Jobs for the Justice sector

Are you looking for a dynamic and rewarding role working for an organisation with the feminist agenda at the core of its ethos? Then Advance Charity could be the career choice for you!

We are looking for a Senior Keyworker

Salary: £25,000 - £27,000

Location: Based across our offices in Reading and Oxford but you will need to hold a full UK driving license and be able to commute across the entire Thames Valley region (Oxfordshire, Berkshire & Buckinghamshire)

Hours: 35 Hours per week, with some working from home

Contract: Permanent

This post is open to female applicants only as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

Please note: Any offer of employment will be made subject to references, confirmation of the right to work in the UK, and satisfactory enhanced DBS check. This role is also subject to Police Vetting.

About us

Advance is an award-winning and innovative women-only organisation, established in 1998, providing emotional and practical support to women and girls survivors of domestic abuse and supporting women with short-term sentences to reduce offending. We believe in empowering women and girls to lead safe, non-violent, equal lives so that they can flourish and contribute to the community.

We are a community-based organisation who lead in best practice approaches to supporting women in their local community. We achieve this by being available to meet and support women in local settings and at our women’s centres, and by working in close partnership with other agencies.

Our values are to listen and support, to empower and respect, collaboration, innovation, and accountability.

About the role:

Working as a Senior Keyworker you will be responsible for supervising a small group of keyworkers, planned and ad-hoc supervision is an integral part of the Senior role, and you will be supporting keyworkers with monthly supervision and have oversight of safeguarding for the women they work with. You will be supporting the quality control for the region which will include dip-checks and data input.

About You:

To be successful as the Senior Keyworker you will need the below experience and skills:

You will have an in-depth knowledge of the range of needs and interventions required for women offenders. The ability to lead a small team to deliver inclusive, innovative and professional services.  The ability to not only maintain own a small caseload of women, never compromising on quality engagements, but also to role model best practice and lead a small team of Thames Valley wide Keyworkers

How to apply:

Please submit your up-to-date CV with a supporting statement. Please note that only applications made via the job advert on the Advance careers page, and those that include a cover letter will be considered. 

• Closing Date for Applications: 14th December 2025

• Interviews are taking place on a rolling basis

*Advance reserves the right to close the advert early, or on the appointment of a candidate.

What we can offer you - Employee Benefits: 

• A 35-hour working week
• An exceptional 30 days of paid holiday per year (pro rata for part time), PLUS public holidays on top (that's nearly 40 days paid holiday per year!) 
• Additional days off to celebrate International Women’s Day, and for religious observance and moving home
• Perkbox - an employee discount platform where you can receive free rewards as well as take advantage of savings on clothes, groceries, travel, leisure and more
• Pension scheme
• Enhanced maternity/adoption provision
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme
• Employee eye-care scheme
• Clinical supervision for front line staff and first line management roles
• Refer a Friend Scheme - £250 for each referral who passes probation
• Organisation wide away days
• Thorough induction and training
• Career development pathways 

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Under the Equality Act 2010, we are required to make any reasonable adjustments. If you have a disability as defined under this act and/or have special needs, please email the Talent Acquisition Team via the Advance website and will aim to make the necessary arrangements to accommodate your needs.

Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and actively seek to recruit people from groups underrepresented in our current team. 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.

Safeguarding

Advance is committed to safeguarding and creating a culture of zero-tolerance of harm and expects all staff, including volunteers to share this commitment. We believe all individuals have the right to live their life free from violence and abuse and the right to feel and be safe. We have a suite of safeguarding policies, procedures and practice guidance, accessible to all staff, which promotes safeguarding and safer working practices across all our services and activities. When we recruit staff, we follow rigorous safer recruitment practices, this involves carrying out pre-employment checks including references, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, and identity checks. We ensure all staff undertake mandatory safeguarding training relevant to their role and responsibilities, to empower them to be competent and feel confident in recognising and responding appropriately to safeguarding issues and promote wellbeing.

We are looking for a resilient and dedicated person to join our Avon & Somerset team as an Adolescent and Child to Parent (APV/CPV) Violence Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA), working within the VS team as part of the Avon & Somerset Victim Service partnership.

The service provides support across the whole geography of Avon & Somerset. This role involves making initial contact with victims of adolescent and child to parent violence and providing initial support in a dynamic and ever-changing environment. The role is part-time and is hybrid between our Bristol office and home working. A suitable and confidential workspace at home is therefore required.

Do you want to make a difference every day? Do you want to contribute to change & improvement for those who need it?

Do you have resilience & adaptability? Can you work effectively with a focus on customer service and care?

If yes, then we'd love to hear from you…

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:

You will provide high quality support to all victims of APV/CPV, leading on completing initial impact and risk assessments that are comprehensive and holistic. You will also provide cover for the local VS Helpline.

Key Responsibilities:

• Identify and assess the risks and needs of APV/CPV victims using an evidence-based risk identification checklist.
• Focus on and prioritise high risk cases and provide a pro-active, short to medium term crisis intervention service. Deliver individually appropriate tailored support and information, advocacy, and practical support.
• Work with victims of APV/CPV to assist them in accessing services to keep them and their family safe. Develop individual safety plans to meet client's needs as identified in the risks and needs assessment.
• Ensure each victim receives an individually appropriate tailored support and information service that fully meets their needs, keeping complex needs central to all processes and decisions.
• Work within the legal framework relating to the protection of children and vulnerable adults, including the policy and procedures of the Local Safeguarding Adult and Children's Boards.
• Providing advocacy and information to victims including exploration of legal and civil options, housing, health and finance and support clients through the criminal justice system.
• Support the empowerment of the client.
• Comply with data protection legislation, confidentiality and information sharing policy and procedures, as well as all legislation connected to your work.

About you:

You will need:

• A good command of the English language both verbally and in writing.
• A good understanding of APV/CPV and/or domestic abuse including the impact of these on victims and their children.
• Understand the principles of risk assessment, safety planning and risk management for victims of domestic abuse and their children.
• Understand Safeguarding issues and the legal responsibilities surrounding these issues
• Direct service delivery experience to victims of domestic abuse or APV/CPV
• Experience of working within a multi-agency and legislative framework
• Experience of managing a complex caseload, to prioritise work and deal with competing demands
• Strong crisis management skills and the ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations
• Excellent communication, negotiation and advisory skills, both written and verbal when interacting with a range of agencies and individuals
• An IDVA qualification or willingness to work towards this

Please note that duties may differ to those listed in the job description due to the nature of APV/CPV work so this provides an indication of duties.

This role involves regular travel and due to the location, a driving license and access to a vehicle is considered an essential requirement. If you are unable to drive because of a disability, please indicate this in your application in your personal statement so we can explore the feasibility of alternative arrangements.

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.