Refuge Worker

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