Children's Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ChISVA) in Kent

KSAAS (formerly East Kent Rape Crisis Centre) has provided sexual violence services in East Kent since 1981. We offer ongoing practical support and therapeutic services for survivors who have experienced any form of sexual violence, at any time in their lives, across Kent & Medway. KSAAS holds UKAS accreditation through The Survivors Trust and is Professionally Approved by Rape Crisis England & Wales, demonstrating the consistent, high-quality services we provide.

KSAAS operates specialist Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA) services, including joint ISVA and Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA) provision for those experiencing sexual violence alongside domestic abuse. We also offer trauma-focused therapeutic counselling for children, adolescents and adults, accessible through hubs across Kent & Medway.

Our Vision
KSAAS’s vision is a community where everyone is free from all forms of sexual violence. We work within a feminist, equalities and human rights framework, providing help, hope and healing to those impacted by sexual violence and helping to cultivate a safe, non-violent community.

Our Mission
It is our mission to:

• Respond to and promote the needs of those who have experienced sexual violence through a feminist empowerment model of work.
• Reduce the impact of sexual violence by supporting, educating, informing and advocating for all survivors.
• Challenge oppression in all forms.
• Challenge societal attitudes that condone and collude with sexual violence.

Please note that this post is restricted to women under the Equality Act 2010 (Schedule 9, Part 1). Your supporting statement should demonstrate how you meet the candidate profile and should be no more than four A4 pages.

Role details
Salary: £24,133.20 (increasing to £26,133.20 once ISVA accredited).
Base: Ashford / Canterbury. Travel to other sites may be required.
Hours: 35 hours per week (initial 1-year contract). Occasional out-of-hours meetings may be required.

Benefits: 3% pension contribution; employee discounts scheme; 28 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays; employee assistance programme; flexible working negotiable.

Requirements: right to work in the UK; enhanced DBS check (carried out through KSAAS); full UK driving licence and use of own car.

Responsible to: Head of ISVA Services

Core functions
Work as a committed member of the Kent Sexual Assault & Abuse Service (KSAAS) team. Support KSAAS’s aims, values and working principles, and work in line with KSAAS policies and procedures. Take all possible steps to ensure the safety and confidentiality of service users, staff, volunteers and KSAAS management.

Specific duties
Provide support to children and young people, and their families, through a range of channels as appropriate, including face-to-face, video, text and telephone. Travel to schools and community venues to provide support as required by your caseload. Contact young people or the parents/carers of allocated child service users in a timely and professional manner. Work with children and young people who are survivors of sexual abuse to promote their emotional and physical wellbeing. Listen to service users’ needs and use a trauma-informed approach to develop an appropriate support plan. Undertake risk and needs assessments and provide ongoing support and advice on risk management. Support service users to report (if they choose to), and through each stage of the criminal justice process, explaining procedures and their rights and entitlements, including under the Victims’ Code. Support service users to make informed choices about their options. Support service users to access the services they need and to which they are entitled. Support service users to identify and work towards personal goals. Work in line with data protection legislation (including UK GDPR) and confidentiality requirements when working within multi-agency protocols. Identify and respond to child and adult safeguarding concerns, following relevant legislation, policies and procedures. Advocate and, where appropriate, challenge on behalf of service users. Develop and maintain effective communication with key partners including police, CPS, court services, education/schools, mental health and sexual health services, Victim Gateway, the Witness Service and other voluntary sector organisations. Highlight the needs of child survivors of sexual abuse and promote the service to partner agencies and local communities. Manage a caseload. Maintain accurate, timely notes and records for all service users, in line with UK GDPR and organisational requirements. Contribute to the development of service policies, protocols, guidelines and strategies within your area of practice, as required. Attend and contribute to supervision sessions. Work with a clear understanding of the myths and realities of sexual violence and trauma, including longer-term mental health impacts. Contribute accurate information, anonymised case studies and quantitative data to help monitor and evaluate service effectiveness. Complete ISVA/ChISVA training (if not already completed) and undertake ongoing training as directed throughout the role.

General responsibilities
Support the team to inform and educate the public, media, schools and other statutory agencies through networking, talks, training and presentations. Work flexibly to help KSAAS offer the best possible service to service users. Attend team and service meetings as required and collaborate with colleagues to achieve team and organisational objectives. Attend relevant training, conferences and workshops in line with identified professional objectives. Performance will be monitored through regular line-management supervision and reviewed at the annual appraisal. Due to the nature of work at KSAAS, tasks and responsibilities can be unpredictable and varied. All employees are therefore expected to work flexibly when required, including undertaking additional duties not specifically covered in this job description. These duties will normally be in response to unforeseen circumstances or changes in work and will be compatible with the post holder’s usual role. Please note that you will be required to undertake a DBS check and may also be required to complete additional security checks to work in some settings. A full driving licence and access to a vehicle are essential.

Person Specification

Qualifications
• Good standard of education (graduate level or equivalent experience)
• ISVA trained, or willing to attend training
• Child-related qualification
• Trauma-informed training
• Safeguarding training
• ISVA training
• Domestic abuse training
• Sexual abuse training

Experience
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of sexual violence, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and sexual coercion
• Experience of working with a range of statutory, non-statutory and voluntary agencies
• Experience of working with vulnerable adults or children
• Experience of working within the violence against women and girls’ sector

Knowledge & Understanding
• Knowledge of adult and child safeguarding issues, legislation and best practice
• Ability to maintain professional notes and records of interactions and interventions with service users
• Understanding of the effects of abuse on children
• Proficient IT skills (Windows, Microsoft Office, SharePoint, email and internet)
• Understanding of professional confidentiality and its boundaries in relation to service delivery, legal, ethical and safeguarding issues
• Specialist knowledge of the immediate and longer-term impacts of sexual violence, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and sexual coercion
• Understanding of the need for accurate monitoring
• Knowledge of the Victims’ Code of Practice

Skills
• Able to prioritise own workload and manage competing demands
• Ability to use line management and supervision effectively
• Good communication skills (verbal, non-verbal and written)
• Ability to keep the service user at the centre of all processes
• Understanding of inequality and commitment to anti-oppressive practice
• Willingness to be creative in approach when working with children and young people
• Ability to work on own initiative, in partnership, and as part of a team
• Experience of proactive advocacy, representing the voices and needs of service users

Other
• Required to work flexibly to meet service users’ needs
• Expected to travel to meet service user needs; a driving licence and access to a vehicle are essential

How to Apply
To apply, please email a detailed CV along with a supporting statement explaining your suitability for the role, to the Head of ISVA Services, Caroline Carter. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 20 May.