Support Practitioner | Ending Violence and Abuse Aberdeen (EVAA)

Job title: Support Practitioner | Ending Violence and Abuse Aberdeen (EVAA)

Responsible to: Service Manager and Team Leader

Responsible for: Relief Workers, Volunteers and Social Work Students

Hours of work: Full-time (36.5 hours per week)

Contract: Permanent

Salary: Scale point 24 (£22,620)

SSSC registration level: Practitioner

Required Qualification: A qualification of N/SVQ3 in Care, or equivalent or the willingness and ability to attain this within five years

Aberdeen Cyrenians Ending Violence and Abuse Aberdeen (EVAA) service works across the whole spectrum of gender-based abuse, recognising that many may experience multiple forms of abuse and crisis at once, and have different short and long term needs. Providing person-centred and empowering support for individuals, we help with both emergency and recovery, working collaboratively within local partnerships and inclusively through specialist support for LGBTQ+ abuse, sexual exploitation and trafficking.

Our aim is to ensure people are safe and healthy, respected and included, and that they are treated equally and compassionately.

Values are at the heart of our organisation informing the decisions we make, the way we offer support to our service users and our staff, and the foundation of how we deliver crisis support that is holistic, person-centred, trauma-informed and compassionate.

Main Responsibilities/Job activities:

• Delivering support to those fleeing gender and domestic violence and all other violence against women
• Increasing awareness and understanding of all forms of violence against women, reducing tolerance to abuse, and increasing recognition
• Working to ensure women are safe, respected and equal in our communities through safety planning, advocacy, establishing alternative accommodation, signposting referrals, emotional support, assessment of holistic needs addressing all barriers to recovery in their lives such as benefits, housing etc.
• Inclusion of service users in the development of their own support plans, delivering freedom of choice and integrated support to prevent violence and maximise safety to meet the service user’s identified needs
• Committed to equality and mutual respect, building healthy, positive relationships, challenging violence and abuse, and creating a safe and respectful psychologically and trauma informed environment
• Work with individuals on a 1-1 basis to address individual needs
• Ensure that the basic needs of individuals are addressed and met: personal safety, safety in environment, food, accommodation, clothing, etc
• Assist individuals to access temporary accommodation, or to remain in their own accommodation or work towards identifying alternative accommodation. This may include practical tasks of ensuring safety, getting/moving furniture, painting/decorating, completing benefit claims etc
• Provide practical, emotional and advocacy support, and access to other agencies, accompanying women as needed. The frequency, nature and duration of 1-1 support will be determined by each woman and their individual need
• Working in close partnership and liaise agencies: including social work, housing services, health services, courts, utility companies, debt agencies, Department for Work & Pensions, other voluntary sector organisations and other professionals such as lawyers, etc
• Assess and follow up referrals through accurate & appropriate information gathering and the summarising of needs, ensuring an individual’s views and needs remain paramount and ensure that potential obstacles and issues are assessed and addressed
• Contribute to the production of statistical data through input onto InForm
• Plan individual and group support and implement and review support plans, demonstrating agile offerings in practical and emotional support; safety planning, finance, housing, debt management, anxiety and emotional stability, recovery, empowerment and awareness aiming to cover areas of:
• improved accommodation situation
• improved quality of life
• improved economic well-being
• improved health
• improved practical skills
• improved social functioning
• improved general outlook
• reduction in risky behaviour

Essential Role Requirements and Quality Standards

• A qualification of N/SVQ3 in Care, or equivalent or the willingness and ability to attain this within five years
• Experience in a social care, trauma informed environment in a voluntary or paid capacity
• Have an understanding of current social justice issues i.e., homelessness, mental health, substance misuse, social isolation and exclusion
• Literacy, numeracy and IT skills at a level to maintain all appropriate records, professional communication and provide budgeting guidance
• Maintain professional confidentiality and boundaries at all times
• Be willing to develop skills used when supporting people through reflective practice, personal and professional development and supervision
• Register with the Scottish Social Services Council and work to all appropriate legislation and standards, service delivery and impact reporting frameworks and regulatory requirements including Health and Social Care, Food Safety, Environmental Health and Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator

Systems

• Inform -Professional recording and maintenance of records in relation to service user case management
• CareSkills/ Learning Management System- Organisational and service specific training
• Microsoft 365: Word, Excel, Email, SharePoint, Teams

Aims, Values and Behaviours

• To be respectful of and work in accordance with the core values and behaviours of the organisation
• To respect and work in accordance with our Equality and Diversity Policy and ensure its promotion in the course of your daily work
• Have a duty to take care of your own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by your actions at work
• Co-operate with employers and co-workers to help everyone meet their legal requirements
• Raise any specific queries or concerns you have regarding your workplace with your line manager or health and safety representative

Key Capabilities

• Interpersonal understanding – listens and understands expressed feelings; demonstrates concern for others; encourages others to express themselves
• Emotional awareness – manages strong emotions and responds constructively; keeps own feelings in check; deals with stress
• Flexibility – adapts easily to changes at work; modifies behaviour in response to a situation; sees the merits of differing viewpoints
• Initiative – takes responsibility; looks ahead and anticipates what needs to be done; is able to assess and manage risks
• Team working – contributes fully to team work; establishes positive relationships with the team
• Working within Professional Boundaries – Demonstrates professional curiosity; accepts responsibility for own work; seeks and uses professional support; understands the principle of confidentiality
• Developing others – case management responsibility for developing service users’ skills; encourages initiatives in

Circumstances

• Able to work unsocial hours (where applicable)
• Driving/clean licence (desirable)

Other information

It's important to us that we recruit people who share our values and who want to make a difference. Our interview process is designed to get to know you better and to find out why you want to work for us. If you are nervous, please don't be - there are no right or wrong answers.

Because we work with vulnerable people, we have a responsibility to safeguard them. We undertake background and reference checks, and it is a term of employment with us that all employees register with the Protecting Vulnerable Groups ("PVG") scheme operated by Disclosure Scotland.

We guarantee an interview to candidates who have lived experience within the areas of society and the issues that we support and those who are care experienced, subject to meeting the minimum criteria for the role.

We're an equal opportunities employer and value diversity - exclusion has no place in our workplaces. If you need us to make reasonable adjustments to allow you to attend an interview with us, just let us know.

We regret that due to current Home Office rules, we are not able to sponsor applicants for this role, so you must be eligible to live and work in the UK without sponsorship.

The closing date for this position is Sunday 21st July 2024.

We review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert early should sufficient applications be received.