Interpersonal Trauma Practitioner

Vacancy ref: 2333

FearFree delivers services across the Southwest for victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse and victims of sexual violence. We provide responsive, victim focused, and trauma informed support and this post will be fundamental to ensuring service users, stakeholders, and partners experience this in our daily delivery.

The aim of the Interpersonal Trauma Service is to improve the health, wellbeing and safety of people who have been exposed to trauma arising from sexual violence and abuse and/or domestic abuse.

Following a successful trial in several surgeries, this service is now being rolled out across Devon, Plymouth, and Torbay. So, this is a very exciting opportunity to take ownership and be part of an innovative new service, delivering real improvements to the local community.

You will work across a specified number of GP practices, to offer support to health professionals working in practices, people who have experience of interpersonal trauma arising from sexual violence and abuse and/or domestic abuse, as well as a service for people at risk of perpetrating abuse.

You and the team will provide training to GP surgeries to improve identification, enquiry, and response for patients. You and your team will also support adults and children who have been impacted by interpersonal trauma with emotional and practical support, focusing on trauma stabilisation. The team will be responsible for facilitating timely access to further appropriate support services where needed.

Main Responsibilities and Tasks

1. Key responsibilities:
• To provide specialist, individual and needs-led domestic violence/ abuse (DVA) and sexual violence (SV) advocacy and support to patients who are or have experienced DVA/SV, who are referred from participating practices or self-refer, and to provide onward referrals where appropriate.
• To provide signposting and onward referrals to patients who are affected by DVA/SV.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with general practice teams.
• To provide ongoing specialist advice and support around DVA and SV to practice teams.
• To encourage general practice health professionals to ask patients about their experience of abuse and respond, record, safety check and refer.
• To provide feedback on case outcomes to referring clinicians.
• To collect and collate performance and monitoring data for reporting purposes.
• Provide in-house training & refresher training for general practice teams on understanding, recognising, and responding to domestic violence and abuse (DVA) and sexual violence (SV).

2. Advocacy and support work
• Provide support to increase people’s personal safety, and that of any children, and inform them of their rights and options in terms of housing, legal and welfare rights.
• Provide direct assessment, casework support, advice, information, and advocacy through telephone contact, and/or meetings at the relevant practice.
• Develop good working relationships and liaise with outside agencies where needed.
• Keep accurate records of all referrals received and of work done with or on behalf of service users.

3. Practice-based work
• Arrange dates for refresher training sessions with practices.
• Deliver DVA and SV training to clinicians and non-clinical staff in participating general practices.
• Promote awareness of the experiences and needs of people affected by DVA and SV, particularly in relation to their health.
• Develop a good relationship with all general practice staff and work effectively as part of the practice team.

4. General
• Attend and participate in required meetings.
• Contribute to monitoring and evaluation of the programme collecting required data and producing written reports as requested.

Other

Confidentiality and Data Protection
All employees must ensure that essential information of a sensitive and/or personal nature is not disclosed to, or discussed with, inappropriate persons and that all information is maintained in accordance with the GDPR and other related legislation/requirements.

Equality and Diversity
FearFree is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among our workforce and our service users and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative of all sections of society and our service users, and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. The role has the responsibility to ensure all duties and responsibilities are carried out in a manner which promotes FearFree’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion policy.

Health and Safety
All individual employees are required to contracted to promote a health and safety culture within the workplace, observe all health and safety rules and procedures and attend training courses as required and where appropriate conduct risk assessments e.g. VDU, maternity, lone working, H&S audits etc.

Policies and Procedures
Responsibility for formulating, updating & monitoring relevant Splitz policies & procedures, updating manuals as and when required, ensuring that support staff have appropriate access to them and record sightings of updates.
All employees need to be aware of all FearFree policies and procedures and work within them at all times.

Safeguarding / Disclosure and Barring Service
FearFree is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and bring any concerns (whether in respect of service users or members of staff) to the attention of Safeguarding leads immediately. This role will require an enhanced DBS check.