Empowerment Practitioner

Homeless Link; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

You Matter in Liverpool is seeking an Empowerment Practitioner to support women and children fleeing domestic abuse within our Refuge Service. The post involves providing practical and emotional support, developing personalised plans, and coordinating multi-agency input to foster safety and independence.

The role is fixed-term maternity cover (15 months), 37.5 hours per week, with a rota including early, late and weekend shifts, and a salary of £30,000 per annum.

Qualifications

• Experience of working with households with a history of domestic violence, mental health, homelessness or substance misuse.
• Experience of Adult’s and Children’s Safeguarding
• At least 2 years’ experience of working within a Refuge or support service
• Experience of partnership working
• Experience of creative support planning and target setting
• Experience of support planning
• Experience of formulating risk assessments
• Experience of resettling individuals into independent accommodation
• Experience of formulating Risk Assessments and Safety Plans for DA clients.
• A working knowledge of providing support
• A working knowledge of Health & Safety issues
• Understanding of complex needs including mental health, homelessness, substance misuse and offending
• Knowledge of safeguarding protocols
• Understanding of how to deal with challenging and chaotic individuals
• Excellent communication, engagement and interpersonal skills
• Excellent administration skills
• You Matter ethos and SHREK values: Strength, Humility, Respect, Empathy, Kindness
• Energetic, dynamic and self motivated
• Committed to improving the lives of people with complex needs
• Committed to own personal development and CPD planning
• Creative and dynamic approach to problem solving
• Excellent negotiation/ mediation skills
• Committed to own career development
• Computer literate, competent in Microsoft Word, Outlook, Windows
• Experience of working within a psychologically informed environment (PIE)
• Experience of Trauma Informed Care and working in a therapeutic environment
• Knowledge of Social Care processes to keep children safe

Responsibilities

• Carry out new service user welcomes.
• Ensure that service users have a full understanding of their rights and responsibilities during their stay.
• Support service users to achieve their goals and targets as defined/ agreed within their support plans.
• Manage, update, and communicate service users risk assessments in line with You Matter policy and procedure.
• Ensure service users shape their own support and understand the purpose of the support provided.
• Hold planned key-work sessions with service users using a person-centred reflective approach.
• Assess support needs via Person Centred Support Plan and regularly review and develop mutually agreed support plans with service users and any other professional involved in the support of those individuals e.g., Social Workers.
• Up to date records must be kept on both support planning systems MainStay and DAVE.
• Conduct regular risk assessments of service users keeping all relevant parties informed of updates/changes.
• Remain up to date on Safeguarding matters and ensure that all safeguarding concerns are communicated in a person centred way with relevant parties in line with You Matter Policy.
• Support all service users with future tenancy planning ensuing that everyone has the skills to live independently away from a supported housing pathway.
• Motivate and challenge service users so they realise their goals.
• Liaise between service users and external agencies regarding the provision of specialised support when appropriate.
• Encourage involvement and participation among service users in the running and shaping of the service provided by planning and attending regular service user meetings and forums.
• Deal promptly with all complaints and protection from abuse disclosures.
• Demonstrate creativity in overcoming obstacles and a commitment to working with and providing support to vulnerable people.
• Work proactively as part of The refuge Team and Wider DA services, ensuring a cohesive team approach to provide holistic support.

Skills

Experience with safeguarding

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Multi-agency liaison

Risk assessment

Care planning

Admin skills

Computer literacy

Tools

MainStay

DAVE

Job description

Location: Liverpool

Salary: £30,000 per annum

Hours: 37.5 hours per week over a rota of early, late and mid, including bank holidays and weekends.)

Job Type: Fixed Term Maternity Cover (15-months)

Shortlisting: 12th October

Interview: 22nd October

Why this role would be great for you

As an Empowerment practitioner in Refuges at You Matter you will naturally be an empathetic and caring person wanting to provide support for those Fleeing Domestic Abuse and empowering them in the next steps of the journey. Your role as an Empowerment practitioner will be to create a safe environment that empowers residents to make positive changes in their lives and to offer support when needed.

Working with You Matter comes will a whole host of benefits. We hope that people will find deep personal fulfilment and purpose by working with alongside people in our services. Our teams are compassionate and supportive, fostering a strong sense of community. With opportunities for professional growth, You Matter offers training to support your role and personal development.

We are seeking a compassionate and motivated Empowerment Practitioner to support Women and Children in our Refuge Service, fleeing domestic abuse. The post holder will provide support to women and their dependent children fleeing or at risk of domestic abuse.

Our service is built on values of hope, empowerment, choice, and independence, and we strive to provide children with opportunities to thrive, play, and heal.

This post is only available to female applicants as an Occupational Requirement and permitted under the Equality Act 2010

What your week may look like

Empowerment Practitioners will be skilled in delivering a range of interventions for children to build strength, enhance resilience and encourage progress. The post holder will be responsible for providing key work support to a small caseload of children and will have the primary role of providing and co-coordinating support interventions and multi-agency activity.

• Carry out new service user welcomes.
• Ensure that service users have a full understanding of their rights and responsibilities during their stay.
• Support service users to achieve their goals and targets as defined/ agreed within their support plans.
• Manage, update, and communicate service users risk assessments in line with You Matter policy and procedure.
• Ensure service users shape their own support and understand the purpose of the support provided.
• Hold planned key-work sessions with service users using a person-centred reflective approach.
• Assess support needs via Person Centred Support Plan and regularly review and develop mutually agreed support plans with service users and any other professional involved in the support of those individuals e.g., Social Workers.
• Up to date records must be kept on both support planning systems MainStay and DAVE.
• Conduct regular risk assessments of service users keeping all relevant parties informed of updates/changes.
• Remain up to date on Safeguarding matters and ensure that all safeguarding concerns are communicated in a person centred way with relevant parties in line with You Matter Policy.
• Support all service users with future tenancy planning ensuing that everyone has the skills to live independently away from a supported housing pathway.
• Motivate and challenge service users so they realise their goals.
• Liaise between service users and external agencies regarding the provision of specialised support when appropriate.
• Encourage involvement and participation among service users in the running and shaping of the service provided by planning and attending regular service user meetings and forums.
• Deal promptly with all complaints and protection from abuse disclosures.
• Demonstrate creativity in overcoming obstacles and a commitment to working with and providing support to vulnerable people.
• Work proactively as part of The refuge Team and Wider DA services, ensuring a cohesive team approach to provide holistic support.

It is recognised that the association is operating in a dynamic environment and as such this job description may be varied in consultation with the post holder to reflect evolving needs of the business and changing nature of the job.

What We Can Offer You

Working with You Matter comes will a whole host of benefits. We hope that people will find deep personal fulfilment and purpose by working with alongside people in our services. Our teams are compassionate and supportive, fostering a strong sense of community. With opportunities for professional growth, You Matter offers training to support your role and personal development. For a full list of benefits see here: Careers at You Matter | Work with Us

All EP’s will undergo Cognitive Analytic Therapy Skills Training (CAT) this will provide a framework for understanding and working with households. Training will also be provided around Trauma Informed Care. These approaches will be used for planning and assessing effectiveness of a variety of interventions and risk management.

The skills we're looking for

EXPERIENCE

• Experience of working with households with a history of domestic violence, mental health, homelessness or substance misuse.
• Experience of Adult’s and Children’s Safeguarding
• At least 2 years’ experience of working within a Refuge or support service
• Experience of partnership working
• Experience of creative support planning and target setting
• Experience of support planning
• Experience of formulating risk assessments
• Experience of resettling individuals into independent accommodation
• Experience of formulating Risk Assessments and Safety Plans for DA clients.

KNOWLEDGE

• A working knowledge of providing support
• A working knowledge of Health & Safety issues
• A clear understanding of complex needs support issues such as mental health, homelessness, substance misuse and offending
• Knowledge of safeguarding protocols
• Understanding of how to deal with challenging and chaotic individuals

COMMUNICATION

• Excellent communication, engagement and interpersonal skills
• Excellent administration skills

EMPATHY and RESPECT

• You Matter ethos, philosophy and SHREK values, Strength, Humility, Respect, Empathy and Kindness
• Energetic, dynamic and self motivated.

COMMITMENT

• Committed to improving the lives of people with complex needs
• Committed to own personal development and CPD planning

ORGANISATION

• Creative and dynamic approach with the ability to “think outside of the box” when providing solutions
• Energetic, highly motivated with a reputation of being held in high regard by peers
• Excellent interpersonal/ communication skills
• Excellent negotiation/ mediation skills
• Committed to own career development

COMPUTER LITERACY

• Computer literate, competent in working with Microsoft word, outlook, windows

What is a 'nice to have'

• Experience of working within a psychologically informed environment (PIE)
• Experience of Trauma Informed Care and of working in a therapeutic environment
• Knowledge and understanding of Social Care involvement and the steps taken by Social workers to keep children safe, i.e. Child in need/Child protection and EHATS

You Matter is an equal opportunities employer, values diversity and is strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, regardless of age, disability, gender, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation.