Domestic Abuse Specialist Practitioner - 9 Month Fixed Term Contract

Birmingham Children’s Trust Limited; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days annual leave

Free on-site parking

Internal employee benefits scheme

Flexible and hybrid working policy

Local Government Pension Scheme

Job summary

Birmingham Children’s Trust is seeking a Domestic Abuse Specialist Practitioner for a 9-month maternity cover to join the Domestic Abuse and Interpersonal Violence Team. The role includes group work with families, 121 work, and providing specialist guidance to Family Help Teams in Birmingham’s districts.

Training delivery and ongoing professional development are key components. You will work in a hybrid model in Birmingham, with a strong focus on safeguarding, risk assessment, and evidence-based

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in a domestic abuse setting and with children, young people and families.
• Ability to identify risk and develop robust safety planning.
• Hold a Level 3 qualification in a relevant subject.
• Proven ability to contribute to evaluation reports and measure impact.

Responsibilities

• Deliver group work to families screened as low/medium risk and manage a caseload of 121 work.
• Provide specialist advice to Family Help Teams and deliver rolling Domestic Abuse training.

Skills

Domestic abuse experience

Risk assessment

Child & family work

IT systems & databases

Record keeping

Education

Level 3 qualification in a relevant subject

Tools

Case management systems

Job description

About The Role

About the role: We are seeking a 9 month fixed term maternity cover. This is an exciting opportunity to join the Domestic Abuse and Interpersonal Violence Team. The service will offer a whole family, tiered approach to domestic abuse, supporting all levels of risk.

The Domestic Abuse Specialist Practitioners (DASP) will be based in one of the areas of Birmingham (North, West Central, East or South) offering group work to families screened as low and medium risk domestic abuse whilst also carrying a caseload of 121 work where group work is not suitable. You will also provide specialist advice and guidance to our Family Help Teams which consist of Targeted Family Help (Early Help) and Family Help Social Work colleagues in their district areas. The DASP will also need to deliver a rolling programme of Domestic Abuse Training to the wider workforce.

You will receive a full induction, training and be supported by your team and line manager to deliver excellent service provision to families affected by domestic abuse in a safe, creative and innovative way. We also offer the opportunity to access on ongoing professional development and training.

We have been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted, following a 2023 inspection. This is a fantastic achievement for Birmingham Children’s Trust, with many positive highlights focusing on areas including the quality of staff leadership, partnership working, safeguarding and corporate parenting.

This is a hybrid role based in Birmingham so you must have the correct right-to-work documents to work in the UK. Sadly, we do not support those who require sponsorship.

About you:

You will need to have extensive experience of working in a domestic abuse setting, an understanding of working with children, young people and their families and a level 3 qualification in a relevant subject. The role will require applicants with significant experience and knowledge as you will need to be able to identify risk, develop robust safety planning and disruption strategies and meaningful actions that safeguard children, young people and their non abusive parent/carer, and hold the abusive parent/partner to account. You will also be required to contribute to evaluation reports as this is a new role which needs to be reviewed for impact and outcomes and inform further work.

You will also need to be confident in using a range of IT applications and will be required to access a range of databases. You need to have strong record keeping skills. You need to be solution focussed, calm under pressure and work autonomously but know when to elevate matters of concern.

Onboarding Process

Please note as part of our onboarding process, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a series of background checks with Experian including Experian DBS, Experian Right to Work, and Digital ID verification. These are essential pre-employment requirements.

Our Benefits

• A generous annual leave package of 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 5 years of service and 35 days after 10 years of service.
• Free on-site parking at our offices on One Avenue Road (Aston) and Lifford House (Stirchley). We also provide onsite electric car charging ports which are free to use!
• Full access to our amazing internal employee benefits scheme including, Occupational Health services, Rewards Schemes, Benefits discounts (including the Blue Light Card), Health & Fitness and Personal Wellbeing support and much more!
• Flexible and hybrid working policy - we are well adapted to a hybrid model of working which includes a combination of time spent in the office and at home and we offer a variety of working patterns.
• Pension Scheme - You Will receive a generous local government career average pension scheme in line with the local government pension scheme.

Interviews will be held on 19th November. You will need to be able to attend an interview on this date if shortlisted.

For any informal queries please contact [e-mail] or fiona.o'[e-mail]

About Us

Help us to change children and young people’s lives!

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of over 10,000 children and young people in our city every day. Our mission is to support the most disadvantaged children and young people in Birmingham, ensuring they are safe, happy, and healthy.

Why Join Us?

• Impactful Work - be part of a team that makes a real difference in the lives of the city’s most vulnerable children.
• Supportive Environment - enjoy a supportive and collaborative work culture where your contributions are valued.
• Career Development - benefit from tailored development programs, supportive supervision, and a range of learning opportunities to enhance your skills and advance your career.
• Generous Benefits - take advantage of our competitive reward package including generous leave allowance, Local Government pension scheme, and additional benefits.

Please note: We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We therefore encourage you to submit your application and supporting statement as soon as possible to avoid missing out on this opportunity.

Our Values

We approach our work with care and compassion, actively listening to the needs of the children and young people we serve. We involve them in the decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and respected.

We are committed to using our resources wisely, ensuring that every penny is spent where it counts the most. We foster collaboration among schools, health professionals, and the police, working together to create a supportive network for our young people.

We believe that when we work as one cohesive team, the children and young people of Birmingham are more likely to thrive. Our unified approach ensures that we provide the best possible support and opportunities for their growth and development.

Join us and together, we can create a brighter future for all.

Safeguarding

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

Depending on the role, you may be asked to undergo the appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to assess your suitability for working with children and young people.

The level of check (Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with Barred List) is determined based on the specific responsibilities of the role and the level of contact with children and young people.

We are committed to the fair treatment of all applicants, including those with criminal records. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the offence.