Accommodation advice support worker jobs

Women's Refuge Deputy Service Manager (Female Only)

When registering to this job board you will be redirected to the online application form. Please ensure that this is completed in full in order that your application can be reviewed.

Please note, due to the nature of the service, it is an occupational requirement that the post holder is female and the post is therefore exempt from the provisions of the Equality Act 2010 in terms of Schedule 9, Part 1, and Paragraph 1 of the Act.  

Job Title: Deputy Service Manager 

Location: West London (This location is hidden due to the sensitive nature of the service) Please note that this service has no step free access.

Salary: £30,000

Shift Pattern: 37.5 hours per week Monday to Friday between 09:00 - 17:00. You may be required to work outside these hours dependent on service and resident requirements and you will also be expected to take part in the out of hours on call service.

About the Role

We're hiring a Specialist Women’s Refuge Deputy Service Manager someone who is passionate about supporting women and their children and is committed to their rights and safety. This role offers the opportunity to lead and support a refuge for women and children surviving domestic abuse, many of whom are living with trauma. You'll ensure the team are empowered, with the right tools and resources to deliver a seamless service that supports residents through their healing journey, helping them overcome personal challenges and work towards independence and their goals.

The service spans over 3 buildings and you will help lead a team of support mentors and children and family workers. We’re looking for a solution focused leader who is passionate about the resident group, committed to trauma informed and inclusive practice, and driven to make lasting change. You will ensure full contract and regulatory compliance while leading your team to meet KPIs and service requirements.

Some Key Responsibilities include:

• Line management and leadership, offering guidance and support throughout the employee lifecycle.
• Support the Service Manager in leading the day to day operational delivery of the service.
• Risk Management ownership, ensuring processes and policies are followed.
• Property and housing management, ensuring accommodation standards, timely maintenance and reporting.
• Financial Management, including petty cash and budget management.
• Contract management and Internal auditing, admin, and general other duties as required.
• Striving to ensure excellence and quality in our service delivery.

About You

We're looking for someone who’s driven to provide high quality, person centred support to staff, colleagues, residents and participants, with a passion about supporting women who have faced complex trauma and domestic abuse. You enjoy working as part of a team, communicating well and building professional relationships with people from all backgrounds. You're confident supporting service level enquiries, offering advice on employment matters and resident or participant queries. Most importantly, you're compassionate, supportive and thrive in a fast paced, ever changing environment.

• Due to the nature of the service, it is an occupational requirement that the post holder is female
• Ability to provide high quality support and line management to staff
• Ability to motivate and empower a team to achieve KPI's
• Ability to provide advice, guidance, and support to the team on all aspects of service delivery including resident related queries
• Knowledge of the needs of women experiencing domestic abuse and will have strong leadership and team development skills.
• Understanding and/or experience of working with people of complex backgrounds, ex-offenders, mental health, substance misuse, challenging behaviours
• Willingness and ability to work flexibly to meet service needs
• IT Proficiency, including Microsoft Office, and the ability to navigate and learn new case management systems and other types of organisational software.
• Alignment with our values of Ambition, Empowerment, Inclusivity, and Transparency

Please refer to the JDPS attached for more details on the vacancy and our requirements/key criteria.

What we Offer

• 25 days (Full time equivalent) annual leave, increasing with the length of service
• Employer Pension Contribution
• Eligibility to register with Blue Light Discount Card
• Access to discounted tickets for music events, shows, sports and more
• Reflective Practice regular sessions with a therapist provided by an external provider to support Mental Health and Wellbeing at work
• Training and Development, including access to courses, upskilling, and progression plans
• Employee Assistance Programme, including counselling
• Life Assurance Scheme
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Annual Staff Awards
• EDI Ambassador programme

About Social Interest Group (SIG)

SIG is a not-for-profit organisation providing thousands of people with good-quality support and care in residential, drop-in centres, community floating support settings, probation settings, and hospitals. We do so across London, Brighton, Bedfordshire, Luton, Kent and Liverpool. Our goal is to transform lives through empowering change. 

We believe good care and support improves lives with the vision to create healthier, safer, and more inclusive communities. Join us on our mission to empower independence through trauma-informed solutions and dynamic partnerships that keep people out of prison, out of hospital, and off the streets.
Want to know how we work? Watch our short Theory of Change video to see how we support people towards a brighter future: Theory of Change Further details can be found on our website here: Theory of Change - Social Interest Group - Social Interest Group. 

Additional Information

Please note that this job advert may close early due to screening applications on an ongoing basis. We advise applying as soon as possible for your application to be taken into consideration at the early stages.

Please note that as part of our process, we complete an enhanced DBS check, some roles may require further vetting. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact us on the details below. 

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide sponsorship, please ensure you have full right to work in the UK prior to applying to our positions. 

Additional information on our company policies including Gender Pay, Equality and Diversity, Company Benefits and our Candidate Privacy Policy can be found on our website.

Salary: £31,600 per annum pro rata

Location: Merseyside - currently based in Anfield with plans to move to Liverpool City Centre in 2026

Contract: Permanent

Full time – 37.5 hours per week

Closing date:  Tuesday 20th January 2026 at 11.30 pm

Please note this role is being advertised as a Paralegal but on appointment the job title will be Legal Adviser.

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual with legal experience to join Shelter as a Paralegal/Legal Adviser and help us deliver an effective local service for people experiencing housing issues in Merseyside. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key part in standing up to the housing emergency.

About the Role

You will help our solicitors to maintain an active caseload, enabling our clients to enforce their housing rights. Your role will be varied and will include taking instructions and witness statements, drafting letters, making applications, providing court representation and making sure time recording and income targets are met.

About you

You will need a good understanding of litigation work, be able to carry out legal research and provide a good standard of professional service and client care. You will have excellent communication skills, both in writing/drafting and face-to-face along with proficiency using case management systems and time recording, as well as the ability to manage your time and workload. If you have housing law experience and Legal Aid/ CCMS this would be an advantage. You enjoy collaborating as part of a team, respond quickly and positively to change and are not afraid to challenge the status quo and introduce new ideas when appropriate.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

About the Team

Our Legal team is based around England and is made up of over 100 people, delivering housing advice and litigation services for our clients. Working closely with other teams in Shelter Services, we take referrals from them including certified litigation work, controlled work and Housing Possession Court Duty Schemes.

Shelter Merseyside Hub has been providing housing advice and support services to local people for over 20 years, helping those facing bad housing and homelessness. We work in partnership with a range of organisations to improve the underlying systems that prevent people from living securely in suitable, safe, affordable accommodation. You will be working alongside the Housing Rights Workers, Management and Administration teams, Community Organising and Lived Experience Teams to bring about systemic change locally.

About Shelter

Home is a human right. It’s our foundation and where we thrive. Yet every day millions of people are being devastated by the housing emergency.

We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything.

We need ambitious, passionate people to join us. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. To win this fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, equitable and transparent. We are committed to combating racism both within and outside Shelter. We welcome you on our journey to becoming truly anti-racist.

How to apply

Please click ‘Apply for Job’ below. You are required to submit a CV and a supporting statement. Your supporting statement should include responses to the 'About You' points outlined in the Job Description of no more than 350 words each. Please provide specific examples following the STAR format and ensure you demonstrate how you address the behaviour below throughout your responses:

• We prioritise diversity and have an inclusive and open mindset

Any applications submitted without a supporting statement will not be considered. 

Safeguarding Statement

Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.

Are you looking for a dynamic and rewarding role working for an organisation with the feminist agenda at the core of its ethos? Then Advance Charity could be the career choice for you!

We are looking for a Complex Needs & Outreach Keyworker

Salary:  £25,000- £27,000 pro rata

Location: Kent Advance Women’s Centre including co-location at Folkstone Probation Office

Hours:  28 hours per week

Contract: Fixed Term Contract for 12 months

This post is open to female applicants only as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.  

Please note: Any offer of employment will be made subject to references, confirmation of the right to work in the UK, and satisfactory enhanced DBS check. This role is also subject to EL1 MOJ Vetting.

About us

Advance is an award-winning and innovative women-only organisation, established in 1998, providing emotional and practical support to women and girls survivors of domestic abuse and supporting women with short-term sentences to reduce offending.  We believe in empowering women and girls to lead safe, non-violent, equal lives so that they can flourish and contribute to the community.

We are a community-based organisation who lead in best practice approaches to supporting women in their local community. We achieve this by being available to meet and support women in local settings and at our women’s centres, and by working in close partnership with other agencies. Our values are to listen and support, to empower and respect, collaboration, innovation, and accountability.

About the role:

This is a pilot project for Advance working with women with complex needs related to their involvement with the criminal justice system. As the Complex Needs & Outreach Worker you will provide intensive, trauma-informed support to women experiencing multiple and intersecting vulnerabilities, including homelessness, domestic and sexual violence, mental health challenges, substance misuse, and social exclusion. Working flexibly across outreach and community settings, you will focus on building trusting relationships with women who may be disengaged from or distrustful of services, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs are addressed holistically.

You will be based primarily at Folkestone Probation Office, with up to two days per week spent providing outreach support in the community. This position involves close collaboration with the Folkestone Women's Pod to identify women who require intensive support.

A car may be desirable for this role, though not essential.

About You:

To be successful as the Complex Needs & Outreach Worker you will need the below experience and skills:

You will be highly empathetic, able to listen without judgement, and emotionally resilient when supporting women who have experienced significant trauma and adversity. The role requires tenacity and persistence, maintaining consistent engagement with clients who may have chaotic circumstances or face barriers to accessing support. You will advocate on behalf of clients, coordinate multi-agency responses, and support women to access safe accommodation, health services, safeguarding support, and pathways to recovery and independence.

This role demands a proactive, compassionate professional who can manage complex risk, work autonomously, and remain motivated and resilient while delivering person-centered, strengths-based support to some of the most vulnerable women in the community to enable them to lead safe and fulfilling lives.

How to apply:

Please submit your up-to-date CV with a supporting statement. Please note that only applications made via the job advert on the Advance careers page, and those that include a cover letter will be considered.

· Closing Date for Applications: Sunday 1st February 2026

· Interviews are taking place on: w/c 9th February 2026

*Advance reserves the right to close the advert early, or on the appointment of a candidate.

What we can offer you - Employee Benefits:

• An exceptional 30 days of paid holiday per year (pro rata for part time), PLUS public holidays on top (that's nearly 40 days paid holiday per year!)
• Additional days off to celebrate International Women’s Day, and for religious observance and moving home
• Perkbox - an employee discount platform where you can receive free rewards as well as take advantage of savings on clothes, groceries, travel, leisure and more
• Pension scheme
• Enhanced maternity/adoption provision
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme
• Employee eye-care scheme
• Clinical supervision for front line staff and first line management roles
• Refer a Friend Scheme - £250 for each referral who passes probation
• Organisation wide away days
• Thorough induction and training
• Career development pathways

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Under the Equality Act 2010, we are required to make any reasonable adjustments. If you have a disability as defined under this act and/or have special needs, please email the Talent Acquisition Team via the Advance website and will aim to make the necessary arrangements to accommodate your needs.

Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and actively seek to recruit people from groups underrepresented in our current team. We have policies and processes in place to ensure that all employees are offered an equal opportunity in recruitment and selection, promotion, training, pay and benefits.

Safeguarding

Advance is committed to safeguarding and creating a culture of zero-tolerance of harm and expects all staff, including volunteers to share this commitment. We believe all individuals have the right to live their life free from violence and abuse and the right to feel and be safe.  We have a suite of safeguarding policies, procedures and practice guidance, accessible to all staff, which promotes safeguarding and safer working practices across all our services and activities. When we recruit staff, we follow rigorous safer recruitment practices, this involves carrying out pre-employment checks including references, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, and identity checks.  We ensure all staff undertake mandatory safeguarding training relevant to their role and responsibilities, to empower them to be competent and feel confident in recognising and responding appropriately to safeguarding issues and promote wellbeing.