Women's Specialist Practitioner, Housing Support

The role is to provide gender and trauma-informed support and care to women.

These are women housed through the Next Steps Accommodation Project (NSAP), living in the properties provided by Broadland Housing, & experiencing multiple disadvantage, sexual violence, exploitation and coercion.

The post-holder will be based within the Doorway Women's Service providing tailored support to these women to manage their accommodation and tenancies; working to identify and understand the barriers women face and providing help and support to address these intersecting issues.

Principal Responsibilities

• To provide consistent, intensive support and advocacy around a woman’s right to a home, using a case management approach for women housed through NSAP.
• Actively engage with NSAP clients on a one-to-one basis enabling them to access and engage with wider support. Depending on the client needs, support hours will range from 2-8 hours per week each.
• To ensure the support is both gender- and trauma- informed and that the woman is at the centre and empowered in the approach.
• To maintain a flexible and responsive approach to working with women, undertaking outreach and floating support activities to engage with women in settings or venues in which they feel comfortable
• Utilising Team Around Me as a means to engage with a network of partner agencies around issues of multiple disadvantage, to improve responses, identify system blockages and coordinate specialist support around the woman, led by the woman.
• To establish, develop and maintain good relationships with partner agencies, professionals and organisations both statutory and voluntary.
• To work closely with local organisations to ensure clear pathways and accessibility for women to address multiple areas of disadvantage including homelessness, mental and physical ill-health, substance use and experience of sexual violence/exploitation.
• To engage with a network of partner agencies around issues of unmet needs to improve responses and coordinate specialist support around the women. Working closely with partner agencies to achieve a co-ordinated service based on an agreed support plan.
• To become an ambassador for The Magdalene Group, promoting the service, and champion for the clients in local communities, continually developing and maintaining working relationships with other professionals, local residents and wider community.
• To work collaboratively as part of a whole-systems approach to women.
• To deliver harm-reduction interventions as necessary.
• To empower women to make their own choices and improve self-management.
• To ensure that safeguarding practice is embedded within working practices to effectively support those vulnerable to exploitation.
• To build an evidence-base of qualitative and quantitative data to be shared with key partners and agencies and to influence future strategies.
• In conjunction with the staff team, to represent the organisation at events and boards to disseminate findings and evidence-base.

General

• To undertake the administrative tasks associated with providing support services including gathering statistical information, mailing information, communicating with team members and maintaining office systems.
• To contribute to the preparation of information-based resources including leaflets and our websites.
• To work with the staff team to undertake monitoring and evaluation of the service including the writing of reports.
• To contribute to the development of policies and procedures in relation to operational area and The Magdalene Group as a whole.
• To undertake other reasonable, relevant duties.

Other Requirements

• Due to the nature of the role it is a General Occupational Requirement that this position be filled by a female. (This role is exempt under the Equality Act 2010 Schedule 9, Part 1.)
• Enhanced clearance by the Disclosure and Barring Service for children and vulnerable adults, and vetting procedures from Norfolk and Suffolk Police.
• Undertake all relevant and mandatory training appropriate to the role.
• Full clean UK driving license. This post will involve travel within Norwich and access to work vehicle will be available on occasion.