Job Description:

Role:                    Refuge Worker

Based:                 Lewisham – 2 houses close to each other

Rate:                   £15 ph PAYE or £19.50 ph UMB

Start Date:           ASAP

Duration:            Temp ongoing

Hours:                 35 hours per week

Our client, a specialist Domestic Violence charity, is looking to recruit a Refuge Worker responsible for providing high-quality practical and emotional support to survivors of domestic violence and their children living in their refuges. 

Synopsis of duties:

• Providing practical and emotional support to survivors of domestic violence and other forms of violence and abuse
• Caseload of 4 clients (maybe 1 or 2 more occasionally to cover annual leave)
• Conducting key work sessions regularly and keeping casework records up to date
• Be present at the refuge when contractors attend, homegroup, pest control, water checks, cleaner, etc, accompany them to all the rooms when required
• Carry out CCTV Checks daily, H&S checks daily, weekly or monthly checks on all the floors
• Carry out evacuation(monthly), fire drills (monthly) and fire alarm testing (weekly)
• Be onsite to monitor and sign in guests, e.g. health visitors, social workers, etc
• Have face-to-face sessions with residents weekly
• Help residents complete most forms, sometimes housing applications, etc which is time-consuming
• Report housing maintenance issues following checks
• Attend to women on an ad-hoc basis
• Provide cleaning products, etc
• Keep on top of service charges and rent arrears, and ensure residents are paying monthly when their benefits come in, you may need to check evidence of this monthly
• Attend appointments, GP, court hearings, etc with clients
• Physically see the state of the house, i.e. to book work like gardening, broken furniture, etc any repairs
• Keep an inventory of outstanding items in-house, like cleaning products, pots, pans, emergency food, etc
• Distribute or unpack donations
• Prepare residents or houses for cultural events, e.g. Eid, giving out donations, putting posters around the house, celebrating with residents
• Carry out house meetings, H&S recording, or chasing
• Turn around voids, prepare rooms, or get maintenance, take referrals
• Physical presence at site, may need to attend to other sites
• Lone working sometimes when there is no site cover
• Take part in staff meetings and supervision meetings, sometimes offsite

Essential Requirements:

• Experience of working in a refuge
• Experience working with vulnerable adults and children, acknowledging safeguarding concerns, and responding appropriately
• Experience working with victims of domestic abuse in a professional capacity
• Enhanced Child and Adult workforce DBS on the update service
• DBS dated within the last 12 months or on the update service

*This post is open to female applicants only as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

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