Job Description

Based at Welwyn Hatfield Women’s Refuge (full address to be given to successful applicant)

About Us

Welwyn Hatfield Women’s Refuge and Support Services (WHWR) is a vital resource for women and families in Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield, offering a safe haven away from domestic violence and abuse.

We provide safe accommodation to women and children to allow them to start building a new life away from an abusive or violent relationship or home environment.

The families at WHWR are provided with support, both practical and emotional. Our aim is for their stay with us to be as empowering as possible. The families’ needs are paramount and at the forefront of everything we do.

We are currently looking for a Lead Refuge Worker to join us for 30 hours a week, Monday – Friday.

The Benefits

  • Salary of £28,672 NJC scale 4 (pro-rata)
  • Pension
  • Additional pay for the on-call aspects of your role
  • Travel costs paid for
  • Welcoming and supportive work environment
  • Make a positive difference to the lives of women and children on a daily basis

If you have experience working in a women’s refuge or with women and/or children fleeing domestic violence, this is a great opportunity to join a dedicated team and play a key role in providing help and support in an independent, women run organisation.

You will be joining a supportive workplace and provide valuable help and support to our residents, making a real positive impact in their lives.

The Role

As a Lead Refuge Worker, you will be responsible for managing and co-ordinating WHWR’s accommodation-based service for women and their children experiencing and/fleeing domestic abuse.

You will be in charge of the day to day running of the refuge and facilities, and will manage the operational service delivery, ensuring safe and quality support, from internal and external agencies, is provided to women and children.

In this role, you will also:

  • Manage a small team of refuge workers and volunteers to deliver effective support and casework to women in the refuge
  • Manage service and staff performance
  • Provide practical and emotional support to survivors of domestic violence
  • Work closely with colleagues in assessment of the need for refuge and make arrangements for appropriate non-refuge support
  • Ensure risk assessments, individual support plans and risk management plans/safety plans are in place for each resident
  • Maintain security and wellbeing of residents within the premises and raise any breaches of security immediately
  • Participate in the 24/7 on call phone rota for the Refuge residents
  • Ensure safeguarding measures are understood and implemented within the service
  • Arrange financial provision with appropriate agencies to secure women with a space in the refuge
  • Explore any ‘unhealthy’ coping strategies which residents might have such as drug and alcohol misuse, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, debts and aid in sourcing support in these areas

About You

To join us as a Lead Refuge Worker, you will need:

  • Previous experience of support work in a women’s refuge, or with women/children fleeing domestic violence
  • To be a proficient user of all Microsoft Office programmes
  • To be able to work independently and part of a team,
  • To be able to use your own initiative for problem solving
  • The flexibility to prioritise work loads
  • The ability to identify urgent and high-risk safeguarding concerns and act accordingly
  • The ability to participate in 24/7 on-call rota

This is a part-time role working 30 hours per week.

Please note, only female applicants will be progressed as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

Once we have received a sufficient number of applicants to create a shortlist, this role will be removed.

Other organisations may call this role Refuge Support Worker.

Webrecruit and Welwyn Hatfield Women’s Refuge and Support Services are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.

So, if you’re seeking your next challenge as a Lead Refuge Worker please visit:

Job Description (webrecruit.co)

Please contact Amy at Welwyn Hatfield Women’s Refuge if you would like any additional information on this role or our work at WHWR.