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Role:               Refuge Project Worker (Children and Young People)

Based:            Winchester

Rate:               £(phone number removed)

Start Date:      ASAP

Duration:        Permanent

Hours:             37 hours per week

Our client, a specialist Domestic Violence charity, is looking to recruit several Refuge Workers to provide safety planning, support, advice and assistance to children who have experienced domestic violence and abuse and are staying in the refuge.

Synopsis of duties:

To ensure that the needs of the children living in the refuge are met.
To provide group work for parents and children living in the refuge.
To identify and care for the emotional and educational needs of the children and young people in the refuge
To help children begin the healing process of working through their traumatic experiences of domestic abuse and change
To organise and supervise children's activities during the day and after school.  This can be on and off the premises
To work in partnership with individual mothers in the refuge regarding particular needs of their children.  To provide support to women in promoting the mother/child relationship
To facilitate educational transfers, liaison with schools etc
To help children begin the healing process of working through their traumatic experiences of domestic abuse and change
To facilitate interaction between children
To encourage children and young people to support each other
To help children and young people develop a positive attitude to life
To support children and young people to deal with anger and discipline without violence
To support children through a range of emotions and with a range of difficult issues
To advise the Service Manager on the purchase of educational and play materials for the refuge
To ensure that child welfare is ensured in accordance with Stop Domestic Abuse’s Protection from Abuse Policy.
To ensure that the needs of children living in the refuge are met.  This will be done by:
Providing one-to-one services including safety planning
Supporting children and young people to access and maintain education
Supporting families to be free from domestic abuse
Providing advocacy and support.
Providing holiday activities
Providing group work
Providing parenting and family support
Working in partnership with Social Services, Education, Health etc to ensure that women
and children using our services have the best possible support and opportunities
Sign-posting parents to services available to support them.
Welcoming women and their children into the refuge and providing them with support to meet their practical and emotional needs
To ensure that a high standard of information, advice and temporary accommodation is provided for women and their children who have suffered mental or physical abuse.
To assist with the smooth running of the refuge on a day-to-day basis including ensuring the building is maintained in good order and meets the requirements of health and safety.
When the refuge is full to find alternative accommodation for women and children.
To provide advice by telephone and face to face to assist victims/survivors experiencing domestic violence to understand the services available and make choices about their own future.
Contribute to promoting victim’s safety by supporting women to construct a realistic safety plan. Whilst the needs of the non-abusive partner and children are often similar this is not always the case: the safety of children will always be paramount.
To establish effective working relationships with colleagues in other services including the Job Centre, Social Services, the local authority, police and voluntary agencies, assisting to increase their understanding of domestic violence issues taking and making referrals and acting in an advocacy role for women as necessary.  To establish and maintain links with statutory and voluntary agencies in order to promote and support the welfare of children who have experienced domestic abuse.
Advocate for victims with agencies who can help to address the domestic abuse by:
Understanding the role of all relevant statutory and non-statutory services available to domestic abuse victims and how your role fits into them.
Providing advocacy, emotional and practical support and information to victims including in relation to legal options, housing, health and finance.
Working directly with all key agency partners to address the safety of victims and ensuring that their safety plans are coordinated particularly through the MARAC/HRDA process.
To work in partnership with individual mothers in the refuge regarding particular needs of their children.  To provide support to women in promoting the mother/child relationship
Support colleagues and partner agencies, through awareness raising and institutional advocacy, in order to provide the best possible service for victims of domestic abuse.
Risk assess and safety-plan with service users and deliver service in keeping with the result.
To organise and facilitate group working, drop in and support group services forchildren.
Note and feed-back to other agencies any consistent difficulties clients are having accessing their service. .
To ensure residents participation in cleaning of communal areas thus ensuring a good standard of hygiene is maintained in the refuge. To ensure preparation of vacant rooms ready for re-letting. To participate in the cleaning of communal areas and vacant rooms personally if required.
To participate in general maintenance of the refuge buildings to ensure that the premises are safe and to a high standard for all those who use it. This may include referrals to other organisations, however personal participation will be required.Essential Requirements:

The ability to build rapport quickly with women, children and men
An understanding of and an empathy with the needs and experiences of women, children and men who have  experienced domestic violence.
The ability to work constructively with the non violent parent/guardian and their children in order to foster their relationships
A commitment to the empowerment of all victims and survivors of domestic abuse
Driving license with access to own carSupporting Futures Consulting acts as both an employer and an agency