Navigation and Support Worker (DV and Housing) – Maternity Cover

You will provide appropriate emotional and practical 1-to-1 support to (those who identify as) women and non-binary people involved in sex work and those who are sexually exploited, who often experience stigma and face barriers to accessing services. 

This role will specifically focus on those who are experiencing DV, support will include addressing housing needs. 

You will be enabling people to access support and navigate services, You will be working in partnership with other agencies and making appropriate referrals for people to access other services to support their wider needs. 

You will contribute to wider team responsibilities including outreach, drop in and duty.

The role

To provide appropriate emotional and practical support to women and non -binary people in the sex industry and/or those who are being sexually exploited with a specific focus on those who are homeless and experiencing domestic violence and abuse. 

The women we support require intensive practical and emotional support as well as support navigating health and other social care or criminal justice systems. 

The women will have poor mental or physical health, experience with homelessness and of the criminal justice system, are often victims of sexual and/or domestic abuse and many are homeless. 

This post specifically will focus on domestic violence and their housing needs including where possible access to a home. Working within a harm reduction ethos prioritising women’s safety and wellbeing, the intensive personalized supported will help women to access other services making appropriate referrals for women who wish to make changes, including exiting/transitioning out of sex work. 

You will be responsible for ensuring that women with varying needs are supported effectively throughout their pathway of support with Basis and partners, advocating for and with the women you are working with including where necessary challenging stigma and judgement women face.

Job Description

1. Delivery
   • Oversee a relatively low caseload of women who require or access intensive support with a specific focus on domestic abuse and their housing needs to ensure women’s needs are met throughout the pathway of support.
   • Ensure that safeguarding practice is embedded within working practices, including work on boundaries and resolution of conflict to provide positive spaces/activities for women.
   • Ensure that women have access to services in line with funder and clients’ needs and wishes.
   • Establish, maintain and develop good partnership working relationships with professionals and organisations both statutory and voluntary
   • Provide harm reduction interventions to women to empower them to engage in safer working practices.
   • To be on a rota to deliver/lead evening outreach services, which includes driving our outreach vehicle (campervan – manual gear).
   • Lead drop-in session on a rota basis.
   • Ensure women have access to services through a variety of means, i.e. face to face, digital engagement, outreach, etc.

   • Take responsibility for co-ordinating and delivering partnership working to sex workers and women experiencing exploitation to reduce harm, develop positive responses to the women and enable positive change, including transition into wider community-based support.

   • Ensure that safeguarding practice is embedded within working practices to effectively support those ‘at risk’

   • Establish, maintain and develop good partnership working relationships with professionals and organisations both statutory and voluntary.

   • Advocate for sex workers, challenging discrimination, exclusion and stigma both for individuals and within the wider community

   • Work proactively with volunteers and peers to delivery well-co-ordinated drop-in sessions and outreach services on a rota basis.

   • Ensure the service maintains its strict confidentiality and protects the data of those accessing the service, sharing information to minimise harm & co-ordinate support where necessary

2. Monitoring and Evaluation

   • Ensure ongoing recording and monitoring of project outputs and outcomes
   • Manage engagement and outcome data, inputting data onto the database andcollating information to produce relevant reports.
   • Responsible for gathering feedback from women on the service and anyimprovements suggested
   • Support analysis of data to review service delivery and services of others

    

3. Budget
   • Support the Operations Manager to ensure the project is delivered within the budget
   • Provide timely information to the Operations Manager to ensure that the project budget is created and effectively managed.
      
4. Partnership engagement and management
   • Ensure the maintenance and development of excellent partnership working relationships with professionals, organisations and other key stakeholders.
   • Support the Operations Manager to maintain relationships with all relevant external partner organisations.
   • Ensure effective representation at external meetings and events to facilitate improved understanding of sex work and related issues

5. Communications
   • Collaborate with the Communications and Fundraising Coordinator in ensuring that social media is effectively used in line with social media policies.
   • Ensure that information/publicity with regards to service outcomes is kept updated.

   • Engage proactively with digital engagement and social media where required to ensure women across the sex industry can access services.

      

6. General Responsibilities

• Contribute to team meetings and organisational priorities, strategic goals and performance targets
  • Support volunteers who work alongside you.
  • Actively engage in regular internal and external supervision to support professional development and reflective practice.
  • Be flexible within the broad remit of the post
  • Ensure that finance and resources are used effectively and within budget
  • Work collaboratively on projects and priorities with your line manager which may vary from time to time
  • Be proactive in keeping up to date with and generating development relating to your work (including policy updates)
  • Abide by organisational policies and practices, and our values
  • Support diversity and equality of opportunity in the workplace.
  • Ensure that effective safeguarding procedures and in place and are acted upon

To drive the company van for outreach and other occasions when needed