Safe Steps Domestic & Sexual Abuse Support Worker

North Down & Ards Women's Aid; Bangor; Hybrid; GBP 11,000 - 14,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension plan

Annual leave 25 days + public holidays

Job summary

North Down & Ards Women’s Aid in Bangor is seeking a Safe Steps Domestic and Sexual Abuse Support Worker to provide trauma-informed frontline support to women, children and young people affected by domestic and sexual abuse staying in refuge and related services.

You will work evenings, weekends and bank holidays, carry a caseload, assess needs, coordinate with partner agencies, and help empower each woman toward safety and independence under the organisation's self-help ethos.

Qualifications

• GCSE (or equivalent) standard of education.
• QCF Level 3 Health & Social Care or NVQ Level 3 or recognised counselling qualification.
• Minimum 3 years’ paid experience in the past 5 years providing a crisis support service.

Responsibilities

• Welcome women and children into refuge and complete intake.
• Assess needs and risks using an evidence-based checklist.
• Carry out advanced DASH risk assessments when required.
• Manage caseload to reduce risk and improve safety.
• Organise weekly one-to-one meetings to plan support pathways.
• Deliver trauma-informed interventions and empower women.
• Maintain links with partner agencies and participate in multi-agency forums.

Skills

Safeguarding

Communication skills

Administrative IT skills

MS Office

Teamwork

Education

GCSE or equivalent

QCF Level 3 Health & Social Care or NVQ Level 3

Counselling qualification

3 years crisis support experience

Tools

Case management systems

Job description

Hours/days: 25 hours Salary: £9087.00 per annum (Short Term Fixed Contract 6-months) Annual Leave: 25 days annual leave plus public holidays pro rata Pension: 4% employee contribution and 8% employer contribution Location: Bangor Resource Centre, Bangor Foodbank & Community Support, Refuge & Community Contract: 6 months Closing Date: Friday, 2 October 2026@4pm

Safe Steps Domestic and Sexual Abuse Support Worker in partnership with Bangor Foodbank & Community Support will provide trauma-informed, high-quality, proactive frontline support and services to women, children and young people affected by domestic and sexual abuse in our temporary, crisis accommodation.

Main Responsibilities

This role supports women in our Refuge Accommodation Service who are experiencing homelessness due to domestic and sexual abuse.

As a Safe Steps Domestic and Sexual Abuse Support Worker, you’ll provide needs- and risk-led support with a constant focus on empowering each woman, ensuring she is central to her own journey towards safety and independence. We work within a framework of empowerment, dignity, and self-help.

Key Responsibilities:

• Welcome and integrate women and their children into refuge by assessing their suitability, completing the intake process, and addressing their initial needs.
• Identify and assess the needs and risks of each woman referred to the service using an evidence-based risk identification checklist.
• When the risk level is high, will need to complete an advanced risk assessment using the DASH risk assessment tool.
• Manage a caseload, working with women to reduce risk, improve safety, and build healthier / safer relationships.
• Organise scheduled, weekly one-to-one meetings to develop a mutually agreed-upon support pathway.
• Support the empowerment of women (within the self-help ethos of North Down and Ards Women’s Aid), enabling them to recognise domestic and sexual abuse within their situation and regain control of their lives.
• To deliver trauma-informed and therapeutic interventions to women experiencing domestic abuse.
• Establish and maintain links with key agency partners and participate in multi-agency forums/partnership meetings.
• Advocate on behalf of women with statutory and voluntary agencies, including housing, job & benefits, social services, healthcare, education, police and legal support.
• Consult with women and incorporate their views and experiences within service development.
• Ensure all work is carried out to North Down and Ards Women’s Aid standards and delivered to maximise agreed outcomes.
• Administration – keeping records up to date, including completing occupation forms, NIHE forms, key allocation records, and updating women’s records.
• Room preparation, including cleaning after the woman has vacated the room and ensuring it is cleaned and prepared to a high standard before new intake.
• This post requires evening, weekend and bank holiday work.
• To assist in the provision of the 24-hour refuge On-Call cover through our established rota systems.
• A full driving licence and use of a car or ability to provide their own method of transportation.
• Able to meet enhanced Access NI requirements.

Applicants should have

• GCSE (or equivalent) standard of education.
• QCF Level 3 Health & Social Care or equivalent (NVQ Level 3 etc) OR a recognised counselling qualification OR Minimum 3 years’ paid experience in the past 5 years of providing a support service to people at a point of crisis, including crisis intervention, assessment.
• A proven ability to manage the safeguarding of adults and children, in line with NI Safeguarding practices.
• An ability to support women, children, and young people in making their own decisions holding with Women’s Aid ethos of Self Help.
• Strong communication skills – verbal and written and the ability to give competent presentations and facilitate group discussions.
• A broad base of administrative and IT skills. Good level of proficiency in MS Office and Microsoft package. Experience of case management systems an advantage.
• Ability to effectively plan and organise own workload and coordinate other resources to meet deadlines.
• Excellent team working skills and a high degree of personal motivation and a willingness to learn new skills take on challenges and undertake relevant training.
• Understanding the issues of domestic abuse as experienced by women, children and young people.
• Good knowledge of the services of Women’s Aid and a commitment to the Mission, Vision Aims and Ethos of North Down & Ards Women’s Aid.
• To assist in the provision of the 24-hour refuge On-Call cover through our established rota systems.
• A full driving licence and use of a car or ability to provide their own method of transportation.
• Able to meet enhanced Access NI requirements.

Due to the level of contact with vulnerable women and children, the lawful recruitment of females for this post falls within the exemption stated in Article 10 (2e) of the Sex Discrimination (N.I.) Order 1976.North Down & Ards Women’s Aid is an Equal Opportunities Employer.