IDVA- Black & Minoritised Ethnic Communities

We have an amazing opportunity for a Black and Minoritised Ethnic Communities Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (BMEC IDVA) to join our new team in the London Victim and Witness Service, who will provide tailored specialist support to domestic abuse victim/survivors from Black and Minoritised Ethnic Communities, working 37.5 hours a week until 31st March 2025.

Do you want to join a committed and inspiring team? Do you want to help make a real difference every day?

Do you want to contribute to change & improve the quality of lives of Black and Minoritised survivors?

Do you have resilience & adaptability? Can you work effectively with a focus on safety and customer service and care?

If yes, then we’d love to hear from you

What we offer:

At Victim Support we believe in attracting & retaining the best people and offer a competitive rewards & benefits package including:

• Flexible working options including hybrid working
• 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays, rising to 30 days plus Bank Holidays
• An extra day off for your birthday
• £500 bonus paid on successful completion of probationary period (pro-rata for part-time roles) delete if not required
• Pension with 5% employer contribution
• Enhanced sick pay allowances & maternity payments
• High Street, retail, holiday, entertainment & leisure discounts
• Access to our financial wellbeing hub & salary deducted finance
• Employee assistance programme & wellbeing support
• Ongoing training & support with opportunities for career development & progression

About the role:

This post is open to applicants who identify as being from Black and Minoritised Ethnic Communities only, as this is deemed a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010.

Thsi role offers flexibility for home and office working with travel to appointments to meet clients across London as required. Office locations are EC1Y 8ST, IG11 8HG, SW11 2PH, & SW5 9EB.

As a Black and Minoritised Ethnic Communities Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (BMEC IDVA) you will:

• Provide a proactive, high quality and trauma-informed support service to survivors of domestic violence and abuse, with a particular focus on black and minoritised ethnic communities.
• Providing risk assessment, safety planning, advocacy and prevention & recovery work.
• Collaborate with relevant service providers including BMEC by-and-for organisations to create effective referral pathways and advise on best practice to effectively manage risk and provide support to survivors.
• Manage a caseload across various degrees of complexity and need, including survivors and families assessed at high risk of harm and who are at particular risk from harmful practices and modern slavery.
• Use a person-centred, survivor-focused approach, being mindful of the effects of trauma and additional barriers to access that survivors from black and minoritised ethnic communities may experience.

You will need:

• A passion for working with victim/survivors and a thorough understanding of domestic abuse and its impact.
• Knowledge of the issues facing women, children and men from Black and minoritised communities affected by violence against women and girls along with the ability to identify women’s individual and collective needs
• A thorough understanding of the dynamics of domestic violence and harmful practices and its impact on women, children, families, and communities.
• To be Non-judgemental, non-directive and anti-discriminatory approach to empowering victim/survivors of domestic abuse
• The ability to speak another language, particularly- Polish, Ukrainian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Tamil, Turkish, Kurdish, Russian , Somali, Yoruba, Akan, French, Lingala, Igbo, Gujarati, Arabic, Sylheti/Bengali, Hindi or Urdu, or Spanish is desirable.

About Us:

Victim Support (VS) is an independent charity providing a range of specialist services to people who have been affected by crime across England and Wales. We work towards a world where there are fewer victims but who have stronger rights, better support and a real influence in the Criminal Justice System. Everyone at VS is driven by our Vision Ambitions and Values to play their part in making a difference for those who experience crime and traumatic events. Working for VS gives you the opportunity to play a key role in a national charity providing high quality services to victims and witnesses and being a vital force for change.

Victim Support are committed to recruiting with care and to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Background checks and Disclosed Barring Service checks may be required.

Victim Support strives to represent the diverse communities we serve and are passionate about creating an environment where all staff and volunteers feel respected and heard. Being a diverse organisation with an inclusive culture is integral to us being able to meet our aim of ensuring that anyone who is a victim of crime gets the support they need.

As part of our commitment to the Race at Work Charter we particularly welcome applicants from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. VS is also a Disability Confident Employer and we provide a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for candidates that are disabled and meet all essential criteria for a role.

If you have a disability, a learning difficulty such as dyslexia or a medical condition which you believe may affect your performance during any aspect of our selection process, we’ll be happy to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to perform at your best.