Family Jobs

Make a real impact by empowering individuals and families affected by Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS) with the knowledge, advice, and support they need to thrive.

At Bardet-Biedl Syndrome UK (BBS UK), we are dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by this rare genetic condition. Our support services help individuals and families navigate the challenges of BBS, ensuring they have access to expert advice, advocacy, and practical assistance to enhance their well-being and independence.

We are seeking an experienced and dedicated Advice Worker to join our passionate and committed team. This role offers a unique opportunity to provide tailored guidance on social care, disability benefits, health services, and education support, making a meaningful difference to those we serve.

About the Role

As an Advice Worker, you will ensure individuals and families receive timely, practical support that empowers them to navigate key challenges. You will:

• Provide specialist advice on disability benefits, social care, education, and healthcare services.
• Advocate for individuals and families, ensuring they receive the support they need.
• Assist with applications and appeals for welfare benefits, social care assessments, and education support plans.
• Work collaboratively with healthcare professionals, social workers, and educators to provide holistic support.
• Attend BBS Clinics, community events, and outreach sessions to deliver in-person advice.
• Stay up to date with relevant legislation and policies affecting individuals with disabilities and rare conditions.

This is a home-based role with occasional travel across England. Travel expenses will be reimbursed in line with BBS UK policies.

Who We’re Looking For

We are looking for a knowledgeable, committed, and proactive Advice Worker with the skills and drive to make a real difference.

Essential Experience & Skills

• Experience providing advice and support to individuals with disabilities or long-term conditions.
• Strong knowledge of social care systems, disability benefits, and education support.
• Experience in advocacy and casework, supporting individuals with complex needs.
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office and case management systems (e.g., CharityLog).
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage with a diverse range of people.
• Ability to work independently, manage a varied workload, and use initiative.
• A deep understanding of the challenges faced by individuals with rare genetic conditions.

Desirable Experience & Skills

• Experience working remotely as part of a dispersed team.
• Knowledge of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and experience supporting families with applications and reviews.
• Access to a car for travel (mileage and travel expenses reimbursed).

Why Join BBS UK?

BBS UK is a small, dedicated charity making a real difference in the lives of those affected by Bardet-Biedl Syndrome. We work closely with NHS England to provide essential support services and advocate for improved care and assistance.

By joining us, you will:

• Have a direct and meaningful impact on people’s lives.
• Be part of a supportive, close-knit team that values collaboration and innovation.
• Work flexibly from home while engaging directly with the community.
• Receive ongoing training and professional development.
• Help shape the future of support services for people with BBS.

Additional Information

• DBS Check: An enhanced DBS check is required for this role.
• Safeguarding: Completion of safeguarding training within the first month of employment.
• Flexible Working: Some evening or weekend work may be required, with time off in lieu provided.
• Travel Expenses: Covered for outreach work in line with BBS UK policies.

 How to Apply

If you’re ready to use your skills and experience to make a real impact, we’d love to hear from you!

If you would like to discuss the role before applying, details can be found in the application pack.

Application Deadline: Sunday 27th April 2025

About the project 

The proposed service Kineara aims to provide is a Community-Based Housing Advice and Support Service for lone parents living in TA (Temporary Accommodation) and to provide a prevented service that advice and support lone parents living in PRS and social rented accommodation, where their tenancies is insecure.

This service will address urgent housing concerns, provide essential advice, and offer tailored, intensive support for those with complex needs. The project will focus on delivering maximum reach through our outreach while maintaining smaller 1:1 caseload for high-needs cases.

About the role 

We are looking for an experienced, motivated and compassionate community -based housing advice and support worker. This role involves conducting community drop- in surgeries which will be delivered across Lambeth Schools, Children’s Centres, Community Groups, GP practices and

Housing Advice Surgeries offering face-to-face housing advice, legal support (where necessary), and signposting to additional service.

You will have experience of working with families and individuals with complex needs. You will be an enthusiastic person who has empathy, patience, and a non-judgmental approach to working with clients and who thrives when working independently with a passion to support change. You will have excellent interpersonal skills, knowledge of housing policies and tenants' rights, experience of delivering holistic support, be a solution-minded thinker, have a good understanding of strength-based approaches and be able work committing to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of work. To work as part of a team and independently, the roles require you to think creatively and use the resources around you effectively. 

Strong partnerships will be essential to the project’s success. Building on relationships developed through the Homeward consortium, you will work closely with local schools, Lambeth Council, children’s centres, community organisations, and legal advisors to ensure meaningful signposting and wraparound support for families.

The successful candidate will work with clients to identify their needs and offer tailored solutions to help them achieve sustainable housing outcomes. In this role, you will be working in partnership with community organisations and the council to coordinate tailored support for each client to address their housing issues. The objective of the programme is to provide advice and support to clients who have problems related to their housing and to improve wellbeing and awareness of tenancy rights and housing polices.

About Kineara 

Kineara is a unique community interest company and Charity that supports people in poverty across London who facing barriers to housing, employment and education. We break down barriers, provide holistic support for families, vulnerable adults, and school pupils, and deliver intensive one-to-one interventions to those in need of extra help through challenging times. We use holistic, trauma-informed methods, partnership working and a flexible, non-judgemental approach that puts the needs of those we work with first. 

Director, Home-Start London

Lead. Innovate. Transform Families’ Lives.

Are you a visionary leader with the drive to make a real impact? Do you thrive in an entrepreneurial environment where collaboration and innovation are at the heart of everything you do? Join us as our next Director!

Home-Start London is seeking a dynamic and strategic Director to lead our charity and drive the growth of our family support network across the capital. This is an opportunity to lead a forward-thinking organisation helping to empower families through vital community support.

Location: Home-based

Salary: £50-55,000

Type: Permanent 

Hours: 4 days per week (28 hours). Hours can be worked flexibly.

About Home-Start London

We have a big ambition: to ensure that no parent in London feels alone and every child has the best start in life. Our network of 16 local Home-Start charities in the capital provides volunteer-led home visiting, group and other support to parents and carers with young children facing challenges such as social isolation, mental health difficulties, and poverty. Our work focuses on building new partnerships and securing funding, facilitating shared learning and more coordinated services, and amplifying the voices of disadvantaged families with young children to drive wider change. We are part of the national Home-Start movement. 

About the role

As Director, you will be the public face of an impactful and dynamic charity. You will ensure successful delivery of our strategy and lead on developing new partnerships that build financial sustainability of the charity and grow support for our wider network. Working with your small but mighty team and Home-Start staff and trustees across London, you will ensure we provide quality support to our network that drives increased impact. Your professional development and growth will be well supported.

What you’ll do:

• Lead and inspire – Be the public face of our impactful charity, shaping strategic direction and acting as a key advocate and spokesperson.
• Drive growth – Identify funding opportunities, promote collaboration, and build new partnerships.
• Oversee strategy and operations – Ensure good governance, robust financial management, and effective implementation of policy and plans.
• Innovate and evolve – Respond to new opportunities and challenges with creativity and resiliance to drive sustainability and impact.

About you

To thrive in this role, you will be a highly collaborative leader with experience in a senior role. You will be a brilliant networker and communicator, able to inspire and build trusted relationships. You will be a strategic thinker who can balance big picture vision with the practicalities of running a small charity. You will be a skilled fundraiser with a track record of securing income from a range of sources and you will be a passionate champion for families with young children in London.

Inclusion matters

At Home-Start London we believe that equality, equity, diversity, and inclusion are fundamental to achieving our purpose. We encourage applications from all parts of the community irrespective of gender, race, colour, age, sexual orientation or disability. Appointments will be based on merit, following an open and fair selection process.

Don't meet every single requirement? Who does! If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly, we'd love you to apply anyway. If you’d like to, then give us a call for a confidential conversation about the role and/or how we can make the recruitment process more accessible for you.

How to apply

See job pack for full details. To apply for this role, please click the "quick apply" button below. You will be asked to provide a CV and cover letter (no more than two pages).

Closing date for applications is Monday 28th April.

First round interviews will be held w/c 5th May.

Second round interviews will be held w/c 12th May.

This is a fantastic opportunity to be a key part of the growth of an ambitious charity providing essential care and support services to people living with dementia, and their families, in Ealing. We are committed to expanding our reach and impact, and this role is crucial in raising the funds necessary to support this ambition. Reporting to the Chief Executive, the Head of Fundraising is responsible for securing income from Trusts, Foundations, and corporate and individual donors. The role is for at least four days per week. There is a requirement to be in the office on occaisions, but remote working is available. Dementia Concern offers 25 days annual leave (FT), plus bank holidays.

About the Foundation

The Leadsom Foundation is a new and ambitious charity, aiming to support parents and carers around

the world to give their baby the best start for life. Our purpose is to advocate for the unique importance of

the 1001 critical days, from pregnancy to age two, funding charities that are delivering services in Family

Hubs to help them give their babies the best start for life, and to fund pioneering research into what type

of support works best.

About the role

We are a small and passionate team making a tangible difference to the lives of families and are looking

to hire a Senior Communications Officer during the exciting ‘start-up,’ phase of the Foundation. We are

looking for a self-starter to bring expertise and creativity to the workspace. If you're an experienced media

operator and exceptional communicator, at least five years into your career and looking for your next big

challenge, we'd love to hear from you.

Hours: 40 hours a week (flexibility available)

Location: Central London (SW1) with flexibility to work from home.

About Ataxia UK

Ataxia is the umbrella term for a group of neurological conditions and Ataxia UK is the UK’s leading ataxia support and research charity. Ataxia UK collaborates with the global ataxia community through our Research team, and we are on the board of the international non-profit association, Euro-ataxia. Our Services team focuses on helping everyone affected by ataxia in the UK to live their best life. We have a Helpline and Advocacy service providing information, advice, and 1-2-1 support to help people access their rights; whilst the InControl Community Engagement service provides activities, engagement and volunteering opportunities to bring the ataxia community together and reduce feelings of isolation. 

About the Role  

You will be joining at an exciting time for Ataxia UK as we celebrate our 60th anniversary year.

This brand-new role is an important part of our new strategy to sustainably grow our unrestricted income. Working closely with the Director of Fundraising & Communications and the wider team, the Senior Philanthropy Manager will lead the work to build a pipeline of major donors and family trusts and foundations.

You will be responsible for developing an excellent stewardship programme which nurtures income-generating relationships with Ataxia UK’s major donors. You will initially work with a fixed-term Philanthropy Consultant to lead the development of a researched and actionable pipeline of prospective new donors, and you will then work to successfully engage this pipeline. This is a fantastic opportunity to lead a brand-new function as a senior member of an experienced team of fundraisers.

Ataxia UK operates a hybrid- working policy, with part time staff working 3 or 4 days a week expected to work from our offices in Highgate a minimum of 1 day a week. The role will require some occasional travel within the UK and, more rarely, internationally.

About you

The right candidate will be a natural relationship builder with a proven track record of securing high value, long term partnerships with major donors; personally securing 5 and 6-figure gifts.

You will use excellent communication skills to write compelling and tailored cases for support. As a key member of the Fundraising & Communications department, you will bring creativity, insight and experience to the team, and you will be a confident ambassador and representative internally and externally.

As an experienced major donor fundraiser, you will be comfortable and confident engaging with High-Net-Worth Individuals and their offices, celebrities, politicians and c-suite professionals. You will have the flexibility to join events and or meet donors and prospective donors at locations around the UK. As an ambassador of our brand, you will have the skills and experience to ensure you positively represent the interests of the ataxia community, and you will be someone who shares our commitment to supporting those affected by ataxia.

Benefits of working for us.

• 25 days annual leave pro rata (rising to 30 with a length of service)
• Access to a free Employee Assistance Programme & Employee Hotline
• Flexible hybrid working
• Pension scheme
• Enhanced maternity and co-parental leave
• Cycle to work scheme
• Training and development opportunities
• Accredited Living Wage Employer

Please see full Job Description for further details including Person Specifications

At Mosaic, our mission is clear, to help children,young people and their families when they've lost someone really important to them.  Grief affects all of us in different ways - our role is to provide advice and one-to-one counselling, someone who listens to their feelings, and can support them to see a better future, remembering the life of the person who died.

This administrator role is pivotal in enabling our small charity to do its job.  Working with our busy referrals team, you'll be helping us process data, liaise with schools and volunteers across Dorset, organise events for families and be part of a very dedicated group of staff.  We need someone with the passion to help children and a real team player who doesnt mind pitching in when they are needed. 

We are looking for a highly motivated and inspiring Director, to provide strategic and operational leadership of our independent adoption support charity. 

Working as part of a small yet mighty staff team, you will work collaboratively with the Board of Trustees, Committees, Volunteers, Working Groups and other Stakeholders to lead significant growth across a variety of programmes, infrastructure and fundraising opportunities. 

You will bring an entrepreneurial approach to growth, seeking new opportunities and forging new strategic partnerships to support agile growth both nationally and regionally, whilst also nurturing our existing deeply committed volunteers and members.  As an empathetic leader, you will show understanding and commitment to the needs of adopters and prospective adopters and their families and how WAF services can most effectively address these needs.

Key responsibilities include: 

• Steering Strategic Development & Organisational Leadership

• Managing Financial & Budget Controls

• Leading on Fundraising & Strategic Partnerships 

• Overseeing Monitoring and Impact

• Contributing to Communications 

• Championing our Advocacy efforts

• Collaborating with our Board and Committees

• Empowering our Team

Person Specification 

Essential 

• Experience of developing and nurturing partnerships with statutory, voluntary

• and private sector organisations (E)

• Track record in identifying and securing new funding streams, these could include: earned income, corporate giving, individual giving, crowd funding and value in kind (E)

• Experience of bid writing for trust & foundations / fundraising applications (E)

• Experience of budget setting and budget control (E)

• Experience of managing staff and volunteers (E)
   

Desirable 

• Experience of working within a co-produced or beneficiary-led service (D)

• Experience of working with a Board of Trustees (D)

• Understanding of the current issues affecting adopters and prospective adopters (D)

About We Are Family 

We Are Family is an extraordinary peer support community for adopters and prospective adopters. We’re there for parents throughout their adoption journey. Online and in person, our parents’ groups, events, resources, podcasts and talks offer mutual support, information and inspiration to adopters and those considering adoption. We are the leading peer support community for adopters  across Greater London and the Home Counties, and offer digital-membership nationally; we have ambitions to scale our in-person services provision significantly over the coming years. 

You can find out more about us here.
 

To Apply 

If the opportunity to join an exciting, rapidly growing charity appeals to you as someone able to make a valuable contribution, we would love to hear from you! 

Please read our full application pack via our website

Deadline to apply: Thursday 24th April 10am
Start Date: ASAP

Please note that applications are received and reviewed on an ongoing basis, therefore an early application is advised. 

One of the great strengths of We Are Family is that we are volunteer and member driven, and we represent a diverse community of adoptive parents. We particularly welcome applicants from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds to ensure that the organisation can benefit from this diversity of experience.

Robust logistics are core to how we can make best use of our resources and funding when moving books in and out of our HQs and to recipient organisations, and how we can ensure that our actions are as sustainable as possible. Within this role you will be planning daily driver routes to ensure that our trip planning is as efficient as possible so that ultimately, we can reach and support more children and families.

A small but significant percentage of our books are gifted directly to schools or drop points via local families. This direct partnership is made possible through our map of donation points.

Within this role you will liaise with all new and existing registrants to ensure they can get the most out of their participation. You will also liaise with donors that wish to use these drop points or schools to ensure they donate books that match our requirements and receive information and support showing them the value of their donation.

In both aspects of this role you will be working at the heart of what is a family as we scale and deepen our impact.

Job Title: Perinatal Support & Assessment Coordinator

Salary: £28,000

Hours per week: 35 hours

Contract: Fixed Term until 31 March 2026 (extension subject to funding)

Location: Newham office based (with some hybrid working)

Benefits: NCT membership with access to exclusive benefits, pension scheme, 30 days annual leave plus 8 bank and public holiday.

About us

NCT is a charity with a clear mission: to support people as they become parents, through pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood.

With a 65-year history of transformative change, we are a vibrant community of volunteers, practitioners, peer supporters, members and advocates. We are the largest parenting charity in the country and over the decades we’ve supported millions of people on their unique journey into parenthood. 

While many know us for our antenatal classes, we also do much more. We campaign on issues that matter to parents, provide infant feeding support, and run thousands of free community events and activities led by our amazing volunteers. We also support families facing challenges like social isolation, feeding difficulties, and poor mental health. We offer support in communities, in hospitals and online.

 NCT is committed to social justice and equity. We are dedicated to being an anti-racist charity and believe that inclusion is everyone's responsibility. Being there for every parent requires bold action to challenge inequalities. By creating inclusive spaces and services that are built on collaboration and trust, we welcome and celebrate diversity and strive to meet the needs of the pregnant women, new parents, families and communities that we serve.

As the world changes and new challenges are thrown up for parents, our charity must change too. Join us now and be part of this journey, and ensure that every parent feels connected, confident and safe.

About the role

This post will work as part of a community partnership programme, a small team providing accessible and bespoke perinatal care including, antenatal education, postnatal sessions, peer support, counselling and practical support to women from low-income migrant marginalised backgrounds. The role will provide non-judgmental, compassionate and trauma-informed care to women accessing the service and provide an initial assessment of needs and regular reviews. This role will coordinate inclusive and sensitive evaluation and data collection methods to evidence service impact and work collaboratively with stakeholders and researchers to enable women to participate in opportunities to share their maternity experience.

To be successful in this role you will have:

· Experience of supporting or working with marginalised or vulnerable groups and understanding the barriers they face to accessing support and an awareness of ways in overcoming them 

· Knowledge and experience working or volunteering with women and birthing people during pregnancy and early years 

· Experience working within a relevant sector e.g., maternity, children’s services, homelessness, women’s services, mental health, supporting asylum and refugee families 

· Strong commitment to improve equity and equality in maternity care

· Ability to handle challenging situations and behavior with a calm, flexible and confident approach to reach a positive resolution 

· Experience in evidencing impact, using inclusive approaches of evaluation and data collection

· Able to work reflectively, developing an awareness of your own and others’ relational styles and responses, and any judgements, biases or assumptions that may impact upon your work. 

What we offer

We are taking positive action to increase diversity throughout our organisation, at all levels, and to nurture a culture of inclusion for all our people and the parents and families that we support.

We are committed to zero discrimination both internally and externally regardless of visible or invisible difference such as sex, sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition, religion or belief, gender identity, economic class, marital/civil partnership, family status including single parents, socio-economic background and pregnancy and maternity.We provide reasonable adjustments and are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. 

We welcome and actively encourage applications from all candidates including those from under-represented groups within NCT such as individuals from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQI+ people and people with a disability. 

The welfare and safety of individuals is at the heart of everything that we do. NCT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.

Closing date for applications: Wednesday 16th April 23:59

Interviews:  Friday 25th April 2025

We are looking for a determined, skilled, proactive trusts fundraiser to join our small team in this newly created role to help stop children dying suddenly and without explanation.

Tragically, 1-2 seemingly healthy children die in the UK every fortnight, often going to sleep and never waking up. This incidence is unchanging. SUDC UK was founded in 2017 to raise awareness of Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC), encourage and fund scientific research and offer support and advice to affected families.  We believe SUDC research should receive more attention and scientific investment and are inspired by efforts to impact SIDS (cot death), where there has been an 80% reduction in infant deaths in the past 30 years. We can do so much more for SUDC children and their families.  

Why apply to SUDC UK? The post holder will be joining our ambitious, passionate, young charity, which consistently punches above its weight. SUDC remains relatively unknown to UK funders, but we are desperate to change this. Despite the current challenging trust fundraising environment, we are hopeful there are philanthropists and grant makers who will be inspired by our impact to date and the enormous potential to save young lives.

Fully remote. A home-based and flexible role. Collaboration over Teams/Zoom. Very occasional travel to meetings/events.

We are seeking a compassionate and dynamic leader to bring their experience and skills into the new role of Centre Manager/Charity Leader at St Christopher’s Community Centre, helping us build community, hope and opportunity.

The Centre Manager/Charity Leader will be responsible for the day-to-day leadership of all aspects of St Christopher’s Community Centre. St Christopher’s Community Centre is the new name for the recently combined work of the Family Centre and the Good Neighbours Project at St Christopher’s. Located at the heart of the Holmewood estate, we operate throughout the week with a varied offer of activities and support services for older people, parents with babies and toddlers and youth and children’s work. With an average weekly footfall of over 400 local people and a history stretching back over 30 years, we are a well-respected organisation at the heart of our community. In the midst of a time of change, this new role is an exciting opportunity for someone to take the organisation forward into the future.

The Job Pack including the Job Description and Person Specification is available using the 'Apply now' link below. Application is by CV and Letter of Application - full details are within the Job pack

The closing date for applications is the 12 noon on Thursday 24 April 2025

Interviews will take place on Thursday 8th May

If you would like to have a conversation about the role and/or visit the project before applying, please use the contact details in the Job Pack to arrange this.

At Ambitious about Autism, we're currently looking for a Legal Advisor – Transitions and Welfare to join our team.

You'll provide legally-based advice, information and advocacy to the families and young people in our educational settings on a range of welfare issues including social care, health and special educational needs.

You'll deliver professionally written and spoken advocacy skills to support families, drafting representations to help families access services, support or placements they are seeking for their child or young person. You'll support families to access remedies (mediation, SEND Tribunal, judicial reviews) available to families when they are refused the support to which they are entitled, and to make any necessary referrals.

We are looking for someone who has:

• Knowledge and experience of children's and adult's education and social care legal frameworks
• Experience of providing legally-based advice, support and representation to families with disabled children and young people
• Knowledge of the different local authority and public bodies that may be involved in complex welfare cases
• Understanding of and ability to refer families to remedies where authorities have made decisions that families are unhappy with

In return, we offer great benefits including a generous holiday allowance and commitment to continued professional development (CPD), flexible, hybrid working and more!

This is a fantastic opportunity for an ambitious individual who would like to work for a forward-thinking, open and honest organisation and make a real impact to the young people we work with. Please find our full recruitment pack on the link below.

If you have any questions about the role or would like to have a confidential chat, please contact James Axford, Recruitment Officer.

Ambitious about Autism is fully committed to equality of opportunity and diversity and we warmly welcome applications from all suitably-qualified candidates. We welcome applications regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, disability, or age. All applications will be considered solely on merit.

Ambitious about Autism is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check. As part of our Safer Recruitment checks, an online search maybe carried out in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education.

The Safeguarding responsibilities of the post as per the job description and personal specification.
Whether the post is exempt from the rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendment to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2021. This means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected', so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS Filter Guidance.

Are you looking for a dynamic and rewarding role working for an organisation with the feminist agenda at the core of its ethos? Then Advance Charity could be the career choice for you!

We are looking for a Social Care IDVA - RBKC

Salary: £28,000 - £32,000

Location: Across three locations within RBKC and Hammersmith Head Office

Contract: Permanent

Hours p/w        35 hours per week (some working from home up to 2 days)

This post is open to female applicants only as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.  

Please note: Any offer of employment will be made subject to references, confirmation of the right to work in the UK, and satisfactory enhanced DBS check. This role is also subject to Police Vetting.

About us

Advance is an award-winning and innovative women-only organisation, established in 1998, providing emotional and practical support to women and girls survivors of domestic abuse and supporting women with short-term sentences to reduce offending.  We believe in empowering women and girls to lead safe, non-violent, equal lives so that they can flourish and contribute to the community. 

We are a community-based organisation who lead in best practice approaches to supporting women in their local community. We achieve this by being available to meet and support women in local settings and at our women’s centres, and by working in close partnership with other agencies.

Our values are to listen and support, to empower and respect, collaboration, innovation, and accountability. 

About the role:

The Social Care IDVA will work within a dynamic, fast paced, crisis intervention, advocacy, and support service to ensure the voice of survivors informs every stage of the process, specialising in working with women whose families are involved with Family Children Services and risk to children is a factor.  You will work to make proactive contact and provide high quality advocacy and support based upon a client led needs and risk assessment to women, focusing on working with those aged 18 and over who access the domestic abuse service. This role is part advocacy, part training/education and project work to improve response to victim/survivors experiencing domestic abuse. You will be embedded in the local authority Family Children Services team, working with Social Care professionals to ensure they adopt a trauma informed approach, can recognise the dynamics of domestic abuse and are providing more holistic support. You will be the domestic abuse subject matter expert on site, upskilling fellow professionals and acting as a point of contact for any clients experiencing domestic abuse and support requirements from Family Children Services.

The Social Care project was established in 2021 and has been working in partnership with Hammersmith and Fulham Family Children Services, so the IDVAs will inherit strong working relationships and a commitment from all parties to offering more trauma-informed services.  The borough has a focus on prioritising and developing good DA work in social care and this is an opportunity to be a major player in institutional change, ensuring that women accessing Family Children services for their children have an improved experience and that the local authorities are leading the way for all survivors engaging with their services.

Advance delivers nationally accredited, quality marked services in Hammersmith & Fulham, Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Brent, Ealing, and across parts of East London. We work within a coordinated partnership response to domestic violence to provide independent domestic violence advocacy and support for women, children and young people and women’s community services for women who are involved in the criminal justice system, in anti-social behaviour or are at risk of breaking the law.

About You:

You will have an excellent understanding of domestic violence and its effects on women and children and of best practice within the domestic abuse in various areas of need, with particular knowledge on children safeguarding/legislation. As an experienced domestic violence advocate who has worked with complex and multiple needs, the post holder will be skilled in risk management and safety planning, remaining calm in a crisis and in handling sensitive information on a daily basis. Experience of direct work with female survivors of domestic violence, of supporting women with child safeguarding, needs, and of working within safeguarding procedures is essential for this post, as is the need to adopt and promote a strong partnership approach to service provision.

To be successful as the Social Care IDVA you will need the below experience and skills:

You will establish positive, proactive, and innovative working relationships with housing services and partner agencies.Provide high-quality crisis intervention, information, advocacy, and proactive support to women referred to the service, in respect to risk management and safety planning, criminal and civil remedies, housing, health, welfare rights, and children’s legislation.

Your abilities extend to assessing the needs and risks of survivors, carry out short and longer-term risk management, safety planning and support and identify and refer to services appropriate to their needs.Advising women of their rights and options for seeking help and support from other agencies and proactively advocate to ensure barriers to accessing support and protection are reduced. You will work as an advocate and educator to raise awareness and upskill professionals within Children Social Care plus work with colleagues to successfully develop and deliver training.

How to apply:

Please submit your up-to-date CV with a supporting statement. Please note that only applications made via the job advert on the Advance careers page, and those that include a cover letter will be considered. 

· Interviews are taking place on rolling basis

*Advance reserves the right to close the advert early, or on the appointment of a candidate

What we can offer you - Employee Benefits: 

• A 35-hour working week
• An exceptional 30 days of paid holiday per year (pro rata for part time), PLUS public holidays on top (that's nearly 40 days paid holiday per year!) 
• Additional days off to celebrate International Women’s Day, and for religious observance and moving home
• Perkbox - an employee discount platform where you can receive free rewards as well as take advantage of savings on clothes, groceries, travel, leisure and more
• Pension scheme
• Enhanced maternity/adoption provision
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme
• Employee eye-care scheme
• Clinical supervision for front line staff and first line management roles
• Refer a Friend Scheme - £250 for each referral who passes probation
• Organisation wide away days
• Thorough induction and training
• Career development pathways 

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Under the Equality Act 2010, we are required to make any reasonable adjustments. If you have a disability as defined under this act and/or have special needs, please email contact the Talent team via our website and the Talent Acquisition Team will aim to make the necessary arrangements to accommodate your needs.

Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and actively seek to recruit people from groups underrepresented in our current team. We have policies and processes in place to ensure that all employees are offered an equal opportunity in recruitment and selection, promotion, training, pay and benefits.

Safeguarding

Advance is committed to safeguarding and creating a culture of zero-tolerance of harm and expects all staff, including volunteers to share this commitment. We believe all individuals have the right to live their life free from violence and abuse and the right to feel and be safe.  We have a suite of safeguarding policies, procedures and practice guidance, accessible to all staff, which promotes safeguarding and safer working practices across all our services and activities. When we recruit staff, we follow rigorous safer recruitment practices, this involves carrying out pre-employment checks including references, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, and identity checks.  We ensure all staff undertake mandatory safeguarding training relevant to their role and responsibilities, to empower them to be competent and feel confident in recognising and responding appropriately to safeguarding issues and promote wellbeing.