Youth independent domestic violence advisor jobs

Victim Support is recruiting for an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) to support high risk victims of domestic abuse living in Central Bedfordshire. This is a full time role on a fixed term contract for 6 months from start date, this may be extended subject to funding. Hybrid working is available for this role.

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
• 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:

We are looking for an Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA). This is a full time role on fixed term contract for 6 months. Hybrid working would be available for this role. The aim of this role is to support victims of domestic abuse, who are deemed as at high risk, who live in Central Bedfordshire. This role will be part of our other wider specialist services covering Bedfordshire.

As an IDVA you will be:

• Providing a high quality support and advocacy service to victims of domestic abuse.
• Managing a caseload; identifying and assessing risks and needs, providing a tailored crisis intervention service trough individual safety planning, advocacy, emotional and practical support.
• Working with other agencies and advocating on behalf of service users in order to help them access services to keep them safe.
• Working within a multi-agency framework consisting of partners as well as MARAC and other local partnerships to offer a coordinated response to domestic abuse.
• Promoting the service and raise awareness of domestic abuse through the delivery of training

You will need:

• Experience of working in support and advocacy with victims of domestic abuse is advantageous
• To be able to prioritise work and deal with competing or conflicting demands/needs and interests and promote organisation interests and values.
• To ideally hold a SafeLives IDVA accreditation, relevant degree, vocational qualification or relevant experience of delivering a service and working with domestic abuse victim's/service users in a statutory, voluntary or community work setting.

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 looking 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.

FearFree delivers services across the Southwest for victims, children and perpetrators of domestic abuse, sexual violence and stalking with the aim to break the cycle of abuse and support all to live free from fear. We provide trauma responsive support, and this post will be fundamental to ensuring service users, stakeholders and partners experience this in our daily delivery.

Our compassionate and dynamic Group Facilitators provide the ‘beating heart’ of support within our multi-disciplinary teams working with individuals of all ages affected by domestic abuse, including those with harmful behaviours, and sexual violence.

This varied and rewarding role involves delivering trauma-informed groupwork and limited one-to-one support across a range of programmes, including:

• Empowerment and recovery groups for those who have experienced domestic or sexual abuse.
• Behaviour change programmes for individuals using harmful behaviours in their relationships.
• Digital peer support and learning opportunities through our online survivor platform, ‘Connecting You’.

Working collaboratively with our IDVA (Independent Domestic Violence Advisor), ISVA (Independent Sexual Violence Advisor) and Behaviour Change teams, you will help ensure that support is safe, inclusive, and effective for people with a range of experiences and risks. You will play a vital part in championing people to recover from trauma, build safe relationships, and move forward with dignity and hope.

FearFree is committed to flexible and hybrid working and this role will be a mix of home based and office based, alongside requiring travel for multi-agency meetings and other deliverables.

This role may include evening and weekend work when required.

Key Responsibilities

Group Facilitation and Delivery

• Deliver structured, evidence-based and trauma responsive group programmes for victims/survivors and individuals who have used harm.
• Foster safe, inclusive spaces that promote empowerment, emotional safety, and constructive challenge.
• Co-facilitate groups with trained colleagues, volunteers or peer mentors/Experts by Experience as needed.
• Support the ongoing development and review of group materials and content.
• Work flexibly and manage your own schedule, including facilitating evening groups on a rotational basis to meet the needs of those unable to attend during working hours.

 One-to-One Support

• Provide limited 1:1 support for medium-risk clients who may be waiting for or transitioning between group programmes and/or other services.
• Contribute to joint safety and support planning alongside IDVAs, ISVAs and Behaviour Change Workers.
• Monitor and respond to safeguarding concerns in line with organisational policies.

Digital Survivor Platform – Connecting You

• Update and upload resources, tutorials, and activities for survivors accessing the platform.
• Support survivors engaging with online content, including managing enrolments and online group access.
• Design and deliver trauma-informed self-paced tutorials and reflective learning tools.

Peer Mentoring and Survivor Involvement

• Support the recruitment, mentoring and involvement of ‘experts by experience’ in group delivery.
• Encourage and nurture survivor voices and peer leadership within both in-person and digital forums.
• Training and Awareness-Raising.
• Deliver training sessions to professionals and external partners where required.
• Speak at community or public events to raise awareness of domestic and sexual violence, healthy relationships, and recovery.

Application

To apply, please download the full job description/person specification along with the application and equality monitoring forms. Please send the completed application form and optional equality monitoring form direct to FearFree.

There is no specific closing date for this role and this vacancy will close once a suitable candidate is found, so early applications are encouraged.

For information about the processing of your personal data at FearFree, please visit our website.

FearFree is committed to encouraging equality and diversity in the workplace.  We strive to be a diverse and inclusive place to work where we can all be ourselves and individual differences are recognised and valued. 

FearFree delivers services across the Southwest for victims, children and perpetrators of domestic abuse, sexual violence and stalking with the aim to break the cycle of abuse and support all to live free from fear. We provide trauma responsive support, and this post will be fundamental to ensuring service users, stakeholders and partners experience this in our daily delivery.

As the Transition and Recovery Service Team Manager you will oversee the Behavior change, and RISE Teams.

Our Behaviour Change programmes support individuals of any gender or sexual orientation who identify themselves as engaging in harmful behaviours in their relationships and are seeking support to end that harm. They may refer themselves or be referred by a professional.  Service Users may have possible engagement with Social Services, Police, Integrated Offender Management (Male only) or Probation where domestic abuse has been identified.

The RISE service provides focused support to those impacted by Domestic Abuse, Sexual Violence and Stalking, including people with harmful behaviors, to access education, training, employment or volunteering

As Team Manager, you will play a pivotal role in fostering a psychologically safe and supportive environment for staff working in emotionally demanding roles. You will lead with empathy and integrity, ensuring team members feel heard, valued, and empowered to raise concerns without fear. Through regular supervision, reflective practice, and wellbeing initiatives, you will promote resilience and mental health, enabling staff to deliver high-quality, trauma-informed support to survivors of domestic abuse.

You will support teams to deliver consistently excellent support to people using our services, ensuring contract compliance, and drive continuous improvement and innovation in a changing landscape.

FearFree is committed to flexible and hybrid working and this role will be a mix of working from home and office (Wiltshire or Devon). A driving license and willingness to travel across Wiltshire, Devon and Gloucestershire (for internal and multi-agency meetings and other deliverables) is therefore essential.

This role may include evening and weekend work when required.

Key Responsibilities

• To provide leadership, direction and support to the Behaviour change practitioners and RISE Advisors including leading in recruitment, training, scheduling and supervising staff, ensuring excellent management of the team delivering domestic abuse support to high-risk service users.
• On a day-to-day basis oversee the performance of the Behaviour change & RISE Team, acting as the main point of contact for the staff.
• To line manage the team of Behaviour change practitioners and RISE Advisors, providing case management supervision, line management support, allocation of cases and ensuring all staff are supported to meet their full potential.
• To continue the development of the Behaviour Change practitioners and RISE Advisors into a cohesive and supportive team, through the use of open communication, team meetings and coaching. This will include developing the specialist IDVA roles including Mental Health and Health IDVA’s.
• Play an active role in supporting the relevant MATAC process, including attending MATAC Management meetings.
• Additionally, to support the MARAC process and wider information sharing with statutory partners.
• Ensure the Behaviour change & RISE Team works to accreditation standards.
• To promote a culture of engagement, improvement and best practice within the Behaviour change & RISE Team, to deliver a high quality and accessible service.
• To develop and maintain a culture and systems that promote trauma informed practice and equality within the Behaviour change & RISE Team, valuing diversity and offering empathy to victims of abuse, people who cause harm and violence.
• To lead on reporting outcomes linked to the Behaviour change & RISE Team and the support of people who cause harm and RISE service users.
• Carefully monitor and evaluate the performance of the Behaviour change & RISE Team, with a focus on quality assurance.
• Proactively build relationships with the wider statutory and voluntary partners across FearFree services, with a focus on supporting high risk adult victims of domestic abuse.
• Actively network across the operating area to build the charity’s reputation and harness support for the organisation. 

To apply, please download the full job description/person specification along with the application and equality monitoring forms. Please send the completed application form and optional equality monitoring form direct to FearFree. 

There is no specific closing date for this role and this vacancy will close once a suitable candidate is found, so early applications are encouraged. 

For information about the processing of your personal data at FearFree, please visit our website. 

FearFree is committed to encouraging equality and diversity in the workplace.  We strive to be a diverse and inclusive place to work where we can all be ourselves and individual differences are recognised and valued.