Vacancy Detail

Health Independent Gender Violence Advocate

Role:             Health Independent Gender Violence Advocate (IGVA)

Based:          Lambeth (this role requires community work and engagement so someone who will be able to move around Lambeth would be ideal, also VAWG experience)

Rate:             £20 umb

Start Date:    Within 2 weeks

Duration:      Temporary for a minimum of two months – possible extension

Hours:           Full-time 35 hours per week Monday–Friday 9-5 pm

Our client, a specialist charity, is looking for a Health IGVA to join their team. supporting women and children who are impacted by different strands of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). You will work closely with victims of VAWG from the point of crisis, to provide high quality independent advocacy and support to survivors of VAWG at the highest risk and their children.

Synopsis of duties:

• To provide information, advice and guidance to victims and survivors on all areas of VAWG referred from primary care and other health settings identified through the borough’s Health and VAWG Working Group.
• To deliver training and awareness raising sessions to Health practitioners and providers to increase their knowledge and confidence in responding to all forms of VAWG and better reach victims and survivors.
• To work in partnership within a multi-agency framework to deliver services and promote effective joint working to provide early identification, effective interventions and advocacy for survivors of all genders, who are experiencing or are at risk of different strands of VAWG.
• To explore and be co-located within health settings to increase partnership working, identification of VAWG victims and survivors and improve access.
• To collect regular feedback following the training sessions and briefings delivered to monitor effective delivery of the training package and address any barriers for primary care and other health settings in accessing the training or completing referrals and to share this feedback with VAWG commissioners and Health and VAWG Working Group.
• To hold a caseload, to provide advice, advocacy and support to victims and survivors of different strands of VAWG, in accordance with Refuge’s philosophical principles, empowering survivors along their journey to safety.
• To provide practical and emotional support to people experiencing different forms of gender-based violence, applying the principles of effective casework when supporting survivors of gender-based violence and their children and to advocate for survivors to ensure their needs are met.
• To advocate, both verbally and in writing, in a range of settings including in civil and criminal proceedings and with criminal justice professionals.
• To establish the risks to and the needs of survivors of domestic abuse and other forms of VAWG identifying and prioritising those at the highest risk.
• To develop and to deliver individual support and safety plans to address the risk of harm to survivors of gender-based violence and their children, working directly with all key agency partners to ensure that their plans are coordinated through the MARAC
• To prevent future homelessness amongst patients experiencing VAWG and their children by providing survivors with the range of options available to them and supporting them to follow through with the decisions that they have made to access emergency and long-term safe accommodation, relevant civil remedies or Sanctuary schemes.
• To participate in duty and on call (out of hours) rota, providing support within the larger community team by managing referrals and assessments.
• Being an ambassador, working in partnership with other agencies to ensure an effective, coordinated community response to survivors of gender-based violence and their children.
• Ensuring that any issues in relation to safeguarding children or adults at risk are brought to the immediate attention of the VAWG Service Manager, or if unavailable another manager and are managed in line with safeguarding policies and procedures.
• To recognize, respect and address the needs of service-users who face barriers when seeking help to access the advocacy service, including those from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, LGBT communities, disabled people and other hard to reach groups.
• To support the empowerment of survivors, assisting them to recognize the dynamics of gender-based abuse present in their own situation, and to help them regain control of their lives.
• To carry out periodic and regular case reviews in liaison with the line manager, to review ongoing risk and needs, using the outcomes to inform action planning.
• To report any problems/difficulties/complaints to the line manager and participate in follow up investigations as required.
• To ensure that the views and experiences of service-users and agencies are sought actively, recorded carefully, and inform the development of the service.
• To develop and maintaining positive, collaborative working relationships with other staff.

Essential Requirements:

• Extensive experience working with women and children who have been/are victims of domestic abuse in Refuge and/or Community-based programmes.
• Worked with vulnerable adults and children, including those with complex needs.
• Keeping written/electronic records and evaluations.
• DBS dated within the last 12 months or on the update service

Supporting Futures Consulting acts as both an employer and an agency.

 

Location: Lambeth | Salary: 20 per hour | Job type: Contract | Posted: 22/05/2025