Independent Domestic Violence Advocate

We have an amazing opportunity for a Black & Minoritised Ethnic Communities Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (BMEC IDVA) to join our new team in the London Victim & Witness Service who will provide tailored specialist support to domestic abuse victim/survivors from Black and Minoritised Ethnic Communities, working 37.5 hours a week.

Do you want to join a committed and inspiring team? Do you want to help make a real difference every day?

Do you want to contribute to change & improve the quality of lives of Black & Minoritised survivors?

Do you have resilience & adaptability? Can you work effectively with a focus on safety and customer service and care?

If yes, then we'd love to hear from you

What we offer:

At Victim Support we believe in attracting & retaining the best people and offer a competitive rewards & benefits package including:

• Flexible working options including hybrid working
• 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays, rising to 33 days plus Bank Holidays
• An extra day off for your birthday
• £500 bonus paid on successful completion of probationary period (pro-rata for part-time roles)
• Pension with 5% employer contribution
• Enhanced sick pay allowances & maternity payments
• High Street, retail, holiday, entertainment & leisure discounts
• Access to our financial wellbeing hub & salary deducted finance
• Employee assistance programme & wellbeing support
• Ongoing training & support with opportunities for career development & progression

About the role:

This post is open to applicants who identify as being from Black & Minoritised Ethnic Communities only, as this is deemed a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010.

This role offers flexibility for home and office working with travel to appointments to meet clients across London as required. As an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor- BMEC you will:

• Provide a proactive, high quality & trauma-informed support service to survivors of domestic violence and abuse, with a particular focus on black and minoritised ethnic communities
• Carry out risk assessment, safety planning, advocacy & prevention & recovery work
• Work with relevant service providers to create effective referral pathways
• Manage a caseload, including those assessed at high risk of harm
• Use a person-centred, survivor-focused approach, being mindful of the effects of trauma & additional barriers to access that survivors from black and minoritised ethnic communities may experience

You will need:

• A passion for working with victim/survivors & an understanding of domestic abuse & its impact
• Knowledge of the issues those from Black & minoritised communities face
• A non-judgemental, non-directive and anti-discriminatory approach to empowering victims/survivors
• The ability to speak another language, particularly- Polish, Ukrainian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Tamil, Turkish, Kurdish, Russian , Somali, Yoruba, Akan, French, Lingala, Igbo, Gujarati, Arabic, Sylheti/Bengali, Hindi, Urdu or Spanish is desirable

About Us:

Victim Support (VS) is an independent charity providing a range of specialist services to people who have been affected by crime across England and Wales. We work towards a world where there are fewer victims but who have stronger rights, better support and a real influence in the Criminal Justice System. Everyone at VS is driven by our Vision Ambitions and Values to play their part in making a difference for those who experience crime and traumatic events. Working for VS gives you the opportunity to play a key role in a national charity providing high quality services to victims and witnesses and being a vital force for change.

Victim Support are committed to recruiting with care and to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Background checks and Disclosed Barring Service checks may be required.

Victim Support strives to represent the diverse communities we serve and are passionate about creating an environment where all staff and volunteers feel respected and heard. Being a diverse organisation with an inclusive culture is integral to us being able to meet our aim of ensuring that anyone who is a victim of crime gets the support they need.

As part of our commitment to the Race at Work Charter we particularly welcome applicants from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. VS is also a Disability Confident Employer and we provide a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for candidates that are disabled and meet all essential criteria for a role.

If you have a disability, a learning difficulty such as dyslexia or a medical condition which you believe may affect your performance during any aspect of our selection process, we'll be happy to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to perform at your best.

How to apply:

To apply for this role please follow the link below to the Jobs page on our website and complete the application form demonstrating how you meet the essential shortlisting criteria.

We look forward to hearing from you.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, if we receive enough suitable applications to take forward to interview prior to the published closing date.