Domestic violence advocate jobs in st albans, hertfordshire

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 Domestic Abuse Advisor & Trainer

Salary: £26,000 - £32,000 pro rata

Location: Across Brent Community Hubs and Advance Headoffice

Hours: 14 Hours per week

Contract: Fixed Term - 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 Police 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:

The postholder will support the delivery of a specialist domestic abuse (DA) project in partnership with Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust (CLCH) in the London borough of Brent. The role aims to raise awareness and promote best practice in responding to domestic abuse across CLCH staff, improving support for patients impacted by domestic abuse. This will involve delivering training, workshops, and guidance to health professionals, providing consultancy on embedding DA response pathways, and helping CLCH navigate referrals to local domestic abuse support agencies. The role combines professional training, advocacy, and systems change to strengthen the health sector’s response to domestic abuse. The postholder will work across the Brent borough, attending community hubs and co-locating to deliver services when needed.

The postholder may be approached by staff seeking advice or consultation regarding male victims of domestic abuse. While the role’s primary focus remains on supporting women, the postholder will be open to supporting male victims through appropriate signposting and referral guidance. They will also be willing to undertake relevant training (e.g. Respect toolkit) to ensure inclusive and informed responses. Training will be provided.

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

About You:

To be successful as the Domestic Abuse Advisor & Trainer you will need the below experience and skills:

• A thorough understanding of the dynamics of domestic violence (physical, emotional and sexual violence, so-called ‘honour-based violence’, forced marriage, stalking and harassment) and its impact on women, children, families and communities.
• Experience in designing, delivering, and promoting engaging training and learning sessions on domestic abuse, tailored to professionals and stakeholders across a variety of settings.
• Experience of partnership working and of maintaining excellent working relationships with a range of stakeholders as well as experience of working within in multi-agency environment.
• Ability to provide consultancy and guidance to multidisciplinary teams on domestic abuse-related issues, offering informed advice and support.
• Excellent communication skills (listening, verbal, and written), with the ability to effectively collaborate with diverse professionals and stakeholders.

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.

Interviews will take place on a rolling basis.

What we can offer you:

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

**************************************************************

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.

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 2X Core IDVA's

Salary: £26,000 - £32,000 depending on experience. 

Location: Brent Civic Centre, Acton Police Station and Hammersmith Head Office

Hours: 35 Hours per week

Contract: Permanent

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 Police 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:

We work within a coordinated partnership response to violence against women and girls as part of the Angelou Partnership. Within the partnership ADVANCE provides independent domestic abuse advocacy and support for women, children and young people who have experienced domestic abuse.

The IDVA will work within a dynamic, fast paced, crisis intervention, advocacy, and support service to ensure the voice of survivors informs every stage of the process specialising in working with clients at high risk. They will work within the team to make proactive contact and provide high quality advocacy and support based upon a client led needs and risk assessment to women from aged 13, focusing on working with those aged 18 and over who access the domestic abuse service. They will advise women on criminal justice and civil remedies and related matters, support women to attend court where necessary, and coordinate the provision of multi-agency support. Part of the role will to be to establish positive, proactive, and innovative working relationships with services providing services to clients and partner agencies within the Angelou Partnership. As a Core IDVA will work across the boroughs mentioned above, under the guidance of the team leaders and project manager.

To be successful as the Core IDVA you will need the below experience and skills:

To be successful as a Core IDVA, you’ll need to have an excellent understanding of domestic abuse and its effects on women and children and of best practice within the domestic abuse sector. As an experienced domestic abuse advocate who has worked with complex and multiple needs, you will be skilled in risk management and safety planning, remaining calm in a crisis and in handling sensitive information on a daily basis. Experience of direct work with female survivors of domestic abuse, of supporting women involved in mental health services, and of working within safeguarding procedures is essential for this post, as is the need to adopt and promote a strong partnership approach to service provision.

We recognise that women often only apply to roles if they meet 100% of the criteria. We encourage you to demonstrate how your skills and experience would make you an asset to the role, and if you don’t have the exact skills/experience, tell us in your cover letter how you think you might grow and develop in the role.
 

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

What we can offer you - Employee Benefits:

• A 35-hour working week
• 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

**************************************************************

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.

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 Social Care IDVA - RBKC

Salary: £26,000 - £32,000

Location: Across three locations within RBKC and Hammersmith Head Office

Contract: Permanent

Hours p/w        35 hours per week (some working from home up to 2 days)

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 Police 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:

The Social Care IDVA will work within a dynamic, fast paced, crisis intervention, advocacy, and support service to ensure the voice of survivors informs every stage of the process, specialising in working with women whose families are involved with Family Children Services and risk to children is a factor.  You will work to make proactive contact and provide high quality advocacy and support based upon a client led needs and risk assessment to women, focusing on working with those aged 18 and over who access the domestic abuse service. This role is part advocacy, part training/education and project work to improve response to victim/survivors experiencing domestic abuse. You will be embedded in the local authority Family Children Services team, working with Social Care professionals to ensure they adopt a trauma informed approach, can recognise the dynamics of domestic abuse and are providing more holistic support. You will be the domestic abuse subject matter expert on site, upskilling fellow professionals and acting as a point of contact for any clients experiencing domestic abuse and support requirements from Family Children Services.

The Social Care project was established in 2021 and has been working in partnership with Hammersmith and Fulham Family Children Services, so the IDVAs will inherit strong working relationships and a commitment from all parties to offering more trauma-informed services.  The borough has a focus on prioritising and developing good DA work in social care and this is an opportunity to be a major player in institutional change, ensuring that women accessing Family Children services for their children have an improved experience and that the local authorities are leading the way for all survivors engaging with their services.

Advance delivers nationally accredited, quality marked services in Hammersmith & Fulham, Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Brent, Ealing, and across parts of East London. We work within a coordinated partnership response to domestic violence to provide independent domestic violence advocacy and support for women, children and young people and women’s community services for women who are involved in the criminal justice system, in anti-social behaviour or are at risk of breaking the law.

About You:

You will have an excellent understanding of domestic violence and its effects on women and children and of best practice within the domestic abuse in various areas of need, with particular knowledge on children safeguarding/legislation. As an experienced domestic violence advocate who has worked with complex and multiple needs, the post holder will be skilled in risk management and safety planning, remaining calm in a crisis and in handling sensitive information on a daily basis. Experience of direct work with female survivors of domestic violence, of supporting women with child safeguarding, needs, and of working within safeguarding procedures is essential for this post, as is the need to adopt and promote a strong partnership approach to service provision.

To be successful as the Social Care IDVA you will need the below experience and skills:

• You will establish positive, proactive, and innovative working relationships with housing services and partner agencies.Provide high-quality crisis intervention, information, advocacy, and proactive support to women referred to the service, in respect to risk management and safety planning, criminal and civil remedies, housing, health, welfare rights, and children’s legislation.
• Your abilities extend to assessing the needs and risks of survivors, carry out short and longer-term risk management, safety planning and support and identify and refer to services appropriate to their needs.Advising women of their rights and options for seeking help and support from other agencies and proactively advocate to ensure barriers to accessing support and protection are reduced. You will work as an advocate and educator to raise awareness and upskill professionals within Children Social Care plus work with colleagues to successfully develop and deliver training.

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. 

Interviews are taking place on rolling basis

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

What we can offer you - Employee Benefits: 

• A 35-hour working week
• 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 

**************************************************************

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 contact the Talent team via our website and the Talent Acquisition Team 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.

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 Specialist Housing IDVA

Salary: £26,000 - £32,000 depending on experience

Location: Hammersmith Head Office

Hours: 35 hours per week

Thursdays early shift (8am) and evening between 6-9pm on rota basis (approximately every 4-5 weeks)

Contract: Fixed Term Until March 31st 2026

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 Police 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:

The Specialist Housing Advocate will work within a dynamic, fast paced team to provide intervention, advocacy and support that empowers women and ensures that the voice of survivors informs every stage of their journey towards improved safety. This is a new and exciting service, and we are looking for someone passionate about ensuring that all survivors of domestic abuse are able to access safe and appropriate accommodation which meets their needs.

To be successful as Specialist Housing Advocate you will need the below experience and skills:

You will have an excellent understanding of domestic abuse and its effects on survivors and their children, and of best practice within the domestic abuse and housing sectors. You will be skilled in risk management and safety planning, remaining calm in a crisis and in handling sensitive information on a daily basis. The post holder will hold a caseload of survivors and will also be required to support Advance’s duty team on a rota basis which will involve completing intake assessments and providing crisis intervention support.

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: 29 JUNE 2025

Interviews are taking place on a rolling basis

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

What we can offer you - Employee Benefits:

A 35-hour working week

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

**************************************************************

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.

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 Domestic Housing Manager

Salary: £33,000 - £39,000

Location: Hammersmith

Contract: Permanent

Hours p/w 35 hours (up to 2 days WFH)

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 Police 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:

You will be working for Advance London service as an experienced Domestic Housing Manager, responsible for overseeing the delivery of the London service. You will lead and manage the LWHSP project and the co-located IDVAs,

Being responsible for line managing and performance managing Regional Managers and project staff within the post holder’s responsibility, including annual appraisals and supervision.

Supporting Regional Managers to recruit, train and develop a team of competent and highly skilled IDVAs to provide a consistently high-quality service to women. Supporting IDVAs to ensure that Advance’s values, policies and procedures are embedded into service delivery.

Overseeing the management of caseloads and casework to a high-quality standard and monitoring the performance of your team, offering continuous coaching and feedback to ensure that Advance meets the specific KPIs and outcome measures for the contract, taking immediate action to manage poor performance as necessary.

About You:

To be successful as the Domestic Housing Manager you will need the below experience and skills:

You will bring your management experience of providing services to women experiencing Domestic Violence and Abuse including VAWG. With a significant experience of managing, developing and leading teams across a geographically dispersed region and remotely, including harnessing the strengths and potential of staff at all levels, building a strong team culture and maintaining staff motivation, particularly through periods of change. You will have substantial delivery of collaborative working with external agencies, stakeholders, subcontracted partners and extensive management of frontline workers

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.

Interviews are taking place on a rolling basis

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

What we can offer you - Employee Benefits:

A 35-hour working week

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

Cycle to Work Scheme

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

**************************************************************

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 Talent and the Talent Acquisition Team 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.

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 Senior Mental Health Advocate – Neurodiversity Specialist

Salary: £29,000- £32,000

Location: Advance Head Office Hammersmith & Women’s Centres across London, with co- location at HMP Bronzefield

Hours: 35 Hours per week

Contract: Fixed Term – 31st March 2027

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 Police 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 great chance to be a part of a service working alongside the Healthcare & Education Department within HMP Bronzefield to identify and support women who are identified as being neurodiverse and will be returning to the community. Of that cohort, the Advocate will focus support on women with a mental health need and improve their transition into the community, with ongoing community support; including collaborating with other healthcare professionals to their develop support plans.

The Senior MH Advocate will work in a multi-disciplinary way, including attending the weekly complex case meeting and/or the Safety Intervention Meeting (SIM) as appropriate, they will act as a specialist member of the wider Minerva Criminal Justice Service - London team, to facilitate a pathway for women with complex needs including mental health and neurodiversity needs. The Senior Advocate will create a link between prison and the community, helping women to navigate support services and to positively re-integrate into their community upon release. They will co-design a person-centred support and action plan with women accessing support, enabling to support them to address their needs and any risks. The role will combine a casework- based approach, along with a signposting and advice service for the women.

The Senior Mental Health Advocate will be based in the community and will provide a drop-in service (1-2 day per week) in HMP Bronzefield to support women who are close to release. The role will also include line management of other advocates such as; Specialist Prison & Probation Advocates who will be based in the prison and the Loss & Bereavement Worker who will be providing support in the prison as well as in the community.

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

About You:

To be successful as the Senior Mental Health Advocate you will need the below experience and skills:

An excellent understanding of mental health, neurodiversity needs violence against women and girls and its links to women in the criminal justice system

Experience of managing/supervising a team of advocates/caseworkers – and leading a team to achieve targets & outcomes as well as appropriately managing and leading the team on any safeguarding concerns/incidents.

You will have the ability to complete trauma informed, support and action plans in collaboration with the woman; to support in addressing their multiple and individual needs and enable them to engage with services, which will result in timely and prescribed outcomes being achieved.

You will possess excellent organisational skills, excellent communication skills and be able to work in a prison environment whilst remaining calm.

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 08 June 2025

Interviews taking place w/c Monday 16 June 2025

*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

**************************************************************

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.

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 Domestic Housing Manager (Floating Support) 

Salary: £33,000 - £39,000

Location: Hammersmith

Contract: Permanent

Hours p/w 35 hours (up to 2 days WFH)

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 Police 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:

You will be working for Advance London service as an experienced Domestic Housing Manager, responsible for overseeing the delivery of the London service. You will lead and manage the LWHSP project and the co-located IDVAs,

Being responsible for line managing and performance managing Regional Managers and project staff within the post holder’s responsibility, including annual appraisals and supervision.

Supporting Regional Managers to recruit, train and develop a team of competent and highly skilled IDVAs to provide a consistently high-quality service to women. Supporting IDVAs to ensure that Advance’s values, policies and procedures are embedded into service delivery.

Overseeing the management of caseloads and casework to a high-quality standard and monitoring the performance of your team, offering continuous coaching and feedback to ensure that Advance meets the specific KPIs and outcome measures for the contract, taking immediate action to manage poor performance as necessary.

About You:

To be successful as the Domestic Housing Manager you will need the below experience and skills:

You will bring your management experience of providing services to women experiencing Domestic Violence and Abuse including VAWG. With a significant experience of managing, developing and leading teams across a geographically dispersed region and remotely, including harnessing the strengths and potential of staff at all levels, building a strong team culture and maintaining staff motivation, particularly through periods of change. You will have substantial delivery of collaborative working with external agencies, stakeholders, subcontracted partners and extensive management of frontline workers

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.

Interviews are taking place on a rolling basis

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

What we can offer you - Employee Benefits:

A 35-hour working week

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

Cycle to Work Scheme

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

**************************************************************

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 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.

We are recruiting for a Refuge Worker to join our team in Westminster; the scope on this job involves….

Job Title: Refuge Worker

Location: Westminster
Salary: £28,857.12 per annum
Contract type: Full-time, Permanent

Hours: 37.5

We are looking for a Refuge Worker to work within our service in Westminster offering high-quality support to women and children fleeing domestic abuse. Based in Westminster, London, this role involves delivering practical and emotional support to survivors, ensuring their safety, and helping them rebuild their lives. As part of your role,  you will create a safe and welcoming environment in our Refuge for our resident, in line with Refuge’s values and commitment to ending violence against women and girls.

As a Refuge Worker, you will support women through crisis, providing keywork sessions, safety planning, and advocacy. You will assist with accessing housing, welfare benefits, legal support, and other essential services while maintaining accurate case records. You will also play a vital role in ensuring the effective operation of the refuge, managing referrals, and working collaboratively with partner agencies. You will have the opportunity to work with statutory services as well as other charities. The ideal candidate will be a compassionate and resilient individual with strong communication and organisational skills. While experience in the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sector is beneficial, we also welcome applications from those with transferable skills and a commitment to supporting survivors. Above all, we value individuals who are dedicated to making a difference, thrive in an inclusive environment, and are committed to their own personal development while supporting others.

This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to a meaningful cause while developing valuable frontline support and advocacy experience. Refuge offers ongoing training, professional development, and a comprehensive benefits package, ensuring that our staff are valued and supported in their roles. If you are passionate about empowering survivors and want to be part of a dedicated, compassionate organisation, we encourage you to apply.

As part of this role, you will be required to participate in an out-of-hours on call rota.

Closing date: 9.00am on 1 July 2025

Interview date: 10 & 11 July 2025

Benefits

Refuge offers a variety of exciting opportunities to learn, develop and grow in your career. We recognise the value everyone brings to the organisation to achieve our aims and are dedicated to developing and rewarding our staff. More details of our benefits can be found in Job Information Pack.

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 Community Keyworker (Maternity Cover)

Salary: £23,000 - £26,000

Location: Waltham Cross and supporting in St Albans and Watford

Contract: Fixed Term from August 2025 (exact date TBC)

Hours p/w Full Time 35hrs per week

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 Police & Prison 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:

Are you an excellent relationship builder who can work with women and a diverse range of delivery partners to ensure that she meets her potential and successfully progresses through and beyond her probation supervision? Can you meet a women wherever she is at in her journey and work with her to create an individualised support package that gives her the best chance of breaking the cycle of offending?

Are you looking for a dynamic and rewarding role working for a feminist organisation who understand that supporting women in the criminal justice system requires a specialist and gendered approach? Do you believe in our values; to listen and support, to empower and respect, collaborate, innovate, and take accountability?

In your role as a Community Keyworker, you will be working with women involved in the Criminal Justice System; those on Probation in the Community and those women being released from Prison as part of their Post Sentence Supervision; providing some in-reach and ‘Through the Gate’ support. You will be working in a team of Community Keyworkers in your region. Each Keyworker will provide holistic one to one community support to women with a variety of needs.

About You:

Are you a strong believer in advocating for others? Are you empathetic, patient and determined? Then this opportunity could be right for you.

The Minerva service provides holistic, trauma-informed support for women in touch with the Criminal Justice System. We do this through offering dedicated one to one support, safer women’s centre spaces and specialist interventions and partnerships.

To be successful as the Community Key Worker you will need the below experience and skills.

You will be working in a supportive, friendly, and welcoming team whilst having oversight of a caseload of women, who may be under the supervision of the National Probation Service or in custody, enhancing the offer of holistic support and advocacy services available to them throughout their journey.

Building relationships with other statutory and non-statutory agencies in local communities is vital to build referral pathways and provide a whole system approach to supporting individuals.

To carry out this work you will meet women in the community in your designated borough and co-locate with other agencies including the National Probation Service, as well as regularly attending Advance’s vibrant Women’s Centre/office space.

You will be a creative self-starter who will support the service and look for innovative solutions to support clients with complex needs. You are confident professional relationship builder and has good awareness of Safeguarding procedures. Strong Administration skills and understanding of compliant behaviours also experience of supporting. With good knowledge of the criminal justice system and awareness of other support provisions.

• Closing Date for Applications: 13th July 2025 @ 23:59
• Interviews are taking place on a rolling basis

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

What we can offer you - Employee Benefits:

• A 35-hour working week
• 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!) if working a 35 a hour week.
• 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

**************************************************************

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 any additional needs,please email and the Talent Acquisition Team 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.

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 Community Keyworker

Salary: £23,000 - £26,000

Location: Waltham Cross and Harlow

Contract: Fixed Term until 31st March 2027

Hours p/w Full Time 35hrs per week

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 Police & Prison 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:

Are you an excellent relationship builder who can work with women and a diverse range of delivery partners to ensure that she meets her potential and successfully progresses through and beyond her probation supervision? Can you meet a women wherever she is at in her journey and work with her to create an individualised support package that gives her the best chance of breaking the cycle of offending?

Are you looking for a dynamic and rewarding role working for a feminist organisation who understand that supporting women in the criminal justice system requires a specialist and gendered approach? Do you believe in our values; to listen and support, to empower and respect, collaborate, innovate, and take accountability?

In your role as a Community Keyworker, you will be working with women involved in the Criminal Justice System; those on Probation in the Community and those women being released from Prison as part of their Post Sentence Supervision; providing some in-reach and ‘Through the Gate’ support. You will be working in a team of Community Keyworkers in your region. Each Keyworker will provide holistic one to one community support to women with a variety of needs.

About You:

Are you a strong believer in advocating for others? Are you empathetic, patient and determined? Then this opportunity could be right for you.

The Minerva service provides holistic, trauma-informed support for women in touch with the Criminal Justice System. We do this through offering dedicated one to one support, safer women’s centre spaces and specialist interventions and partnerships.

To be successful as the Community Key Worker you will need the below experience and skills.

You will be working in a supportive, friendly, and welcoming team whilst having oversight of a caseload of women, who may be under the supervision of the National Probation Service or in custody, enhancing the offer of holistic support and advocacy services available to them throughout their journey.

Building relationships with other statutory and non-statutory agencies in local communities is vital to build referral pathways and provide a whole system approach to supporting individuals.

To carry out this work you will meet women in the community in your designated borough and co-locate with other agencies including the National Probation Service, as well as regularly attending Advance’s vibrant Women’s Centre/office space.

You will be a creative self-starter who will support the service and look for innovative solutions to support clients with complex needs. You are confident professional relationship builder and has good awareness of Safeguarding procedures. Strong Administration skills and understanding of compliant behaviours also experience of supporting. With good knowledge of the criminal justice system and awareness of other support provisions.

• Closing Date for Applications: 13th July 2025 @ 23:59
• Interviews are taking place on a rolling basis

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

What we can offer you - Employee Benefits:

• A 35-hour working week
• 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!) if working a 35 a hour week.
• 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

**************************************************************

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 any additional needs,please email and the Talent Acquisition Team 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.

We are looking for a passionate and experienced full-time Specialist Support Worker to join our team, based in Leyton, East London.

Furnishing Futures is an innovative charity that creates beautiful healing homes for women and children who have escaped domestic abuse, and been given empty social housing, by partnering with the interiors industry to reduce waste. We are looking for a Specialist Support Worker, to work alongside our Senior Specialist Support Worker to provide focussed support to our beneficiaries across London. 

The ideal candidate will have experience supporting vulnerable people with complex needs from a wide variety of backgrounds and an understanding of the impact of deprivation, discrimination and domestic abuse on individuals, families and communities.

If this sounds like you we'd love to hear from you, even if you only meet most of the essential criteria. We particularly welcome applications from people from all marginalised groups, communities and backgrounds.

Are you looking for a dynamic and rewarding role working in an organisation with the feminist agenda at the core of its ethos? Do you believe in our values; to listen and support, to empower and respect, collaborate, innovate, and take accountability? 

We are looking for a Service Administrator

Salary: £24,000 - £26,000 per annum

Work Location: Based at Finsbury Park

Working Hours: 35 hours per week

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.

The role:

In your role as the Service Administrator, you will be working with a team of Community Keyworkers, who cover a range of designated North, East and West London boroughs. The Minerva service provides holistic one to one community support and advocacy services to women who are being supervised by the National Probation Service (NPS) and your role will be to ensure the smooth running of this essential service.

What you will bring:

The successful candidate will be a skilled administrator, who can work efficiently to tight deadlines and under pressure. They will have strong interpersonal communication skills, working with a team geographically spread across London and handling referrals from external stakeholders, allocating them accordingly.

In short, you will have:

• Experience of office management, co-ordination, and administrative skills
• A relevant qualification or comprehensive working knowledge of Microsoft Office, Outlook, Excel, and Access
• Knowledge of issues facing women offenders and those at risk of offending, both in and out of the Criminal Justice System.
• Experience of maintaining case management systems, data systems and producing regular monitoring reports
• Experience of multi-tasking and prioritising, remaining calm under pressure or in stressful environments

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.

The job advert will close on the 25th of July and interviews are taking place on rolling basis.

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

What we offer:

• 30 days holiday plus public holidays pro rata, and a day off for International Women’s Day
• Pension scheme
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme
• Staff away days

In addition to the great benefits listed above, you will have the opportunity to work in a flexible, supportive environment with a team of committed, inspiring women and we will support you as you to continue to build your skills and experience and grow your career
 

Please note that any offer of employment will be made subject to references, confirmation of the right to work in the UK and satisfactory enhanced DBS check.

 Arabic speaking Counsellor/Psychotherapist/Psychologist

Salary: £32,076 

Hours of work: 35 hours, 5 days a week

IKWRO –Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO) is an award-winning charity founded (as the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation) in 2002. As testament to its’ success and in response to huge need, IKWRO has expanded and now provides unique and vital support for women and girls from all Middle Eastern, North African and Afghan (MENA) communities who are at risk of “honour” based violence, child marriage, forced marriage, female genital mutilation, domestic violence, sexual violence and other forms of gender violence.  

IKWRO provides direct services including advocacy and professional counselling. IKWRO opened the UK’s first specialist Middle Eastern women’s refuge. IKWRO is regularly called upon to share expertise with government, academics, and media and to train professionals from bodies such as the police, social services and schools.  

IKWRO has led the recognition of “honour” based abuse and “honour” killing as forms of violence against women and girls. Campaign successes include; the first extradition from Kurdistan-Iraq to the UK of perpetrators of “honour” killing of Banaz Mahmod, the UK’s criminalisation of forced marriage, child marriage, virginity testing and hymenoplasty, as well as the first ever national inspection of policing of “honour” based violence. 

The post-holder will help Arabic speaking women who have experienced Forced Marriage, Female Genital Mutilation and “Honour” Based Violence. Working in a confidential setting, counsellors listen attentively to their clients and offer them the time, empathy and respect they need to express their own feelings, to help them overcome their problems and to make appropriate changes to their life.

The post holder must be BACP or UKCP accredited (or equivalent e.g. HCPC) or training to achieve these accreditation.

The above post is open to women only and are exempt under the Sex Discrimination Act 7(2) (d) and (e) and the Race Relations Act 5(2) (d) 1976. No agencies please. 

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Establishing a relationship of trust and respect with clients;
• To undertake high quality direct (assessment and therapeutic) and indirect (consultative, advisory and evaluative) specialist psychological interventions; making autonomous clinical decisions about own professional practice.
• Develops treatment and guidance methods and give guidance using a variety of therapy and counselling techniques;

· To formulate and implement plans of specialist psychological treatment or management of clients’ mental health problems based on an appropriate multi-factorial understanding of the client’s problems and current evidence-based best practice, taking into account the current NICE guidelines.

• Studies psychological factors in the treatment and prevention of mental illness or emotional and personality disorders;
• Maintains required contacts with education or other health professionals, as appropriate, and recommends possible solutions to problems presented;
• Encouraging clients to talk about issues they feel they cannot normally share with others;
• Accepting without bias the issues raised by clients;
• Helping clients towards a deeper understanding of their concerns;
• Attending supervision and training courses;
• Liaising with IKWRO’s staff, counselors and advisors;
• Working to agreed targets in relation to client contact;
• Undertaking group as well as individual therapy on occasions;
• Keeping records and writing reports.

Job Purpose

The Senior Project Manager is responsible for strategic and operational oversight of the effective delivery of the Creating Community Connections Pilot, ensuring the successful delivery of the pilot project, balancing the demands of supporting the various partnerships between funders, providers, and stakeholders to collectively deliver the required impact and ensure contract compliance.

Creating Community Connections is a three-year Domestic Abuse (DA) pilot Project, funded by HMPPS. The project is led by a partnership of women’s centre providers - Women in Prison, Anawim, Together Women, and Nelson Trust and aims to connect women in prisons with vital specialist community support services across the country, especially women's centres and organisations providing support around DA. By connecting prisons and women in custody to a network of local women’s services, we hope to aid resettlement and support engagement with holistic support to meet women’s needs, address root causes of offending, improve outcomes on release and intercept cycles of trauma, disadvantage, and abuse, with a particular focus on DA services. The project will ultimately support women who have experienced domestic abuse and work with them so that their experiences do not negatively influence their opportunity of successful resettlement back into the community.

Key Responsibility Areas

1. To lead and take accountability for the delivery of the Creating Community Connections (CCC) project.
2. To actively engage with funders, stakeholders, delivery partners and the internal team(s), to build a solid understanding of the CCC Project.
3. Provide effective leadership to direct reports, fostering a positive, supportive and collaborative team culture.
4. To have oversight on a cross-organisational basis of leading practice in project management methodologies, tools and techniques advising teams and colleagues on suitable approaches to ensure the effective delivery of a range of diverse projects and programmes.