Community Support Adviser

Community Support Adviser | Central Cambridgeshire | 21 hours per week, flexible working pattern within Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, with Monday working preferred | Permanent | £15,234- £15,852 Per Annum

A dementia diagnosis can bring questions and uncertainty, both for the person diagnosed and the people close to them. Having someone who listens, understands what matters and helps people find the right support can make a real difference. At Alzheimer's Society, we believe no one should face dementia alone.

As a Community Support Adviser, you will support people affected by dementia across Central Cambridgeshire. You will take time to understand each person's circumstances, assess their needs and help them access information, practical guidance and emotional support that is right for them.

This is a community focused role, with around 60% of your time spent out and about. Supporting people affected by dementia in GP surgeries is a key part of the role, including back to back appointments. You will also offer home visits and telephone support, deliver virtual groups and community talks about Alzheimer's Society services, and work with NHS staff, social care, voluntary organisations and community partners to connect people with local support and reduce isolation. Accurate, confidential records and follow up are essential. Some administration can be completed from home, but this is not primarily a home working role.

You will bring empathy, assessment and relationship building skills, confidence speaking to groups, and the organisation and adaptability to manage a changing caseload. You will also help new referrals receive a prompt, sensitive and fair response through the referral triage rota.

Central Cambridgeshire cover a large geographical area, and public transport is limited in some locations. You will need to travel independently and reliably between GP surgeries, people's homes and community venues. A driving licence and access to a car would be helpful, although another reliable way of meeting the role's travel requirements is welcome.

You do not need previous experience in dementia, health or social care to apply. Your experience might come from health or social care, education, housing, customer service, retail, hospitality, community work or another people focused setting. Personal experience of supporting someone affected by dementia is also valuable.

We provide training and ongoing learning opportunities to help you develop your understanding of dementia and local services. Being curious, willing to learn and able to put new knowledge into practice will be important.

About you

You could be a great fit for this role if you:

• Can assess a person's needs through careful listening and thoughtful questions, helping them identify what matters and agree appropriate next steps.
• Build positive working relationships with NHS staff, voluntary organisations and local community partners, working together to connect people with support.
• Can manage competing priorities, organise a busy appointment schedule and adapt when your workload changes, while knowing when to seek support.
• Are confident using IT systems to maintain accurate, timely and confidential records and support virtual group delivery.
• Bring a warm, empathetic and approachable manner, listen without judgement and build trust with people from different backgrounds, respecting their individuality and lived experience.
• Feel confident speaking to groups, both online and in person, and can explain Alzheimer's Society services clearly in community talks and local events.

You will join a supportive, settled Cambridgeshire team of 10, with a wide variety of backgrounds, not only health and social care. You will work closely together, share knowledge, learn from colleagues and contribute your own strengths.

If you recognise your skills in what we have described and share our commitment to people affected by dementia, we would love to hear from you.

This role is known internally as Dementia Adviser.

Dementia is the UK's biggest killer. One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime.

At Alzheimer's Society, we're the UK's leading dementia charity and the only one to tackle all aspects of dementia by giving help and hope to people living with dementia today and in the future. We give vital support to people facing the most frightening times of their lives, while also funding groundbreaking research and campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be.

Together with our supporters, we're working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives.

Our values make sure that our focus is clear for the challenges and opportunities ahead and remind us of what we all stand for.

Our commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We need to ensure the voices around our table better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve. We strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Alzheimer's Society.  

We want everyone we work with, as a colleague, volunteer, supporter, or someone we support, to feel included and that they belong at Alzheimer's Society. 

Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy here along with our internal employee forum and Employee Lived Experience network groups help us promote inclusion and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people. 

Our hiring process

During your recruitment process we want to make sure that you bring your whole self and can be at your best. We are working hard to ensure our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible, so please do inform us of your experience and anything you think we could do better by completing our candidate survey when you apply.  Please also contact Alzheimer's Society Talent Acquisition Team via [email protected] for application support or any adjustments you might need.

To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed. We recognise the benefits of AI, but if you're considering using it to submit your application, we encourage you to reflect on the value it truly adds. AI tools often lack the personal touch and authenticity that set candidates apart. We want to hear your unique perspective, experiences, and skills, so we encourage you to showcase them in your own voice.

We try to avoid closing roles early where possible, however if we receive a high volume of applications, we may close earlier than the advertised closing date. Should this occur, we will aim to provide you with at least 48 hours' notice.

We are committed to safer recruitment and ensuring the welfare of those we work with, due to the nature of some of our roles, we might need to carry out a Criminal Record Check at the relevant level. You can read more information via our Website.

Giving back to you

Our employees work hard every day to make a true difference in people's lives. We are proud to support them with a range of benefits, recognition and many options for working agilely, all contributing to a strong work life balance. We also have various learning programmes to support you in your development and help you grow to realise your potential and shape a career with Alzheimer's Society. 

You can also visit our Working for Us pages, which give you more information about what it's like to be an employee at the Society.

INDAZ