Job Title: Duty Independent Gender Violence Advocate (Duty IGVA)
Location: Lambeth, London
Salary: £23,085.69 per annum, inclusive of London weighting allowance
Contract type: Part Time, Permanent
Hours: 30 hours per week (days to be discussed). Please note that the the operating hours of the service are 8AM- 6PM Monday- Friday with the expectation to work on some days 8- 4pm or 10- 6pm to cover.
This is an opportunity to join Refuge as a Duty Independent Domestic Violence Advocate to be the first point of contact for women who are impacted by domestic violence. You will work closely with victims of domestic abuse from the point of crisis and other gender-based abuse to provide high quality independent support to survivors all risk levels and their children..
In this role you will be part of a busy team. You will be the first point of contact for survivors who have been referred to the Gaia Centre. The duty IGVA will be responding to daily enquiries (specify from whom- public, agencies, individuals? over the phone and email as well as contacting survivors, assessing their risks and needs.
The duty IGVA will be responsible for carrying out and implementing safety plans and needs and will ensure an effective handover to the over to the relevant GAIA team for ongoing support. The post holder will also empower survivors by providing them with emotional, practical and personal welfare support. You will ensure that survivors are provided with a safe, supportive and welcoming environment, enabling them to access their rights, make decisions and increase their life options. The job involves working within a multi-agency framework consisting of the MARAC and local partnership protocols and procedures that prioritise the safety of survivors.
As part of this role, you will be required to participate in an out-of-hours on call rota.
Please note that this post is restricted to women due to the nature of the role. The Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies.
For this role we pay a Recruitment and Retention Allowance to external candidates of £1500 (pro rata for part time roles). This is paid in two payments – half on commencement in the role and the other half following the successful completion of probation. The allowance is subject to deduction for tax and NI.
Refuge is the UK’s largest provider of specialist services, and we are proud to be a leader in our field and an employer of choice, with leading edge systems for supervision, quality management and development.
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.
Registered Charity 
101 - 500
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
KEY INFORMATION
Location: Manchester, Bristol, Newcastle, Nottingham, or London
Hours: 37.5 hours per week (Hybrid - minimum of 2 days per week in the office)
Start date: July 2025 (we are happy to work with you and your notice period)
Duration: Permanent
Salary: £29,150 per annum if based in London. £26,575 per annum if based in Manchester, Nottingham, Newcastle or Bristol, plus a £312 yearly tax-free work from home allowance.
Application deadline: 12 noon, Friday 23rd May 2025
ABOUT UPREACH
Do you think that your socio-economic background should determine your career prospects?
upReach’s vision is of a society in which everybody has an equal opportunity to realise their full career potential. Our work is important because right now a student from disadvantaged background who gains a first-class degree from a top university is less likely to secure an elite job than a more privileged student with a 2.2.
We are an award-winning charity employer working to address this issue in partnership with employers and universities. We help undergraduates from lower socioeconomic backgrounds achieve their career potential by providing an intensive programme of support that addresses socio-economic barriers to graduate employment.
To find out more about how we support our students, visit our website and read our Annual Report, and Impact Report.
ROLE SUMMARY
The Student Administration Officer will work with the Associate facing Programmes team to support the successful delivery of the upReach programme, focused on the programme operations of onboarding new Associates.
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
You will contribute to upReach's mission by working with our programme team to facilitate the onboarding of new Associates. You will be responsible for key processes and tasks on the Associate Tracking System, to enable upReach to deliver effectively and to meet objectives and key results (OKRs). These include:
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Associate Tracking System: steward applicants through the pipeline; confirm student eligibility; answering applicant and Programme Coordinator queries; track and report on pipeline progress; help Programme Coordinators with reporting on programme application progress;
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Ensuring our communications to applicants and prospective applicants are accurate and effective including email templates and call scripts;
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Assisting the student attraction team to deliver effective campaigns promoting our programmes;
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Assisting with other programme delivery activities as needed;
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Researching process improvement projects as needed.
Please note it is not possible for the job description to cover the exhaustive list of responsibilities of your role due to the varied nature of the role. The job description aims to provide an overview of your remit.
COLLABORATION AREAS
Collaboration is a key part of upReach’s culture, and as a Student Administration Officer you’ll have the opportunity to work with a range of teams across our organisation, including:
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Programme Coordinators - coordinating the onboarding of each Associate.
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Fundraising & Partnerships - meeting the onboarding expectations of our funder / partner relationships.
VALUES
At upReach we uphold the following values for our team and volunteers, and will be looking for candidates who display these in our application process:
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Advocacy: We expect those involved with upReach to be advocates for everyone realising their full potential, regardless of social background.
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Aspiration: We empower our Associates to aim high and achieve their ambitions.
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Integrity: We expect everyone involved with upReach to work collaboratively and with honesty, and to fulfil their commitments.
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Perseverance: We are adaptable when overcoming challenges, and encourage Associates to persevere similarly.
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Proactivity: We are proactive in our work, and inspire Associates to demonstrate this too.
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
The ideal candidate for Student Administration Officer will bring with them the following skills:
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Attention to detail
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Planning and organising
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Proactivity and Perseverance
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Communication
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Collaboration
To be successful in this role you will bring with you the following experience:
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Strong organisational skills with attention to detail and the ability to manage a varied workload;
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Solid communication skills with the ability to communicate with students, team members and partners either in writing or verbally;
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The ability to learn quickly how to utilise a range of tools, including Excel and Google suite;
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Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment and working independently to find solutions to problems;
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Self-motivation and an ability to work in a small team as well as independently;
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Commitment to social mobility - Knowledge of the UK social mobility landscape, and demonstrates a willingness to deepen their knowledge.
Desirable:
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Experienced in confidently contacting applicants and resolving their queries over the phone.
TEAM CULTURE AND BENEFITS
By joining the upReach team, you will be joining a team who are committed to supporting you in your career journey and fostering an inclusive culture.
We offer:
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Flexible and hybrid working.
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Statutory Holiday Entitlement of 25 days and bank holidays. This increases to 2 additional days after 2.5 years and then to 3 additional days after 5 years of working with us.
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Birthday leave and volunteer leave
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Enhanced Parental Leave beyond statutory requirements for all team members.
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3% Pension Contribution, this increases to 5% after 5 years of working with us.
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Cycle-to-work and tech buying schemes.
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Monthly socials.
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Dedication to Staff Wellbeing through our Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aid Training and annual Wellbeing Days
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Personal Development Budget, activated after 6 months in the role.
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The opportunity to participate in our fantastic staff networks:
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Disability and Inclusion Network
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Diverse Roots Network
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Green Network
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LGBTQ+ Network
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Mindfulness Network
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Parents and Carers Network
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Socio-economic Background Network
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READY TO APPLY
We are committed to making our recruitment process inclusive. All applications will be blind screened, and our job packs are available in Braille, large text or another format upon request. We can provide reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment application process and on the job, and we'll always endeavour to be as accommodating as possible.
Applications close at 12 noon, Friday 23rd May Early applications are encouraged as we will be scheduling interviews on an ongoing basis.
Equal Opportunities
At upReach, we are committed to being an equal opportunities employer and do not discriminate in employment matters on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, disability, social background or any other protected class. We celebrate and value the diverse perspectives that people from all backgrounds bring to our team. We are passionate about creating a workplace that is inclusive and reflects the diversity of communities across the UK. Diversity in the workplace creates dynamic and effective organisations and we are actively working to build a more inclusive workforce by continuously improving our recruitment, retention, and development practices. We encourage applications from individuals from underrepresented groups, including Black, Asian and other ethnic minority backgrounds, those with disabilities , those who are care-experienced, those from low socio-economic backgrounds, and those who are LGBTQIA+.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.