Domestic Abuse Counsellor
Service: PARCS
Salary: £28,598 - £31,384 FTE per annum (£10,820.86 – £11,875.03 per annum for part-time, 14 hours per week)
Location: Based in Portsmouth
Hours: 14 of hours per week (part-time)
We offer flexible working arrangements - please see below for more details.
Contract: Fixed term until March 31st 2026
Family Action & the Role’s Impact:
Family Action has been supporting individuals and families through challenges and crisis for over 150 years. As part of our ongoing mission to provide inclusive, trauma-informed support, we are seeking a passionate and experienced Domestic Abuse Counsellor to join our team. This role focuses on empowering individuals who have experienced domestic abuse through one-on-one, therapeutic support, with a strong emphasis on community-building, intersectional feminism, and anti-oppressive practices.
PARCS merged with Family Action in 2021, and we are continuing to build a team motivated to provide progressive and inclusive support, focused on quality, care, and resilience, developing our excellent longstanding reputation in Portsmouth and extending our reach within the local area and beyond. We currently work with adults, as individuals within the community, and provide a range of specialist, trauma-informed support services to young people and adults of all genders, including a telephone helpline, support work, training, and co-production projects.
As a Domestic Abuse Counsellor, you will work directly with survivors of domestic abuse, offering one-on-one therapeutic support tailored to their individual needs. You will provide trauma-informed, therapeutic counselling services that help individuals process and heal from the effects of domestic abuse, building their resilience and supporting their journey to recovery. Your role will be vital in offering a supportive environment for survivors, where they can regain their sense of self and strength.
This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a service that prioritises survivor voices and advocates for an inclusive, progressive approach to healing. Your role will be key in driving forward our work in Portsmouth, ensuring that our services remain rooted in intersectional feminism, anti-oppressive practice, and an unwavering commitment to social justice. You will help create a more inclusive and supportive community for those who have experienced domestic abuse.
Supervision and ongoing professional development are core to this role, with both clinical and line management support. This position requires a commitment to working within a trauma-informed framework centred on healing, resilience, and the empowerment of survivors.
Main Responsibilities: (for details check the job description and person specification):
• To provide inclusive counselling for a diverse range of adult survivors of domestic abuse, in line with the commissioned timeframes and objectives.
• To undertake initial assessments with new clients and be able to assess need, risk and to record the assessment as part of the allocation process.
• To maintain confidential, up to date and accurate records of all sessions, carefully considering the sensitive nature of the work, regarding statutory investigations and court proceedings.
• To use outcome tools to measure and monitor client well-being, to assess on-going risk, promote safety, collate data and to welcome service feedback.
• To liaise with referrers and other professionals and agencies as appropriate and where required, including signposting.
• To represent PARCS as needed internally and externally, including attending meetings, networking opportunities, and promoting the services available to survivors of domestic abuse.
• To work collaboratively as part of the clinical team, contributing to the development and delivery of trauma-informed services, sharing insights, and supporting team goals.
• There will be 3 hours of paid group clinical supervision per month (no more than 4 supervisees per group, in line with BACP guidelines) plus line management supervision with the PARCS Adult Team Manager and Clinical Lead.
• Appointments are subject to Family Action receiving a satisfactory disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service
Benefits:
- an annual paid leave entitlement that commences at 25 working days, rising each April by one day, subject to a maximum of 30 working days plus bank holidays
- up to 6% matched-pension contributions
- enhanced paid sick leave and paid family leave provisions
- eye care and winter flu jabs vouchers
- cycle to work scheme
- investing in your professional development with ongoing quality training and career development opportunities
We are forward looking, ambitious and committed to continuous improvement. We are a people focused, can-do organisation, which strives for excellence in all we do and operates with mutual respect.
To Apply:
• Click the “Apply Now” link below and fill out our digital application form
• Closing Date: Closing date 26th September 2025 at 23:59
• To learn more about Family Action: Careers
For direct queries or if you would like to discuss any aspect of the selection process or flexible working requests, please email: ester.wheeler@family-action.org.uk
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:
We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process and you will be asked whether you require any adjustments if shortlisted for interview. We also make reasonable adjustments on the job, where required.
We are committed to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in all that we do and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Intersectionality is important to us and we particularly welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates because we are committed to increasing the representation of these groups at Family Action. We know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for families and children and strive for our workforce to be truly representative of the diverse communities we support. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role and will reimburse your travel cost if you attend an interview.
*Ordinarily Family Action appoints new starters at the starting point of the salary scale (with subsequent annual pay progression), unless you have experience that would justify appointment further up the salary scale or there are any other exceptional reasons.
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