At our Safe Space Cafe, we believe in the power of connection and understanding. Join us in making a positive impact in the lives of our clients through this key role which will provide a warm welcome to all accessing mental health support.
What you’ll do
- Provide a supportive Safe Space Café as part of our warm welcome for people accessing our services
- Work collaboratively with the Connecting Communities team to signpost people to local services, activities, and events.
- Support people with mental health issues to develop employment skills through volunteering and work-based placements in the Safe Space Café
- Support trainees, apprentices and volunteers on placements in the Safe Space Café
See the job pack for full details
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
We have an exciting opportunity for an Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) to join the team in London, working 37.5 hours a week.This role involves both face to face and virtual support in a hybrid model of working, you will work from Northwick Park Hospital and Victim Support Office in London.
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 believe in attracting & retaining the best people and offer a competitive rewards & benefits package including:
- Flexible working options including hybrid working
- 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays, rising to 33 days plus Bank Holidays
- An extra day off for your birthday & options to buy or sell annual leave
- £500 bonus paid on successful completion of probationary period (pro-rata for part time roles)
- Pension with 5% employer contribution
- Enhanced sick pay allowances, maternity & paternity payments
- High Street, retail, holiday, gym, entertainment & leisure discounts
- Access to our financial wellbeing hub & salary deducted finance
- Employee assistance programme & wellbeing support
- Access to EDI networks and colleague cafes
- Cycle to work scheme & season ticket loans
- Ongoing training & support with opportunities for career development & progression
About the role:
You may be a qualified IDVA or a Domestic Abuse Outreach Worker wanting to work alongside health professionals in a hospital environment, although we will consider applicants from other fields providing you are able to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of domestic abuse.
This role involves both face to face and virtual support in a hybrid model of working. There is an expectation that you will do a mixture of working from home, our office Victim Support, 3rd Floor, 5-7 Singer Street, London, and in co-location at St Georges Hospital.
As a Hospital Independent Domestic Violence Advocate you will:
- Implement effective ways of working with victims and those supporting them to increase safety and reduce harm.
- Provide a high-quality, front-line service to victims of domestic abuse, delivering a premium service prioritised according to risk, primarily focusing on victim/survivors aged 16+
- Work within a multi-agency framework consisting of the MARAC and local partnership responses to domestic abuse to keep safety central to all services for victims of domestic abuse.
- Be comfortable with running group training sessions and be willing and able to share your specialist knowledge with acute staff across the hospital.
Please note that the successful applicant will be required to sign an honorary contract with the Hospital Trust in addition to their contract of employment.
You will need:
- Have a knowledge of help-seeking barriers and support needs of victims of domestic abuse (in heterosexual or same-sex relationships).
- Have a good understanding of domestic abuse including the impact of domestic abuse 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.
- Experience of direct service delivery to victims of domestic abuse or other vulnerable people.
- Have strong communication, negotiation and advocacy skills, both written and verbal when interacting with a range of agencies and individuals.
- To understand and be committed to equal opportunities and diversity issues in policy and practice.
- Strong crisis management skills and the ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations.
- Good communication skills, a proactive approach and the confidence to be able to influence the way in which this service is delivered are key.
Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for further details.
About Us:
Victim Support (VS) is an independent charity providing a range of specialist services to people who have been affected by crime across England and Wales. We work towards a world where there are fewer victims but who have stronger rights, better support and a real influence in the Criminal Justice System. Everyone at VS is driven by our Vision Ambitions and Values to play their part in making a difference for those who experience crime and traumatic events. Working for VS gives you the opportunity to play a key role in a national charity providing high quality services to victims and witnesses and being a vital force for change.
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.
Victim Support strives to represent the diverse communities we serve and are passionate about creating an environment where all staff and volunteers feel respected and heard. Being a diverse organisation with an inclusive culture is integral to us being able to meet our aim of ensuring that anyone who is a victim of crime gets the support they need.
As part of our commitment to the Race at Work Charter we particularly welcome applicants from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. VS is also a Disability Confident Employer and we provide a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for candidates that are disabled and meet all essential criteria for a role.
If you have a disability, a learning difficulty such as dyslexia or a medical condition which you believe may affect your performance during any aspect of our selection process, we'll be happy to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to perform at your best.
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 look forward to hearing from you.
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.
About the opportunity
Would you like to play a key part in influencing national decisionmakers across Wales, England and Northern Ireland to drive major, positive change in the dementia policy space? Then this could be the role for you.
Sitting within Alzheimer’s Society’s National Influencing team, as our new National Influencing Officer (Public Affairs) you would be instrumental in delivering innovative, engaging, collaborative, and evidence-based influencing work. You’d be ensuring that political and health system stakeholders are acting on the biggest issues affecting people living with dementia, working closely with other teams to drive work that is integrated locally and nationally.
While this role is predominantly focused on delivering national influencing activity in England, you’ll also be part of a fluid and flexible team that operates across boundaries and supports with our political work in Wales and Northern Ireland.
This is an exciting time for dementia policy in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We have the chance to ensure that governments are prioritising dementia and the needs of all those affected by the condition. Our National Influencing Officer (Public Affairs) will be at the forefront of taking on this vitally important challenge.
About You
You will bring:
- Excellent knowledge of the political and health system and how to influence national decisionmakers.
- A strong understanding of the external political environment and a proven track record in political or similar stakeholder management at a national level.
- Experience engaging proactively with national politicians and decisionmakers, acting as the first point of contact for their teams.
- Confidence and credibility in working with both internal and external stakeholders, with the ability to influence across geographical and organisational boundaries.
- A proven ability to operate and thrive in fast-paced, multi-dimensional environments, and to adapt well to change and ambiguity.
- Strong analytical, written, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex data into accessible, impactful content and recommendations.
- Experience working across multiple UK nations in complex influencing environments.
- A commitment to involving people with lived experience – such as those with dementia or long-term health conditions – in your work.
What You’ll Focus On
In this role, you will:
- Lead or support political engagement across England and potentially other UK nations, using your knowledge of parliamentary structures and influencing routes to drive change.
- Provide oversight and coordination of political monitoring and stakeholder engagement activity.
- Plan and deliver impactful public affairs (or similar) events, including parliamentary receptions, breakfast meetings, roundtables, and party conference activity.
- Translate evidence-based policy positions into compelling and effective influencing strategies that achieve real-world impact.
- Build delivery plans focused on meaningful outcomes and measure their success through evaluation and learning.
- Produce high-quality, accessible content to inform and engage stakeholders, using strong presentational and communication skills.
About Alzheimer's Society - who are we and what’s our mission?
Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer. One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime.
At Alzheimer’s Society, we’re the UK’s leading dementia charity and the only one to tackle all aspects of dementia by giving help and hope to people living with dementia today and in the future. We give vital support to people facing the most frightening times of their lives, while also funding groundbreaking research and campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be.
Together with our supporters, we’re working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives.
Our values make sure that our focus is clear for the challenges and opportunities ahead and remind us of what we all stand for.
Our commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
We need to ensure the voices around our table better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve. We strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as part of a minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Alzheimer's Society.
Our hiring process
We want you to bring your whole self to the process. Applications are anonymised until interview stage, and we’re happy to support any adjustments. Share your feedback via our candidate survey when applying to help us improve. We may close early if we receive high interest (with 48 hours’ notice). Some roles may require a DBS check as part of our safer recruitment commitment. Thinking about using AI during the recruitment process? we know this can be helpful in many ways but remember to include your personal and authentic self too. Your voice and experience are what really set you apart.
Giving back to you
At Alzheimer’s Society, we value our people and take a total reward approach to pay and benefits. You’ll enjoy a generous double-matched pension scheme, 27 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays and wellbeing days), and access to a free Bupa Cash Plan, 24/7 EAP, Thrive mental wellbeing support, and virtual GP services. Our Society Plus platform offers exclusive discounts, wellbeing resources, and recognition schemes, while our flexible working, family-friendly policies, and life assurance provide peace of mind and work/life balance. We also offer a free Will-writing service and long service awards to recognise your ongoing commitment.