Caseworker - Sexual Violence in Aylesbury

Location: Aylesbury (Hybrid)

Hours: 37.5 hours a week (5 days)

Salary: £28,000 – £30,000 (FTE) per annum

Contract: Permanent

Hope After Harm is an established, registered charity, delivering a range of support services to those who are vulnerable or at risk of exclusion. We want to see a society where everyone feels safe and can thrive, regardless of who they are and where they come from. We enable adults and young people in their journey to recover from harm and trauma. Through support, advocacy and education we empower people to rebuild their lives and reclaim their future, and we inspire others to do the same, creating safer, more inclusive communities.

Role Description: To provide holistic support to anyone who has experienced sexual violence and to identify and engage with these individuals on a one-to-one basis, enabling them to access services and make positive, empowering choices.

Responsibilities:

• To provide support to service users who have experienced sexual violence.
• To provide support to the facilitation of group work within the service.
• To provide group work interventions on a 1-2-1 basis where the service user is unable to access groups.
• To lead on providing service users information sessions and informal group activities / events.
• To independently manage a small caseload of adult client cases, providing practical and emotional support.
• To conduct risk assessments, do case management and safety planning in partnership with other key agencies.
• To advocate in a range of settings on behalf of the service user and working towards them being their own best advocate.
• To help service users to make informed choices about their future options.

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:

Essential:

• Experience of direct support work with victims or other vulnerable people including providing emotional and practical support.
• Excellent Caseworker with good assessment, motivational and empowerment skills.
• Organising, prioritising, risk management and problem-solving skills.
• Experience of working cooperatively and effectively in a team.
• Willingness to be able to work flexible hours when necessary and be part of an on-call rota.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills including presentation skills.
• PC literate (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Compassionate towards the individuals the service supports.
• A driving licence and own transport.
• Sensitivity to cultural differences and the ability to work in diverse settings and with people with diverse needs.
• Good knowledge of a full range of civil, criminal and practical options available to service users.
• Good knowledge of restorative interventions or ability to learn them and make use of them with appropriate service users.
• Knowledge and skills to operate within a trauma informed approach.
• Ability to provide non-judgemental, non-directive and confidential support to service users in crisis.
• A clear understanding of the gendered nature of some crime types, and a clear understanding of how different crime types disproportionately affect different groups of people.
• A commitment to working within an equality and diversity framework and an awareness of barriers to accessing support.

Desirable:

• Ability to determine strategies, outcomes and opportunities to develop the role.
• Experience and knowledge of exploitation and modern-day slavery, sexual violence and other complex issues.
• Experience of working with groups with multiple complex needs.
• Mental Health Awareness including the impact on an individual and the services available.
• Have an ISVA qualification or be prepared to undertake training.
• Knowledge of domestic abuse – at least level 2 DASH training.
• Awareness of differing counselling approaches.

For this role you will also need:

• The ability to travel within Thames Valley and occasionally the surrounding areas.
• To be free from any criminal conviction which would conflict with the responsibilities of the post. You will be required to have a DBS Enhanced disclosure or a portable DBS.
• To be able to deal with all information on a confidential basis and understand data protection requirements.
• A driving licence and your own vehicle.
• To have Citizenship of the UK or have entitlement to work in the UK.

Thames Valley Partnership trading as Hope After Harm is an equal opportunities employer. The aim of our policy is to ensure no job applicant, employee or worker is discriminated against either directly or indirectly on the grounds of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, religious belief, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, age or disability. We do not disbar applicants with criminal convictions and are mindful of the requirements of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, 1974.