We are looking for specialist victim/survivor DA Caseworkers to support our exciting domestic abuse team based within Children’s Social Care. Elmore’s domestic abuse service aims to provide a safe space for victim/survivors and perpetrators of abuse. We work with people to recognise, acknowledge, and change harmful and controlling behaviour, to keep whole families safe.
The role will focus on providing a range of one-to-one and group-based victim/survivor focused interventions to empower individuals to safely make positive change and promote the wellbeing of themselves and their children. Interventions are person-centred and underpinned by Motivational Interviewing principles, and will include safety planning and goal setting, from the perspective of the victim/survivor and child’s needs.
We are looking for candidates who have experience of empowering individuals to make positive changes to their lives and supporting clients with complex needs in a relevant field (preferably domestic abuse). Successful candidates will need to be compassionate, non-judgemental, skilled in active listening, and experienced in risk management and safety planning, as well as being a skilled communicator able to develop partnership relationships in a multi-disciplinary team.
Full and part time roles across the county are available for this role. Please contact us to discuss further. Please apply by sending a cover letter and cv showing specific points which match criteria or by visiting our website (www.elmorecommunityservices.org.uk) for more information. We advise you to address the specific points of the person specification within your application. It is very important that you use examples to say why you meet each criteria.
Key Responsibilities
Provide a high-quality support service to victim/survivor clients:
· To enable parents to recognise and understand power and coercive control dynamics and patterns of abuse, and support them to make future positive choices within children’s timescales where possible
· To ensure the non-judgemental delivery of a range of one-to-one and group work interventions underpinned by Motivational Interviewing (MI) to victim/survivors of domestic abuse
· Undertake effective needs and risk assessment of clients
· Manage a caseload of allocated clients, all of whom will be victim/survivors of domestic abuse
· Provide crisis intervention as required and ongoing support to people experiencing domestic abuse, while safeguarding individuals (including children) as necessary
· Contribute to multi agency meetings regarding clients (for example, child protection conferences, MARAC and MATAC meetings, professional and strategy meetings)
· Ensure that our services are accessible to all
· Continue your professional development by actively participating in regular supervision sessions/annual appraisals and completing relevant training as agreed by your line manager
Contribute to the high performance of the wider EBI team and FSP project:
· To work as part of a team, develop relationships and collaborate with all colleagues and partners within the multi-agency framework
· To report to the Team Manager to ensure accountability in the role and appropriate safeguarding procedures are in place for clients
· Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, communicating openly and attending professional forums and team meetings as required
· Develop a wide knowledge of external multi-agency services to facilitate and support access
· Maintain clear and accurate records of work with families on databases & systems
· To complete relevant monitoring to fulfil contractual needs and to inform ongoing risk assessment and planning
· Work within policies and procedures including Health and Safety, GDPR, and Confidentiality regulations
Person Specification
Experience:
1. Experience of supporting people who have experienced domestic abuse as a victim/survivor (desirable)
2. At least 18-months’ experience of providing support/care/treatment to help people change their lives in at least two of the following areas: mental health, complex needs, sexual exploitation, substance misuse, homelessness, offending or anti-social behaviour (essential)
3. Experience of working in partnership with other agencies and liaising with statutory and voluntary sector care providers (essential)
4. Experience of delivering recovery focused and evidence-based interventions and/or group work (essential)
5. Experience of risk assessment and management, and safety planning for clients (essential)
6. Experience of using an ICT case management database (essential)
7. Experience of supporting people who have been affected by Honour Based Abuse (desirable)
Skills and Abilities:
1. Clear understanding of the issues faced by people who have been a victim/survivor and/or a perpetrator of domestic abuse, and knowledge of relevant partner organisations (desirable)
2. Clear understanding of the impact domestic abuse has on children who experience it (desirable)
3. Knowledge of adult and child safeguarding issues and the roles and responsibilities of relevant agencies (essential)
4. Ability to respond creatively and persistently to a range of challenging casework issues (essential)
5. Ability to build effective relationships with clients, providing support respectfully and without creating dependency (essential)
6. Strong written and verbal communication skills (essential)
7. Ability to use Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel and a readiness to learn new ICT skills (essential)
8. Ability to set boundaries, to challenge appropriately, and to manage conflict constructively (essential)
9. Awareness of legislation relevant to the client group, such as the Domestic Abuse Act, protection orders, Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, the Care Act, safeguarding, data protection, and homelessness legislation etc. (desirable)
Values:
1. Commitment to the ideals of quality and fairness in delivering support to vulnerable people, and the meaningful involvement of service users (essential)
2. Good understanding of the principles of equality and diversity and how to apply them in our context (essential).Being a car driver with full licence and access to vehicle for work use is also desirable for this role. The post-holder must be eligible to work in the UK, and appointment is subject to satisfactory DBS check.
Please note advert could closer sooner than deadline date.
Closing date for applications: Monday 9th Feb at 9am we may close the advert sooner if recruitment is successful
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £28,840.28-£32,459.00 per year
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Bereavement leave
- Company events
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee discount
- Enhanced maternity leave
- Free flu jabs
- Health & wellbeing programme
- Private medical insurance
Work Location: In person
