Empowerment Practitioner - Domestic Abuse Services (Maternity Cover)

YMCA Together have been developing our Psychologically Informed Services for over 8 years. We have been using Cognitive Analytical Therapy as a framework for supporting those people who use our services, the staff team and the organisation. Following significant growth, we now wish to recruit someone to work with us to continue to reflect on and grow and develop how we use CAT across the organisation.

We use CAT both as a case management tool with service users, teams and the organisation and as a direct intervention in our rehabilitation service. We require someone to work alongside us to facilitate a number of supervision sessions and facilitate training both internally and externally.

Hours of Work

The Refuge Service will require the post holder to work 37.5 hours a week across a rota of early, late and long shifts including some bank holidays and weekends.

Job Purpose

The post holder will provide support to women and their dependent children fleeing or at risk of domestic violence.

Our vision for the Services is one that breathes hope and ambition and promotes choice and independence. The support service we deliver will be psychologically informed and underpinned by two approaches, cognitive analytical therapy (CAT) and trauma informed care.

The post holder will ensure that the services operate in a Psychologically Informed Environment and will maintain high levels of support, recording and reporting and professionalism at all times. The post holder will provide trauma informed care, help and support to ensure that women and children are empowered to lead independent lives.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Empowerment Practitioners (EP) will be skilled in delivering a range of interventions to adults, children and young people to build strength, enhance resilience and encourage progress. The post holder will be responsible for managing a case load of households and will have the primary role of providing and co-ordinating support interventions and multi-agency activity.

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.

Support Planning and Risk Assessing

Provide a high level of therapeutic support as the lead case worker to both the care-giver and their children that empowers them to plan a positive and sustainable future
Support households to achieve their goals and targets as defined/ agreed within their support plans
Manage, update and communicate households risk assessments in line with YMCA Together/City Wide policy and procedure
Plan and facilitate workshops to individuals and groups that inform/ teach service users around healthy relationships, parenting skills, promote healthy lifestyles, how to manage a tenancy, manage a home and live independently
Ensure households shape their own support and take part in activities.
Household Involvement and Engagement

Encourage involvement, participation, and co-production from households in the running and development of the service
Provide a safe, welcoming environment with excellent standards and an ethos of service delivery that encourages households to engage
Ensure appropriate recommendations are made for the use of the Service User Personalisation Budget.

YMCA is a registered charity and company Limited by Guarantee. We were founded in 1846 and so we build on a long history of providing a place for people experiencing challenging times in their lives.

YMCA Together is a truly value driven organisation.

Our vision is that everyone should feel safe, understood, empowered and positive for their future. We meet our vision by working within our values of Strength, Humility, Respect, Empathy and Kindness. These SHREK values run through all that we do from recruitment to how we work alongside people in our services to our partnership approach with other providers.

Our clear vision and values come together to help us in our mission to inspire and support people to change their lives by instilling hope, valuing the person and maximising potential.