Safe Harbour - Edinburgh Gender Based Violence Service

Through funding from the Big Lottery Fairer Life Chances Programme we have established our Gender Based Violence (GBV) Hub (Safe Harbour) located in Leith, Edinburgh. Domestic abuse support is based on risk assessment and is often a crisis intervention but alongside this, Sacro will provide wraparound, holistic support via counselling, wellbeing activities and peer support. Safe Harbour will be a safe, non-judgemental and welcoming place to meet and engage with peers and professionals. Support offered will not be time limited focusing on the ethos of the right support at the right time.

Safe Harbour brings three of our specialist GBV services:

1. Lunar- supporting women and trans people selling or exchanging sex.

2. Aditi- supporting women of colour who have experienced domestic abuse, Honour-Based Violence and Female Genital Mutilation.

3. FearFree- supporting heterosexual men and those from the LGBT+ communities including trans people.

Safe Harbour is an inclusive service offering dedicated time and space to those accessing any of our Edinburgh GBV services including three women only days.

We are looking for a specialist transgender worker, ideally with lived experience who can provide support to transgender people affected by Gender Based Violence (GBV), supporting those accessing the Hub. We know how difficult the landscape has become for transgender people in recent months and believe strongly that a safe space with knowledgeable and friendly support is essential in addressing some of the harm caused by an increasingly hostile environment.

The successful candidate will have knowledge and understanding of the unique challenges faced by transgender people and be able to offer meaningful support to them. This service will be an in-person service, operating from Leith, and within the community where appropriate.

The post holder must have a gendered understanding of domestic abuse and trauma informed practice , be an effective communicator as well as highly organised with effective casework management skills. We are values led organisation and we are looking for a candidates whose values align with ours.

This is a brand new role and offers the successful candidate an exciting opportunity to bring their knowledge and experience and contribute significantly to the development and shaping of the post.

Membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG) will be a requirement for this post.

We particularly welcome applicants from the trans community and those with lived experience.

If you would like an informal chat about the requirements of the post, please contact Sue Waddington by email swaddington@sacro.org.uk and leave a telephone number where you can be contacted.

Sacro values diversity and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

Safe Harbour - Edinburgh Gender Based Violence Service

Through funding from the Big Lottery Fairer Life Chances Programme we have established our Gender Based Violence (GBV) Hub (Safe Harbour) located in Leith, Edinburgh. Domestic abuse support is based on risk assessment and is often a crisis intervention but alongside this, Sacro will provide wraparound, holistic support via counselling, wellbeing activities and peer support. Safe Harbour will be a safe, non-judgemental and welcoming place to meet and engage with peers and professionals. Support offered will not be time limited focusing on the ethos of the right support at the right time.

Safe Harbour brings three of our specialist GBV services:

1. Lunar- supporting women and trans people selling or exchanging sex.

2. Aditi- supporting women of colour who have experienced domestic abuse, Honour-Based Violence and Female Genital Mutilation.

3. FearFree- supporting heterosexual men and those from the LGBT+ communities including trans people.

We are looking for a qualified counsellor with 2 years’ post-qualifying experience, who has delivered counselling to individuals affected by domestic abuse. You must have a gendered understanding of domestic abuse and will need to be an effective communicator and be highly organised and have effective casework management skills.

You will be responsible for delivering counselling and psychotherapy interventions (usually 16 - 24 sessions) to anyone who has experienced domestic abuse and who has either accessed or been referred to Lunar, Aditi or FearFree. Clients will mainly be female survivors of domestic abuse but there will also be referrals from heterosexual men, trans people and LGBT+ so it is important that candidates are happy to work with a diverse range of clients and a mix of genders. You will also be responsible for escalating any concerns around client’s safety, wellbeing and child protection concerns, in accordance with counselling/psychotherapy ethical codes, Scottish legislation and relevant Sacro policies.

Membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme is a requirement for this post, as well as membership in a recognised regulatory body (COSCA, BACP, UKCP, etc.). You must have accreditation, be working towards accreditation or be eligible to work towards accreditation and hold your own indemnity insurance.

Sacro values diversity and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We particularly welcome applicants from LGBT+ communities for this post.