Independent Domestic Violence Advocate

Do you want to make a difference every day? Do you want to contribute to change & improvement for those who need it? 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
Pension with 5% employer contribution
Enhanced sick pay allowances, maternity & paternity payments
High Street, retail, holiday, entertainment & leisure discounts
Access to our financial wellbeing hub & salary deducted finance
Employee assistance programme & wellbeing support

About the role:
This hybrid role is based in Brighton & Hove, which includes a combination of home and office-based working. You will meet regularly with young clients throughout Brighton & Hove at safe locations of their choosing.

As a Children and Young Person's Housing IDVA you will:

Empower young survivors and support them to identify features and dynamics of domestic abuse
Work with young survivors aged 16-25 years, with a particular focus on cases where housing, homelessness and risk of tenancy breakdown is a factor
Hold a caseload of varying complexity, prioritising high risk cases
Conduct comprehensive needs and risk assessments
Participate in the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC), acting as the voice of the young person and delivering on actions agreed
Attend multi-disciplinary meetings, including child protection, child in need and others
Use a person-centred, survivor-focused approach, being mindful of the effects of trauma and additional barriers to accessing safe accommodation that children and young people may experience
Take the lead on the development of responses to the needs of at-risk young survivors with a housing need, and the development of relationships and referral pathways with partner agencies in this area
Assist in delivering training, and provide workshops, consultancy and advice to other agencies as required

You will need:

An understanding of the issues faced by young survivors experiencing domestic abuse
A good understanding of housing legislation and accommodation options for young people experiencing housing insecurity, including social housing, private rented, and emergency placement
A good understanding of risk assessment, safety planning & risk management for children and young people at risk of domestic abuse
An understanding of safeguarding issues & the legal responsibilities surrounding these
Experience of working within a multi-agency and legislative framework
Experience of managing a complex caseload, prioritising work and dealing with competing demands demonstrating an organised and methodical approach to work
Ability to deliver indvidualised safety and support plans, demonstrating sufficient knowledge of risk reduction regarding harmful practices and modern slavery
Ability to deliver training sessions to professional agencies
Understanding and knowledge of and active commitment to promoting equal opportunities and diversity

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for further details.

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 is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe having a diverse workforce at all levels allows us to represent the communities we serve and connect better with people affected by crime. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds. We therefore welcome applicants from all communities and monitor the diversity of applicants to analyse if we are representative of the communities we serve in terms of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, age and socio-economic status. As part of our commitment to the Race at Work Charter we would particularly welcome applicants from BAME communities.

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 looking 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.