West Cornwall MARAC Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA)

Key responsibilities:

• Provide a pro-active service to victims of domestic abuse to keep them and their children safe.
• To undertake risk assessments and deliver an appropriate service in keeping with the result.
• To provide advocacy, emotional and practical support and information to victims to address key needs including, housing, civil and criminal legal actions, benefits and health.
• To undertake safety planning with victims and develop an individual service plan to reduce the identified risks.

To participate in the MARAC framework including:

• Referring High risk victims
• Attending and participating in meetings
• Follow-up on actions agreed in MARAC
• To ensure, through liaison with both the victim and partner agencies, that clients get the services they need and to which they are entitled.
• To understand and actively use the legal framework relating to the protection of children including the policy and procedures of the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board.
• To support clients through the Criminal Justice System, explaining the procedures and their role and rights within that system.
• To understand and actively use the legal framework relating to the protection of adults who are assessed as vulnerable including the local safeguarding procedures
• To assist the victim in developing their own support network.
• Where necessary, to act as a single point of contact for the victim including referring on and arranging meetings with other agencies/services such as, solicitors, benefit agency, etc.
• To contribute to the accuracy of the Halo database to ensure that staff are able to signpost clients and professionals to the most appropriate agency to meet their needs.
• To effectively manage a caseload.
• To ensure accurate and timely maintenance of all case records, both hard and electronic.
• To follow procedures and protocols with other services so that the safety of the victim is kept central to any process.
• To keep other relevant agencies informed about important changes in the victim’s situation.
• To note and feed back to other agencies and/or your line manager any consistent difficulties clients are having accessing their service.
• Work flexibly including out of hours as and when required to do so.
• To maintain a personal development plan with a focus on performance and service delivery
• Participate in fundraising activities to promote our cause and brand
• Represent the charity and service with a broad range of organisations and individuals
• To undertake any duties as may be required from time to time commensurate with the grade of the post.

Essential requirements:

• Driving licence and access to a vehicle
• 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.

Added benefits:

• A comprehensive induction and training programme, with a hybrid working policy for a better work/life balance.
• Access to external supervision to discuss personal or emotional responses to traumatic cases, to ensure emotional and psychological wellbeing.
• Health and wellbeing resources including our staff Wellbeing Group, Staff Consultation Committee and active participation in our employee engagement platform.
• Access to an Employee Assistance Programme which includes a 24/7 telephone helpline offering medical, emotional and financial support.
• Working for an organisation committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. We welcome applications from all sections of the community, and all backgrounds regardless of age, race, faith, disability, sex, gender identity or sexuality. First Light are a Disability Confident Committed Employer and have an LGBTQIA+ Staff Network.
• Annual pay review and employer contribution pension scheme.

Additional Information: The successful applicant will be subject to a Disclosure & Barring check, and a social media check conducted by a third party organisation as part of our Safer Recruitment process. Any future offer of employment is contingent on the satisfactory completion of these checks, as well as the receipt of two satisfactory employment references, with one being from your current or most recent employer. Please note that in some roles staff may be required to work from a home/office base in accordance with our Hybrid Working policy.

Salary: £24,956 rising to £25,350 after successful completion of probation, and increasing to £26,474 on successful accreditation from completion of IDVA training

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Holiday: 25 days rising incrementally to 30 days after five years, plus all bank holidays.

Base: Covering West Cornwall

Contract: Permanent