Floating Support IDVA (Domestic Abuse)

About Her Centre

Her Centre is a hyper-local women’s charity, providing services to women and girls in Greenwich.

We support women and children affected by domestic abuse, sexual abuse, and relationship trauma.

We provide Independent Domestic Violence Advocates (IDVAs) to support women and children by providing emotional support, support to flee abuse and a safety plan. Our services also include free legal support with a family lawyer, a welfare advice hub, training programmes for both women and organisations, and a range of empowerment courses such as ESOL classes, counselling, peer support groups and more to help women build skills, confidence, and independence.

The Role

The Floating Support IDVA will provide specialist domestic abuse advocacy alongside practical housing and resettlement support to women who have experienced domestic abuse and homelessness. The role will combine the specialist functions of an IDVA with intensive floating support to help survivors remain safe, sustain their accommodation, develop tenancy readiness and move successfully into safe, independent housing. The post holder will undertake comprehensive needs and risk assessments, safety planning, advocacy and multi-agency work while supporting survivors with the practical skills, housing, financial, health, legal and social needs that can create barriers to successful resettlement. The role will work closely with City of London Homelessness Officers, MARAC, WSUP’s Health Coordinator and other statutory and voluntary-sector partners to ensure support is coordinated, risk is managed and each woman is supported towards safe and sustainable move-on.

Duties

• Build trusting, positive and professional relationships with survivors, using a trauma-informed, strengths-based and person-centred approach which recognises the impact of domestic abuse, homelessness, multiple disadvantage and intersectionality.
• Provide specialist IDVA advice, advocacy and crisis intervention to women experiencing domestic abuse, including support with safety, housing, legal remedies, criminal and civil justice processes and access to specialist services.
• Complete and review DASH risk assessments within the required timeframe, working in partnership with City of London Homelessness Officers and other relevant agencies.
• Develop, implement and regularly review individual safety plans and risk-management plans, responding promptly to changes in risk, incidents, safeguarding concerns and domestic abuse-related threats.
• Advocate for and represent survivors at MARAC where appropriate, including making referrals and re-referrals where risk escalates or circumstances change.
• Support survivors to understand and exercise their rights under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and other relevant legislation, and facilitate access to legal advice and remedies including injunctions, non-molestation orders and criminal justice processes.
• Provide effective housing-related support, including tenancy management, understanding housing rights and responsibilities, housing applications, choice-based lettings, property viewings, tenancy signing, renters’ rights and preparation for independent living.
• Support survivors to make weekly housing bids and maximise their move-on options, including identifying and pursuing safe accommodation options outside the social housing system where appropriate.
• Ensure housing benefit claims are made within the required timeframe and support survivors to maximise their income, access benefits and develop budgeting and financial management skills.
• Support survivors to develop practical life skills and the confidence required to sustain accommodation, manage a home and live independently.
• Work with survivors to identify employment, education, training, volunteering and learning needs and make appropriate referrals or provide practical support to access opportunities.
• Support survivors to register with a GP and access primary healthcare and other relevant health services, including practical support to attend appointments where needed. Recognise and appropriately escalate health deterioration, self-neglect and other health inequalities.
• Identify mental health concerns and ensure survivors are appropriately signposted or referred to mental health services, alongside facilitating access to counselling and other emotional wellbeing support.
• Make appropriate onward referrals and support survivors to access relevant external services where appropriate, including specialist domestic abuse, health, legal, financial, employment, community and social support services.
• Facilitate social activities and opportunities for group cohesion at least monthly, promoting social inclusion, confidence, resilience and positive relationships while respecting survivors’ individual cultural, religious and communication needs.
• Support survivors with practical arrangements for moving home, including viewing properties, decision-making, tenancy signing, move-on grants, furniture and social-giving schemes, transport and other relocation logistics.
• Maintain regular contact with survivors, with at least weekly contact attempts
• Respond appropriately to incidents, anti-social behaviour and safeguarding concerns, ensuring call-outs and incidents are recorded within the required timeframe and safeguarding concerns are reported or escalated to the appropriate agency without delay.
• Maintain accurate, timely and contemporaneous case records, including support plans, risk assessments, safety plans, outcomes, referrals, incidents and move-on activity, in accordance with Her Centre’s data protection, confidentiality and information-sharing requirements.
• Complete exit interviews and support the collection of service-user feedback, using feedback and lived experience to inform service development and improvement.
• Contribute accurate monitoring information and individual progress reports, including data required for quarterly contract monitoring, client outcomes, demographics, referrals, move-on, incidents, safeguarding, partnerships and service-user feedback.
• Maintain effective working relationships with WSUP’s Health Coordinator, City of London Homelessness Officers, housing services, police, health, social care, legal services, domestic abuse services and other relevant agencies..
• Keep up to date with legislation, policy, research and best practice relating to domestic abuse, homelessness, housing, safeguarding, health and violence against women and girls, and undertake relevant training and professional development.
• Contribute to service improvement and co-production, ensuring survivor participation, feedback and lived experience inform service delivery.
• Undertake other reasonable duties consistent with the role, as requested by the Service Director or senior management.

Benefits of working at Her Centre

- A lovely team!

- 4 day working week (full time)

- 1 personal "wellbeing hour" a week

- Work from home 1 day a month

- 2 team-building days out a year

- Training and progression opportunities

- 3% pension contribution

Please note: Due to the intensive and sensitive nature of the support involved, this post is open to women only, as permitted under Section 7(2)(e) of the Sex Discrimination Act.

We are actively interviewing for this role as applications arrive