Senior Advocate (Domestic Abuse)

2026

Senior Advocate (Domestic Abuse)

Charity no: 1118727. Company no: 5581944.

Contents
Senior Advocate (Domestic Abuse) ............................................................................................................... 0

Welcome! ...................................................................................................................................................... 2

Women in Prison – Our Story ........................................................................................................................ 3

Application and Recruitment ......................................................................................................................... 5

Senior Advocate (Domestic Abuse) ............................................................................................................... 7

Terms and Conditions: ................................................................................................................................... 7

Job Description: ............................................................................................................................................. 9

Person Specification: ................................................................................................................................... 11

To Apply: ...................................................................................................................................................... 12

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy ....................................................................................................... 12

Policy on the Recruitment of Women with Lived Experience of the Criminal Justice System .................... 13

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Welcome!

Dear Applicant,

Women in Prison is the only national charity focused on women in the criminal justice sector, we are
women-led and know the importance of ensuring we have a clear gendered approach in all that we do.
Our influencing potential and campaigning voice are substantial. We are currently in our 40th year of
supporting women impacted by the criminal justice system.  We work with women who are at risk of, or
being, harmed by the systems that are meant to protect us.

At Women in Prison we are passionate, ambitious and grounded in the reality of women’s lives.  We are
proud of our roots as a feminist grassroots organisation, and we have grown from strength to strength
since the 1980s, delivering services to women and campaigning for change.  We exist to support women
facing multiple marginalisation and exclusion, who have been let down, and their rights denied.  We
believe that prison doesn’t work and we want to see an end to the harmful imprisonment of women in
England and Wales.

This is a very exciting time in Women in Prison. As a deeply value-led organisation, we know that our
recently agreed set of values represents the unique nature of our organisation, and also need to hold us
to account for how we work in an unpredictable future.  Our new vision and purpose will guide us as we
build a strategy during 2024 to be implemented from 2025.

We know we want to build more coproduction; deeper support to women who are disproportionately
affected  by  the  system  through  an  intersectional  lens;  greater  connection  between  the  women  we
support  and  the  influencing  we  do;  an  increased  focus  on alternatives  to  the  system and  a  stronger
focus on preventing women being caught up in the system.

If you are excited by our purpose, and the breadth of what this role could offer to you, we would love to
hear from you.

I look forward to meeting you.

Sonya Ruparel, Chief Executive

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Women in Prison – Our Story

 Our Vision is of a society which no longer accepts the structural inequalities that lead
women and girls into contact with the criminal justice system.

Women in Prison (WIP) was born out of the anger that our founder – Chris Tchaikovsky – felt about what
she experienced and saw when imprisoned in HMP Holloway in the 1980s.

During Chris's time in prison, a woman died after setting fire to her own cell. Chris saw that the specific
needs of women in prison and the damaging effect prison sentences were having on women scarcely
figured in public or political discourse. So, in 1983, alongside international criminologist Pat Carlen,
Chris founded Women in Prison. They pushed hard to expose the scandal of women’s imprisonment
and campaigned for change.

Our  founders  wanted  to  increase  awareness  of  the  lives  behind  the  women  in  our  prisons,  and  the
impact of poverty and abuse on women’s lives. In Chris’s own words:

“Taking the most hurt people out of society and punishing them in order to teach them how to
live within society is, at best, futile. Whatever else a prisoner knows, she knows everything there
is to know about punishment because that is exactly what she has grown up with. Whether it is
childhood sexual abuse, indifference, neglect; punishment is most familiar to her.”

In the early 1990s, the organisation was able to expand its remit beyond campaigning to deliver direct
support  to  women  affected  by  the  criminal  justice  system.  WIP's  initial  focus  on  prison  in-reach
services was then expanded to support women in the community following their release. Chris, sadly,
passed  away  in  2002.  Despite  the  loss  of  our  visionary  founder,  Women  in  Prison  works  to  carry  on
Chris’s legacy.

Today, WIP is a national charity dedicated to making a difference to the lives of women affected by the
criminal justice system. We campaign for a new system of justice; one that addresses the root causes
of offending (including homelessness, domestic abuse, harmful substance use, mental ill health and
experiences of poverty and trauma).

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Our  Women’s  Centres  in  Manchester  and  London  and  the  services  we  provide  in  communities  and
prisons deliver trauma-informed, holistic, women-centred support to enable those whom we work with
to address the complex challenges they face.

Our  Mission  is  to  persuade  decision-makers  to  radically  reduce  the  women’s  prison  population,  by
demonstrating  how  a  focus  on  human  rights,  social  justice,  health  and  investment  in  specialist
community support services, including Women’s Centres, enables women to move forward with their
lives. We do this by:

1.  Leading  inspiring,  impactful  campaigns  to  challenge  the  current  system  that  propose

alternatives to criminalisation, and to radically reduce the number of women in prison

2.  Delivering high quality, trauma-informed programmes for women, in communities and prisons,
which focus on supporting women to address the systems that have led to their offending, and
supporting them to claim their rights

3.  Offering  a  platform  for  women’s  voices  which  builds  women’s  confidence  and  self-belief,
strengthening an understanding of their rights and responsibilities, and provides opportunities
to speak ‘truth to power’ to bring about real change.

WIP’s extensive experience and history of frontline work gives power and legitimacy to our campaigns,
constantly increasing our influence with policymakers and building public support.

We do not underestimate the challenges ahead, with an increasingly hostile external environment and
funders shifting priorities – we know we must be single minded in our focus on impact with women who
are disproportionately impacted by a harmful system. Supporting women in their communities to have
their voice  heard, taking a  clear  trauma-informed approach,  and  coproducing our  programming and
influencing work with women will enable stronger communities that will drive change and end the harm
of prison.

For more information

Visit our website to learn more about our work and impact.

Download our latest Annual Report and our strategy here: Our Strategy - Women in Prison

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Application and Recruitment

Applying for the position

Depending on the role, we may ask you to complete an application form or submit your CV and cover
letter. This will be clearly stated on the job advert as well as on the recruitment pack.

•  Submitting an Application Form

Please complete the application form clearly and in full. The personal statement should be no more
than 2000 words, clearly demonstrating how your skills, knowledge and experience relate to the Person
Specification and competencies required for the post. Give examples of your work (paid, voluntary or
life  experience).  Be  positive  and  specify  your  own  responsibilities  rather  than  those  of  your  team.
Remember we’re interested in what you did and the outcome. We can only shortlist you based on the
information you provide in the application form.

•  Submitting CV or Cover Letter

Please submit your CV and cover letter (no more than 2 pages of A4) to the application portal. The cover
letter  should  clearly  demonstrate  how  your  skills,  knowledge  and  experience  relate  to  the  Person
Specification and competencies required for the post. Give examples of your work (paid, voluntary or
life  experience).  Be  positive  and  specify  your  own  responsibilities  rather  than  those  of  your  team.
Remember we’re interested in what you did and the outcome. We can only shortlist you based on the
information you provide in the application form.

Equalities Monitoring

WIP is committed to building and valuing diverse teams and aims to provide a working environment that
promotes equality of opportunity  and is free  from unfair  and  unlawful  discrimination.  As part  of this
process, we monitor recruitment to help us understand who we are reaching, reduce inequalities and
continually inform our policies and practices. Completing the equalities monitoring form is voluntary
however we do encourage you to do it. The information you provide will be used for statistical purposes
only, it is confidential and will not be shared with the recruitment panel.

Shortlisting

After the closing date, all applications will be reviewed by a shortlisting panel to determine how each
applicants’  skills,  knowledge  and  experience  relates  to  the  competencies  required  for  the  post  (as
outlined in the Person Specification and Job Description). Applicants who meet the role criteria will be
invited  for  interview.  We  will  only  consider  information  enclosed  in  the  application  form  when
shortlisting.

Interviews

As part of the interview process you will be asked to complete an exercise before  the interview. You will
then  meet  with  a  panel  of  three  people  who  will  ask  you  questions  relevant  to  the  role.  During  the

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interview, you will have the opportunity to ask the panel questions about WIP, the role and the terms
and conditions of service.

Feedback

Unsuccessful applicants will be informed of the outcome of their interview in writing with an offer to
provide  feedback.  If  requested  feedback  supported  by  relevant  examples  from  the  interview  will  be
provided.

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Senior Advocate (Domestic Abuse)

Reports to:

Service Manager (Prisons)

Direct reports:

Link Worker

About Women in Prison

Women  in  Prison  is  a  national,  women-led,  feminist  organisation.    We  deliver  front  line  support  to
women  harmed  by  the  criminal  justice  system,  through  our  work  in  prisons,  in  the  community  and
‘through the prison gate’ as they resettle back into their communities. We also campaign for systems
change that addresses the root causes of offending, reduces the harmful impact of prison, and creates
workable, community-based alternatives to imprisonment.

Terms and Conditions:

Start date:

As soon as possible

Salary:

£34,692 per annum (inclusive of £3,990 Southeast Weighting)

Location:

HMP Bronzefield and South London Women’s Hubs

Working hours:           Full time: 35 hours

Contract:

Permanent

Annual leave:

30 days plus statutory bank holidays (if full time). All WIP staff also receive an
additional 3 days leave between Christmas and New Year.

Pension scheme:  WIP provides an auto enrolment pension scheme with 5% contributions from

the employer and 3% from the employee.

Clinical supervision: Working with WIP can be enormously rewarding but also challenging at times.

So we provide clinical supervision through a Harley Street practice, to
encourage reflective practice and support the wellbeing of our team.

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Employee Assistance Programme: Confidential access to a range of support and information on a

24/7 basis. Including legal advice, emotional support, practical advice and
signposting.

Cycle to Work Scheme: Eligible employees can save money and spread the cost of a new bike and

accessories.

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Job Purpose:

Job Description:

This role will be based in HMP Bronzefield, leading the development and delivery of specialist domestic
abuse/family & significant other support with women impacted by the criminal justice system.

Key Responsibility Areas

1.  Lead on developing an effective domestic abuse/family & significant others intervention for

women impacted by the criminal justice system

2.  Develop effective relationships with key stakeholders to ensure a collaborative approach to

addressing women’s needs

3.  Provide expert advice and support to colleagues, including Women in Prison’s influencing

team

4.  Provide effective leadership to direct report/s, ensuring teams are managed and supported.

Duties and key responsibilities

1.  Lead on developing an effective domestic abuse/family & significant others intervention

for women impacted by the criminal justice system:

•  Lead the Family and Significant Other strand of support to create an intervention that

assesses clients’ domestic abuse needs, providing expert advice and support, and developing
a support plan to address identified needs.

•  Provide trauma-responsive approach, undertaking risk and needs assessments that reflect

each individual's situation and support needs.

•  Ensure that interventions are responsive to and meet the needs of women from diverse and

minoritised communities.

•  Accurately document all client interaction on relevant databases, always working in line with

Women in Prison’s case management policy, and data protection legislation.

•  Support in the collation and production of reports, including ensuring that appropriate

recording, monitoring and evaluation of work is completed to set deadlines.

•  Completing DASH risk assessments and attending MARAC meetings where appropriate.

2.  To develop effective relationships with key stakeholders to ensure a collaborative

approach to addressing women’s needs:

•  Work in partnership with key organisations, such as domestic abuse services, children’s

services, housing departments, prison based teams, community organisations, to advocate
for women’s needs around family and significant others.

•  Take a collaborative multi-agency approach to supporting women, including representing and

supporting women at multi-agency meetings.

•  Contribute to strategic and operational meetings, such as performance review meetings with

funders and partners.

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3.  To provide expert advice and support to colleagues, including Women in Prison’s

influencing team

•  Support the wider team to increase knowledge on DA legislation and pathways through

providing support and advice, and training to internal colleagues.

•  Support Women in Prison’s influencing work through actively contributing expertise into
campaigns and ensuring that Women in Prison provides a platform for women’s voices.
•  Contribute to development of new approaches and interventions that address underlying

contributing factors to women’s offending and criminalisation.

4.  Provide effective leadership to direct report/s, ensuring teams are managed and

supported:

•  Line manage direct report/s and ensure that all staff receive regular support, supervision and
performance review, case management, training and development in line with WIP policies
and procedures.

•  Support the Link Worker with development of the programme.
•  Ensure the Link Worker is linked in with wider South London Women’s Hub teams.

The job description does not form part of your contract of employment and can be amended from time
to time as the needs of the organisation require.

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Experience and skills:

Person Specification:

•  Minimum of 2 years’ experience as a DA specialist or able to demonstrate equivalent.
•  Supporting women with a range of intersecting needs, including designing and delivering

trauma-informed, strengths based 1-1 and group interventions.

•  Working in partnership as part of a collaborative and coordinated approach to supporting

service user’s needs.

•  Problem-solve difficult situations and deal with them calmly and effectively.
•  Self-motivated with confidence to work alone but can also work co-operatively and flexibly as

part of a team.

•  Effective communication skills verbally and in writing with people of many different

backgrounds and within a range of settings

•  Experience of delivering presentations and/or training
•
•  Up to date understanding of safeguarding practice, policy and procedures.

IT skills at a level that supports report writing, email, internet and use of a database.

Personal Attributes & Other Requirements:

•  Commitment to the core values and ethos of Women in Prison, including social justice and

feminism

•  Commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities and an ability to apply

awareness of diversity issues to all areas of work

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To Apply:

Applications close:
Interviews with WIP:
To apply:

Friday, 24th April 2026
TBC
Submit a CV and cover letter (max 2 pages of A4) to application portal

If you require reasonable adjustments to support you during the application process, please contact
the HR team on hr@wipuk.org.

We are happy to invest in developing the right person, so you are welcome to apply even if your
professional experience does not fully meet the job description or person specification.

We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and minoritised women, and women who
have personal experience of the criminal justice system.

In line with legal requirements and the nature of our work, this role:

Is restricted to women only as a genuine occupational requirement

•
•  Requires the right to work in the UK
•
Is subject to an Enhanced and Adult Barred List DBS check.
•
Is subject to HM Prison and Probation Service vetting (‘Enhanced Level 1’ or ‘Standard Plus’)
•  Requires that the post holder is not automatically disqualified by (or can obtain a waiver from) the

Charity Commission

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy

Our Principle Commitments
WIP is committed to building and valuing diverse teams and taking positive action to promote equality
and challenge unfair and unlawful discrimination. We recognise that women may experience multiple
and intersecting forms of discrimination based on their sex and additional, real or perceived,
characteristics including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership,
pregnancy or maternity, race, religion, sexual orientation, social-economic background, immigration
status, caring responsibilities, spent convictions or trade union membership.

WIP works to tackle discrimination and the structural inequalities women experience. We are
committed to embedding diversity and inclusion in all areas of our work, including recruitment, and
aim to reflect the diversity and excellence of the women that we work with. We actively encourage
applications from women from a variety of backgrounds, and with a range of skills and experiences.
We are particularly interested to hear from Black, Asian and minoritised women and women who have
lived experience of the criminal justice system.

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Policy on the Recruitment of Women with Lived
Experience of the Criminal Justice System

Women in Prison actively encourages and supports the employment of women with lived experience
of the criminal justice system. We believe that women’s own experiences drive the Charity forward
through understanding, solidarity and passion for change.

Job Advertisements and the Application Process
We do not ask for disclosure of criminal records during the application process, to ensure that women
with lived experience of the criminal justice system are assessed on their merit, without risk of
discrimination and are not asked to disclose sensitive personal information unnecessarily.

If a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is required for a role, this will be stated clearly in the
job advert, including the level of DBS.

Levels of DBS Checks
Basic DBS checks contain details of unspent convictions. Standard and Enhanced DBS checks
contain details of unspent and spent (unless filtered) convictions and cautions (including reprimands
and warnings). Enhanced DBS checks may also include other information held by police forces
deemed relevant to the role or check for inclusion on the Children’s or Adults’ Barring List.

Job Offers and the Induction Process
We will only ask for a DBS check at the point of job offer.

Disclosures will be treated confidentially and only stored where necessary, in line with General Data
Protection Regulation (GDPR) guidelines. Access will be restricted to limited Senior Management or
HR representatives as needed to assess suitability for the role.

A criminal record will not arbitrarily bar women from employment with us. We discuss disclosures
with applicants (in person, or via phone or video call), to allow them to explain the background in their
own words. We consider the relevance to the role, including the type and seriousness of an offence,
how much time has passed and whether the individual’s circumstances have changed. If they have
restrictions on the work they are able to do, we consider whether we are able to make reasonable
adjustments to facilitate their employment.

The Charity Commission does however have its own automatic disqualification rules on who can hold
senior positions within a charity, which apply to our Trustee, CEO and Director of Finance and
Resources positions. Although it is possible to apply for a waiver.

Women in Prison does not have a blanket ban on any criminal records and will always approach
disclosures fairly and on an individual basis. We seek to balance supporting women with lived
experience into employment, alongside safeguarding our current employees, service users and the
organisation.

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