Refuge Worker - Lewisham

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 offsiteEssential 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