Independent Domestic Violence Advocate

We have an exciting opportunity for an Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) to join the Merton Domestic Abuse Team working 37.5 hours a week. This role involves both face-to-face and virtual support in a hybrid model of working, including working from home, Merton Civic Centre and the Merton One Stop Shop.

Do you want to join a committed and inspiring team? Do you want to help make a real difference every day? Do you want to contribute to change & improve the quality of lives of survivors of domestic abuse?

Do you have resilience & adaptability? Can you work effectively with a focus on safety and 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
• Pension with 5% employer contribution
• £500 bonus paid on successful completion of probationary period (pro-rata for part time roles)
• Enhanced sick pay allowances, maternity & paternity payments
• High Street, retail, holiday, entertainment & leisure discounts
• Access to our financial wellbeing hub & salary deducted finance
• Employee assistance programme & wellbeing support
• Ongoing training & support with opportunities for career development & progression
• Clinical supervision and group reflective practice

About the role:

This role is a hybrid working role based in Merton Civic Centre.

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.

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.