Senior Substance Misuse IDVA (Independent Domestic Abuse Advocate)

Are you looking for a dynamic and rewarding role working for an organisation with the feminist agenda at the core of its ethos? Then Advance Charity could be the career choice for you We are looking for a Senior Substance Misuse Independent Domestic Abuse Advocate Salary: £30,000-£32,000 Location: Hammersmith (with some work in the community across Hammersmith and Westminster, and Kensington and Chelsea) Hours: 35 hours per week (some working from home up to 2 days, some shift work) Weekend / Evening work: Yes, Thursdays early shift (8am) and evening between 6-9pm on rota basis (so approximately every 4-5 weeks) Contract: Permanent This post is open to female applicants only as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010. Please note : Any offer of employment will be made subject to references, confirmation of the right to work in the UK, and satisfactory enhanced DBS check. This role is also subject to Police Vetting. About us Advance is an award-winning and innovative women-only organisation, established in 1998, providing emotional and practical support to women and girls survivors of domestic abuse and supporting women with short-term sentences to reduce offending. We believe in empowering women and girls to lead safe, non-violent, equal lives so that they can flourish and contribute to the community. We are a community-based organisation who lead in best practice approaches to supporting women in their local community. We achieve this by being available to meet and support women in local settings and at our women’s centres, and by working in close partnership with other agencies. Our values are to listen and support, to empower and respect, collaboration, innovation, and accountability. About the role: The Senior Substance Misuse Independent Domestic Abuse Advocate (IDVA)will work within a dynamic, crisis intervention, advocacy and support service. The successful candidate will be doing half a day satellite work at Turning Point once a week. The successful candidate will be the post holder will work across three boroughs under the guidance of the Team Manager. The IDVA will be closely working alongside other colleagues including the Turning Point colleagues/team to deliver support to women with a range of complex support needs including substance misuse, mental health, domestic abuse, sex working, trafficking, and offending behaviour. The IDVA will work in collaboration with their team members to holistically support women in the boroughs of Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster to achieve sustained recovery, improved health and wellbeing, helping women to manage/mitigate risks, and empowering them to reach their fullest potential in society as well as ensuring the voice of survivors informs every stage of the process. The Senior Multiple Needs IDVA will assess the needs and risks of survivors, carry out short and longer-term risk management, safety planning and support. As well as identify and refer to services appropriate to their needs. They will also proactively advocate and advice women of their rights and options for seeking help and support from other agencies, encouraging them to engage with other agencies, and help co-ordinate the provision of multi-agency support where necessary. The Senior IDVA will be holding a smaller caseload and will be line managing up to 3 IDVAs. Work closely with Managers to allocate cases to workers appropriately within 48 hours About You: To be successful as the Senior Substance Misuse Independent Domestic Abuse Advocate will need the below experience and skills: Excellent understanding of domestic abuse and its effects on women and children, of best practice in supporting survivors of domestic abuse, and of the MARAC. Excellent understanding of drug and alcohol issues and experience of working within a related field. Thorough knowledge of safeguarding practice, procedures and legislation A good understanding of the importance of confidentiality and anti-discriminatory practice, safe practice and health and safety procedures Experience of risk and needs assessment, safety and support planning, and crisis planning and successfully managing high numbers of referrals Experience of working in a co-located setting with another agency and providing consultations/briefings to professionals to support in upskilling them around Domestic Abuse Experience of partnership working and of maintaining excellent working relationships with a range of stakeholders Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills; including report writing, data collection and monitoring This is an exciting opportunity for you to work as part of an innovative service, designed to offer multi-disciplinary wrap-around support to women with multiple needs, with the aim of facilitating long-term recovery. We enthusiastically welcome applications from Substance Misuse Workers/Practitioners, Recovery Workers, Recovery Practitioners, Recovery Coordinators, Drug Workers, Alcohol Workers and Needle Exchange Workers who meet the specified requirements. How to apply: Please submit your up-to-date CV with a supporting statement. Please note that only applications made via the job advert on the Advance careers page, and those that include a cover letter will be considered. Advance reserves the right to close the advert early, or on the appointment of a candidate. What we can offer you - Employee Benefits: A 35-hour working week An exceptional 30 days of paid holiday per year (pro rata for part time), PLUS public holidays on top (that's nearly 40 days paid holiday per year) Additional days off to celebrate International Women’s Day, and for religious observance and moving home Perkbox - an employee discount platform where you can receive free rewards as well as take advantage of savings on clothes, groceries, travel, leisure and more Pension scheme Enhanced maternity/adoption provision Access to our Employee Assistance Programme Employee eye-care scheme Clinical supervision for front line staff and first line management roles Refer a Friend Scheme - £250 for each referral who passes probation Organisation wide away days Thorough induction and training Career development pathways Under the Equality Act 2010, we are required to make any reasonable adjustments. If you have a disability as defined under this act and/or have special needs, please email the Talent Acquisition Team via the Advance website and will aim to make the necessary arrangements to accommodate your needs. Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunities We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and actively seek to recruit people from groups underrepresented in our current team. We have policies and processes in place to ensure that all employees are offered an equal opportunity in recruitment and selection, promotion, training, pay and benefits. Safeguarding Advance is committed to safeguarding and creating a culture of zero-tolerance of harm and expects all staff, including volunteers to share this commitment. We believe all individuals have the right to live their life free from violence and abuse and the right to feel and be safe. We have a suite of safeguarding policies, procedures and practice guidance, accessible to all staff, which promotes safeguarding and safer working practices across all our services and activities. When we recruit staff, we follow rigorous safer recruitment practices, this involves carrying out pre-employment checks including references, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, and identity checks. We ensure all staff undertake mandatory safeguarding training relevant to their role and responsibilities, to empower them to be competent and feel confident in recognising and responding appropriately to safeguarding issues and promote wellbeing.

Location: Hammersmith, GB

Posted Date: 1/25/2025