BACKGROUND
Ashiana is a ‘by and for’ women's led BME VAWG service with 30 years’ experience in delivering a holistic range of specialist services to South Asian, Turkish and Middle Eastern women affected by VAWG.
OUR SERVICES
Ashiana runs three refuges with a total of 29 bedspaces; specifically for women aged 16-35 fleeing forced marriage. This multi award winning project is the only service of its kind in the UK and is highly innovative in terms of addressing an area of significant need not met in other refuge provision. Within these refuges we designate a number of bedspaces for women with no recourse to public funds. We offer an advice and support service to women and girls who are experiencing VAWG, enabling them to make informed decisions and exit violent relationships. We provide a legal service supporting women with no recourse to public funds to help resolve their immigration status.
Counselling is offered for women and girls affected by VAWG. The counselling service works from an integrative stance, with the focus of providing a holistic service whereby we also work alongside other services and provide specialist domestic violence group work. The emphasis of therapeutic work with our clients is from a trauma informed model.
We also deliver an education programme for young people in secondary schools in East London aimed at preventing domestic violence and enabling young people experiencing domestic violence to access appropriate services. The prevention service includes delivering a whole school approach in schools to young people as well as group work to women and girls across North East London boroughs as well as community engagement activities and delivery. We deliver a range of awareness raising workshops for young people in the community and training on domestic violence for professionals in the voluntary and statutory sector.
PRIMARY TASK
The post is instrumental in overseeing the delivery of a comprehensive package of services and care for women in our refuges. To provide a safe environment and a service that is appropriate to the needs of young BME women particularly those from South Asian, Turkish and Middle Eastern communities and to support ex-clients following resettlement.
The post holder will have a caseload of clients and be responsible for providing advice, advocacy, casework and support to women and girls, advocating on behalf of these women and making others aware of their particular needs. The post-holder is required to demonstrate sensitivity and an awareness of the culture and needs of minoritised communities in all aspects of their duties and responsibilities.
Please see the attached the full job description
Registered Charity 
21 - 50
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Job Title: Health Independent Gender Vioelnce Advocate (Health IGVA)
Location: The Gaia Centre, Lambeth (London)
Salary: £28,857.12 per annum, including London weighting if applicable
Contract type: Full Time, Fixed Term Contract (2 June 2026)
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
This is an opportunity to join Refuge as a Health IGVA supporting women and children who are impacted by different strands of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). You will work closely with victims of VAWG from the point of crisis, to provide high quality independent advocacy and support to survivors of VAWG at the highest risk and their children.
The Health IGVA will train and provide ongoing support to GP practices and other health professionals and providers to enable primary and secondary care staff to be able to effectively talk to their patients about gender based abuse and different strands of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG): including Domestic abuse and violence (physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, economic or tech abuse), Sexual Violence (Rape and sexual assault), Stalking and harassment , Sexual exploitation (including women working in sex industry and Child Sexual Exploitation), Female genital mutilation (FGM)/cutting , Forced marriage, So-called ‘honour’-based abuse, provide early identification and offer appropriate care pathways for survivors of all genders, aged 16 years and over and their children, living, working or/and studying in Lambeth.
The post holder will work in partnership with the local Integrated Care Board (ICB) and the Gaia Service Manager to proactively develop and maintain links with health providers in the local area and build links with health professionals and support agencies.
The job involves working within a multi-agency framework consisting of the Multiagency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) and local partnership protocols and procedures that prioritise the safety of survivors. The post holder will empower survivors by providing them with emotional, practical and personal welfare support.
The job involves informing survivors of the full range of civil, criminal, and practical options that might increase their safety.
This post is restricted to women due to the nature of the role. The Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies.
Closing Date: 09:00am 1 July 2025
Interview Date: 7 and 8 July 2025
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.