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Senior Communications and Policy Officer

Respect

Remote

£34,016 per year

Part-time

Permanent

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Job description

About Respect

Respect is a pioneering UK membership organisation in the domestic abuse sector.  Founded in 2000, we have built our expertise over the last 23 years in what was then a fledgling sector and recently have seen significant and rapid growth.    

Respect supports frontline organisations across the UK, so that together we can end domestic abuse. Our work is wide ranging: we offer accreditation of specialist services; we provide training for individuals and organisations working in the sector; we work in partnership with others to innovate and develop practice; we provide two helplines to enable service users to get the help and advice they need; we lobby influencers to improve policy and practice; we support up-to-date research undertaken by specialists in the field; and we fundraise to ensure important work continues to happen.

Respect has seen rapid growth over the last few years, and we now have 60+ staff running a range of projects and core activities and have ambitious plans for further growth and influence. 

Our vision  

We want a world where everyone is free from domestic abuse. Where it is never ok to control, harm or cause fear. Where those who perpetrate domestic abuse are stopped, held to account and given the chance to change.   

Our mission  

We work with our members, partners and allies to stop the harms done by those who perpetrate domestic abuse.  With innovative practice, robust research and quality data, we build evidence of what works, promote safe, effective practice and drive high standards.  We use our voice, in collaboration with others, to call for a response to domestic abuse that matches the scale of the problem.  We will not stop, until domestic abuse stops.   

Our Focus  

Respect was founded to focus on perpetrators of domestic abuse and this, including our vital work with young people who cause harm, will remain our key priority.  Our work with male victims will continue as an important, distinct, project.   

Our Values  

Pioneering - We explore innovative ideas and develop new approaches with curiosity and rigour.

Collaborative - We work in partnership with our members, partners and allies to bring about individual, societal and systems change.

Accountable- We listen to survivors and centre their needs in our work.  We hold perpetrators to account for their behaviour and hold ourselves and our members accountable for ours.

Respectful - We live up to our name.  We are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do.  We are honest, compassionate and boldly challenge injustice.

Make a Change

Make a Change is a community-wide, early response approach to people using abusive behaviours (or who are concerned that they might be) towards a current or ex-partner. The model has been developed by Respect in partnership with Women’s Aid Federation England, drawing inspiration from their Change that Lasts approach. It includes three strands: expert support programme for perpetrators with parallel support for survivors, workforce development and community outreach.

Improving the safety, freedom and wellbeing of adult and child survivors of domestic abuse is a key outcome for our work with perpetrators. The Make a Change model is a multi-partner project offering local areas a framework for delivering perpetrator work. Where feasible, we aim to establish partnerships with local survivor domestic abuse service to deliver parallel support for survivors (referred to as Integrated Support Service) as part the expert support strand.

Purpose of the role:

The Senior Communications and Policy Officer will work with the Make a Change team at Respect to advance the development of communication and policy activities for the Make a Change model in project sites and nationally to encourage uptake in new areas. They will also work with Respect’s Communications and Influence leads to ensure alignment with the organisation's broader messaging and advocacy efforts, maximising the impact of Make a Change initiatives. The postholder will lead on developing and implementing communication strategies and plans in partnership with our delivery partners across the sites.

We would particularly welcome applications from individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and across all protected characteristics1, particularly from people from the following under-represented groups: