Description

This role is part of the Wiltshire Project which provides individual and family support to domestic abuse victims and their children. It is a fixed term role until November 2025.

The Resettlement Team focuses on delivering timely and high quality, trauma informed support to victims of domestic abuse and their families.

The post holder will support victims experiencing domestic abuse to access safe accommodation and those resettling in Wiltshire following fleeing domestic abuse, make long term positive and sustainable changes in their lives and to recover from the harm of domestic abuse. To do this you will work sensitively with service users to support them in making the changes to live free from harm, ensuring they feel safe, secure and supported.

We are looking for individuals who are passionate about preventing domestic abuse and supporting survivors to live free from abuse.

This role will be based in Trowbridge, with a requirement to travel across Wiltshire. FearFree supports staff to work flexibly, with an ability to work in a hybrid fashion, both at home and in the office.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

  • To provide a high quality support service to victims experiencing domestic abuse, giving practical and emotional support.
  • Provide support to service users and their families when living in safe accommodation and resettlement support when moving on from refuge accommodation and in the wider community.
  • Manage a caseload of assessed service users through telephone and face to face support, to enable them to increase their safety and make positive choices for the future.
  • Prepare and deliver educational, time bound sessions on a one-to-one basis with service users around domestic abuse including, but not exclusive to, safety, power and control, barriers to leaving, boundaries, impact on children, moving on and red flags.
  • Complete an initial assessment of individuals’ and families’ needs to identify and plan the support needed to address issues and prevent any problems from escalating.
  • Referring service users to the various groups within Wiltshire, such as Empowering You, Rediscovering You and Connecting You.
  • Supporting service users who are moving on from refuge, providing advice information and support to victims, including around further safe accommodation and independent living, as required.
  • Improve parents’ understanding of the impact of domestic abuse on their child and work with the parent to provide continued support to their child.
  • Empower service users to make informed decisions about various aspects of their lives through discussions about options available to them as survivors of domestic abuse.
  • Plan and implement activities to promote self-awareness, confidence and participation for service users.
  • Ensure support provided is accessible to service users in terms of local and times.
  • Give priority to service users who have had to move due to domestic abuse.
  • Undertake regular caseload review meetings with individuals and families during home and community visits to ensure they are fully supporting to progress and achieve desired outcomes.
  • Undertake risk assessments and implementing robust safety management plans, with due regard to the dynamic nature of risk.
  • Ensure personal safety and that of service users and other staff at all times.
  • Respond to emergencies and crises, including access to places of safety.
  • Work closely with multi-agency partners and the wider Phoenix team to ensure that we maintain a focus on risk management and safeguarding.
  • Develop and establish positive partnerships with Wiltshire’s housing organisations and services to ensure holistic and joined up service delivery.
  • Assist service users in attending housing, legal and other appointments where necessary.
  • Enable service users to participate in the design, delivery and evaluation of services.
  • Utilise evaluation and monitoring systems to ensure high standards of service are consistently achieved.

Groups and Activities

  • Focus on assisting clients and their families to reduce social isolation by connecting them to local community facilities, activities and groups.
  • Assist with recruiting clients to be involved in the development of groups or activities or groups, providing them with on-going support.

General

  • Work at all times in accordance with the requirements of the Lone Working Policy and Procedure.
  • Attend and contribute to team meetings.
  • Update written and computerised records with accurate and clear information.
  • Contribute to effective team working with a flexible and pro-active approach, including cover for other team members’ holidays and sickness.
  • Undertake agreed training and keep updated on changes in legislation, policy and best practice.
  • Act as duty officer for Wiltshire, responding to incoming calls, logging referrals and making assigned outgoing calls, according to the duty rota. Duty shifts will be 9.00am to 5.00pm in the Trowbridge office.

Responsibilities

  • Manage highly confidential information relating to vulnerable people.
  • Ensure security of data, especially sensitive personal data, in line with the information security policy.
  • Work within FearFree’s Policies and Procedures at all times.
  • Be mindful of responsibilities in respect of health and safety. In particular:
    • Co-operate at all times with management in the implementation of and adherence to health and safety policy and procedures;
    • Take reasonable care for their own safety and for the safety of others who may foreseeably be affected by their actions at work;
    • Not intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse anything provided for the purpose of health and safety at work;
    • Report all health and safety concerns to line managers;
    • Assist with the completion of the risk assessment programme.
  • Any other duties that may be reasonably required.

Health & Safety

All individual employees are required to promote a health and safety culture within the workplace, observe all health and safety rules and procedures, attend training courses as required and, where appropriate, conduct risk assessments e.g. VDU, maternity, lone working, H&S audits, etc.

Safeguarding / Disclosure and Barring Service

FearFree is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and bring any concerns (whether in respect of service users or members of staff) to the attention of Safeguarding Leads immediately. This role will require an enhanced DBS check.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

All employees must ensure that essential information of a sensitive and/or personal nature is not disclosed to, or discussed with, inappropriate persons and that all information is maintained in accordance with the GDPR and other related legislation/requirements.

Equality and Diversity

FearFree is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among our workforce and our service users and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative of all sections of society and our service users, and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. The role has the responsibility to ensure all duties and responsibilities are carried out in a manner which promotes FearFree’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy.

Applying for this Role

For a full job description/person specification and to apply, please follow the link provided on this website. 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. Please also see our website for FearFree’s Privacy Policy for further information about how we process your personal data at FearFree.

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.