Barnardo's and First Light are working in partnership delivering the Cornwall countywide domestic abuse service Safer Futures.
The Change 4U Prevention Programme provides support to males and females who display abusive behaviours within their intimate relationships. Our aim is to support and protect people whose lives are adversely affected by domestic abuse. We offer a structured programme which seeks to challenge detrimental beliefs and behaviours and re-educate clients to develop respectful and responsible attitudes towards others and themselves.
The programme provides a wide range of support to partners and ex-partners to enhance good safety outcomes for families - this support is carried out by Partner Link Workers.
What is a Partner Link Workers role - The Partner Link Workers provide medium to long term emotional and intervention support work to partners/ex partners of people who are engaging in abusive behaviours - with the main aim being to reduce risk and increase safety for them and everyone in their household.
We are seeking a passionate and dedicated professional to join our team, as part of our Change 4U team in Cornwall.
About you
You need to be compassionate, non-judgemental, experienced in risk management and safety planning, as well as being a skilled communicator who is able to develop partnership relationships in a multi-disciplinary team.
You need to be a “real human” and have a diverse set of skills and be able to work with people either on their own or as part of a group. You'll need to demonstrate you are able to build relationships and get along with people regardless of their situation and perceived barriers. We want to squash this myth that people are “hard to reach” – it's about us being more accessible.
You need to be a team player. There will be times where you have to work on your own, but there will also be a strong team ethos throughout the Change 4U work and beyond.
Specific Responsibilities
1. Provide one-to-one support for people who are victims of domestic abuse and whose partners/ex- partners are attending the Change 4U programme.
2. To give partners/ex partners details about the Change 4 programme, describing its ethos and what type of information/support is being provided.
3. To create a safety and support plan in regards to experiences, fears and concerns and review on a regular basis.
4. To work alongside the behaviour change workers to help manage risk and safety of clients.
5. To provide tools and techniques to partners/ex partners to increase safety, manage risk, and make decisions.
6. To inform partners/ex partners of the skills and techniques that are learnt on the programme to promote collaboration within the relationship (i.e. time out technique).
7. To complete additional support tools that may form a part of the recovery work with partners/ex partners.
8. To undertake risk assessments and safety plan.
9. Attend MARAC as and when required by the service manager.
10. Execute clear client exit plans.
11. Assist with the project evaluation process.
12. Work with partner agencies to publicise the work of the project and encourage referrals to the project.
13. Assist with the project evaluation process.
Expectations:
14. An understanding of risk factors in domestic abuse.
15. A commitment to working in ways which prioritise the safety of those affected by domestic abuse, both adult victims and their children.
16. An understanding of safeguarding procedures and the importance of consulting on risk concerns.
17. Ability to hold people to account for their behaviour and be comfortable with challenge.
18. The ability to communicate clearly, both orally and in writing, with a range of people, both over the telephone and in person, sometimes over sensitive and/or complex issues.
19. The ability to manage administration, be computer literate and maintain effective recording systems.
20. Experience of supporting clients with complex needs in the domestic abuse sector.
21. Experience of empowering individuals to make positive changes to their lives.
22. Excellent knowledge of the affects of domestic violence/abuse on adults and children.
23. Understanding of the support needs of people who have experienced domestic violence/abuse.
24. To be empathetic and sensitive to the needs of those you work with and for treating people with fairness and respect.
25. To be robust enough to deal with complaints or incidents diplomatically.
26. Be able to negotiate when dealing with potential conflict.
27. Ability to effectively prioritise workload and manage time.
Additional Information:
Within Barnardo's the generic job title for this role is Project Worker 1, this will appear on the PW1 job description.
When completing your application form, please refer to the skills, knowledge and experience required as detailed in the - Additional Information Sheet which provides the service specific details job description and person specification- this should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described above.
Successful candidates will be provided with a range of training suitable for this new role.
Secondments will be considered.
Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.
Pay & Reward Framework
We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's . We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.
For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay.
Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours. More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application.
Benefits
Workplace Offer: What it means for you
The world of work has changed. We are understanding of what works best for our colleagues both current and future as we look to embrace this new way of working. Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or any combination of these.
28. Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
29. Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata
30. The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our HolidayPlus scheme
31. A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
32. Service related sick pay from day 1
33. Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
34. Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
35. Cycle2work scheme
36. Interest free season ticket loans
37. Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
38. 20% discount at Barnardo's stores
39. Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
40. Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
41. Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer
*T&C's