Job Description

We are looking for an experienced participation worker to support families to seek the truth and feel empowered to hold others to account and become self-advocates for systemic change.

ABOUT INQUEST

Founded in 1981, INQUEST is the only charity in England and Wales providing expertise on contentious deaths and their investigation to bereaved people, lawyers, other advice and support agencies, media, parliamentarians and the general public. Its range of cases includes custody and detention, multi-agency failings or where wider issues of state and corporate accountability are in question. 

Our integrated model of working covers:

• Family casework: We support bereaved families to navigate the complex investigation and legal process and work with them to establish the truth concerning the circumstances of the death.
• Policy change: We use the evidence we gather from our casework, alongside research and statistical data, to expose failures and achieve systemic and legislative change.
• Campaigning: We exert pressure on government and public bodies to ensure accountability and reduce the numbers of deaths. We work with the media to shine a light on failings.
• Social Justice, Social Change: We work in partnership with our supporters and families to set the agenda and create a movement for change.

In addition, we manage an Inquest Lawyers Group for lawyers who provide legal services to many families going through the inquest process.  The group shares best practice and legal knowledge, and receives a copy of Inquest Law, a publication produced by INQUEST, three times a year.

INQUEST’s authoritative voice is achieved through its model of combining specialist casework with parliamentary work, policy influencing and campaigning.  A fundamental principle underpinning all its work is the empowerment of families to effectively participate in the legal process and influence policy and practice change. 

ABOUT THE PROJECT AND THE ROLE

Underpinning all our work is our commitment to supporting families to seek the truth and feel empowered to hold others to account and become self-advocates for systemic change.  As such, we provide additional support for families who wish to engage with INQUEST’s wider work, including events and online forums. We also support families in engaging with media and policy work.

Through the evaluation of our work and consultation with the bereaved families we support, we have identified a need for a Family Participation and Support Officer and have secured three-year funding from the Big Lottery Fund to fund the role.  The overall purpose of the role will be to develop and strengthen our work with families, building capacity and support through the inquest related processes.  The role will support and develop INQUEST’s work providing families with platforms to raise issues and draw public focus to family experiences and concerns.

The primary role of the post is twofold:

• To enhance, strengthen and develop family input and involvement into INQUEST’s work and strategic development and ensure families are at the heart of our work;
• To strengthen and develop support and guidance for the families we work with and their family members.

This new role is a key strategic priority for INQUEST, reflected in our strategic plans for 2017/20. Working closely with the staff team, senior management and an external evaluator, you will be involved in developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating the project, and will play an active part in shaping its family participation component.