The Edinburgh Locality Support Worker will deliver dedicated and empowering support to women in Edinburgh, who have experienced or are at risk from domestic abuse, in accordance with SSSC Standards. This role encompasses practical and emotional support, advocacy, and collaborative working with statutory and third-sector organizations to achieve the best possible outcomes for women in our service. A trauma-informed approach is essential, ensuring that women receive comprehensive, person-centred support in a safe and supportive setting. Support is delivered through telephone support, one-to-one meetings, and attendance at joint meetings with partner agencies.

This post is open to hybrid working between office and home, if the candidate can evidence an appropriate environment for home working, ensuring confidentiality and privacy for service users making contact through telephone or online methods. Travel within Edinburgh to meet service users will be required as well.

This role is subject to satisfactory Adult and Child PVG scheme membership.

Overall Job Purpose

The post holder will deal with referrals from Fife. The post holder will be working in partnership with the Outreach and Housing and Advocacy case workers to provide a culture sensitive service to Black Minority Ethnic Women.

She will work in partnership with the other Women’s Aid and partner agencies in the areas where the women come from to:

• Make links with black and minority ethnic women in the community
• Raise awareness of domestic abuse and gender-based violence amongst women and the wider black and minority ethnic community
• Inform black and minority ethnic women, children and young people about support services available
• Provide direct support to black and minority ethnic women, children and young people who have experienced gender-based violence, working in partnership with existing support services
• Work with professionals to increase their capacity to effectively support black and minority ethnic women, children and young people who have experienced gender-based violence

The worker will be managed on a day-to-day basis by their team leader and will be given support and supervision. Direct supervision session will take place every 6 – 8 weeks

Key Requirements: The post holder must be a bilingual speaker in a BME community language, preferably Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali or Arabic. The post holder will support Black and Minority Ethnic women, their children and young people experiencing and/or fleeing domestic abuse or forced marriage. Applicants ideally have a minimum of 2 years’ experience of working with Black and Minority Ethnic Communities; an understanding of the legislative and cultural issues surrounding domestic abuse/forced marriage. All applicants must have a minimum of SVQ Level III in Social Care or relevant qualification such as degree in Social Work or Community Education.

Organisation Profile

Shakti Women’s Aid is a feminist voluntary organisation which provides information, emotional/ practical support, and refuge/ temporary accommodation to all black minority ethnic women and their children who are experiencing or fleeing domestic abuse.

Shakti is seeking to recruit an experienced and qualified Key Case Worker to support women from black minority ethnic communities.

Overall, Job Purpose

The purpose of the job is to support women, and children (if any) and young people, who approach Shakti as a result of experiencing domestic abuse. Women are referred to Shakti from a number of sources or they refer themselves. Support can take a number of forms, depending on a woman’s needs: information, practical help, referring to other agencies, emotional support, and advocacy. The worker must be able to assess a woman’s needs sensitively and sympathetically and to find appropriate ways to respond. She must be able to manage her caseload and work with her colleagues in Shakti and other agencies on behalf of women, children and young people. Working in partnership with other members of staff and in liaison with other agencies, the case worker must also ensure that information and support is available to help women in the refuge and other temporary accommodation and resettle them when they are moving to permanent accommodation from the refuge or temporary accommodation.

Key Requirements: The post holder must be a bilingual speaker in a BME community language, preferably Cantonese, Mandarin, Thai, Vietnamese, Tagalog or other East Asian language. The post holder will support Black and Minority Ethnic women, their children and young people experiencing and/or fleeing domestic abuse or forced marriage. Applicants ideally have a minimum of 2 years’ experience of working with Black and Minority Ethnic Communities; an understanding of the legislative and cultural issues surrounding domestic abuse/forced marriage. All applicants must have a minimum of SVQ Level III in Social Care or relevant qualification such as degree in Social Work or Community Education.

Overall Job Purpose

The LGBTI key case worker posts are specifically to support the BME LGBTI service users however the post holder will also be supporting other service users as well. This project will benefit BME women and young people living in Scotland experiencing or at risk of domestic abuse (DA) and requiring support concerning their gender identity and or sexuality. The purpose of the job is to support LGBTI BME women, their children if any and young people, who approach Shakti as a result of experiencing domestic abuse in particular due to their gender recognition and or sexuality. Women and young people are referred to Shakti from a number of sources or they refer themselves. Support can take a number of forms, depending on a woman’s needs: information, practical help, referring to other agencies, emotional support, and advocacy. The worker must be able to assess a woman’s needs sensitively and sympathetically and to find appropriate ways to respond. She must be able to manage her caseload and work with her colleagues in Shakti and other agencies on behalf of women and children. Working in partnership with other members of staff and in liaison with other agencies the case worker must also ensure that information and support is available to help resettle women when they are moving to permanent accommodation from the refuge or temporary accommodation. The worker is also to support other non LGBTI women to meet the demand for our service.

Key Requirements: The post holder must be a bilingual speaker in a BME community language, preferably Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali or Arabic. The post holder will support Black and Minority Ethnic women, their children and young people experiencing and/or fleeing domestic abuse or forced marriage. Applicants ideally have a minimum of 2 years’ experience of working with Black and Minority Ethnic Communities; an understanding of the legislative and cultural issues surrounding domestic abuse/forced marriage. All applicants must have a minimum of SVQ Level III in Social Care or relevant qualification such as degree in Social Work or Community Education.