Initial Support Agent

Victim Support; Ashford; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A charitable organization in Ashford seeks Initial Support Agents to provide support for victims of crime. The role involves communicating empathetically with individuals, helping them cope with trauma. Candidates will receive comprehensive training, fostering their skills in a supportive environment. The position offers various benefits, including annual leave and career development opportunities.

Benefits

28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays

Extra day off for your birthday

5% employer contribution to pension

Enhanced sick pay

Wellbeing support

Career development opportunities

Qualifications

• Motivated individual with strong communication skills.
• Ability to provide empathy and support.
• No specific prior experience required as training is provided.

Responsibilities

• Talk to individuals from various backgrounds via telephone.
• Provide support to victims of crime and trauma.
• Work within a supportive team on a scheduled shift basis.

Skills

Empathy

Communication skills

Resilience

Job description

We are looking for a motivated & empathetic individual to join the team at Victim Support based at Compass House, Ashford as Initial Support Agents (known internally as Triage & Early Intervention Officers). This position is offered on a permanent basis.

Are you looking for a new challenge that will be rewarding and make a real difference to people's lives? Do you enjoy talking to people, providing empathy & support, and helping to find solutions to problems?

If this sound like you, then we'd love to hear from you...

What we offer:

• 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays, rising to 33 days plus Bank Holidays
• An extra day off for your birthday
• Pension with 5% employer contribution
• Enhanced sick pay allowances, maternity & paternity payments
• High Street, retail, holiday, entertainment & leisure discounts
• Access to our financial wellbeing hub & salary deducted finance
• Employee assistance programme & wellbeing support
• Ongoing training & support with opportunities for career development & progression

About the role:

You will be talking to people on the telephone from a variety of different backgrounds, all with different experiences. No two days are the same & you will need to use your communication skills and resilient nature to help those dealing with trauma and the effects of crime, who may have gone through a life-changing experience. Previous experience is not required as you will receive robust training prior to working directly with clients. You will also receive ongoing support to ensure that you can provide victims with quick responses to meet their needs and help them cope and recover.

These roles are based in our Victim Care Unit in Ashford. You will be working shifts Monday to Friday between 8am and 4pm or 12pm and 8pm. Shifts are designated on a rota basis and scheduled well in advance so you can plan ahead. You will be working within a supportive team that is part of a large independent charity which offers the opportunity to develop skills to enhance your ongoing personal development.

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for further details.

About Us:

Victim Support (VS) is an independent charity providing a range of specialist services to people who have been affected by crime across England and Wales. We work towards a world where there are fewer victims but who have stronger rights, better support and a real influence in the Criminal Justice System. Everyone at VS is driven by our Vision Ambitions and Values to play their part in making a difference for those who experience crime and traumatic events. Working for VS gives you the opportunity to play a key role in a national charity providing high quality services to victims and witnesses and being a vital force for change.

Victim Support are committed to recruiting with care and to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Background checks and Disclosed Barring Service checks may be required.

Victim Support strives to represent the diverse communities we serve and are passionate about creating an environment where all staff and volunteers feel respected and heard. Being a diverse organisation with an inclusive culture is integral to us being able to meet our aim of ensuring that anyone who is a victim of crime gets the support they need.

As part of our commitment to the Race at Work Charter we particularly welcome applicants from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. VS is also a Disability Confident Employer and we provide a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for candidates that are disabled and meet all essential criteria for a role.

If you have a disability, a learning difficulty such as dyslexia or a medical condition which you believe may affect your performance during any aspect of our selection process, we'll be happy to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to perform at your best.

How to apply:

To apply for this role please follow the link below to the Jobs page on our website, and complete the application form demonstrating how you meet the essential shortlisting criteria.

The application will ask you for specific evidence of how you have demonstrated each of the below shortlisting criteria. You will need to give examples of each in your application so that the panel can assess your potential based on previous experiences.

Those candidates determined by the panel as meeting or exceeding the criteria based on the written evidence will then be invited to attend a competency based interview and further skills assessment.

We looking forward to hearing from you.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, if we receive enough suitable applications to take forward to interview prior to the published closing date. If you have already registered & started an application, then we will contact you to advise of the amended closing date wherever possible.