DVA Women’s Refuge Support Worker

Description:

DVA Women’s Refuge Support Worker (Female Only)

Location: Wandsworth and Richmond

Salary: £12.03

Contract: Monday to Friday 9am - 5.18pm

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• To provide intensive casework, support, and monitoring of general, and support needs, facilitated by key-sessions, community meetings, and general day-to-day contact

• To provide advice, information and support to the women on safety – including around domestic abuse and independent living, as required

• To work with women in co-producing a ‘Support and Safety Plan’, with a focus on the individuals’ strengths to meet their chosen goals

• To fulfil our obligations and responsibilities to inform, and work with any relevant statutory bodies, for example; Social Services in regards to Child Safeguarding issues/concerns and to follow the The clients Safeguarding policies and procedures at all times

• To provide casework which identifies and build in appropriate support of the individuals housing needs, including supporting them in establishing move on accommodation

• To help facilitate, promote and evaluate social activities and workshops for residents which may focus on, and encourage empowerment, for example self-esteem and confidence building and assertiveness training To work in line with “The clients Approach” this approach has the principles of co-production and recovery at its centre. This will require you to work in partnership with service users in delivering the service as they would like to see it – for example this may include supporting service users in setting up peer support networks or facilitating groups and organising events locally

• To develop links with and then work with a range of other agencies (including drug and alcohol services, foodbanks, mental health teams etc.) in order to both safeguard and promote the welfare and/or opportunities of our service users

• To provide accommodation in a safe location, ensuring confidentiality is maintained and that all health and safety requirements are followed

• To ensure that money paid by service users towards their rent is collected, recorded and banked in line with policy and procedure. To ensure that any monies spent through petty cash is recorded in line with policy and procedure

• Adhere to all standards of the Accommodation Based Service Specification and the Quality Assessment Framework conditions, including, service delivery, completing all monitoring and relevant reports, case files and following all policy and procedures

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION

• To be able to demonstrate compassion and empathy to service users who experienced trauma

• Ability to facilitate and deliver direct work supporting women experiencing domestic abuse

• Ability to work with varied community groups and services and multicultural communities

• An understanding of the tasks required to maintain a safe living and working environment

• An understanding of the risks associated with lone working

• Working knowledge of statutory and voluntary services available for the client group and the issues involved in providing a co- ordinated service for them

• Working knowledge of welfare benefits

• An understanding of the support interventions required firstly to support a service user to maintain their accommodation at the refuge and to then move to independent accommodation successfully

• Knowledge and understanding of safeguarding issues and ability to address them appropriately

• Schedule 9 (1a) of the Equality Act 2010 applies to this position. There is a genuine occupational requirement for the post holder to be female please