JOB DESCRIPTION – REFUGE TEAM LEADER
| RESPONSIBLE TO: | Support Supervisor, Support Manager; Head of Services |
| SALARY: | £14ph |
| DAYS / TIMES: | 37.5 Hrs 9am to 5pm |
| WORK BASE: | Flexibility needed during crisis or for staff support when necessary Grimsby Town Centre |
To oversee a high-quality domestic abuse service – ensuring victims and survivors receive an excellent standard of accommodation and support that helps save lives and change lives.
REFUGE - MAIN DUTIES
• To support the team in providing an immediate & safe place for women and children who are escaping domestic abuse.
• To oversee decisions about allocation of accommodation with the team.
• To ensure women and children are welcomed into the Refuge and to ensure Licences, welcome packs and other information is delivered in a supportive and easy to understand way.
• To support staff to help women throughout the re-housing process, including applications to register with local housing systems, housing providers / agencies, visits to the properties etc.
• With support supervisors, to ensure on call and weekend shifts are covered.
• To oversee warnings and evictions of residents, ensuring they are actioned in line with Women’s Aid policies and procedures as well as Housing Law.
• To ensure women living in Refuge maintain due regard for the other occupants of the building.
• To deal with any disagreements or disputes in a professional and fair manner.
• To discuss concerns about a family’s needs with Support Supervisor, Support Manager and/or Children’s Workers.
• To be responsible for ensuring vital daily communication and support with the teams.
• To encourage and promote service user involvement and ensure staff are promoting this.
• In liaison with the Admin Staff, to oversee the financial systems in the collection and recording of resident’s charges, rents and the administration of petty cash.
• To ensure that the physical environment of the Refuge is acceptable to the women and that they are safe, clean and offer a high level of comfort.
• To comply with Health & Safety at all times and to ensure safe working practices are adhered to.
• To report and/or organise any maintenance and repair requirements as appropriate.
Act as a contact point for organisations and individuals wishing to provide activities and information for women and their children.
• To introduce and develop additional activities, educational and/or employment opportunities for residents and their children as required.
• To ensure the safeguarding procedure is adhered to and refuge children are not exposed to unacceptable risk.
SUPPORT - MAIN DUTIES
Provide support to women and children living in Refuge.
Oversee referrals for Refuge admissions and prioritise high risk cases.
Manage and oversee occupancy levels.
Ensure support is high-quality, pro-active and outcomes focused.
Ensure provisions of support are available and accessible 24 hrs a day.
Ensure we respond and record immediately to telephone calls, emails and enquiries in person.
Oversee management of caseloads, ranging from low to high risks and low to high support needs; ensuring all support is regular, structured and appropriate to client’s individual needs and include safety, protection, risk management and ongoing support & future plans.
Ensure support is delivered in a trauma informed way.
• Ensure participation in MARAC research, updates, actions, feedback and meetings when necessary.
Establish and practice good working partnerships and multi-agency work with other professionals and outside agencies.
• Take part in accredited IDVA training when available. (Independent Domestic Violence Advocate)
• Be responsible for ensuring that relevant reporting data and information is up to date and available when requested.
• Ensure individual case files are up to date and to take part in regular file reviews and spot-checks.
When requested, to prepare and undertake client reports and/or feedback on their support.
GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES
To work as a team member under the guidance of the management team.
To participate in supervisions (with line manager & clinical) and appraisals.
To participate in fundraising activities on behalf of Women’s Aid.
To work alone and on own initiative with due regard to our lone working procedures.
• To participate in staff training, ensuring mandatory training is up-to-date and refreshed regularly.
To discuss any training personally identified in supervisions.
To attend team meetings, external meetings and Trustee meetings as requested.
• To draw to the attention of the Support Manager any issues which may impact on clients or WA.
To be familiar with all policies of Women’s Aid; to ensure policies are signed off as instructed; to ensure policies are implemented and adhered to at all times.
To be familiar with and work in accordance with Women’s Aid performance management system; including measuring change performance and monitoring satisfaction are adhered to.
To work at all times in accordance with the confidentiality policy of Women's Aid.
• To comply with data protection legislation; ensuring information sharing procedures are adhered to.
To ensure the highest standard of anti-discriminatory and equal opportunities practices are adhered to and to work in a non-judgemental way, within the guidelines of equal opportunities and antidiscriminatory practice.
To work in a safe and responsible way ensuring that safety and lone working procedures are followed and that you do not endanger yourself, your colleagues or service users.
To work in accordance with staff values and ethos as described in our staff agreement.
To constantly raise an awareness of domestic abuse locally.
To assist with providing cover for absent colleagues during periods of sickness, holidays, etc., as requested by the Support Supervisor, Support Manager. Head of Services or CEO.
To carry out any other duties commensurate with the level of this post.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
| REFUGE TEAM LEADER | ESSENTIAL | DESIRABLE |
| QUALIFICATIONS | ||
| Any recognised professional qualifications | * | |
| EXPERIENCE OF; | ||
| Supporting and managing staff | * | |
| Undertaking client needs and risk assessments | * | |
| Working in supported housing | * | |
| Liaising with other agencies | * | |
| Support File Management and record keeping | * | |
| Safety planning and risk assessing | * | |
| KNOWLEDGE OF | ||
| The impact of domestic abuse on everyone | * | |
| The effects of homelessness | * | |
| Housing/welfare benefits legislation | * | |
| The local area, resources and agencies | * | |
| Safeguarding practices | * | |
| Drug, alcohol and mental health issues | * | |
| SKILLS | ||
| Ability to work as a member of a staff team and as an individual | * | |
| Excellent communication and organisational skills | * | |
| Computer skills (file management is undertaken electronically) | * | |
| Good literacy and numeracy skills | * | |
| Interpersonal skills – with both individuals and externalorganisations and agencies | * | |
| Ability to cope with crisis management, conflict and distress | * | |
| GENERAL | ||
| A commitment to the empowerment of those affected by abuse | * | |
| To foster a tolerant, supportive and empathic approach to clients | * | |
| To ensure a positive image of the organisation through personalbehaviour and appearance | * | |
| Demonstrate a high level of motivation | * | |
| A commitment to Equal Opportunities | * |