Multiple Disadvantage Link Worker

Location: Camden

Salary: £17,400- £18,600 pro-rated to 0.6 FTE of £29,000 – £31,000 per anum

Hours: 22.5 hours per week Flexibility across working days

Contract: Fixed Term 31/03/2023

Vacancy Reference: S078

Closing date: 3^rd March 2022 at noon

Interview date:  14^th March 2022

Apply here

Solace is an innovative, exciting, grassroots charity working across London. Our purpose is to bring to an end the harm done through domestic and sexual violence to all survivors, particularly women and children. Our work is holistic and empowering, working alongside survivors to achieve independent lives free from abuse.

About the Service

Frances House Multiple Needs Refuge Service in Camden provides emergency accommodation to single women fleeing domestic abuse and VAWG (including exiting prostitution) who also have additional support needs: significant mental health (suicide ideation, self-harm, personality disorder, complex PTSD, psychosis, and paranoia etc.) they may also have a history of problematic substance and alcohol use and be involved with the criminal justice system. We also support women with NRPF and often have women with other significant disability and health and care and support needs. Frances House is staffed 24/7. We provide robust risk and needs assessments and safety planning plus emotional and practical support. We work in a trauma informed way implementing in practice a psychologically informed environment. We provide therapeutic groups, art therapy. We also provide weekend wellbeing and life skills activities.

About the Role

Although the advertised position is based at Frances House, work is community-based in the main;

Connecting with and supporting organisations who are supporting women experiencing multiple disadvantage across our 14 target London boroughs, and directly supporting women in the community affected by domestic abuse and multiple disadvantage.

The Role

The Multiple Disadvantage Link worker offers three strands of support;

Advice

One-off advice sessions for non-domestic abuse specialist professionals who are supporting women experiencing domestic abuse & multiple disadvantage

Advice for professionals who have referred women to Frances House but there isn’t availability, exploring other support and accommodation options

Link Work

Collaborative link working with both the key-working professional and their service user to provide more in-depth advocacy and co-ordination, including a focused piece of direct support around safety and risk with the client where needed.

Co-location at a non-domestic abuse agency where the link worker offers advice and guidance to service users and to the staff team.

Direct client work

Direct client work to offer a focused piece of support such as a risk assessment and safety planning for those not already working with a domestic abuse agency.

Direct client work where the referring professional is unable to continue to hold responsibility for the service user’s case and interim support is required to link service user to appropriate services

• Work in partnership with statutory and voluntary sector substance use and mental health agencies to enable women affected by multiple disadvantage to access suitable services, including accommodation, as required.
• Work with Frances House and other Solace services to plan support services
• Provide trauma-informed, solution-focused support to service users, tailored to individual needs and aspirations, with service users being able to choose as far as possible, what, how and when support is delivered
• Advocate where appropriate on behalf of service users with external agencies regarding their housing, welfare rights, health needs and other issues affecting their wellbeing
• Refer women to appropriate external agencies and liaise with other professionals to ensure the right support is provided
• Promote social inclusion, encourage independence, and develop personal resilience of women with multiple needs affected by violence
• Maintain accurate case notes and up to date records
• Attend and contribute to MARAC and safeguarding meetings as appropriate
• Ensure contract compliance

About You

• IDVA or DAPA qualification and/or extensive experience in VAWG, homelessness or multiple disadvantage including experience of risk and needs assessment, casework and safety planning
• Knowledge of the needs of women from diverse communities and the barriers to accessing support faced by women from a variety of backgrounds and communities
• Experience of building and maintaining partnerships with other agencies
• An understanding of the impact of trauma on women experiencing abuse
• Awareness of the intersection between severe and multiple disadvantage and VAWG, and a strong understanding of how the intersection of these issues can make it difficult for people to engage with support
• A sound working knowledge of housing, welfare and policy relating to domestic/sexual violence and multiple disadvantage
• Ability to work alone in community settings
• A thorough knowledge of safeguarding practice, procedures and legislation
• Ability to provide solution focused advocacy and support
• A resilient and assertive approach to reaching out to and building trust and positive relationships with women who have complex/multiple needs and who may present as reluctant to engage and/or may be presenting in crisis
• Excellent organisational, ICT, written and verbal communication skills

Solace Women’s Aid values diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimination. We encourage and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applicants from black minority and ethnic communities.

Solace is a Disability Confident employer. Please email us at recruitment@solacewomensaid.org if you require any additional support to apply for this role.

This service is run by women for women and is therefore restricted to female applicants under the Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, and Part 1. Section 7(2) e of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 apply. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.

As part of safer recruitment we require all successful candidates will be required to complete a satisfactory DBS (Disclosure Barring Service) disclosure.

No agencies.