Independent domestic violence advocate jobs in East of england

We are looking for a proactive and compassionate Hospital Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) to support victims and survivors of domestic abuse within a hospital setting.

The role is based at Princess Royal University Hospital along with some working from the Victim Support office in Old Street and some home working.

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.
• 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 pro-active, high quality, frontline service to victims of domestic abuse through on-going risk assessment, providing individual safety planning, trauma-informed support, guidance, information, and advocacy and enabling victim/survivors to access the services they need in the aftermath of the abuse and trauma they have experienced.

You may work within a Hospital Trust's Safeguarding Team to support both patients and staff in an Acute Hospital setting, who have experienced Domestic Abuse. You will make initial contact with victims of domestic abuse, explaining our services and assessing the impact of crime, or receive referrals from colleagues, in order to provide on-going support and case management.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assess risks and needs using evidence-based checklists.
• Focus on high-risk cases with short to medium-term crisis intervention.
• Assist high-risk victims in accessing safety services.
• Deliver tailored support and information.
• Understand legal frameworks for protecting children and vulnerable adults.
• Provide advocacy on legal, housing, health, and financial options.
• Empower clients to recognize domestic abuse dynamics.
• Participate in Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC).
• Work with a team to deliver respectful, dignified, and sensitive services.
• Maintain accurate and confidential case records.
• Comply with data protection laws and organizational policies.
• Stay updated with procedures, policies, and professional codes.

About You

Ideally, you will have knowledge about legal remedies for domestic abuse victims and have experience working with drug, alcohol, and mental health issues. An understanding of benefits, housing, and homelessness would also be beneficial.

You will need:

• Strong understanding of domestic abuse and its impact.
• Demonstrate proficiency in English, both verbally and in writing.
• Experience in statutory, voluntary, or multi-agency settings.
• Competency in risk and needs assessment frameworks.
• Understanding of safeguarding issues.
• Direct service delivery experience to victims or vulnerable people.
• Ability to manage complex caseloads and prioritize work.
• Strong crisis management skills.
• Effective communication, negotiation, and advisory skills.
• Commitment to equal opportunities and diversity.

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 recruiting for a IGVA to join our team in Lewisham; the scope on this job involves….

Job Title: IGVA

Location: Athena Lewisham
Salary: £29,701.36 per annum
Contract type: Full-time, Permanent

Hours: 37.5

We are looking for a compassionate and driven Independent Gender-Based Violence Advocate (IGVA) to join Refuge’s Athena service in Lewisham. In this rewarding frontline role, you will support women and children affected by domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG), providing high-quality advocacy, practical support and safety planning to survivors at the highest risk. Working as part of a specialist team, you will play a vital role in helping survivors regain safety, stability and control over their lives. You will also take part on managing our Helpline Service, by managing new referrals from survivors and other partners, and responding to daily enquiries from partnership agencies, public and impacted individuals over the phone and email.

The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of domestic abuse; trauma and the barriers survivors can face when accessing support. You will be experienced in risk assessment, multi-agency partnership working and delivering survivor-focused support. Excellent communication, advocacy and relationship-building skills are essential, alongside the ability to work sensitively with women in crisis and manage a varied and demanding caseload. Experience within the VAWG sector is desirable, together with a commitment to equality, empowerment and inclusive practice. 

This is an opportunity to join one of the country’s leading domestic abuse organisations and make a genuine difference every day. Refuge offers a supportive and inclusive working environment, access to learning and development opportunities, clinical supervision and a competitive benefits package, enabling you to grow professionally while contributing to life-changing and lifesaving work.

Closing date: 9.00am on 16 June 2026

Interview date: 23 June 2026

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.

Rolling Recruitment – Please Read

This role is being recruited on a rolling basis. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and interviews will be scheduled on an ongoing basis.​
Early applications are strongly encouraged, as the vacancy may close before the advertised closing date if a high volume of applications is received or once a suitable candidate has been appointed.

About the role

This role sits within Women and Girls Network’s CJS Team and provides rapid, short-term advocacy and support to survivors, in London, who have experienced sexual violence and are engaging with, or considering engaging with, the criminal justice system.

You will deliver brief, trauma-informed and survivor-centred support to people who are unable to access an ISVA locally or who are waiting for support through the London Survivors Gateway. Working across the Gateway partnership - including Rape Crisis Centres, Galop, Survivors UK, Respond, and the Havens - you will help ensure survivors receive timely, independent information and advocacy at a critical point.

As this is a pilot role, you will also play a key part in shaping and developing this specialist brief intervention ISVA provision in response to survivor need.

What you will be doing

As the Brief Intervention Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA), you will:

• Provide rapid, short-term independent advocacy, information and support to survivors navigating or considering the criminal justice system, enabling informed choice and access to rights.
• Deliver empowering, trauma-informed and intersectional support, including risk and needs assessments, safety planning and tailored action planning.
• Offer clear, impartial information about reporting options, the criminal justice process, survivors’ rights under the Victims’ Code, and available legal and compensation routes.
• Advocate on survivors’ behalf with police and criminal justice agencies, and support attendance at police stations or court where required.
• Work within strict safeguarding, confidentiality and professional boundaries, ensuring survivor safety and wellbeing remain central at all times.
• Develop and pilot a brief intervention ISVA model, contributing to service design, case management systems and best practice alongside the CJS Team Manager and Gateway partners.
• Build strong working relationships across the London Survivors Gateway partnership to strengthen pathways and improve access to timely support.
• Maintain accurate case records, monitoring and evaluation data, and engage in supervision, reflective practice and continuous professional development.
• Model WGN’s feminist, trauma-informed and anti-oppressive approach, contributing to a collaborative team culture and high-quality service delivery.

Closing date and interviews

This vacancy is open to applications on a rolling basis, with interviews conducted as applications are received.

We encourage early applications, as the role may close before the advertised closing date due to a high volume of applications or once a suitable candidate has been appointed.

About us 

Women and Girls Network (WGN) is a pan-London organisation that supports women and girls affected by all forms of gendered-based violence. Our overall aim is to promote, preserve and restore the mental health and well-being of women and girls who have experienced, or are at risk of, gendered-based violence, whilst working towards a society free of gendered-based violence.

We do this by:

• Providing women-only holistic and seamless therapeutic services, which meet women and girls’ needs and contribute to total and sustainable recovery from the experiences of violence.
• Evidencing the impact of gendered-based violence and presenting this information in appropriate forums to affect social change in attitudes towards, and responses to, gendered-based violence.
• Developing good practice in the sector by providing training and guidance on specialist service provision and the development of culturally appropriate service delivery.

WGN is proud to be an accredited Living Wage Employer and a member of The London VAWG Consortium, Halo Code, and Helplines Partnership.

Join us and be part of a team that values your well-being, growth, and contribution.

Commitment to Equity and Inclusion

We are deeply committed to building a workforce that reflects the diversity, resilience and strength of the women and girls we serve. We strongly encourage applications from Black and Global Majority women and applicants with Lived Experience, including those who may not meet every criterion.

WGN is an equal opportunities employer.

Exemption

This post is exempt under the Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, Part 1, and is open to female applicants only, due to the nature of the role.

Be part of something new. Be a voice. Build change.

We are looking for motivated, value-driven advocates to join a new, innovative community-based Gender-Based Abuse service in Southwark. This is not a traditional domestic abuse support role. You will support people of all genders affected by gender-based abuse and help shape a service built around prevention, creativity, and community voice. The ethos of the service is to ensure that we are front facing and out in the community to meet clients in spaces that are safe and accessible, as well as our offices.

The Role

We are looking for three people in total:

2 x IGVAs: You will work directly with people in community settings, carrying out risk and needs assessments, creating safety plans, and using trauma-informed and coaching approaches. You’ll be part of a fast-paced, dynamic team working in new and flexible ways.

1 x ISVA: You will work with individuals impacted by sexual abuse and VAWG.

As this is a community-based role, candidates will need to be flexible, confident working across different settings, and understand how to be engaging and approachable.

About You

We’re looking for people who are:

• Confident, reliable, and proactive
• Creative, solutions-focused, and adaptable
• Strong at building rapport
• Comfortable engaging with young people and diverse communities
• Flexible in their approach and passionate about working within community settings

Experience in VAWG, domestic abuse, sexual violence, safeguarding, or working with young people is helpful, but your mindset, values, and reliability matter most. Full training and support will be provided.

If you want purpose, challenge, and the chance to help build something new, this role is for you.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying, please see the attached:

1 – Download a copy of our standard application form

2 – Return a completed copy to by email or by post to the address on the form.

3 – Include a covering letter up to 2 pages long, explaining how you meet the Person Specification for the role.

Deadline for applications is midnight, Sunday 14th June 2026.

Interviews will be held on 22nd and 23rd June 2026. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a short-written test on the day of interview.

Bede works with children and adults at risk of harm, and we have Safer Recruitment policies and procedures in place to ensure that they are protected from abuse. These roles are subject to an enhanced DBS check.

This post is open to women only as this is considered to be a Genuine Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9, Part 1, of the Equality Act (2010).

The Move-On Accommodation Support Officer will provide practical and emotional support, advocacy, and housing management to survivors of domestic abuse who are residents living within 11 of BCWA’s move-on accommodation properties as part of the Safer Futures Project. 

The postholder will be required to travel regularly to the 11 dispersed move-on accommodation properties, primarily in Croydon, with a smaller number in Bromley, and must be able to travel independently across both boroughs.

The role focuses on supporting residents to sustain tenancies, develop independent living skills, and access appropriate services to enable recovery and a life free from domestic abuse. 

Job Title:  Move-on Accommodation Support Officer 

Hours:  Part-time 26 hours per week, across 4 days, to include Mondays & Fridays

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract to 31st March 2027 with the possibility of extension subject to availability of funding 

Salary:  £24,072 per annum (this is 32,404 full time equivalent) 

Location:  Based in BCWA locations predominantly across Croydon borough and also in Bromley borough, with access to hot-desking in our London SE20 office when needed.

Deadline:  22nd June 2026 at 11.00pm

Interviews: In person in London SE20 

Employee benefits we offer: 

- A friendly, flexible and values-led organisation 

- Competitive salary 

- 25 days of annual holiday, plus bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time) 

- Contributory pension scheme (5%) 

- Training to help you perform your role and support your professional development 

- Comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme and wellbeing support 

- Two Wellbeing Days and day off on birthday 

Who we are: Bromley & Croydon Women’s Aid is a well-established, innovative and forward-thinking local domestic abuse service. We are seeking a self-motivated, flexible and experienced individual to join our dynamic team to help us deliver excellent services to vulnerable women who have experienced domestic abuse and be committed to working in a non-discriminatory manner.  

Location: All staff have access to hot-desking at our office as needed.Flexible working is welcomed at BCWA, with a mix of home and location-based working across our friendly and supportive team. We are all women with busy lives and families, and we understand that flexibility can be crucial in supporting women in the workplace.

Wellbeing: As a trauma-informed charity we take mental health and wellbeing seriously. We offer clinical supervision to our frontline team, regular staff wellbeing sessions, use of our Employee Assistance Programme and an additional wellbeing platform which offers a range of advice and support. We will consider a job share for this role. 

Notifying candidates: We apologise in advance that we will not be able to notify candidates who are not shortlisted.If you haven’t heard from us within two weeks from application deadline, please assume your application has been unsuccessful.We reserve the right to terminate the recruitment process early once the right applicant has been found or if we receive a large number of applications. 

Female applicants only: In light of the nature of work, the candidate’s gender is considered to be an occupational requirement in accordance with Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010. 

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion: BCWA is committed to supporting and promoting equality & diversity and creating an inclusive working environment. To achieve this, we seek to employ a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds to better represent the communities we serve. 

BCWA is an Equal Opportunities Employer. 

Reg. Charity No.1068007.