Independent sexual violence advisor jobs

This role builds on work that we have been doing for decades to support and empower LGBT people who have experienced sexual violence. Your work will enable LGBT people to feel supported, heard and empowered in the face of abuse and violence, and pave the way to a safer future for our community.
 
You will work directly with LGBT victims/survivors, offering them a space to talk and think through options, helping them plan what they want to do, and offering assistance in getting what they need from services. Your work will focus on needs specifically related experiences of sexual violence, including issues such as wellbeing, support with the criminal and civil justice process, safety and access to other services to enable survivors to cope and recover. You will be empathetic and thoughtful in your approach to understanding your clients’ needs, while remaining boundaried and mindful of self-care.
 
You will sit alongside our other advocates supporting LGBT people facing abuse or violence. You will work with mainstream services to ensure the voices and experiences of LGBT survivors are represented in order to make change for our community at a local and national level. You will also work closely with key partner organisations by attending meetings and have the opportunity to take part in external work to ensure a joined-up approach among services working with LGBT people facing abuse and violence. 
 
This post is only available to applicants from the LGBTQ community as permitted under the Equality Act 2010 as a Genuine Occupational Requirement.
 
For more information on this role please download the attached job description. 
 
Location Hybrid with the expectation of 2 days per week in Galop’s central London office.
Hours Full-time (35 hours per week) 
Contract Fixed-term until 31st March 2027 with extension subject to funding
Reports to Advocacy & Support Manager
Salary You will start on salary point F1 at £32,626.66 (inclusive of £4,296.25 Inner London Weighting for those working in our London office) 
 
Closing Date Applications are now open on a rolling basis. First round interviews TBC and will take place on Microsoft Teams. 
 
Questions?  If you have any questions or would like to discuss the role further prior to application please contact us directy.
 
REF-229 409

We are seeking a qualified Specialist ISVA (Independent Sexual Violence Advocate) to join our Advocacy team at Respond. The role includes providing pro-active emotional, practical and advocacy support for adults with learning disabilities and autistic people with complex or multiple needs who have experienced any form of sexual violence and are engaging, (or considering engaging) with the criminal justice system. The ISVA will work across London to provide non-judgmental, trauma-informed emotional support, working in partnership with other London sexual violence support services. 

Our ideal candidate will have experience in the ISVA role as well as a friendly and relational approach to working with clients.  You will have the ability to build trusting relationships, work in an empowering and inclusive way and support clients to heal following sexual abuse and develop coping capacity. You will be a self-motivated individual who will engage with a wider range of people who have experience sexual violence, and other barriers to justice.

This is an exciting opportunity to join an inclusive and passionate team, and you will be supported by the ISVA Service Manager in your ongoing development. Respond values and encourages working in a collaborative and compassionate way, as we support each other to address one of the most enduring injustices; of the experience of trauma to autistic people and people with learning disabilities and their families.

Background information about Respond   

Respond started in 1991 and has grown from a small London based charity to a medium sized national charity in recent years.  Our mission is to reduce the impact of trauma in the lives of people with learning disabilities and autistic people, by developing trusting relationships, through psychotherapeutically informed services.  

An important part of our work at Respond is working in a trauma-informed way. What this means for us is that we hold in mind the impact of trauma at all levels of the organisation, and all staff take part in reflective practice or team dynamics.     

We are keen to encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates including people with lived experience, who are both interested in working in partnership to provide advocacy support, as well as supporting people with learning disabilities and autistic people who have experienced trauma.    

We are committed to the furthering of human rights, equality, and positive social change through our therapeutic and advocacy work and are committed to anti-racism and other forms of anti-discriminatory practice. We recognise that we need to continually keep this as a focus in our work and as an integral part of our organisational strategy.      

We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every requirement in the person specification, we encourage you to apply anyway and demonstrate how your experience is transferrable for this role.  You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles within the organisation. 

Respond Benefits package (all per financial year)

We offer a generous and comprehensive package of flexible benefits to all of our staff.

• Hybrid working model, which means that if you’re full time you make a commitment to be working in the office at least two days a week, with the remainder working from home.  Part time hours are altered accordingly.   

• Generous paid leave benefits including 28.5 days holiday (plus Bank Holidays), with some to be taken between Christmas and New year.

• Up to 4 weeks paid sickness leave at full pay and a further 4 weeks at half pay,

• Discretionary study leave to support training relevant to your role. 

• Paid leave to employees who may need to take one day off a year when a religious festival falls on a workday.

• Up to 5 days paid time off for dependents per financial year.

• Opportunity to apply for up to 2 days (14 hours) paid leave per year to participate in volunteering activities relevant to the role.      

• Access to a workplace pension scheme, administered by NEST, with a minimum 5% employee contribution and 3% employer contribution from commencement of employment. 

• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) which includes 24/7 telephone service and counselling.     

Note all of the above days per annum stated are pro rata’d for part time employees.    

If you’d like to find out more about this role, please read through the job description and our person specification. When you apply, please send a CV and address the points in the person specification in an accompanying supporting statement.   Your statement should be no more than 2 sides of A4.     

Closing date for applications: 17th July 2026

The Alliance

The Sexual Violence Alliance is comprised of seven organisations (The four London Rape Crisis Centres, Galop, Survivors UK, and Respond) working together to provide comprehensive support to victim/survivors of sexual violence across London. The alliance model enables us to draw on each member’s expertise and provide all victims/survivors with the specific care that is tailored to their needs. Navigators sit within each organisation in The Alliance and work alongside one another to support survivors of sexual violence.  

The Role

As this is a new role, we anticipate that the remit of the role will likely adapt in response to the support needs that are presented by service users and service delivery. We expect the post holder to contribute to the development of this role.   

The role of a Rapid Response ISVA is to provide advocacy, practical, and emotional support to survivors who have experienced any form of sexual violence, recent or historic. You will also ensure that survivors are aware of their rights, options, and entitlements, and support them through any stage of the criminal justice system.  

The post holder will ensure a quality service is provided to survivors by covering cases at short notice and providing support for those that are not able to access immediate ISVA support. You will ensure that timely advice is provided to survivors on the waiting list.  

This post is only available to applicants from the LGBTQ community as permitted under the Equality Act 2010 as a Genuine Occupational Requirement.

For more information on this role please download the attached job description. 

Location Galop’s offices are located in London. This role will have the option of hybrid working with at least 2 days per week in the office.

Hours Full time (35 hours per week)

Contract Permanent

Reports to Sexual Violence Advocacy & Support Manager

Salary You will start on scale point F1 at £32,626.66 (including £4,296.25 London Weighting for those working in our London office)

Closing Date  Applications are now open on a rolling basis. First round interviews TBC and will take place via Microsoft Teams. 

Questions? If you have any questions or would like to discuss the role further prior to application, please contact us.

REF-229 181

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.