Refuge Support Worker

Location: Enfield 

Salary: Unqualified: £29,385 - £30,671 per annum

Qualified: £30,671 - £33,438 per annum

(Please note that applicants are usually appointed at the bottom of the relevant band based on fairness and our pay scales)

Hours: 37.5 hours per week 

Contract: Permanent

Closing Date: Monday 13th April 2026

Closing Time: 00:00am

Are you looking for a rewarding role working for an intersectional feminist organisation? If so, we have an incredible opportunity for you to join our team as a Refuge Support Worker at Solace Women's Aid.  

You will be joining a team of committed and inspiring individuals whose dedication has saved the lives of thousands of women, men and children in the capital. We are looking for friendly and diligent individuals to join our services and help us make a difference.

Our core values reflect our history and were developed in consultation with staff and service users. Feminism and intersectionality are key to our work and we are committed to the principles of being survivor-led, trauma-informed, empowering, diverse, anti-racist and anti-discriminatory.

About the Service

The Refuge Service provide emergency accommodation to women and children fleeing domestic abuse and sexual violence. Refuge Support workers provide emotional and practical support this can include housing support, legal options, reporting to the police, help around child contact, benefits, financial advice and accessing therapeutic support services.

About the Role

As a Refuge Support Worker in our Enfield refuge, you will help create a safe, welcoming environment for women and families escaping abuse. You’ll handle phone enquiries, prepare rooms for new arrivals, support with deliveries, and help maintain clean, safe communal areas.

You’ll introduce new residents to Solace services, explain key policies, and ensure they are aware of internal and external support options. Working alongside each resident, you will develop support plans, assist with benefits and housing applications, accompany them to appointments when needed, and help them work towards safe, independent move‑on accommodation.

The role also includes collecting and recording payments, completing health and safety checks, maintaining accurate records, and building strong working relationships with local authorities and partner agencies.

You’ll be part of a supportive team, attend regular meetings and supervision, follow all safeguarding, equality, and organisational policies, and contribute to the smooth and safe running of the refuge.

Please note this list is not exhaustive and you will be required to carry out tasks delegated to you by your line manager.

About You

The ideal candidate will be compassionate, practical, and resilient, with a genuine commitment to supporting survivors of domestic abuse. You’re confident working in a busy, varied environment and can balance hands‑on tasks with administrative responsibilities.

You communicate clearly, build trusting relationships, and work well with residents, colleagues, and external agencies. You are organised, reliable, and able to maintain accurate records and follow safeguarding, health and safety, and organisational procedures.

You’re also comfortable supporting service users with practical needs such as benefits, housing, and appointments, and you approach challenges with patience, empathy, and a problem‑solving mindset. You’re also able to manage occasional physical tasks, such as helping prepare rooms or assisting with deliveries.

Outside of this, you are committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and empowering environment where every resident feels heard, respected, and supported.

What we can offer you

We provide a comprehensive benefits package to all our employees, including:

• Flexible working
• Focus on learning and development (internal career progression and training)
• Generous holiday entitlement
• Employer pension contribution
• Family-friendly leave and enhanced maternity pay
• Access to Inclusion Networks
• Daily clinical debriefing
• Employee Assistance Programme providing free 24/7 support and advice
• Employee Benefits Platform offering staff discounts, benefits and savings
• Flow & Restore yoga classes
• Meditation sessions
• Cycle to Work Scheme

How to apply

When applying for this role, kindly highlight in your Supporting Statement how your values, knowledge, transferrable skills, and experience align with each point within the following sections of the Job Profile Document:

• Values, Behaviours & Competencies
• Knowledge, Experience and Skills

Solace Women's Aid values diversity, promotes equity, and challenges discrimination. We encourage and welcome applications from candidates of diverse cultures, abilities, perspectives, and lived experiences. We have policies and processes in place to ensure that all employees are offered an equal opportunity in recruitment and selection, promotion, training, pay, and benefits. Our Inclusion Networks support staff with protected characteristics and offer inclusive spaces to connect.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. We anticipate and provide reasonable adjustments as needed and support employees who acquire a disability or long-term health condition, enabling them to stay in work.

This service is run by women for women and is therefore restricted to female applicants under the Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, and Part 1. Section 7(2) e of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 apply. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.

As part of safer recruitment practices, we carry out pre-employment checks including references, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and right to work in the UK checks.

No agencies.