Community Advocate

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Community Advocates are members of diverse communities from across the Force area who provide advice and make recommendations to the Police on how policy and services affect different groups. The role of an adviser is to:

• Assist the police in shaping service delivery to meet the needs of diverse communities, and create an anti-discriminatory police service
• Provide guidance and feedback about the potential and actual impact of policing on different groups, and
• act as a ‘critical friend’ challenging conventional thinking and offering an independent perspective on issues.

The role is a volunteering role. Community Advocates are committed to improving relationships between the police and communities by using their expertise and life experiences to objectively appraise policies, procedures and operational activities. Advocates are individuals who live in Sussex and who are able draw on their knowledge and experience of the county when providing advice.

Members are able to communicate the culture and practices of their communities to the police force and make unemotional assessments of situations on which they are asked to provide an independent perspective and act as a critical friend.

When you apply please answer the below question in your application:

• Do you have lived experience as a diverse member of society in Sussex?
• Do you work within the community or any organisation supporting local communities, and what does your work involve?
• Why do you want to volunteer for Sussex police as an Advocate?
• Do you work with any Diverse communities?
• How will you deliver any messages to the local community?

Chief Constables\’ Message

We really welcome your interest in joining our Police Force. It is a privilege to lead the teams in Surrey Police and Sussex Police who continuously work selflessly and tirelessly in order to keep people in our counties safe.

We are looking for talented and inspirational people who put the needs of the public at the heart of everything that they do and who want to make a difference. If you feel you are that person then we want to hear from you.

We wish you all the very best with your application.

The Role & Key Responsibilities

Your Key responsibilities in this role will be:

• Attend Regular meetings and provide feedback. These meetings may be held in a police station or may be online on Microsoft Teams
• To consider and advise on issues affecting the whole organisation including policy and procedure, operational practice and planning.
• To advocate on issues of concerns or community tensions.
• Provide critical analysis of policing policy and practice, such as ‘stop and search.’
• Share feedback with the communities we serve
• You may be watching Body Worn Video footage of police interactions and sometimes looking at other documents too. You’ll be asked to share your feedback on how you think the incident went, what went well and what could be done better.
• You might also be involved in reviewing data such as use of force data and stop and search statistics. You might be asked to share your views on these. If necessary we will provide support to help you understand the data and terms used in reports.

We have a range of groups across Sussex which you could be involved in. Have a look at the below groups and please clearly state which groups you want to be involved in, in your application.

Strategic Community Advocate Group: This group aims to provide advice and guidance to Sussex Police on the development and introduction of policies and practices to ensure they do not exclude, discriminate or have an unjustifiable adverse impact on any community and to promote community cohesion.

Race Advocate Group: Board members will scrutinise our work, practices and policies, and advise us on how to improve, to ensure that voices of Black and Global Majority communities are heard and valued. The aim of the group is to hold us to account for delivering anti-racist policing.

Divisional/Departmental Race Advocate and Community Advocate Groups: There are three policing divisions in Sussex which are East Sussex, Brighton and West Sussex. Each division holds its own groups.

External Reference Groups based on protected characteristics: These groups aim to address specific issues raised and assist Sussex police in shaping practices and policies.

• LGBT+
• Disability
• Religion and Belief

Scrutiny Panels: There are two separate scrutiny panels which are Use of Force and Stop and Search: The Scrutiny Panel members review particular elements of policing work, in order to gain a better understanding of patterns and behaviours. The panel reviews Body Worn Video Footage to provide feedback and advise.

Ethics Committee: The Ethics Committee is responsible for enhancing external and internal trust and confidence in the ethical governance and actions of Sussex Police. The committee support the organisation by identifying improvement opportunities to promote the core values of integrity, impartiality, public service and transparency.

Gold Group: A Gold Group because of or the potential of a critical incident which is defined as ‘any incident where the effectiveness of the police response is likely to have a significant impact on the confidence of the victim, their family and/or the community\’. Depending on the individual incident, independent advisors may be required to assist Sussex Police by attending a Gold Group meeting to provide information specifically about the ‘cultural’ needs of a victim, witness, offender or others affected by an incident and the best methods of communication such as by using social media.

Skills & Experience

• You don’t need to have any previous experience of police or community panels – your own personal experiences are just as important.
• Individuals who can commit to regular active discussions with Sussex Police
• We want advisors to represent local communities and particularly those who are most affected by police powers. We are also really interested in recruiting members from Black and Global Majority communities and young people. We’re also really keen for people to join who have actually had interactions with police so we can get truly honest views.
• We want advisors to have the confidence in sharing their viewpoint and expressing their thoughts.
• Be self-assured in presenting your perspective and holding others accountable

Why Work With Us?

We take pride in looking after our volunteers, through volunteering you will have the opportunity to:

• Experience policing first-hand
• Meet new people and teams
• Learn and develop your skills

Further Information

If you want to know more about the role of Independent Advisor please join on during the following event be selecting a ticket here:

Monday 27th of January 2025, 18:00-1930

When you apply please answer the below questions in your application:

• Do you have lived experience as a diverse member of society in Sussex?
• Do you work within the community or any organisation supporting local communities, and what does your work involve?
• Why do you want to volunteer for Sussex Police as an Advocate?
• Do you work with any diverse communities?
• How will you deliver any messages to the local community?

Please also ensure you tell us which group you want to be involved in when completing your application. The groups are:

Strategic Community Advocate Group

Race Advocate Group

Divisional/Departmental Race Advocate and Community Advocate Groups

External Reference Groups based on protected characteristics

Scrutiny Panels

Ethics Committee

Gold Group (Vetting is required for this group)

Diversity Statement

We are only as good as our people. It\’s important that our officers and staff can be themselves in the workplace and we know that as an organisation we\’ll grow from the variety of thinking, approach, and the skills that diversity brings; all of which help us to deliver a better policing service. We strive to ensure how we deliver our services, provide information and how we recruit is open and accessible to all.

We have multiple staff support groups who help to improve our understanding of minority issues and ensure they are reflected in our work. We are proud members of Disability Confident, hold Race Equality Matters Trailblazer status, are a signatory of the Race at Work Charter and are aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant and the HeForShe movement.

We are committed to being an anti-racist police service. We promise to challenge injustice, ensure fairness and to uphold anti-racist principles in both our organisation and our communities.For more information, you can read our.

We value the differences that people bring from all backgrounds and communities. Regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, social status, or religious belief, we would love to hear from you.

Please use the following links to find out more on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion atand

Additional Information

If you want to know more about the role of Community Advocate please join on during the following event by booking a space online on the link below:

Following submission of your application you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your application attached. Occasionally emails from this address can fall into spam/junk folders so please ensure this is checked regularly. You may wish to consider adding to your address/contact list to ensure you receive all communications.

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