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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 Mental Health IDVA

Salary: £27,000 - £32,000 depending on experience.

Location: Hammersmith

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.

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.

As the Mental Health IDVA you 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 for whom mental health is a factor. You 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, focusing on working with those aged 18 and over who access the domestic abuse service.

You will be delivering one-off drop-in sessions for clients referred via LBHF Talking Therapies and we are aiming to expand these drop-in sessions to the other two boroughs in this new financial year (RBKC & WCC).

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

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.

In short, you will:

· Establish positive, proactive and innovative working relationships with mental health 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.

· Assess 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.

· Advise 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.

· Work with mental health service providers to introduce the service and encourage practitioners to identify domestic abuse, respond appropriately and refer to the service.

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.

How to apply:

Please apply with an up to date copy of your CV and a cover letter via our careers site.

• Closing Date for Applications: Sunday 26th April 2026

• 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

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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.

We are looking for a resilient and dedicated people to join our new specialist high risk domestic abuse service as Independent Domestic Violence Advocate's (IDVA).

As a new service, we have 6 x full time IDVA positions available. These roles are full time, working a hybrid with two days per week expected to work from our centrally located office in Boscombe. Due to the nature of the role, the successful applicants would be expected to travel regularly across the Dorset county.

Do you want to make a difference every day? Do you want to contribute to change & improvement for those who need it?

Do you have resilience & adaptability? Can you work effectively with a focus on customer service and care?

If yes, then we'd love to hear from you…

What we offer

At Victim Support, we are committed to attracting and retaining the best talent. Our competitive rewards and benefits package includes:

• Flexible Working Options: Including hybrid working.
• Generous Annual Leave: 28 days plus Bank Holidays, increasing to 33 days plus Bank Holidays, with options to buy or sell annual leave.
• Birthday Leave: An extra day off for your birthday.
• Welcome Bonus: £500 on successful completion of probation period.
• Pension Plan: 5% employer contribution.
• Enhanced Allowances: Enhanced sick pay, maternity, and paternity payments.
• Exclusive Discounts: High Street, retail, holiday, gym, entertainment, and leisure discounts.
• Financial Wellbeing: Access to our financial wellbeing hub and salary-deducted finance.
• Wellbeing Support: Employee assistance programme and wellbeing support.
• Inclusive Networks: Access to EDI networks and colleague cafes.
• Sustainable Travel: Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loans.
• Career Development: Ongoing training and support with opportunities for career progression.

About the Role

As a IDVA you will provide high quality support to victims of domestic violence and abuse. You will deliver and provide support in five key areas to support victims to:

• Feel safer
• Feel informed about their rights and the criminal justice system
• Feel listened to and heard
• Be able to implement healthy coping mechanisms
• Be connected with services who are available to help them

Key Responsibilities:

• You will provide appropriate non-therapeutic support to victims of domestic abuse via their preferred contact method.
• Undertake needs and risk assessments to develop tailored individual safety and support plans to address the specific needs of the victim.
• Use a bespoke case management system to maintain accurate and confidential record keeping and contribute to the collection of outcomes.
• Liaise with the police, social services, CPS, and other agencies on the client's behalf, with the client's consent maintaining confidentiality
• Provide information to victims to enable them to make informed choices about their future options. Ensuring that the voices, needs, rights and legal entitlements of older people are heard and understood by all individuals and organisations.

About You:

Ideally, you will hold an approved and accredited IDVA qualification (or you must be willing to work towards one)

You will need:

• A strong understanding of domestic abuse and violence and the impact this has on victims.
• Experience of working with victims of crime (preferably domestic abuse) including completing risk assessments and safety planning
• Experience of managing a caseload and keeping clear case management records.
• Experience of adapting communication styles to be able to effectively communicate.
• An understanding of trauma informed practice and how to implement this within your work
• A through understanding of the criminal justice system and the Victim's Code
• An understanding of confidentiality, safeguarding and other legal requirements
• Good IT skills including experience with working within bespoke case management systems and using Microsoft Office Packages.
• Organised and methodical approach to work with the ability to plan, prioritise and organise workload

This role involves regular travel and due to the location, a driving license and access to a vehicle is considered an essential requirement. If you are unable to drive because of a disability, please indicate this in your application in your personal statement so we can explore the feasibility of alternative arrangements.

About Us:

Victim Support is an independent charity dedicated to supporting people affected by crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales. We put them at the heart of our organisation and our support and campaigns are informed and shaped by them and their experiences.

Victim Support are committed to recruiting with care and to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Background checks and Disclosed Barring Service checks may be required.

At Victim Support, we're proud to celebrate diversity and create a workplace where everyone feels they belong. We're committed to being an antiracist organisation, and we actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, including those from Black and Asian and other minoritised communities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we will offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet all essential criteria for a job where it is practicable to do so. We are also happy to make reasonable adjustments during the recruitment and selection process.

How to apply:

To apply for this role please follow the link below to the Jobs page on our website and complete the application form demonstrating how you meet the essential shortlisting criteria.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, if we receive enough suitable applications to take forward to interview prior to the published closing date. If you have already registered & started an application, then we will contact you to advise of the amended closing date wherever possible

We are looking for resilient and dedicated people to join our new specialist high risk domestic abuse service as Independent Domestic Violence Advocate's (IDVA).

As a new service, we have 4 x full time IDVA positions available. These posts are initially offered on a fixed-term basis for one year, with the potential for extension subject to future funding. These roles are full time, working a hybrid with two days per week expected to work from our centrally located office in Boscombe. Due to the nature of the role, the successful applicants would be expected to travel regularly across the Dorset county.

Do you want to make a difference every day? Do you want to contribute to change & improvement for those who need it?

Do you have resilience & adaptability? Can you work effectively with a focus on customer service and care?

If yes, then we'd love to hear from you…

What we offer

At Victim Support, we are committed to attracting and retaining the best talent. Our competitive rewards and benefits package includes:

• Flexible Working Options: Including hybrid working.
• Generous Annual Leave: 28 days plus Bank Holidays, increasing to 33 days plus Bank Holidays, with options to buy or sell annual leave.
• Birthday Leave: An extra day off for your birthday.
• Welcome Bonus: £500 on successful completion of probation period.
• Pension Plan: 5% employer contribution.
• Enhanced Allowances: Enhanced sick pay, maternity, and paternity payments.
• Exclusive Discounts: High Street, retail, holiday, gym, entertainment, and leisure discounts.
• Financial Wellbeing: Access to our financial wellbeing hub and salary-deducted finance.
• Wellbeing Support: Employee assistance programme and wellbeing support.
• Inclusive Networks: Access to EDI networks and colleague cafes.
• Sustainable Travel: Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loans.
• Career Development: Ongoing training and support with opportunities for career progression.

About the Role

As a IDVA you will provide high quality support to victims of domestic violence and abuse. You will deliver and provide support in five key areas to support victims to:

• Feel safer
• Feel informed about their rights and the criminal justice system
• Feel listened to and heard
• Be able to implement healthy coping mechanisms
• Be connected with services who are available to help them

Key Responsibilities:

• You will provide appropriate non-therapeutic support to victims of domestic abuse via their preferred contact method.
• Undertake needs and risk assessments to develop tailored individual safety and support plans to address the specific needs of the victim.
• Use a bespoke case management system to maintain accurate and confidential record keeping and contribute to the collection of outcomes.
• Liaise with the police, social services, CPS, and other agencies on the client's behalf, with the client's consent maintaining confidentiality
• Provide information to victims to enable them to make informed choices about their future options. Ensuring that the voices, needs, rights and legal entitlements of older people are heard and understood by all individuals and organisations.

About You:

Ideally, you will hold an approved and accredited IDVA qualification (or you must be willing to work towards one)

You will need:

• A strong understanding of domestic abuse and violence and the impact this has on victims.
• Experience of working with victims of crime (preferably domestic abuse) including completing risk assessments and safety planning
• Experience of managing a caseload and keeping clear case management records.
• Experience of adapting communication styles to be able to effectively communicate.
• An understanding of trauma informed practice and how to implement this within your work
• A through understanding of the criminal justice system and the Victim's Code
• An understanding of confidentiality, safeguarding and other legal requirements
• Good IT skills including experience with working within bespoke case management systems and using Microsoft Office Packages.
• Organised and methodical approach to work with the ability to plan, prioritise and organise workload

This role involves regular travel and due to the location, a driving license and access to a vehicle is considered an essential requirement. If you are unable to drive because of a disability, please indicate this in your application in your personal statement so we can explore the feasibility of alternative arrangements.

About Us:

Victim Support is an independent charity dedicated to supporting people affected by crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales. We put them at the heart of our organisation and our support and campaigns are informed and shaped by them and their experiences.

Victim Support are committed to recruiting with care and to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Background checks and Disclosed Barring Service checks may be required.

At Victim Support, we're proud to celebrate diversity and create a workplace where everyone feels they belong. We're committed to being an antiracist organisation, and we actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, including those from Black and Asian and other minoritised communities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we will offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet all essential criteria for a job where it is practicable to do so. We are also happy to make reasonable adjustments during the recruitment and selection process.

How to apply:

To apply for this role please follow the link below to the Jobs page on our website and complete the application form demonstrating how you meet the essential shortlisting criteria.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, if we receive enough suitable applications to take forward to interview prior to the published closing date. If you have already registered & started an application, then we will contact you to advise of the amended closing date wherever possible

We are looking for a resilient and dedicated person to join our new specialist high risk domestic abuse service as an Older Person's Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (OPVA).

This role is full time working on a hybrid basis with two days per week in our Boscombe office. Due to the nature of the role, the successful applicant would be expected to travel regularly across the Dorset county.

Do you want to make a difference every day? Do you want to contribute to change & improvement for those who need it?

Do you have resilience & adaptability? Can you work effectively with a focus on customer service and care?

If yes, then we'd love to hear from you…

What we offer

At Victim Support, we are committed to attracting and retaining the best talent. Our competitive rewards and benefits package includes:

• Flexible Working Options: Including hybrid working.
• Generous Annual Leave: 28 days plus Bank Holidays, increasing to 33 days plus Bank Holidays, with options to buy or sell annual leave.
• Birthday Leave: An extra day off for your birthday.
• Welcome Bonus: £500 on successful completion of probation period.
• Pension Plan: 5% employer contribution.
• Enhanced Allowances: Enhanced sick pay, maternity, and paternity payments.
• Exclusive Discounts: High Street, retail, holiday, gym, entertainment, and leisure discounts.
• Financial Wellbeing: Access to our financial wellbeing hub and salary-deducted finance.
• Wellbeing Support: Employee assistance programme and wellbeing support.
• Inclusive Networks: Access to EDI networks and colleague cafes.
• Sustainable Travel: Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loans.
• Career Development: Ongoing training and support with opportunities for career progression.

About the Role

As an Independent Domestic Violence Advocate you will provide high quality support to older people who have been subjected to domestic violence and abuse. You will deliver and provide support in five key areas to support victims to:

• Feel safer
• Feel informed about their rights and the criminal justice system
• Feel listened to and heard
• Be able to implement healthy coping mechanisms
• Be connected with services who are available to help them

Key Responsibilities:

• provide appropriate non-therapeutic support to older people who have been subjected to domestic abuse via their preferred contact method
• carry out out needs and risk assessments to develop tailored individual safety and support plans to address the specific needs of the victim
• use a bespoke case management system to maintain accurate and confidential record keeping and contribute to the collection of outcomes
• liaise with the police, social services, CPS, and other agencies on the client's behalf, with the client's consent maintaining confidentiality
• provide information to victims to enable them to make informed choices about their future options. Ensuring that the voices, needs, rights and legal entitlements of older people are heard and understood by all individuals and organisations.

About You:

Ideally, you will hold an approved and accredited OPVA qualification (or you must be willing to work towards one)

You will need:

• A strong understanding of domestic abuse and violence and the impact this has specifically on older people.
• Experience of working with older people including completing risk assessments and safety planning
• Experience of managing a caseload and keeping clear case management records.
• Experience of adapting communication styles to be able to effectively communicate with older people
• An understanding of trauma informed practice and how to implement this within your work
• A through understanding of the criminal justice system and the Victim's Code
• An understanding of confidentiality, safeguarding and other legal requirements
• Excellent IT skills including experience with working within bespoke case management systems and using Microsoft Office Packages.
• Organised and methodical approach to work with the ability to plan, prioritise and organise workload

This role involves regular travel and due to the location, a driving license and access to a vehicle is considered an essential requirement. If you are unable to drive because of a disability, please indicate this in your application in your personal statement so we can explore the feasibility of alternative arrangements.

About Us:

Victim Support is an independent charity dedicated to supporting people affected by crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales. We put them at the heart of our organisation and our support and campaigns are informed and shaped by them and their experiences.

Victim Support are committed to recruiting with care and to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Background checks and Disclosed Barring Service checks may be required.

At Victim Support, we're proud to celebrate diversity and create a workplace where everyone feels they belong. We're committed to being an antiracist organisation, and we actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, including those from Black and Asian and other minoritised communities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we will offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet all essential criteria for a job where it is practicable to do so. We are also happy to make reasonable adjustments during the recruitment and selection process.

How to apply:

To apply for this role please follow the link below to the Jobs page on our website and complete the application form demonstrating how you meet the essential shortlisting criteria.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, if we receive enough suitable applications to take forward to interview prior to the published closing date. If you have already registered & started an application, then we will contact you to advise of the amended closing date wherever possible

Victim Support is recruiting for an Hospital Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) to support victims of domestic abuse, based at Bedford Hospital. This is a full time role on a fixed term contract until 31st March 2027.

Do you want to make a difference every day? Do you want to contribute to change & improvement for those who need it?

Do you have resilience & adaptability? Can you work effectively with a focus on customer service and care?

If yes, then we'd love to hear from you…..

What we offer:

At Victim Support we believe in attracting & retaining the best people and offer a competitive rewards & benefits package including:

• Flexible working options including hybrid working
• 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays, rising to 33 days plus Bank Holidays
• An extra day off for your birthday & options to buy or sell annual leave
• Pension with 5% employer contribution
• Enhanced sick pay allowances, maternity & paternity payments
• High Street, retail, holiday, gym, entertainment & leisure discounts
• Access to our financial wellbeing hub & salary deducted finance
• Employee assistance programme & wellbeing support
• Access to EDI networks and colleague cafes
• Cycle to work scheme & season ticket loans
• Ongoing training & support with opportunities for career development & progression

About the role:

We are looking for an Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA). This is a full time role on fixed term contract until 31/03/2027. The aim of this role is to support victims of domestic abuse, who are inpatients or outpatients of Bedford Hospital. This role will be part of our other wider specialist services covering Bedfordshire.

As an IDVA you will be:

• Working closely with the safeguarding team and a range of other hospital departments
• Providing a high quality support and advocacy service to victims of domestic abuse.
• Managing a caseload; identifying and assessing risks and needs, providing a tailored crisis intervention service trough individual safety planning, advocacy, emotional and practical support.
• Working with other agencies and advocating on behalf of service users in order to help them access services to keep them safe.
• Working within a multi-agency framework consisting of partners as well as MARAC and other local partnerships to offer a coordinated response to domestic abuse.
• Promoting the service and raise awareness of domestic abuse through the delivery of training

You will need:

• Experience of working in support and advocacy with victims of domestic abuse is advantageous
• To be able to prioritise work and deal with competing or conflicting demands/needs and interests and promote organisation interests and values.
• To ideally hold a SafeLives IDVA accreditation, relevant degree, vocational qualification or relevant experience of delivering a service and working with domestic abuse victim's/service users in a statutory, voluntary or community work setting.

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for further details.

About Us:

Victim Support is an independent charity dedicated to supporting people affected by crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales. We put them at the heart of our organisation and our support and campaigns are informed and shaped by them and their experiences.

Victim Support are committed to recruiting with care and to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Background checks and Disclosed Barring Service checks may be required.

At Victim Support, we're proud to celebrate diversity and create a workplace where everyone feels they belong. We're committed to being an antiracist organisation, and we actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, including those from Black and Asian and other minoritised communities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we will offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet all essential criteria for a job where it is practicable to do so. We are also happy to make reasonable adjustments during the recruitment and selection process.

How to apply:

To apply for this role please follow the link below to the Jobs page on our website and complete the application form demonstrating how you meet the essential shortlisting criteria.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, if we receive enough suitable applications to take forward to interview prior to the published closing date. If you have already registered & started an application, then we will contact you to advise of the amended closing date wherever possible.