Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) in Smethwick

Black Country Women's Aid (BCWA) is an established charity working across the Black Country and wider West Midlands, providing accommodation and community support services to victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse and human trafficking. Services range from advocacy and civil remedies to support in court, individual and group support, and access to a range of therapeutic interventions. All services are client and needs-led.

Within the Community Services Directorate, the following vital services are delivered:

• Community Domestic Abuse Support Services (Sandwell, Walsall and Dudley)
• Black Country IRIS (primary care) educator and advocacy service
• Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Services (Black Country)
• Black Country Sexual Abuse Forum
• Black Country Counselling Service
• Domestic and sexual abuse Children and Young person's service (Black Country)
• West Midlands Stalking Service
• Ask Marc (Male abuse referral centre)

This position is located within the Ask Marc Service. The team: Ask MARC (Male Abuse Referral Centre) is a service providing a clear referral pathway and dedicated specialist support to male victims of interpersonal abuse; this includes intimate partner and familial abuse, current, historic and childhood sexual violence, stalking, honour-based abuse and forced marriage. The service raises awareness of the dynamics of abuse against men and responds to identified barriers that stop men from getting help. Ask MARC will work in partnership with key agencies to assess risk and provide tailored support plans for clients. The West Midlands Office of the Police Crime Commissioner has commissioned this service to deliver support to high-risk male victims of domestic abuse.

We are looking for a qualified/unqualified IDVA (training may be provided for the right candidate) to join our dynamic team. We are looking for someone with experience of supporting victims/survivors of domestic abuse, managing a caseload and understanding the principles of safeguarding children and adults. The post holder will have a good understanding of the dynamics of domestic abuse and how this can affect victims.

This is a challenging role that requires empathy, compassion, excellent interpersonal and caseload management skills, a client-centred approach and proactive crisis intervention.

Our Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVA) provide a high-quality frontline domestic abuse support service to those at high risk of harm. IDVAs support victims of domestic abuse to assess the level of risk, inform victims of their options and develop tailored safety plans to protect the victim and their children. They work within a multi-agency framework to advocate for the victim, including responding to and reporting to Multi-agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC) on behalf of the victim. The role supports the empowerment of victims/survivors, assisting them to recognise the dynamics of domestic abuse present in their own situation through one-to-one support and group work, to help them regain control of their lives.

If you are self-driven, compassionate, and hardworking with a lot of ambition, we would love to hear from you. To be considered for this position, click 'apply', and you will be emailed a link to an application form, job description, and an equal ops form, plus details on how to complete your application. CVs will not be accepted.

Black Country Women's Aid is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults, children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All posts are subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975. It will be necessary for an enhanced disclosure to be made to the Criminal Records Bureau for details of any previous criminal convictions.

As a responsible employer, we adhere to safer recruitment practice and all our employees are subject to the following recruitment checks: Right to work in the UK. Under Section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act, we, as a responsible employer, need to ensure that we do not employ anyone illegally. To avoid discrimination, we treat all job applicants equally. We therefore ask all candidates selected for interview to bring original documentation to show their Right to Work in the UK. A copy of these will be taken. Once the successful candidate has been appointed, the unsuccessful candidate's documents will be destroyed confidentially. You may be refused an interview if you do not bring the correct documents with you.