeholders and broaden outreach initiatives, ensuring carers have access to vital support networks and resources. Your role will also include strong advocacy efforts to represent the interests and needs of carers, ensuring their voices are heard and their challenges addressed.
You will be fully supported by #TeamCAUSE as we work together toward the success of our mission. If you share our commitment to enhancing outcomes for unpaid carers and are motivated by the chance to create change, we invite you to apply. Together, we can shape a brighter future for carers and their loved ones.
Yours sincerely,
Emma ONeill
About CAUSE
At CAUSE, we are a regional charity dedicated to empowering families, partners, and friends caring for a loved one with serious mental illness.
What we do
Together we provide advocacy services, practical assistance, and emotional support to those who need it most.
Vision
Our vision is a society, which recognises, respects, values and actively supports the central role of families, partners and friends who care for loved ones who have experienced serious mental illness.
Our Mission
To provide practical and emotional support to empower families, partners and friends caring for a loved one who has experienced serious mental illness.
Background to our work
Since 1995, we have continued to grow our footprint and are reaching more unpaid carers, family-members, and healthcare professionals than ever before. This group of unpaid carers face daily challenges outside the coping skills of most people, dealing with complex crisis led behavior including suicide.
Working through a frontline team of trained and experienced peer Carer Advocates, we provide practical and emotional support to unpaid mental health carers to help them sustain their challenging role by supporting them emotionally and practically, reducing their isolation and by empowering them to proactively engage with their loved ones journey of recovery. What makes us unique is our peer-led approach where carers support other carers.
Job Description Job Title: Carer Advocate Newry and Mourne Area Location: Hybrid option (hot desk arrangements can be made) Accountable to Head Of Operations Salary
£26,158 per annum pro rata,
£13,079 working 17.5 hrs per week
Job Type Permanent Hours 17.5 hours per week. (FT 35 hours per week)
Main purpose of Job
The Carer Advocate job is essential to create meaningful impact by providing dedicated support to carers and families facing mental health challenges in the Southern Trust, Newry and Mourne Areas. This role focuses on building strong connections within the carers community, raising awareness of available services, and fostering positive change. Key responsibilities include advocating for carers needs, engaging with community stakeholders and driving initiatives that enhance support for carers and their loved ones in the field of Mental Health. This position offers the chance to contribute significantly to the mental health and social care landscape with opportunities for professional growth and community impact.
The Person
The ideal candidate will have a compassionate understanding of the challenges families face when supporting loved ones with complex mental health conditions. Personal experience as a carer in such situations is highly valued, as it brings essential empathy and insight to the role.
You will work collaboratively with Carer Advocate colleagues within the Southern Trust area and across the region, playing an active role in advancing our mission and supporting organisational growth. Joining CAUSE means becoming part of a dedicated, forward-thinking regional charity at an exciting phase of development, where your contributions will have a meaningful impact.
Summary of Main Duties and Responsibilities
Provide emotional and practical support to carers and families navigating serious or complex mental health conditions within the Southern Trust area, with a particular focus on referrals from the Newry and Mourne area. While the primary focus will be on Newry and Mourne, you will also advocate for and support carers across the wider Southern Trust area. Actively engage with the local carers community to advocate and ensure their voices are heard and their needs are met.
Support carers both one-on-one and in group settings, advocating for their needs and representing their interests with professionals and stakeholders.
Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders within your Trust area, as well as other community and voluntary organisations.
Support CAUSEs Helpline as part of a rota and promote CAUSEs services to the community.
Help organise training sessions, respite activities, conferences, and other key events, delivering agreed-upon training locally.
Provide reports to management and contribute to planning and strategy within your Trust area.
Represent CAUSE and carers in planning and management discussions, staying current with policy and research developments in health and social care.
Participate in service monitoring, evaluation, and improvement, taking an advocacy role to resolve issues with stakeholders.
Ensure open and effective communication with all relevant parties, and undertake travel as required to fulfill job responsibilities.
Ensure GDPR compliance and build relationships with key stakeholders.
Personal experience supporting someone with a serious or complex mental illness, bringing valuable empathy and insight to the role.
Background in a social care or healthcare setting, demonstrating familiarity with the challenges and requirements of supporting individuals and families in need.
Ability to work flexible hours, accommodating the varying needs of carers and families and ensuring responsive, timely support.
The post holder will be expected to:
As a representative of CAUSE, youll play a key role in building strong relationships and networks while acting as a positive ambassador for our organisation. Youll ensure that everything you do aligns with CAUSEs values, philosophy and legal responsibilities, including health and safety standards, our commitment to equal opportunities, and promoting diversity and inclusion.
This job description gives you an overview of the role but isnt set in stone. The CEO may ask for additional tasks from time to time and the description will be reviewed regularly to keep up with any changes. Were looking for someone professional, cooperative, and adaptable, who can grow with the role and CAUSEs evolving needs.
Working practices
The post holder will be expected to:
Act as a credible ambassador for CAUSE, building and maintaining strong relationships and networks.
Advocate for unpaid carers in the field of mental health and beyond.
Consistently operate in alignment with CAUSEs mission, values, and legal obligations, including health and safety regulations, GDPR, the Equal Opportunities Policy, and the promotion of diversity.
Champion the organisations aims, principles, policies and interests while safeguarding its integrity and reputation.
Stay informed about relevant legislation, national and local policies, and issues pertinent to our work.
Take personal responsibility for maintaining high professional standards by meeting essential training and development requirements.
This job description is not exhaustive and outlines the primary responsibilities of the post holder. The CEO may assign additional reasonable duties as necessary. The job description will be reviewed regularly and may be updated to reflect changes. All staff are expected to maintain professionalism, cooperation, and flexibility in accordance with the needs of the role and CAUSE.
Personnel Specification Essential
A qualification (BTEC, HNC, HND, Degree) equivalent (e.g. in Social Work, Health and Social Care, Counselling, Community Work, or Business Development)
OR
Recognised mental health professional/personal development courses (such as community or recovery college courses)
At least 1 year experience working in the community and voluntary sector At least 1 year experience building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders as well as other community and voluntary organisations. At least 1 year experience providing emotional and practical support to vulnerable adults. At least 1 year experience reporting on service monitoring, evaluation, and improvement. At least 1 year experience taking an advocacy role to resolve issues with stakeholders. The post holder will require access to a car, with Business insurance, or other means of transport to fulfill the travel requirements of the role. The role will involve evening and weekend working and requires an individual who can be flexible and adaptive to meet supporters needs. Desirable Desirable Personal experience of caring for someone with a serious mental illness. An interest in developments in mental health approaches, broader advocacy work and themes and trends in the field of mental health recovery will be an advantage.
Knowledge and Skills Essential A proven ability to deal with work pressures, to plan and manage time effectively and meet deadlines and to identify and set priorities Excellent written oral communication skills and confidence to represent the organisation publicly Demonstrated proficiency in using a variety of computer applications, including MS Office, common computer essentials (e.g. email, internet browsers) and databases (e.g. Excel, Salesforce) Desirable Demonstrate working with Seldom heard community groups.
Disability Requirements: Should any candidate require reasonable adjustments, please advise the organisation accordingly to ensure consideration and accommodation where possible.
Successful applicants: Depending on business needs, successful applicants are encouraged to discuss what Flexible Working provisions may be available in the role they are taking up prior to commencing employment to help them achieve a positive Work/Life Balance.
Key Dates and How to Apply
Monday 25th August 2025 at 2pm
You can obtain the full application pack by:
Downloading it from our website
Contacting our Office Manager on
Emailing us at
Requesting it by post: CAUSE, Unit 2 Lesley Office Park, 393 Holywood Rd, Belfast BT4 2LS
All completed applications should be sent to together with your completed Fair Employment Monitoring Form
CAUSE is proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications from all sections of the community.
