Job description
Black Country Women’s Aid
Let us introduce ourselves…
Black Country Women’s Aid (BCWA) is an established charity working across the Black Country and wider West Midlands providing accommodation and community support services to victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse and human trafficking. Services range from advocacy, civil remedies, support in court, individual and group support and access to a range of therapeutic interventions. All services are client and needs led.
Community Services Directorate
Within this directorate the following vital services are delivered;
Black Country Women’s Aid Community Services include;
- Community Domestic Abuse Support Services (Sandwell, Walsall and Dudley)
- Black Country IRIS (primary care) educator and advocacy service
- Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Services (Black Country)
- Black Country Sexual Abuse Forum
- Black Country Counselling Service
- Domestic and sexual abuse Children and Young person’s service (Black Country)
- West Midlands Stalking Service
- Ask Marc (Male abuse referral centre)
This position is located within the Community Domestic Violence and Abuse Support Service
The BCWA Community Domestic Violence and Abuse Support Service supports victims of domestic violence and abuse in Sandwell, Dudley, Wolverhampton and Walsall through a range of contracted/commissioning arrangements. The service works in partnership with other services within BCWA and key agencies to assess risk and provide tailored support plans for service users. Our integrated approach provides effective holistic support for survivors of abuse using a trauma-informed approach.
The team: Our specialist Community Domestic Abuse Support Service supports male and female victims of domestic violence and abuse living in Sandwell, Dudley and Walsall through a range of contracted/ commissioning arrangements. The service works in partnership with other services within BCWA and key agencies to assess risk and provide tailored support plans for service users. Our integrated approach provides effective holistic support for survivors of abuse using a trauma-informed approach. We have a team of supportive, dedicated, self-driven individuals who empower clients to make informed choices, helping them to live a life free from abuse.
Job Role
Job Title: Sandwell Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA)
Position available: 1 full-time position, covering the Sandwell area
Salary: £24,310.04 (unqualified)/ £26,430.04 (qualified)
Location: Sandwell. The service lead has the flexibility to authorise any offsite working for specific tasks that will not impact upon the service. This position is not eligible for Hybrid working.
Closing date: 13 March 2023
BCWA reserve the right to close this advertisement early if sufficient applications are received.
All interviews will be held via Microsoft Teams
Is this you?
We are looking for a qualified/unqualified IDVA (training may be provided for the right candidate) to join our dynamic team.
We are looking for someone with experience of supporting victims/survivors of domestic abuse, managing a caseload and understanding the principles of safeguarding children and adults. The postholder will have a good understanding of the dynamics of domestic abuse and how this can affect victims.
The Role:
Our Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVA) provide a high-quality frontline domestic abuse support service to those at high risk of harm. As an IDVA, you will support victims of domestic abuse to assess level of risk, inform victims of their options and develop tailored safety plans to protect the victim and their children. You will work within a multi-agency framework to advocate for the victim, including responding and reporting to Multi-agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC) on behalf of the victim.
The role also supports the empowerment of victims/survivors, assisting them to recognise the dynamics of domestic abuse present in their own situation through one-to-one support and group work, to help them regain control of their lives.
If you are self-driven, compassionate and hardworking with lots of ambition we would love to hear from you.
Important information for all positions
Black Country Women’s Aid is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults, children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
All posts are subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975. It will be necessary for an enhanced disclosure to be made to the Criminal Records Bureau for details of any previous criminal convictions.
Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies. The post holder must be female.
Employment checks
As a responsible employer we adhere to safer recruitment practice and all our employees are subject to the following recruitment checks:
Right to work in the UK
Under Section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act, we, as a responsible employer need to ensure that we do not employ anyone illegally. To avoid discrimination we treat all job applicants equally.
We, therefore, ask all candidates selected for interview to bring original documentation to show their Right to Work in the UK. A copy of these will be taken. Once the successful candidate has been appointed the unsuccessful candidates' documents will be destroyed confidentially. You may be refused an interview if you do not bring the correct documents with you.
References
Following your interview, two employment references will be sought. One of these should be your current or most recent employer.
If you have finished full-time education and you have no employer reference, we will accept a reference from:
- a professional from your centre of study, for instance, a teacher, lecturer or headteacher
- GP or health visitor
- a character reference from a person who knows you
- a civil servant from a government agency
- a bank manager
DBS
All positions are subject to DBS checks at the relevant level.
COVID-19
BCWA has adapted services during COVID to support victims of violence and abuse that meet all the latest Government guidance. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is available at all our sites and distributed to all staff as appropriate
Full details of the BCWA Risk Assessment can be found on our website. Please read this as it provides the framework that we are delivering services against.
You will receive appropriate training to undertake the duties of the job on and on and offsite basis and all situations are risk assessed.
Management supervision, support and oversight is embedded in our practice to ensure all parties are kept safe.
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: £24,310.00-£26,430.00 per year
Reference ID: 2M-MM16244