Independent domestic violence advocate jobs in East of england

Help lead a high-quality supported housing service and make a real difference to the lives of people experiencing homelessness. Join SPEAR as our Hostel Manager and play a key role in supporting residents to achieve stability and move towards independent living.

SPEAR is a charity working to end homelessness across South West London. We believe homelessness should be rare, brief and non-recurring, and our teams work every day to support people into safe, stable accommodation.

We are looking for an experienced and motivated manager to lead a 14-bed, 24-hour supported hostel service in Richmond. You will oversee the day-to-day running of the service, ensuring it operates safely, effectively, and in line with SPEAR’s values, while delivering high-quality, trauma-informed support to residents with complex needs. 

About the role

This is a hands-on leadership role where you will:

• Lead and manage a team including a Team Leader and Support Workers
• Ensure safe staffing levels and effective rota management
• Oversee safeguarding, risk management, and incident response
• Drive high standards of service delivery and resident support
• Build strong relationships with local authorities and partner agencies
• Ensure compliance with health and safety, including fire safety and building standards
• Support residents to progress towards independence and move-on opportunities

You will combine operational leadership, staff management, and service development to create a safe, respectful, and recovery-focused environment.

About you

We are looking for someone who:

• Has experience working with people experiencing homelessness or complex needs
• Has managed or supervised staff in a supported housing, hostel, or similar setting
• Has strong knowledge of safeguarding, risk assessment, and trauma-informed practice
• Can lead and motivate a team in a fast-paced environment
• Is confident managing complex and high-risk situations
• Has excellent communication and organisational skills

Why join us

At SPEAR, you’ll be part of a passionate, skilled team dedicated to ending homelessness. We offer a supportive environment where you can grow your career while making a meaningful impact.

Your benefits

• Generous holiday – 26 days plus public holidays, rising to 31 days with length of service
• Wellbeing & EAP – 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme with free counselling, money and legal advice
• Health support – Occupational health service and free annual eye test (with contribution towards glasses if required)
• Cycle to Work – Save on a new bike and accessories through salary sacrifice
• Season ticket loan – Interest-free loan for annual travel passes
• Moving house day – Extra day’s leave when you move home
• Financial security – Life assurance (4x salary) and interest-free emergency staff loan
• Family-friendly policies – Enhanced maternity and adoption pay, plus flexible working options
• Career development – Ongoing training, learning and progression opportunities
• Blue Light Card – Discounts across a wide range of shops, restaurants and services

As a Domestic Abuse Specialist working for Aurora New Dawn, you will work to strengthen the police response to domestic abuse by providing independent, specialist expertise within police control rooms.

Based in a local police control room you will work alongside call handlers, dispatchers, and officers to:

• assess risk and ensure no opportunities for safeguarding are missed
• quality assure police responses to domestic abuse calls
• review incident logs, DASH/DARA risk assessments, and Body Worn Video (BWV) footage
• provide operational advice to officers deploying to incidents
• identify and facilitate referrals into specialist domestic abuse support services
• improve victim safety from the very first point of contact

Working under the direction of a Senior member of staff you will work independently but collaboratively with Thames Valley police, and in line with our organisational values.

This role involves supporting and developing police staff within police centres. There may also be occasions in the future where you attend callouts alongside officers to observe their engagement with victims, to provide feedback that supports risk assessment and safeguarding processes.

PLEASE NOTE: This is an on-site role which requires you to be co-located within police control rooms and/or call centres during your shifts.

MAIN DUTIES

1. Call Review and Quality Assurance

• Listen to live or recently recorded 101/999 calls to assess victim engagement and identify missed domestic abuse indicators.
• Provide constructive, specialist feedback to call handlers to strengthen practice.
• Review selected calls or conduct sampling to identify domestic abuse calls that may have been missed.
• Review body-worn video (BWV) footage as required.

1. Risk Assessment and Escalation

• Review DASH/DARA risk assessments, police logs, and intelligence systems to identify concerns.
• Escalate cases requiring regrading or altered response times to the Force Control Room (FCR) Inspector, documenting all recommendations.
• Identify risk patterns and ensure timely action to safeguard victims.

1. Operational Advice for Officers and Control Room Staff

• Provide attending officers with relevant operational advice and background information via manual intelligence checks, such as:

Ø  protective order status

Ø  history of prior callouts

Ø  known risk indicators

Ø  relevant vulnerabilities or perpetrator patterns

• Add safeguarding information to dispatch logs as appropriate.

1. Multi‑Agency Work and Referrals

• Work closely with the local Victims First Hub, other specialist services and relevant ‘By and For’ organisations to facilitate appropriate onward referrals.
• Provide guidance on appropriate pathways for victims based on risk, identity, and need.
• Support the development of posters, guidance, and resources for FCR staff relating to out‑of‑hours support.

1. Learning, Development and Culture Change

• Support, inform, and where appropriate deliver training for call handlers and new recruits.
• Contribute to identifying themes, patterns, and learning for organisational improvement.
• Participate in review meetings with TVP, OPCC, and the Aurora Management Team.

1. Independence, Governance and Data

• Maintain strict independence while collaborating constructively with police colleagues.
• Work within data protection legislation and information sharing policies, including in relation to police data.
• Maintain accurate, confidential case and activity records.

1. Professional Responsibilities

• Maintain up‑to‑date specialist knowledge of domestic abuse practice.
• Participate in regular clinical supervision, case/workload reviews and line management supervision.
• Work flexibly to meet demand and support resilience across all FCR locations.
• Uphold Aurora New Dawn’s values, ethos and confidentiality standards at all times
• Complete any other duties. appropriate to the role and level.

Corporate Responsibilities

1. The above range of duties and responsibilities is not exhaustive: post holders will be expected to perform work of a similar level and responsibility when requested to do so.
2. Remain up-to-date and compliant with all organisational procedures policies and professional codes of conduct and uphold standards of best practice.
3. Observe duty to all Heath and Safety rules and take all reasonable care to promote the health and safety of yourself and others.
4. Act in a way that supports and promotes Aurora New Dawn’s Equal Opportunities Policy, which aims to ensure everyone has equal treatment and equal access to employment and services.
5. Contribute to Best value by working in an effective, efficient, and economic way, and to suggest and implement improved ways of working wherever possible. 

IT Security

All staff must strictly adhere to current Aurora New Dawn policy on IT security as instructed by Chief Executive. Any breach of this policy could invoke the Aurora New Dawn disciplinary procedures, which could result in dismissal.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

This job description is a guide to the work you will initially be required to undertake.  It may be changed from time to time to meet changing circumstances.  It does not form part of your contract of employment

DOMESTIC ABUSE SPECIALIST

Essential Skills, Knowledge & Experience

• Demonstrable, direct experience of supporting victims of domestic abuse.
• Strong understanding of:
  • domestic abuse typologies
  • risk assessment and safety planning
  • dynamics of coercive control
• Understanding of trauma-informed practice principles, and their application to policing
• Ability to analyse risk quickly and accurately, including during crisis situations.
• Experience reviewing domestic abuse cases, quality assurance/audit and DIP sampling
• Knowledge of local specialist services, including By and For providers.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including providing clear, constructive feedback and written reports
• Ability to maintain professional boundaries and act with independence.
• Strong IT skills and ability to use case management or intelligence systems.
• Ability to remain calm and effective in a high‑pressure, fast‑moving environment.
• Confidence in representing the organisation at local meetings, training sessions and within multi-agency groups as required.
• Commitment to feminist ethos, equality, and anti‑discriminatory practice.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends.

Desirable

• IDVA qualification via a recognised provider.
• Experience working with police or within a control room setting.
• Experience delivering training or workshops.
• Experience reviewing Body Worn Video (BWV), police logs, or intelligence systems.
• Experience working in a crisis-response environment (e.g., helplines, emergency services).

Personal Qualities

• Compassionate, empathetic, and victim/survivor‑centred.
• Non‑judgemental, empowering approach.
• Ability to challenge constructively and maintain independence.
• Adaptable, resilient, and able to manage competing demands.
• Reliable, professional, and trustworthy.
• Reflective, with commitment to continuous improvement.

Other Requirements

• Enhanced DBS
• Full Police Vetting is an essential requirement of the post and will be required on acceptance of employment. If full Level 3 Police vetting is not obtained your employment can be terminated.
• Ability to travel across Thames Valley locations.
• Access to a vehicle and valid UK driving
• This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

We encourage applications from women of all backgrounds and communities and are committed to having a team that is diverse in terms of skills, experiences, and abilities. We particularly encourage applications from disabled and Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic women, as these groups are currently underrepresented in our organisation.

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 Housing IGVA to join our team in Barking & Dagenham; the scope on this job involves….

Job Title: Housing IGVA

Location: Barking & Dagenham
Salary: £29,701.36 per annum
Contract type: Full-time, Permanent

Hours: 37.5

We are seeking a committed and compassionate Housing Independent Gender Violence Advocate (IGVA) to join our service in Barking and Dagenham, supporting women who have experienced domestic abuse. This is a vital role that works in close partnership with the Housing Department, with the post‑holder co‑located three days per week in person to strengthen joint working and improve outcomes for survivors.

The Housing IGVA will provide specialist support and advocacy, working alongside housing colleagues to ensure survivors’ safety, needs, and experiences are fully understood and responded to. The role involves advocating on behalf of clients, conducting risk assessments, developing safety plans, and making appropriate referrals to internal and external support services. The post‑holder will also provide professional guidance and insight to housing staff to enhance trauma‑informed practice.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong communication and partnership‑working skills, the ability to maintain professional boundaries, and a clear commitment to empowering women on their recovery journey. Relevant lived experience and/or professional experience supporting survivors of domestic abuse will be highly valued, alongside empathy, resilience, and a solutions‑focused approach.

This is a rewarding opportunity to make a meaningful difference at a critical point in survivors’ lives, while also developing specialist knowledge of housing systems and safeguarding practice.

Closing date: 9.00am on 13 May 2026

Interview date: 27 May 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

Youth Realities is a small but mighty charity in North London looking for a new female leader to embed the strategy and support our next phase of growth and development. 

Our vision is a world where young people live free from relationship abuse and violence. We believe strongly in prevention, using creativity and forming trusted relationships to engage and empower young people to form positive change in their own lives and wider communities. 

Everything we do is ‘youth-led’ and ‘survivor-centred’ which means we centre the needs and experiences of young people and survivors, providing regular opportunities for them to feedback, co-produce and lead on the delivery, design and development of the charity. 

Our values, embedded in the heart of our work are: youth-led, survivor-centred, safe, equitable and audacious. 

Youth Realities works with young people aged 11 - 25 who have or are at risk of relationship abuse. We offer independent domestic violence advocacy for young females, provide a safe space with a program of dance and creative activities and go into schools delivering workshops on healthy relationships. 

Key Objectives of the job:

• Provide strategic vision and leadership further developing and embedding the organisations strategy 

• Ensure that the charitable purposes of the organisation are followed and that It delivers the charitable benefit set out in Youth Realities’ vision and governing documents

• To take overall responsibility for Youth Realities’ management and administration within the governance and accountability frameworks established by the Board of Trustees

• To secure funding and drive the organisation forward ensuring it is sustainable and able to grow 

About the role:

At Single Homeless Project, we believe everyone deserves access to the care they need to live well - and that’s where you come in. We’re offering an exciting new opportunity to shape how health support is delivered within our innovative Camden Housing First service. As Health Lead, you won’t just be part of a team - you’ll be pioneering a vital, human-centred approach to health within homelessness services. It’s a chance to make a deep and lasting impact, not only on individual lives but on how we work with health systems across the borough. 

This is a role for someone who wants to grow a meaningful career while helping others to rebuild their lives. You'll work directly with people who are often overlooked by traditional systems, taking the time to build trust, understand their needs and walk alongside them on their journey to better health. From completing health assessments and designing personal health support plans, to leading multidisciplinary meetings and opening doors to essential services - you'll be the link between individuals and the support they deserve. Your insight will also help us map local services, influence partnerships and drive forward more inclusive healthcare approaches. 

You’ll be part of a psychologically informed environment, where trauma-informed care and understanding complex needs are part of everyday practice. At SHP, we’re committed to developing our people - this role offers a strong foundation for a career with real purpose, backed by expert training, team support and opportunities to grow with us. 

About you:

• You bring knowledge (or a real willingness to learn) about common health issues and the barriers to care faced by people experiencing homelessness
• You know how to build trust and connect with clients who may feel wary of services, finding ways to engage that genuinely work for them
• You understand local health systems and services, and can navigate them confidently to open up the right support for clients
• You bring experience or awareness of working with survivors of domestic abuse, with a sensitive, informed and person-centred approach
• You’re confident working independently and as part of a team, with strong skills in support planning, safeguarding, record keeping, data and reporting, and advocating for clients facing multiple disadvantage

About us:

We’re London’s leading homelessness charity – and we get things done.

In a city where hundreds are forced into homelessness every day, our work has never been more needed or more challenging. And we’re not shying away. We’re rolling up our sleeves to make change and helping over 10,000 Londoners every year. We prevent homelessness, provide safe places to live and give people the opportunity to rebuild their lives and transform their futures. And we never give up. 

We’re here for Londoners wherever they are on their journey. We start with trust, building relationships that help people feel safe, supported, and ready to move forward. Every day, we put people first in everything we do, challenging injustice and barriers that keep people from the safety, stability and opportunity they deserve. We stand alongside people as they rebuild and shape a future that feels their own. 

Joining Single Homeless Project means joining a team that’s bold, compassionate and determined to do better for the people we support and for each other. You’ll work alongside colleagues with lived experience, in a space that’s trans-inclusive, disability-friendly, and actively striving to be anti-oppressive and equitable. 

We’re not perfect, but we’re real. We listen. We learn. And we push forward, together. Because this isn’t just a job. It’s a chance to lead with empathy, spark change, and help build a London where no one is left behind.

Important info:

Applications will be reviewed and suitable candidates invited to interview as they are received. We reserve the right to close the advert as soon as a suitable candidate is identified, therefore please submit your application as soon as possible to be considered. 

Please note first stage interviews will be held online via Microsoft Teams, suitable candidates will be invited to a second stage interview in Kings Cross.

This post will require an Enhanced DBS check to be processed (by SHP) for the successful applicant.

Please note applications are reviewed for AI use in application questions. Applications with insufficient right to work or requiring sponsorship will not be accepted for this role. 

We are looking for a Housing Advice Worker who is passionate about supporting young people experiencing homelessness to transition into safe and secure housing.

The ideal candidate will work proactively and enthusiastically, both independently and as part of a team. They will have experience working in a busy, often fast-paced environment and be confident in assessing individual needs and identifying appropriate housing pathways. The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of housing and homelessness legislation, along with a solid insight into the reasons individuals experience homelessness. They will be able to effectively support young people presenting with a wide range of needs and barriers.

Key details

• Contract type and hours: permanent, full-time working 35 hours per week, Monday-Friday (9:30-5:00)

• Salary: starting salary £32,136.00. Salary scale £32,136.00 - £35,778.08

• Location: New Horizon Youth Centre, 68 Chalton Street, London, NW1 1JR

• Application deadline: 9am, Wednesday 20th May

• How to apply: complete our application form on our website, submit your CV and write a 2 page cover letter/supporting statement. Please don't include your name or address in your CV or cover letter.