Location: Tower Hamlets
Salary: Unqualified: £28,255 - £29,913 per annum
Qualified: £29,923 - £32,623 per annum (Dependent on qualifications/experience)
(Please note that applicants are usually appointed at the bottom of the relevant band)
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Closing Date: 17th July 2025
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 an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) 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
Tower Hamlets Solace Advocacy and Support Service (SASS) provides advocacy and support to survivors of DVA with the aim to reduce risk and harm. Our work is holistic and empowering, working alongside survivors to achieve independent lives free from abuse.
About the Role
We are looking for an experienced IDVA to join our dynamic team in Tower Hamlets, working with people who have experienced domestic violence and abuse. You will be working as part of a multidisciplinary team.
As an IDVA you are responsible for carrying out risk and needs assessments, safety planning and providing support and intervention to victim/survivors of domestic violence identified at Poplar jobcentre. In addition to this you will build relationships with, and provide advice, guidance and training to external professionals.
About You
You will need a passion for working with victim/survivors and a thorough understanding of domestic abuse and its impact on women and their children, as well as experience of providing emotional and practical support and strong casework management skills.
You will have the skills to provide effective crisis intervention, carry out risk assessments, safety planning, assessment of needs and individual support planning. You should have demonstrable experience of working in an IDVA or similar position with this or a similar client group.
In return, we offer great employee benefits including three per cent employer pension contribution, generous holiday entitlement and a focus on learning and development.
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.
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 home and our Victim Support Office at Singer Street 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…
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
- 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:
This role is based in London with Hybrid working.
As an 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.
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.
- Direct service delivery to victims of domestic abuse or other vulnerable people.
- Have excellent communication, negotiation and advocacy skills, both written and verbal when interacting with a range of agencies and individuals. Understand and be committed to equal opportunities and diversity issues in policy and practice.
- Have a strong crisis management skills and the ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations.
Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for further details.
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.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
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At Bexley Voluntary Services Council (BVSC), we’re passionate about strengthening our local voluntary and community sector to make a real difference.