Job Reference:
1638
Location:
Gloucestershire
Hours of Work:
20 hours per week (part-time)
Salary:
£28,884 FTE per annum (pro-rata for part-time)
Contract Type:
Temporary Contract
Closing Date:
15 Dec 2025
Domestic Abuse Counsellor
Service: Family Action Domestic Abuse Healing and Empowerment Service Gloucestershire (For Survivors in Safe Accommodation)
Location: Gloucestershire)
Hours: 20 hours per week (part-time)
Salary: £28,884 FTE per annum (£15,612.97 per annum for part-time, 20 hours per week)
Contract type: Contracted until March 2027 (may be additional funding beyond this)
Are you a driven, innovative team player, who is focused and passionate about making a difference? If so, we want to hear from you. At Family Action we transform lives by providing practical, emotional, and financial support to those who are experiencing poverty, disadvantage, and social isolation. We have been building stronger families since 1869 and today we work with more than 60,000 families in over 150 community-based services, as well as supporting thousands more through national programmes and grants.
Introduction to the role and service
Family Action delivers a wide range of projects for victims/survivors of domestic abuse. This is an exciting opportunity to join the adult team specialising in counselling survivors of domestic abuse, with a trauma-informed approach. The contract is based in Gloucestershire working with all people who access Safe Accommodation within the community.
Family Action is currently looking for one counsellor to join our team in Gloucestershire, focusing on supporting victims/survivors of domestic violence. Experience working with children and young people aged 16-25 will be desirable.
Ideal candidates will hold a minimum Level 5 qualification in counselling/psychotherapy. They will possess recognised professional accreditation or be actively working towards accreditation. Previous experience in domestic abuse, trauma-informed practice, and working with diverse communities is a must.
We provide holistic humanistic support through individual counselling, face-to-face, online support and a specialist helpline. Therapeutic interventions may include counselling, and wrap-around therapeutic support and interventions will include, pre and post-group support with a group facilitator. This may include self-care strategies such as meditation, yoga, and mindfulness.
We are seeking candidates who are passionate about addressing violence against girls and women and are committed to intersectional work. Our counsellors should excel in managing clinical risks, conducting assessments, and handling confidential information with sensitivity.
Your skills
You will be client centred and committed to ensuring there is equality of access to the service and that service users are treated with dignity and that their specific needs are prioritised to improve their sense of wellbeing.
The post holder will hold a minimum Level 5 qualification or equivalent in counselling/psychotherapy. They will be a member of BACP, UKCP or other professional body. They will bring experience of managing complex interventions and service models focused on trauma and promoting resilience. The post holder should be committed to continued professional development and have an exceptional knowledge of underpinning theories of practice models and interventions and their application.
You will have a strong track record in quality, performance, and safeguarding. With a client-facing approach, you will be passionate about engaging our service users in all aspects of our work including co-production.
This role will be office-based in Gloucestershire and potentially include one evening and weekend shift per week.
There will be 3 hours per month of paid clinical supervision plus line management supervision with the Clinical Service Manager.
What will we offer you?
We’ll offer you a generous pension scheme and leave entitlements, eye care vouchers, a cycle to work scheme and other great benefits. All roles in Family Action are open to a discussion about possible flexible working options, subject to business needs, and all new starters will have the right to make a flexible working request from day one of employment. We have an excellent wellbeing offer and we will invest in your professional development with on-going quality training and career development opportunities. You will join an established, supportive and high-performing service and have the opportunity to thrive in an innovative organisation that values your opinion, encourages learning and has the needs of children and families at its core.
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:
We are committed to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in all that we do and welcome applications from all sections of the community / particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities because we are committed to increasing the representation of these groups at Family Action. We know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for families and children and strive for our workforce to be truly representative of the diverse communities we support.
All candidates with a disability are welcome to apply under the Disability Confident Scheme and request priority consideration for an interview, provided they meet the essential criteria for the role.
To help remove financial barriers to working with us, we will reimburse travel costs if you are invited to attend an interview in person.
To Apply:
• Click the ‘Apply’ link below and fill out our digital application form
• Closing Date: Monday 15th November 2025
For direct queries or if you would like to discuss any aspect of the selection process or flexible working requests, please email emma.norledge@family-action.org.uk
Appointments are subject to satisfactory Safer Recruitment checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check where appropriate to the role.
*Ordinarily Family Action appoints new starters at the starting point of the salary scale (with subsequent annual pay progression), unless you have experience that would justify appointment further up the salary scale or there are any other exceptional reasons.