Independent domestic violence advocate jobs in Birmingham

Job Title: Independent Domestic Violence Advocate

Location: Warwickshire
Salary: £26,701.36per annum 
Contract type: Full Time, Permanent

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

We want kind and empathic people to work at Refuge, who believe in equality, diversity, and inclusion, are experts in their area of knowledge, want to make a positive difference and improve the lives of the women and children we support.

This is an opportunity to join Refuge as an Independent Domestic Violence Advocate supporting women and children who are impacted by domestic violence.

We are looking for a skilled, values driven IDVA who is committed to challenging inequality, reducing harm, and improving safety for adults and children affected by domestic abuse. You will bring relevant professional experience, strong skills in assessment, engagement, safety planning and communication, and the ability to work safely in complex and high risk situations. We are seeking people who can hold clear boundaries and accountability while offering empathy, curiosity and respect. You will work in a trauma informed, survivor centred and strengths based way, recognising each survivor as the expert in their own life. You will understand how gendered power, oppression and structural barriers shape survivors’ experiences, and you will be confident applying these principles in your practice.

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. 

As part of this role, you will be required to participate in our local Warwickshire domestic abuse helpline, on a rota basis.  This requires covering a later shift from 12:30 – 20:30, approximately twice per month.

Closing Date: 09:00am 24 August 2026

Interview Date: 2 September 2026

Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid have for over 45 years supported women and children with services around domestic violence and abuse. Could you be a part of our team as we continue our mission to end domestic violence and abuse? 

The region’s leading charity in tackling violence against women and girls, BSWA offers a helpline, webchat, drop in and and community support as well as emergency accommodation in six refuges across the area.

Projects supports women in the criminal justice system, in healthcare settings, and throughout the community, offering support to women and children experiencing domestic violence. Alongside this, we also have staff offering training and consultancy to businesses and health and social care professionals alike, raising awareness on gender based violence issues.

We seek like-minded women to join our enthusiastic team of workers, all of us passionate about the vital and valuable work we do to support women and children who have experienced domestic abuse, and tackling the wider issues of violence against women and girls. 
 

Key Responsibilities:

To deliver a high-quality support and advocacy service to women subjected to 
domestic violence, who are involved in private family law proceedings
To work alongside court partners to help ensure women’s and children’s voices 
are heard through the proceedings and safety prioritised.

Experience required: 

- Providing emotional and practical support to Women & Children affected by domestic violence

- Of offering advice and information and advocating for service users
on a range of issues including homelessness, benefits, legal, social
welfare issues etc.

-Of developing and maintaining effective working relationships with 
external agencies

- Working within safeguarding guidelines to protect and promote the well-being of children and vulnerable adults

- Of developing and maintaining effective working relationships with 
external agencies

Benefits

• 31 days annual leave (excluding bank holidays) 

• Up to 6% matched pension contribution 

• Free access to Employee Assistance Programme 

• Life Assurance scheme while in employment (a lump sum of 4 times salary) 

• Cycle to Work scheme 

• Health Cash Plan scheme available to all employees from day one 

• Successful candidates may have the opportunity to work under hybrid working arrangements, subject to the role and to the terms of our Hybrid Working Policy 

BSWA is a Disability Confident Employer. We want everyone to have equal chance at being considered for our jobs. Should you be unable to submit your application online and would prefer an alternative method, or you are experiencing another barrier to completing your application, please contact our recruitment team.

These posts are covered by a Genuine Occupational Requirement (Schedule 9; Equality Act 2010) and women only need apply.

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is at 12 noon on Wednesday 9th September. Interviews will take place weeks commencing 21st and 28th September.
 

We have an exciting opportunity for an Independent Domestic Abuse Victim Advocate to join the Children & Young People team in Warwickshire, working 37.5 hours a week. The job is home based but there is extensive, daily travel across Warwickshire

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:

• 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.
• 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 Children & Young Persons Independent Victim Advocate:

• Provide one to one support to children and young people (mostly face to face)
• Proactively promote the service, raise awareness of services & work collaboratively with professionals to improve the access to and quality of services for children & young people.
• Play a vital role in ensuring we provide high quality, end-to-end support to children & young people to help them to recover from the effects of crime.
• Undertake risk and needs assessments to address the specific needs of the client in line with VS operating procedures.
• To follow relevant safeguarding policies and procedures, working with safeguarding leads and other agencies to ensure an integrated approach to address any safeguarding concerns.

You will need:

• Experience of working with children and young people.
• Excellent communication skills

This role involves extensive travel throughout Warwickshire 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.

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.

We are looking for a Safeguarding Lead to provide dedicated safeguarding leadership as our flagship Drive Project working with high-harm, high-risk perpetrators of domestic abuse, scales across England and Wales. Acting as a Safeguarding Lead, you'll hold oversight of safeguarding governance across our network, lead a shift from compliance towards collaborative, relational learning, and support delivery partners as a trusted peer and source of expertise. This is a pivotal, newly created role for someone energised by culture change, skilled at holding both accountability and compassion, and comfortable working in complexity.

Closing date: Tuesday 25th August, 9am. Please refer to the job description for further details.

To apply, please visit Respect UK website