Location: / Work Pattern:
9.00am – 5.30pm Monday - Friday
37.5 hours per week
Job Purpose: / The domestic violence services manager will manage services, including refuges and floating support, in line with Refuge’s policies and procedures and quality management system.
The post holder will provide line management and support to staff. This will include providing supervision on complex casework issues such as child protection, overseeing operational emergencies and ensuring high standards of housing management.
The post holder will also be responsible for ensuring that contractual and other funding requirements are met fully and that Refuge’s high quality standards are maintained. The role may involve visiting potential sites and contributing to the establishment of new services in conjunction with the development team.
The job involves working closely with staff who support abused women and their children in crisis using our services. As a member of the management team, the post holder will be required to participate with other managers in an out-of-hours management service.
Responsible to: / Senior operations manager / Direct reports: / deputy manager
refuge workers
floating support workers
children’s support workers
Main duties:
Managing service delivery and performance
1 / To manage the delivery and development of high quality support to women and children escaping domestic violence, in accordance with Refuge’s operational policies and procedures.
2 / To ensure the continuity, high quality and improvement of Refuge’s services in accordance with Refuge’s quality management system and any other relevant quality standards.
3 / To ensure Refuge’s Casework Management and Quality policies are implemented, ensuring that a high quality service is being provided and that case records are clear professional and up to date.
4 / To ensure that all services are sensitive and responsive to the needs of the women and children using them, that user feedback is gathered systematically, recorded and acted upon and that the policies, procedures and philosophy of Refuge are understood fully and implemented by staff.
5 / To provide personal welfare support and ensure that women are provided with a safe, supportive and welcoming environment.
6 / To actively contribute to policy development and review.
7 / To oversee the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults and support staff to ensure the safeguarding policy is followed.
8 / To provide management of a range of services, ensuring staff deliver the required outcomes within budget.
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Job Description: / Domestic Violence Services Manager (continued)9 / To manage the budget ensuring effective collection of rent and taking corrective management action when required in line with Refuge’s financial regulations.
10 / To manage the eviction process ensuring the eviction policy is followed liaising with the senior operations manager as appropriate.
11 / To monitor services proactively, with the engagement of the staff team, and to ensure that the services meet the required specifications at all times, and are shaped by the feedback of women and children.
12 / To ensure that the refuge services provide a safe and secure environment for women and children escaping domestic violence in compliance with housing law and the requirements of funders and registered social landlords.
13 / To recognise, respect and address the needs of service-users who face particular barriers when seeking help to access the service, including those from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, LGBT communities, disabled people, women with complex needs and other hard to reach groups.
14 / To be an ambassador for Refuge, working in partnership with other agencies to tackle domestic violence and attending meetings with housing associations, funders, local authorities, domestic violence fora and any other bodies.
15 / To comply with Refuge’s housing management procedure, ensuring that the accommodation provided achieves a high standard and that housing maintenance tasks are carried out regularly.
16 / To maintain confidentiality and to ensure that professional boundaries are observed when working with residents, staff and external bodies and to work within Refuge’s Code of Conduct.
Managing Security
17 / To maintain vigilance and ensure Refuges procedures are followed in relation to risks that may arise within the service.
18 / To manage the operation of the refuge, including taking responsibility for refuge security including ensuring that the safe keys, master key system, office keys and transport keys are kept secure at all times, and ordering duplicate keys and lock changes where required.
19 / To ensure that security of sensitive information is maintained and complies with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 and other legislation.
Managing Health and Safety
20 / To hold overall responsibility for health and safety, ensuring that regular health and safety and risk assessment procedures are carried out in accordance with Refuge’s policies and procedures.
Managing People
21 / To manage and develop staff in accordance with Refuge’s performance management scheme, ensuring their involvement in the continuous improvement of services.
22 / To carry out monthly supervision meetings, ensuring that probationary reviews are carried out.
23 / To ensure all staff complete Refuge’s specialist training programme.
24 / To engage the whole team in regular service review to promote best practice and continuous improvement of service. To implement and manage the sharing of knowledge and good practice towards improving service delivery.
25 / To select, recruit and retain staff in line with Refuge’s policies and procedures.
Job Description: / Domestic Violence Services Manager (continued)
General
26 / To develop and maintain positive, collaborative working relationships with all Refuge staff, both locally and across the wider organisation.
It is essential to the development of Refuge’s service delivery that the post holder is able to respond flexibly to changes in the requirements of this post. This job description is therefore a guide and not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities the post holder may have over time.
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Person specification / Domestic Violence Services Manager /Criteria / Essential / desirable / How measured?
(Application form/interview/ assessment)
1 / Education/ qualifications / 1.1 / Good standard of general education / Essential / Application form
1.2 / A relevant professional qualification in housing/social work/management / Desirable / Application form
2 / Experience / 2.1 / Practical experience of working in a women’s refuge/residential/health and/or community setting / Essential / Application form/ interview
2.2 / Extensive experience of sensitively assessing and responding to the needs and risks of women and children experiencing domestic violence / Essential / Application form/ interview
2.3 / Significant proven experience of providing direct emotional and practical support to people seeking support/advice e.g. via social services, residential work or the voluntary sector / Essential / Application form/ interview
2.4 / Experience of managing refuge and/or supported accommodation / Essential / Application form/ interview
2.6 / Experience of managing the security and well-being of survivors of domestic violence / Essential / Application form/ interview
Experience of managing complex casework, including issues such as child abuse, mental health, substance abuse, working with trauma in adults and children and crisis intervention / Essential / Application form/ interview
2.7 / Proven experience of safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. / Essential / Application form/ interview
2.8 / Proven experience of advocating for clients / Essential / Application form/ interview
2.9 / Experience of preparing effective reports for case conferences or similar proceedings in which women and children may be involved / Essential / Application form/ interview
2.10 / Experience of managing and developing teams and individuals / Essential / Application form/ interview
Person specification
(continued) / Domestic Violence Services Manager (continued) /
2 / Experience (continued) / 2.11 / Experience of managing budgets effectively / Desirable / Application form/ interview
2.12 / Experience of managing change / Desirable / Application form/ interview
2.13 / Experience of working with Quality System Frameworks / Desirable / Application form/ interview
3.1 / Evidence of an awareness of the dynamics and impact of domestic violence and how best to support survivors, including addressing homelessness among women and children / Essential / Application form/ interview/ assessment
3.2 / Evidence of the ability to be an ambassador for Refuge and to communicate and work in accordance with Refuge’s philosophical principles / Essential / Interview/ assessment
3.3 / Demonstrable strong written and verbal communication skills; to be able to write reports, deliver presentations, supervise others in their writing skills, and to communicate with stakeholders in a clear and effective way / Essential / Application form/ interview/ assessment
3.4 / Evidence of the ability to demonstrate leadership and sound judgment in crisis situations including where lives need to be protected / Essential / Application form/ interview/ assessment
3.5 / Up to date knowledge of housing, criminal, civil and welfare rights legislation relating to domestic violence / Essential / Application form/ interview/ assessment
3.6 / Evidence of the ability to manage casework effectively with evidence of a methodical and well organized approach / Essential / Interview/ assessment
3.7 / Evidence of the ability to ensure that services deliver outcomes successfully for funders, and that services achieve the standard required including Level A of the Quality Assessment Framework / Essential / Interview
3.8 / Evidence of the ability to develop, sustain and evaluate joint work between agencies, including establishing good working relationships negotiating effectively / Essential / Application form/ interview
Person specification
(continued) / Domestic Violence Services Manager (continued) /
3.9 / Evidence of the ability to build and develop supportive relationships with abused women and their children maintaining professional boundaries / Essential / Interview
3.10 / Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of the needs of women who face additional barriers including BAMER and disabled women experiencing domestic violence and how discrimination affects them / Essential / Interview/
assessment
3.11 / Demonstrable ability to use Microsoft Office (word, excel, outlook, access), and to collect and analyse statistics / Essential / Interview/
assessment
Notes
1) The post holder will be based at a specific site but may be required to work across our sites to offer a service in or consultation to other refuge sites.
2) This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975. It will be necessary for an enhanced disclosure to be made to the Criminal Records Bureau for details of any previous criminal convictions.
3) Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies.
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