Job Description
Title: Brave Spaces Evening Caseworker
Location: Barnstaple, North Devon
Hours: 2 x 12 hours per week plus bank hours (7pm – 11pm plus on-call)
Salary: £13.51 per hour
Contract: Fixed 4-year contract with potential 4-year extension.
Reports To: Project Manager
All evening posts will also be required to be part of an on-call rota between 8pm – 8am which will be paid as an enhancement of £15 per night which will only require telephone support and not in person.
Due to the nature of the project this post is only available to female applicants. This post is exempt under the Employment (Sex Discrimination) Act 2000.
This post is both challenging and rewarding in equal measures, created to support women who have multiple disadvantages to live safely in our supported accommodation.
We welcome applications from anyone who has a passion for this work, whilst experience is welcome, we would love to hear from people who are passionate about supporting women to recover from trauma and be the best versions of themselves.
The candidate will have previous work experience or lived experience of working with domestic abuse, homelessness and or complex needs. Working as part of our Brave Spaces/DDAA team within our supported accommodation, you will be required to work flexibly, demonstrate compassion and a willingness to work collaboratively with wider services. We are looking for someone who can communicate and relate easily to women at all levels in a friendly and inclusive way.
The Brave Spaces project is delivered in partnership with the new Devon Domestic Abuse Alliance.
Post- holders will require an Enhanced CRB check, have a full driving license and access to own vehicle.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
- Provide a visible, supportive, and reassuring presence within the women-only supported accommodation during evenings.
- Build safe, respectful, and professional relationships with residents, using a trauma-informed and strengths-based approach.
- Offer practical and emotional support to women with multiple and complex needs, including those related to homelessness, domestic abuse, mental health, substance use, and offending histories.
- Respond appropriately to crisis situations, including conflict, distress, safeguarding concerns, or incidents of harm, following organisational policies and escalation procedures.
- Support residents to maintain a safe and welcoming living environment, addressing antisocial behaviour, boundary issues, and breaches of house agreements in a calm and consistent manner.
- Complete regular welfare checks and ensure residents’ immediate needs are identified and responded to during out-of-hours periods.
- Encourage engagement with support plans and key work goals set by daytime staff, reinforcing positive progress and independence.
- Provide practical assistance where required, such as supporting with daily living skills, accessing food, managing routines, and maintaining accommodation standards.
- Accurately record all interactions, incidents, safeguarding concerns, and outcomes on relevant case management systems, ensuring clear handovers to the wider team.
- Work collaboratively with on-call managers, emergency services, and partner agencies as required.
- Always uphold safeguarding responsibilities, including recognising and reporting concerns relating to adults at risk.
- Ensure health and safety procedures are followed, including lone working protocols, building security checks, and fire safety routines.
- Promote equality, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring all women are treated with dignity, respect, and without judgement.
- Attend and constructively contribute to regular team meetings, group supervision and appraisal.
- Attend in-house and external training opportunities to support your personal and professional growth and development.
- The post holder will comply with and work within in the context of all Encompass policies, procedures and practices, adhere to Encompass Equal Opportunities Policy, applying anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring that all services are made as accessible as possible to clients.
- Maintain confidentiality of information about staff, clients and Encompass business and be aware of the Data Protection Act 1998 and Encompass Data Protection (GDPR) and Confidentiality policies and procedures.
- Ability to cover another site in Barnstaple in case of sickness/leave.
Key Relationships
· North Devon Against Domestic Abuse (NDADA)
· External Partners including Police, Fear free Devon, Devon Rape Crisis & Sexual Abuse
· Survivors Alliance North Devon (SAND)
· System Change Action Alliance (SCAA)
· Devon County Council Safer Lives and Communities Team
· Children’s services
Service, and other agencies supporting women at risk
Person Specification
Essential
Desirable
Knowledge and Experience:
Experience of working with women who have complex lives and who have experienced domestic and/or sexual violence and abuse -Desirable
Knowledge and experience supporting wider issues affecting women who have experienced a range of issues e.g. homelessness, mental health, involvement in the criminal justice system, substance misuse and social exclusion -Desirable
Knowledge and experience of one to one interventions and facilitation of group-work principles that create safe spaces and ability to engage with women in a range of settings -Desirable
Working knowledge and understanding of Adult and Child Safeguarding legislations, policies and procedures -Desirable
Ability to negotiate and advocate effectively for and with women, and to influence decisions and outcomes - Desirable
Ability to use initiative, patience and perseverance to help resolve problems - Desirable
Understanding of Psychologically Informed Environments (PIE) and Trauma Informed Care (TIC) - Desirable
Knowledge of welfare rights and benefits system - Desirable
Knowledge of working with multi-agency partners to improve client outcomes -Desirable
Experience of recording and monitoring support work, data entry and contributing to project reports with case studies - Desirable
Understanding of equality and diversity - Desirable
Skills:
Ability to plan, prioritise and work under own initiative and meet deadlines - Desirable
Strong interpersonal communication skills and experience, with a compassionate, friendly, and confident approach and the ability to relate to people from a range of backgrounds, who may have experienced trauma and who have complex needs and difficult life situations - Desirable
Person centred, approachable, and adaptable with the ability to be calm, sensitive and solution focused when dealing with difficult situations - Desirable
Non-judgemental and inclusive with a demonstrable commitment to and understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion - Desirable
A flexible attitude with the ability to respond in the moment, think on your feet, and have a positive and constructive attitude to problem solving using creativity and enthusiasm with positivity and solutions-focused -Desirable
Ability to work effectively, collaboratively and constructively as part of a team, motivating colleagues, contributing ideas and solutions and supporting colleagues in the team as required - Desirable
Able to recognise your own limits and boundaries and reflect constructively around opportunities and challenges within the role - Desirable
Able to seek support where required and commitment to attend training and team meetings as part of your own personal development - Desirable
Ability to work flexibly, including being available for on-call support on a rota at evenings and weekends - Desirable
Excellent interpersonal, communication, active listening and presentation skills, with an ability to relate to a wide range of audiences, including telephone manner and emails - Desirable
Ability to multi task and act under pressure - Desirable
Attend training opportunities as identified as part of your professional and personal development - Desirable
Attend and constructively participate in regular support and supervision, reviews and appraisals - Desirable
Attend staff meetings, away days and wellbeing activities - Desirable
Creativity and enthusiasm with a positive and solutions-focused attitude - Desirable
ICT literate and familiar with a range of basic software packages - Desirable
Pay: £13.51 per hour
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Sick pay
Work Location: In person
