Support Worker - Domestic Violence

Support Worker - Domestic Violence/Childrens and Families Domestic Violence Support Worker

LOCATION: Kempston/Sandy

SALARY: £12.09 Basic

DURATION:Temp to Perm

HOURS: 20 hours per week (Childrens and Family)

22.5 hours per week (Domestic Violence)

(Flexibility be able to cover on-call evenings and weekends. Additional payment of £13.00 for evenings and £27.00 at the weekend per day)

Note: This is two split roles that can either be done as one fulltime role or one part time position depending on your preference.

Day-to-day duties (Domestic Violence Support Worker):

• Manage a caseload of Domestic Violence victims.
• Working closely with key partners delivering quality outcome focused support in both one-to-one and group sessions
• Providing both emotional and practical support; including but not limited to keeping safe, healthy relationships, substance use, mental health and well being, finance and budget management and employment skills.
• Foster environments and interventions that are inclusive and delivered in line with the diverse needs of survivors of domestic abuse.
• Identify and signpost customers to 3rd party services including but not limited to the Housing Benefit department, Mental and Physical Health, Substance support services, Job Centre Plus and individual grant giving organisations.
• Co-ordinate a multi-agency approach to supporting customers when needed.
• Ensure that customers are aware of their rights to legal protection for themselves, arranging for the provision of legal advice as required and accompanying our customers to appointments if appropriate.
• Maintain up to date risk assessments and support plans for all customers.
• Work in partnership with local specialist support agencies and statutory organisations and ensuring attendance at local meetings and networks where appropriate ie, MARAC and MASH.
• Promote independent living and support customers to exit from the service in a planned and positive way.
• Support customers to maintain their current accommodation and to pay their rent, service charge and any personal charges in accordance with their occupancy agreement, recognising the importance of being able to effectively manage their finances as a step towards independent living, this includes supporting them to access a bank account and set up direct debits.
• Carry out health and safety checks and risk assessments of the building as requested by your line manager, update associated records and address any identified risks and repairs and participate in business continuity planning activities as required.

Day-to-day duties (Childrens and Family DV Support Worker):

• Manage a caseload of children and young people through their journey with domestic abuse service, ensuring a strengths-based approach that enables them to realise their potential.
• Work with the management team to develop and implement children, young people and family support programme in line with internal and external strategy plans and standards.
• Process referrals into the service, completing risk assessments and safety planning that considers the well being and development of the parent and their child.
• Offer support, advocacy and information to all children and young people and produce individual support plans for each child and young person that include actions identified and required from the above assessments, working closely alongside the team to offer awareness and co-delivery of support.
• Support parents to provide an appropriate environment in which children and young people feel safe and encourages the development of their self-esteem and resilience.
• Plan and provide direct and indirect play opportunities that encourage children and young people to develop and express themselves through activities and play on a one to one and group basis.
• Explore tested programmes and gain relevant accreditation and kitemarks.
• Build good working relationships with parents and develop effective partnership working to achieve best value and quality in delivery of the service. Providing parents with relevant information and supporting access to local services for them and their children such as support and therapeutic groups, children and young people's services, health teams, local schools, and nurseries.
• Maintain up to date risk assessments and support plans for all children and young people and ensure compliance with Safeguarding policies and procedures; appropriately managing safeguarding concerns to ensure excellent safeguarding practice is embedded within work.
• Encourage co-production with children and young people, using a range of engagement techniques to seek the views of those on the service and explore any ideas/improvements for future service provision.
• Support volunteers to access the programme and develop a small team of volunteers to support activities as appropriate.
• Maintain confidentiality and to ensure that professional boundaries are observed when working with customers, staff and external bodies.
• Take a key role in developing specialist knowledge and remain abreast of developments around supporting parents, children and young people who have experienced domestic abuse and provide an advisory service to the wider team, who work across a range of customer bases, to support them in working with children and young people affected by domestic abuse.

Essentials:

• DBS within the last 12 months
• Previous experience in supported living (Children and/or adults)
• Flexibility around working.

For more information on this role please contact Emily Rex on