Health IDVA in Exeter

Contract: Fixed term for 2.5 years

Grade/Salary: £25,964 - £28,104 depending on experience and IDVA qualifications

Working hours: 37 hours per week – Monday – Friday

Work location: RDUH and NDADA office (Exeter)

Benefits: 24 days annual leave a year, plus day for birthday, rising by 1 day a year until 5 years’ service – maximum 30 days plus bank holidays.

North Devon Against Domestic Abuse is committed to equity and diversity and strongly encourages applicants with a disability, from ethnically diverse backgrounds and the LGBT community, as these groups are currently under-represented in our organisation.

Job Summary:

The Exeter Health IDVA (HIDVA) will work alongside the DDAA (Devon Domestic Abuse Alliance), ensuring effective access to services for victims of domestic abuse across Devon County. The HIDVA will work in partnership with the second HIDVA (North) and Specialist Suicide Prevention IDVAs in Devon. This role involves multi-agency working and service flexibility to encourage engagement with the service. The HIDVA will provide a high-quality frontline service to victims of domestic abuse from a health setting, both patients and staff. They will work within a multi-agency framework consisting of the MARAC and local partnership responses to domestic abuse and working in close liaison with health partners to safeguard vulnerable people within domestic abuse situations. They will assist health services to respond more effectively to domestic abuse, including primary, community, specialist and acute services. The work will include training and presentations, sometimes in partnership with stakeholders, so requires creativity and initiative.

Main duties:

• Risk assessing and regularly reviewing the risk assessment, delivering service in keeping with the result.
• Explaining housing, financial, civil, and criminal legal options to clients and empowering them to make their own choices.
• Undertaking safety planning with clients (both crisis and long-term) and developing individual care plans to meet their identified risks and needs.
• Providing advocacy, emotional and practical support and information to victims including in relation to legal options, housing, health and finance.
• Working directly with all key agency partners to address the safety of high risk victims and ensuring that their safety plans are coordinated particularly through the MARAC.
• Creating a team around the person approach, linking in support from other elements within DDAA and the wider system, with the clients voice at the centre.
• Managing a caseload and maintaining up-to-date records on an electronic case management system.
• Engaging with supervision; clinical and line management, in order to help process vicarious trauma, reflect on practice and identify any support or training needs.
• Working harmoniously with other team members, member organisations within DDAA and the wider system.
• Refer non-high-risk cases into the wider NDADA service after initial assessment.
• Work with high-risk victims of domestic abuse to help them access services to keep them and their children safe.
• Advocate for high-risk victims with agencies who can help to address the domestic abuse by understanding the role of all relevant statutory and non-statutory services available to domestic abuse victims and how your role fits into them.
• Support the empowerment of the client and assist them in recognising the features and dynamics of domestic abuse present in their situation, and help them regain control of their lives.
• Understand multi-agency partnership structures and work within a multi-agency setting which will include participation at the MARAC.
• You will contribute interventions and help design a plan to protect victims and any children, while maintaining an independent role on behalf of your client, keeping their safety as central to any response.
• Be proactive with your line manager in carrying out periodic case reviews based on a review of risk and abuse which: Help maintain accurate and confidential case management records and databases and contribute to monitoring information for the service.
• Comply with data protection legislation, confidentiality and information sharing policy and procedures and all legislation connected to your work.
• Support colleagues and partner agencies, through awareness raising and institutional advocacy, in order to provide the best possible service for victims of domestic abuse.
• Deliver training to hospital staff, increasing awareness and understanding of domestic abuse issues.
• Respect and value the diversity of the community in which the services works and recognise the needs and concerns of a diverse range of survivors ensuring the service is accessible to all.
• Remain up-to-date and compliant with all organisational procedures policies and professional codes of conduct and uphold standards of best practice.

This role is based in Exeter with a presence on site at RD&E of at least 2 days a week Mon-Fri.

This job description outlines the duties of the post and will be periodically reviewed. Duties may change over time without altering their general nature or responsibility level. Such changes don't warrant a re-evaluation of the post's grading.

To Apply:

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for North Devon Against Domestic Abuse, please do not hesitate to apply.