You searched for Debt - Women’s Aid

Specialist Financial Support Worker

Central BSWA — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 10:29:10 +0000

Birmingham and Solihull Women’s aid have for over 40 years supported women and children with services around domestic violence and abuse. Could you be a part of our team as we continue our mission to end domestic violence and abuse?
The region’s leading charity in tackling violence against women and girls, BSWA offers a helpline, webchat, drop in and and community support as well as emergency accommodation in six refuges across the area.
Projects supports women in the criminal justice system, in healthcare settings, and throughout the community, offering support to women and children experiencing domestic violence. Alongside this, we also have colleagues offering training and consultancy to businesses and health and social care professionals alike, raising awareness on gender based violence issues.
We seek like-minded women to join our enthusiastic team of workers, all of us passionate about the vital and valuable work we do to support women and children who have experienced domestic abuse, and tackling the wider issues of violence against women and girls.

This role will deliver financial support including support with debt and financial abuse to women affected by Domestic Abuse.

BSWA is a Disability Confident Employer. We want everyone to have equal chance at being considered for our jobs. Should you be unable to submit your application online and would prefer an alternative method, or you are experiencing another barrier to completing your application, please contact our recruitment team at: recruitment@bswaid.org.
These posts are covered by a Genuine Occupational Requirement (Schedule 9; Equality Act 2010) and women only need apply.

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is at 12 noon on Monday 8th September. Interviews will take place in the weeks commencing 22nd and 29th September.

The post Specialist Financial Support Worker appeared first on Women’s Aid.

Female* Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker

Nats Opitz — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 10:26:46 +0000

We have a rewarding opportunity available for a Female* Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker to join our team based in Bristol. You will join us on a full time, permanent basis, working 37.5 hours per week. In return, you will receive a competitive salary of Point 12 £27,711 per annum plus benefits.

Established in 1999, Next Link is the leading provider of domestic abuse services to women and children in Bristol and South Gloucestershire. At Next Link we are committed to providing holistic, empowering and personalised support and advocacy to women and children experiencing domestic abuse. With a focus on survivor’s safety and recovery; we believe the provision of flexible support tailored to survivor’s needs can be transforming, helping to maximise independence and self-determination so survivors can make informed choices.

In return for joining us, we will offer you:

Up to 30 days annual leave (depending on length of service)
3 extra holidays including International Women’s Day
Excellent development and training opportunities
Employer pension contribution (minimum 5% of your gross salary)
Mindful Employer Plus Scheme
Cycle to Work Scheme
Long Service Awards
Health and Wellbeing programme

About the role:

Our Female* Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker will provide safe housing and support to women who have experienced domestic abuse and have complex needs. You will support to empower women with complex needs to move on to independent or lower level supported accommodation.
Key duties and responsibilities of our ideal Female* Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker:
Promote the service through building positive relationships with current, potential referrers and service users to ensure a steady flow of appropriate referrals.
Sign up new licensees using the agreed licence agreement and advise on rights and obligations of the agreement and then settle into the allocated Safehouse. Complete all paperwork, photocopy and send off as appropriate. Ensure new files are set up and a handover is given to the allocated keyworker.
Liaise closely with applicant and referral agencies and keep informed of progress and outcome.
Advise woman on personal safety and safety procedures regarding the safe house. Complete a personal safety plan.
Establish the need for any civil legal remedies and support to access a specialist solicitor when appropriate.
Carry out a financial assessment for each service user assisting them to maximise their income, address debts and support them to make appropriate welfare benefit claims.
Complete sign up paperwork, including welfare benefits claims ensuring they are accurately complete and promptly submitted.
Take primary responsibility for the collect of rent and other charges payable. Work closely with the resident and Finance Department to minimise and manage arrears.
This is not an exhaustive list of your duties and outlines the general ways in which it is expected you will meet the overall requirements of this post.

What we are looking for in our ideal Female* Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker:

Numeracy and literacy to GCSE level/NVQ 2 or equivalent
Ability to maintain accurate and up‐to‐date records of contact with service users, other support /housing related information and to communicate with colleagues and stakeholders using common Microsoft Office packages, e.g. Word, Excel, Outlook and other IT software
Knowledge and understanding of the issues, barriers and support needs of women experiencing domestic abuse, homelessness, mental health and complex needs face in accessing and sustaining accommodation
Knowledge of domestic abuse civil legal remedies
Knowledge of Domestic Abuse risk assessment tools including DASH and the MARAC process
Proven experience of working with women who have survived domestic abuse
Proven experience working with people with mental health needs, or people with complex needs
Proven experience working in homelessness/supported housing sector providing support in shared or self-contained accommodation
Experience of working with women with multiple needs (e.g. mental health, homelessness, alcohol/drug dependency, self‐harm behaviours)
A current, full driving licence and access to an appropriate vehicle

If you are motivated, resourceful and passionate about empowering female victims of domestic abuse, please apply now to join us as our Female* Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker to contribute to the valuable work Next Link and its wider services, delivering hope and support to survivors of domestic violence and abuse.

How to apply:

Please download the application pack from our website and complete the application form. Please submit your application by 9am 8th August 2025. Please do not send CVs. Interviews will be held week commencing 11th August 2025.

www.nextlinkhousing.co.uk HR.Enquiries@missinglinkhousing.co.uk

The post Female* Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker appeared first on Women’s Aid.

Flexible Fund: Survivor Eligibility Criteria

Angharad — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 14:51:45 +0000

Flexible Fund: Survivor eligibility criteria

Flee Fund

The Flexible Fund is committed to reaching and supporting as many survivors in need as possible. Its broad eligibility criteria reflect this commitment.

Please note that you cannot access the Flee Fund if you have already been awarded the Flee fund from any previous rounds of the Flexible Fund or Emergency Fund since 2023.

Once you are in contact with a key worker from an eligible service, you will be able to discuss your situation and circumstances in detail. As the organisation working directly with you, they are best positioned to advise you on your eligibility.

Eligibility criteria for the Flee Fund

Female* Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker

Nats Opitz — Thu, 29 May 2025 09:05:45 +0000

In return for joining us, we will offer you:

Up to 30 days annual leave (depending on length of service)
3 extra holidays including International Women’s Day
Excellent development and training opportunities
Employer pension contribution (minimum 5% of your gross salary)
Mindful Employer Plus Scheme
Cycle to Work Scheme
Long Service Awards
Health and Wellbeing programme

About the role:

Our Female* Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker will provide safe housing and support to women who have experienced domestic abuse and have complex needs. You will support to empower women with complex needs to move on to independent or lower level supported accommodation.

Key duties and responsibilities of our ideal Female* Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker:

Promote the service through building positive relationships with current, potential referrers and service users to ensure a steady flow of appropriate referrals.
Sign up new licensees using the agreed licence agreement and advise on rights and obligations of the agreement and then settle into the allocated Safehouse. Complete all paperwork, photocopy and send off as appropriate. Ensure new files are set up and a handover is given to the allocated keyworker.
Liaise closely with applicant and referral agencies and keep informed of progress and outcome.
Advise woman on personal safety and safety procedures regarding the safe house. Complete a personal safety plan.
Establish the need for any civil legal remedies and support to access a specialist solicitor when appropriate.
Carry out a financial assessment for each service user assisting them to maximise their income, address debts and support them to make appropriate welfare benefit claims.
Complete sign up paperwork, including welfare benefits claims ensuring they are accurately complete and promptly submitted.
Take primary responsibility for the collect of rent and other charges payable. Work closely with the resident and Finance Department to minimise and manage arrears.
This is not an exhaustive list of your duties and outlines the general ways in which it is expected you will meet the overall requirements of this post.

What we are looking for in our ideal Female* Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker:

Numeracy and literacy to GCSE level/NVQ 2 or equivalent
Ability to maintain accurate and up‐to‐date records of contact with service users, other support /housing related information and to communicate with colleagues and stakeholders using common Microsoft Office packages, e.g. Word, Excel, Outlook and other IT software
Knowledge and understanding of the issues, barriers and support needs of women experiencing domestic abuse, homelessness, mental health and complex needs face in accessing and sustaining accommodation
Knowledge of domestic abuse civil legal remedies
Knowledge of Domestic Abuse risk assessment tools including DASH and the MARAC process
Proven experience of working with women who have survived domestic abuse
Proven experience working with people with mental health needs, or people with complex needs
Proven experience working in homelessness/supported housing sector providing support in shared or self-contained accommodation
Experience of working with women with multiple needs (e.g. mental health, homelessness, alcohol/drug dependency, self‐harm behaviours)
A current, full driving licence and access to an appropriate vehicle

How to apply:

Please download the application pack from our website and complete the application form. Please submit your application by 9am Friday 13th June 2025. Please do not send CVs. Interviews will be held week commencing 16th June 2025.

The post Female* Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker appeared first on Women’s Aid.

They’ve decided to leave, how can I help?

Stacey Kelly-Maher — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 12:53:29 +0000

They’ve decided to leave, how can I help?

The person may decide to stay in the relationship longer than you want them to, or you may find yourself offering help and support over a period of time. However, there are useful things that you can do before someone leaves a relationship, when they end the relationship, or after they have left.

They have decided they want to end the relationship, how can I help them to get ready?

Why haven’t they told me

Stacey Kelly-Maher — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 12:50:33 +0000

Why haven’t they told me?

Why isn’t she telling me what is happening?

She may not recognise her experiences as abuse

People who are experiencing harmful behaviours from a partner or family member may not think of their experiences as domestic abuse. For some people, this can be because they have had previous relationships which have also been abusive, or because they have seen similar behaviours in the relationships around them, either as a child or as an adult. If this is the case, they may think that the abuse they are experiencing is a normal part of any relationship.

Another reason why survivors do not always think of their experiences as abuse, is because some abusers alternate between behaving well and behaving badly – this can trap a survivor into doubting themselves, worrying it’s in their head, thinking that the person really does care about them, or that the person will eventually change. This can make it hard for a survivor to recognise the relationship as abusive.

“He said he won’t do it again and that he loves me. I think he does, it’s just the drink that makes him nasty…”

(Survivor)

Also, abusers often blame survivors and tell them that the abuse is their fault. And sometimes an abuser will tell the person that the abuse is for the survivor’s own benefit or protection. If these lies and blaming happen over a long period, it can be really hard for a survivor to trust their own sense of what is happening. Again, this makes it difficult for them to recognise that they are experiencing domestic abuse.

She may be worried about telling you

Even if the person has recognised that they are experiencing domestic abuse, they may be worried about telling people, even people who care about them. Some of the common reasons for this are:

Fear about what will happen if she tells people

The abuser may have threatened to harm the person, or other people, if they tell anyone about what is happening. It is common for abusers to threaten to kill, injure, or hurt survivors, or to damage their property, or share intimate images of them. It is also common for abusers to make threats about harming children, friends, family members, neighbours, colleagues, and pets. They may tell the survivor that she could lose her children through family courts or social services. Abusers will often utilise a survivor’s insecure immigration status against them, telling them they’ll be deported, or no-one will believe them. An abuser might threaten to “out” an LGBTQ+ survivor, or withhold medication or care from a disabled survivor.

These threats can be very scary for people experiencing abuse, because they are often aware of the violence and abuse the person is capable of. Fear for safety is one of the main reasons why people stay in a relationship while experiencing abuse.

Not wanting to worry other people or get them involved

Some of the survivors we speak to, do not tell the people close to them about what is happening, because they do not want them to be anxious or worried.

Embarrassment or shame about experiencing domestic abuse

Many survivors feel embarrassed or ashamed that they have experienced domestic abuse. In spite of the changes in societal views about domestic abuse over the years, there is still a great deal of stigma and shame which remain. A survivor may also be concerned that people’s opinions of them will change, and that they will be treated differently, if people know what has happened. 

Shame and stigma are also a key part of “honour”-based abuse, where there can be significant consequences if a family believes someone to be bringing dishonour or shame. Survivors may be shamed to maintain control and prevent them speaking out. You can learn more about “honour”-based abuse and how to support someone on Karma Nirvana’s website. You can call their helpline for emotional support and expert guidance to help you understand if someone you know may be experiencing this.

Worry about people’s reactions

It can be difficult for a survivor to know how other people will react if they tell them about the abuse. It is common for an abuser to tell a survivor that no one will believe them, and the survivor may think that this is true. They may also worry that you will be cross with them for ‘putting up‘ with the abuse, or that you will try to take over and make decisions for them.

Many survivors are also concerned that if they tell someone who cares about them, that this person will challenge or confront the abuser; harming the abuser, themselves, or making things worse for the survivor.

She may not be ready to make any changes yet

Even at the point where someone realises that they are experiencing domestic abuse, they may not be ready to take action. Some of the common reasons for this are:

Love for the person who is being abusive

Love is one of the hardest reasons for people outside of the relationship to understand. But survivors tell us that the love they felt for the abusive person does not just disappear because of the abuse. Many survivors are not ready to make changes in their relationship, because they hope that the abuser will change or that the situation will get better.

Feeling that they do not deserve to be treated well

After experiencing abuse for some time, a survivor’s self-esteem and sense of self-worth can become so low that they do not feel that they deserve to be treated well. Some survivors are also worried about what they will lose by making changes, particularly if they feel that this is their only chance for a relationship or for a family.

Feeling scared about making changes

Making changes can be scary for lots of reasons. A survivor may be scared about how the abuser will react, and what they might do; scared about what other people might think; and also scared about what any changes will mean practically. For example, making the choice to leave or to end a relationship where abuse is taking place might mean: leaving home, going into a refuge, changing location, moving children to new schools, changing jobs, and coping with the costs of fleeing. These are big changes, which are difficult to make, especially if the abuse has reduced the survivor’s self-esteem, confidence, and independence. Often this is after many years of isolation and economic abuse where an abuser might have prevented a survivor from working, controlled their bank account, and gotten them into debt. In our 2022 survey, two thirds of survivors (67%) told us they could not get £500 together if they needed to.

Trying to get the timing right

Sometimes there is a trigger to leaving or ending a relationship with an abuser; when the person who is experiencing abuse decides to take immediate action. But it does not always happen like this. Sometimes people realise that they are experiencing abuse, and decide that they want to make changes, but plan to take action in more gradual ways.

So, if you are thinking ‘why hasn’t she told me what is happening?‘ It may be that she has not recognised her experiences as abuse, it may be that she is worried about telling you, and it may be that she is not ready to make any changes yet. The survivor may also worry that telling someone about what is happening, will make the situation real, so that it is no longer hidden, even from themselves.

What can I do at this stage?

Even if the person is not telling you what is happening, there are still useful things that you can do to help.

The first is about keeping the channels of communication open between yourself and the survivor. If the abuser tries to stop your communication, you may need to be creative about staying in touch. For example, meeting the person when they go to the supermarket, or phoning them at work.

Asking gentle questions about the relationship is important, but if you are worried that this is creating a distance between you, it’s OK to talk about other things for a while. Changing your conversations to more general talk allows your relationship with the survivor to continue, without them feeling under pressure. You can always return to asking gentle questions about their relationship another time.

The second thing you can do is to prepare yourself in advance. By learning about domestic abuse, and by finding out about the organisations you can signpost the survivor to, you will be ready when the person tells you what is happening. You can also contact some of the specialist organisations yourself to find out more about the support they offer.

"I really wasn’t sure where to go with it, but I figured that she’d tell me when she was ready… There were times when she’d cancel seeing me, and I’m sure it was because he’d said, ‘no’. I started going to the park near her house with the kids, so that we’d bump into each other. I also read up about domestic abuse to help me understand her situation more, and I found out about our local domestic abuse charity… I decided that the best way to be a mate was to stay in touch and to be ready for when she wanted to tell me…”

Friend to a survivor Tweet

< Back

Next >

The post Why haven’t they told me appeared first on Women’s Aid.

Annual Audit 2025

Chloe Browning — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 11:01:01 +0000

The Annual Audit 2025

Women’s Aid Annual Audit 2025: The 2025 edition of Women’s Aid annual publication provides an in-depth picture of the provision, usage and work of domestic abuse services in England during the 2023-24 financial year. The report demonstrates that whilst there have been some improvements in provision, the gap between provision and demand for domestic abuse services in 2023-24 is similar to previous years, if not slightly worse. During this period, the government investment fell £321 million short of the minimum £516 million needed to properly fund local specialist women’s domestic abuse services and the impact of this shortfall is evidenced in this report.

Please cite this report as:
Women’s Aid. (2025) The Annual Audit 2025, Bristol: Women’s Aid.

Key findings

Demand

On Track national referral estimates suggest that less than one in ten women and less than one in ten children who experienced domestic abuse received support from a refuge or community-based support service.

Estimates show that 60.1% of referrals into refuge services were rejected over the past year. The most common reason for rejection was that the refuge service did not have the capacity to support the client (45.7% of rejected referrals). This means that when a survivor was referred into refuge, there was a 27.5% chance that the refuge did not have the capacity to support her.

Just over half (51.4%) of referrals into community-based domestic abuse support (CBS) services were rejected. The most common reasons for rejection were that the client did not want support (25.7%), the survivor was already being supported by the organisation (23.5%), and the service could not contact the client (22.6%).

Provision

Despite a net growth in the number of bed spaces available, the number of bedspaces still falls short by 1,160 spaces of the Council of Europe’s recommendation, representing a total shortfall of 20.3%.

On 1st May 2024 throughout England there were 246 providers running 414 local services. This is a net increase in all service types between 1st May 2023 and 1st May 2024, with the biggest increase in service type being counselling.

Despite the year-on-year increase in refuge bedspaces, findings from our previous annual audit reports have demonstrated that the number of vacancies posted on Routes to Support has been going down each year since 2019/20.

There were 72 services run exclusively for specific groups of survivors, including services run exclusively for Black and minoritised women (45), and women with substance use and/or mental health support needs (3). Availability of these services continues to be low: spaces in dedicated services made up just 11.6% of all refuge spaces in England, and 42.0% of these spaces are in London.

The proportion of vacancies which could consider a woman with no recourse to public funds increased slightly from 11.7% of all vacancies in 2022-23 but remain low at 12.3% in 2023-24.

Vacancies suitable for wheelchair users are incredibly scarce and dropped from 1.0% of all vacancies in 2022-23 to just 0.7% (52) of vacancies in 2023-24.

Funding

The proportion of organisations that were running Children and Young People’s domestic abuse services in the community without dedicated funding doubled this year, from 15.7% to 31.4%

Over a third (35.0%) of respondents to the annual survey this year were running an area of their domestic abuse service without dedicated funding during 2023-24. The most common area of service that organisations were running without dedicated funding include domestic abuse prevention or educational work

A notable number of respondents to the annual survey expressed concerns relating to the sustainability of their services, with more than one in ten (15%) respondents telling us they had to close or reduce an area of work in their service over the past financial year.

A concerning three quarters (71.4%) of domestic abuse organisations responding to the annual survey who were running a service without dedicated funding used their organisational reserves to cover the costs.

Commissioning

There was a marked increase in domestic abuse providers finding commissioning processes complex this year, with over half (59.1%) respondents to the annual survey either agreeing or strongly agreeing that ‘commissioning processes have been complex.’

Just over a third (34.0%) of respondents thought that domestic abuse commissioning had had a mixed impact for survivors over the past year, and 30.0% thought it had had a mostly positive impact.

Over half of respondents (53.0%) either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement ‘There is more funding available for our service in 2023-24’, and two thirds (65.8%) disagreed that ‘Funding is easy to access’.

System response

Whilst most respondents to the Women’s Aid annual survey felt that commissioning agencies ‘somewhat’ effectively collaborate (32.0%) on VAWG CBS service funding currently, a quarter felt that collaboration is either ‘not effective (17.0%) or ‘very ineffective’ (8.0%).

Almost half of respondents (49.0%) had not been contacted about the new duty to collaborate as part of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024.

Other trends and issues

On Track data found that more than a quarter (26.9%) of women in CBS services and almost half of women in refuge (49.0%) reported experiencing increased economic and financial abuse since the increased cost of living began.

Over half (53.5%) of survivors in refuge and a third (32.5%) in CBS services were left unable to afford food and many were unable to keep up with debt repayments (11.6% in CBS services, 20.3% in refuge).

A notable number of respondents cited recruitment and retention of specialist staff as a main challenge over the past year, which had been further exacerbated by the increased cost of living.

Escalating international conflicts, such as Gaza and Israel have been prominent in the news over the past year. Whilst over half of respondents reported no related impact, some domestic abuse providers, particularly ‘by and for’ services, described concerns that the conflicts had created deeper divisions in their own local communities. Services called for greater support for migrant women and women with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), emphasising how the conflict had led to greater demand for immigration services.

Accessible versions

Section pages

The post Annual Audit 2025 appeared first on Women’s Aid.

What it costs to flee abuse and stay safe

Chloe Browning — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 08:03:18 +0000

What it costs to flee abuse and stay safe

By Harriette Drew, Senior Policy Officer

A common myth about domestic abuse is: ‘If it was really that bad, she’d leave’. This completely misses the obstacles survivors face. Even once a woman has made up her mind to leave – which can itself be very difficult – there are often multiple barriers to putting this into practice.  

We know from our work with survivors that finances are a key barrier. Put simply, leaving and rebuilding a safe, independent life can be very expensive. Survivors often do not have access to the money they need to flee, due to economic abuse, and the financial challenge has only been exacerbated by the cost of living crisis. 

How much does it cost to leave?

At Women’s Aid, we have been working to quantify this financial barrier. Drawing on research, data and expert insight, we have produced an estimate of how much it could cost a survivor to leave her perpetrator and how much financial support is available.  

Not surprisingly, there is a substantial gap. While essential costs related to fleeing (like housing, legal fees, travel and others) can total almost £50,000, the support through social security, legal aid and grants only comes to around £40,000. 

For a survivor, the £10,000 deficit can mean the difference between safety and being forced to return to the perpetrator in order to be able to feed her children. 

The economics of leaving

Beyond the overall deficit, three key themes stuck out to me in the research:   

1. Leaving is a process

When calculating the costs, we took into account the first year after leaving. This is because we heard strongly from domestic abuse services and survivors that leaving isn’t a single event – it’s a process. Many survivors leave multiple times before they do so permanently, and at any point, an unaffordable cost could force the survivor to return to the perpetrator.  

To ‘stay fled’, survivors need financial support which meets their costs in a timely manner. But our research found that survivors often face delays to accessing benefits. They have to set up new bank accounts and wait for new ID to arrive before making benefit applications and, even then, the benefits are often paid in arrears.

As such, a survivor who flees may be forced in debt almost immediately – which makes the rest of the process much more difficult.

2. Leaving can feel like a full-time job

Survivors told us that rebuilding their lives involves hours and hours of appointments and administration. This would be a heavy burden for anyone, let alone for survivors suffering the effects of years of trauma on their mental health. It is even harder for those who do not speak English as a first language.

The tasks survivors face include:

Family court hearings	Health appointments	Contacting the Child Maintenance Service
Debt advice support	Flat viewings	Jobcentre appointments
Meetings with social workers	Appointments at the bank	Counselling
Criminal court hearings	Peer support groups	Benefits applications
Dealing with creditors	Preparing court bundles	Contacting local authority housing officers
Setting up new bank accounts	Applying for new ID	Applying for a new school place

Although survivors may be officially entitled to a range of support, it is often not accessible. They may need to chase services repeatedly to get them to take action; the Child Maintenance Service came up often as an example of this. Or they may need to remind the council of their housing rights or challenge DWP on incorrect benefit decisions.

All these efforts can take a toll, costing survivors time, wellbeing and in some cases their ability to stay in paid employment.

3. Leaving is especially unaffordable for some

We based our estimates of costs and support on a ‘typical’ survivor journey. But there are many reasons why a survivor’s costs may be higher, such as:

having more children,
living in an area with high housing costs,
needing a car or taxis to get around due to a disability.

Many survivors are also prevented from accessing support, for example due to their immigration status. Survivors subject to a ‘no recourse to public funds’ condition would not be eligible for benefits and often face an impossible deficit, with insufficient support from the state.  

What needs to change?

For survivors to be able to access safety, rebuild their lives and contribute to the economy, they need a safety net which works. A safety net which is domestic abuse informed, accessible and sufficient.  

The current deficit is not inevitable; targeted policy changes could go a long way to reducing it. We are calling on the Government to take action to ensure survivors can flee and stay fled.  

See our summary and report for our full recommendations and further information.  

The post What it costs to flee abuse and stay safe appeared first on Women’s Aid.

*Female Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker

Angharad — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 16:59:05 +0000

*Female Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker – North Somerset

We have a rewarding opportunity available for a Female Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker to join our team based in North Somerset. You will join us on a full time, permanent basis working 37.5 hours per week on a rota basis including some weekends and in return, you will receive a competitive salary of Point 12 £26,421 per annum and benefits.

Established in 1999, Next Link is the leading provider of domestic abuse services to women and children in Bristol and South Gloucestershire. At Next Link we are committed to providing holistic, empowering and personalised support and advocacy to women and children experiencing domestic abuse.

In return for joining us, we will offer you:

Up to 30 days annual leave (depending on length of service)
3 extra holidays including International Women’s Day
Excellent development and training opportunities
Employer pension contribution (minimum 5% of your gross salary)
Mindful Employer Plus Scheme
Cycle to Work Scheme
Long Service Awards
Wellness Awards

About the role:

Our Female Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker will provide safe housing and support to women who have experienced domestic abuse and have complex needs. You will support to empower women with complex needs to move on to independent or lower level supported accommodation.

Key duties and responsibilities of our ideal Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker:

Promote the service through building positive relationships with current, potential referrers and service users to ensure a steady flow of appropriate referrals.
Sign up new licensees using the agreed licence agreement and advise on rights and obligations of the agreement and then settle into the allocated Safehouse. Complete all paperwork, photocopy and send off as appropriate. Ensure new files are set up and a handover is given to the allocated keyworker.
Liaise closely with applicant and referral agencies and keep informed of progress and outcome.
Advise woman on personal safety and safety procedures regarding the safe house. Complete a personal safety plan.
Establish the need for any civil legal remedies and support to access a specialist solicitor when appropriate.
Carry out a financial assessment for each service user assisting them to maximise their income, address debts and support them to make appropriate welfare benefit claims.
Complete sign up paperwork, including welfare benefits claims ensuring they are accurately complete and promptly submitted.
Take primary responsibility for the collect of rent and other charges payable. Work closely with the resident and Finance Department to minimise and manage arrears.
This is not an exhaustive list of your duties and outlines the general ways in which it is expected you will meet the overall requirements of this post.

What we are looking for in our ideal Female Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker:

Numeracy and literacy to GCSE level/NVQ 2 or equivalent
Ability to maintain accurate and up‐to‐date records of contact with service users, other support /housing related information and to communicate with colleagues and stakeholders using common Microsoft Office packages, e.g. Word, Excel, Outlook and other IT software
Knowledge and understanding of the issues, barriers and support needs of women experiencing domestic abuse, homelessness, mental health and complex needs face in accessing and sustaining accommodation
Knowledge of domestic abuse civil legal remedies
Knowledge of Domestic Abuse risk assessment tools including DASH and the MARAC process
Proven experience of working with women who have survived domestic abuse
Proven experience working with people with mental health needs, or people with complex needs
Proven experience working in homelessness/supported housing sector providing support in shared or self-contained accommodation
Experience of working with women with multiple needs (e.g. mental health, homelessness, alcohol/drug dependency, self‐harm behaviours)
A current, full driving licence and access to an appropriate vehicle

If you are motivated, resourceful and passionate about empowering female victims of domestic abuse, please

apply now to join us as our Female Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker to contribute to the valuable

work Next Link and its wider services, delivering hope and support to survivors of domestic violence and abuse.

How to apply:

Please download the application pack from our website and complete the application form. Please submit your application by 9am on Friday 15^th March 2024. Please do not send CVs. Interviews will be held w/c 18^th March 2024.

www.nextlinkhousing.co.uk HR.Enquiries@missinglinkhousing.co.uk

The post *Female Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker appeared first on Women’s Aid.

*Female Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker – North Somerset

Abbie Carr — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 16:18:09 +0000

Next Link

*Female Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker – North Somerset

We have a rewarding opportunity available for a Female Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker to join our team based in North Somerset. You will join us on a full time, permanent basis working 37.5 hours per week (out of hours required) and in return, you will receive a competitive salary of Point 12 £26,421 per annum and benefits.

In return for joining us, we will offer you

Up to 30 days annual leave (depending on length of service)
3 extra holidays including International Women’s Day
Excellent development and training opportunities
Employer pension contribution (minimum 5% of your gross salary)
Mindful Employer Plus Scheme
Cycle to Work Scheme
Long Service Awards
Wellness Awards

About the role

Key duties and responsibilities of our ideal Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker

Promote the service through building positive relationships with current, potential referrers and service users to ensure a steady flow of appropriate referrals.
Sign up new licensees using the agreed licence agreement and advise on rights and obligations of the agreement and then settle into the allocated Safehouse. Complete all paperwork, photocopy and send off as appropriate. Ensure new files are set up and a handover is given to the allocated keyworker.
Liaise closely with applicant and referral agencies and keep informed of progress and outcome.
Advise woman on personal safety and safety procedures regarding the safe house. Complete a personal safety plan.
Establish the need for any civil legal remedies and support to access a specialist solicitor when appropriate.
Carry out a financial assessment for each service user assisting them to maximise their income, address debts and support them to make appropriate welfare benefit claims.
Complete sign up paperwork, including welfare benefits claims ensuring they are accurately complete and promptly submitted.
Take primary responsibility for the collect of rent and other charges payable. Work closely with the resident and Finance Department to minimise and manage arrears.
This is not an exhaustive list of your duties and outlines the general ways in which it is expected you will meet the overall requirements of this post.

What we are looking for in our ideal Female Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker

Numeracy and literacy to GCSE level/NVQ 2 or equivalent
Ability to maintain accurate and up‐to‐date records of contact with service users, other support /housing related information and to communicate with colleagues and stakeholders using common Microsoft Office packages, e.g. Word, Excel, Outlook and other IT software
Knowledge and understanding of the issues, barriers and support needs of women experiencing domestic abuse, homelessness, mental health and complex needs face in accessing and sustaining accommodation
Knowledge of domestic abuse civil legal remedies
Knowledge of Domestic Abuse risk assessment tools including DASH and the MARAC process
Proven experience of working with women who have survived domestic abuse
Proven experience working with people with mental health needs, or people with complex needs
Proven experience working in homelessness/supported housing sector providing support in shared or self-contained accommodation
Experience of working with women with multiple needs (e.g. mental health, homelessness, alcohol/drug dependency, self‐harm behaviours)
A current, full driving licence and access to an appropriate vehicle

If you are motivated, resourceful and passionate about empowering female victims of domestic abuse, please apply now to join us as our Female Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker to contribute to the valuable work Next Link and its wider services, delivering hope and support to survivors of domestic violence and abuse.

How to apply

Please download the application pack from our website and complete the application form. Please submit your application by 9am 2^nd February 2024. Please do not send CVs. Interviews will be held w/c 5^th February 2024.

The post *Female Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker – North Somerset appeared first on Women’s Aid.

You searched for Debt - Women’s Aid

Specialist Financial Support Worker

Female* Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker

Flexible Fund: Survivor Eligibility Criteria

Flexible Fund: Survivor eligibility criteria

Flee Fund

Female* Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker

They’ve decided to leave, how can I help?

They’ve decided to leave, how can I help?

On this page:

Why haven’t they told me

Why haven’t they told me?

On this page:

Why isn’t she telling me what is happening?

What can I do at this stage?

Annual Audit 2025

The Annual Audit 2025

Key findings

Accessible versions

Section pages

What it costs to flee abuse and stay safe

What it costs to flee abuse and stay safe

How much does it cost to leave?

The economics of leaving

The tasks survivors face include:

What needs to change?

*Female Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker

*Female Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker – North Somerset

Next Link

*Female Complex Needs Safe House Support Worker – North Somerset

How to apply