Job Description:

Role:              Domestic Abuse Helpline Advisor

Based:           Remote

Rate:              £14 PAYE / £18 umb

Start Date:    ASAP

Duration:      Temporary until January 2027

Hours:           Full-time 35 hours per week, Monday – Sunday, work from home. 24-hour service - Rota Pattern including evenings, weekends and nights.  

Our client, a national Domestic Abuse charity, is looking for several Helpline Advisors to join their team providing high-quality, empowering, emotional and practical support, assistance and information to women and those supporting them, who contact the Freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline

Synopsis of duties:

• To participate in answering helpline calls and online communication inquiries on a 24-hour rota system, responding to women experiencing domestic violence and other forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG), and family and friends supporting them, by providing trauma-informed emotional support and practical help, led by the caller’s needs. 
• To support and advise other professionals in their delivery of services to women experiencing domestic abuse and liaise with agencies on behalf of callers as necessary, including searching for vacancies and making referrals to women’s refuges when needed.
• To work in partnership with other agencies to contribute to the design of interventions and plans which protect survivors and their children whilst maintaining an independent role on behalf of the survivors, keeping their safety central to the plans. 
• To provide independent assessment, advice and support across all facets of domestic abuse, whether physical, psychological, emotional, financial or controlling behaviour, by informing women of the dynamics around these behaviours and providing callers with information about the laws and services that exist to support and protect women. 
• To provide one-to-one support and safety planning to high-risk women, often at the point of crisis. 
• To establish the risks to and the needs of survivors of domestic violence and other forms of violence and abuse, by providing practical and emotional support and non-directive safety planning, and appropriate signposting. 
• To ensure that any issues in relation to safeguarding children or vulnerable adults are brought to the immediate attention of the service manager or on-call manager. 
• To listen and assess each interaction individually to ensure the support and assistance given to callers is appropriate and of the highest standard. 
• To manage high call and response volumes, ensuring continuity of service levels and use best judgment and practices to manage time effectively 
• To maintain up-to-date knowledge of women’s rights and entitlements when fleeing domestic abuse, including but not limited to civil and criminal law, housing, benefits, and other relevant legal measures. 
• To maintain up-to-date knowledge of resources and services for women fleeing domestic abuse, both statutory and voluntary. 
• To ensure a quality service is given to women regardless of class/culture/language/religion, or sexual orientation; to speak with callers via Language Line when needed 
• To recognise, respect and address the needs of service-users who face particular barriers when seeking help to access the advocacy service, including those from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, LGBT communities, disabled people and other hard-to-reach groups 
• To respond and provide high-quality support and advice to women, families and professionals via additional platforms and communication methods, notably web forms and live webchat, where safe and appropriate to do so and maintain appropriate records. 
• To ensure helpline database records are completed accurately and promptly 
• To contribute to the ongoing evaluation of the Helpline service. 
• To ensure systems of information and dissemination are of a high standard, ensuring callers receive quality support and referral services.
• To undertake efficient handover and debriefing after each shift (e.g. update on referrals, admissions, vacancies) and ensure relevant information and issues are passed

Essential Requirements:

• In-depth knowledge and understanding of the issues facing women who have experienced domestic violence and abuse and/or sexual violence.
• An understanding of the impact of multiple, intersecting oppressions (e.g., sexism, racism, homophobia, ableism, etc) and the consequent barriers for some survivors of domestic abuse to accessing services.
• Knowledge and understanding of trauma and trauma symptoms.
• At least two years’ experience working within the domestic abuse sector (desirable).
• Experience in conducting needs and risk assessments.
• Experience in providing needs-led support to clients with a variety of support needs.
• Experience in building and maintaining partnerships with other agencies.
• DBS dated within the last 6 months or on the update service

Supporting Futures Consulting acts as both an employer and an agency.