Community Key Worker

Are you looking for a dynamic and rewarding role working for an organisation with the feminist agenda at the core of its ethos? Then Advance Charity could be the career choice for you!

We are looking for a Community Key Worker to Finsbury Park, Islington

This post is open to female applicants only as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.  Please note: Any offer of employment will be made subject to references, confirmation of the right to work in the UK, and satisfactory enhanced DBS check.  

About us

Advance Charity is a well-respected, award-winning, and innovative women-only organisation, established in 1998, providing emotional and practical support to women experiencing domestic abuse, and supporting women with short-term sentences to reduce offending. 

Our values are to listen and support, to empower and respect, collaboration, innovation, and accountability.   

Job Summary 

The Minerva London service provides holistic, trauma-informed support for women in touch with the Criminal Justice System, through dedicated one to one support, safer women’s centre spaces and specialist interventions and partnerships. 

As a Minerva Community Keyworker you will be responsible for providing one to one keywork and advocacy support to a caseload of women in touch with the Criminal Justice System. You will be working in a team of Community Keyworkers, covering designated North London boroughs. A key element of the role will be to build relationships with statutory and non-statutory agencies in contact with women in order to build referral pathways and provide a whole systems approach to supporting women in touch with the criminal justice system. To carry out this work you will meet women in the community and co-locate with other agencies including Probation, as well as regularly attending Advance’s West London Women’s Centre. Support in this role will also extend to women in custody, where you will provide support in preparation for their release and through the gate support on the day of their release from custody. 

Key responsibilities and duties

• Provide an in-reach prison service to women via video call/telephone and face to face where appropriate prior to leaving custody to assist in preparing them for release and meeting them at the gate upon release. 
• Provide outreach support and advocacy to women in the community with varying multiple complex needs and across each complexity level. 
• Conduct an initial holistic assessment of women’s needs. 
• Develop and regularly review individual support plans across all pathways of need. 
• Regularly meet with women to provide dedicated emotional and practical support, adopting a trauma informed, non-judgemental approach to empower young women towards an independent, safe, crime free life in line with Advance’s vision and mission. 
• Attend the probation offices in the boroughs you cover, integrate with National Probation Service staff and introduce the Minerva services to the client, encouraging referrals to the service and establishing positive relationships.
• Develop strong professional relationships and networks with local support services and advocate for women with external agencies, including at Housing, Social Services, MARAC and IOM panels.

What we can offer you - Employee Benefits: 

• An exceptional 30 days of paid holiday per year, PLUS public holidays on top (that's nearly 40 days paid holiday per year!) 
• Additional days off to celebrate International Women’s Day, and for religious observance and moving home
• Perkbox - an employee discount platform where you can receive free rewards as well as take advantage of savings on clothes, groceries, travel, leisure and more
• Pension scheme
• Enhanced maternity/adoption provision
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to Yoga/Meditation and many more activities on our wellbeing online platform
• Employee eye-care scheme
• Clinical supervision for front line staff and first line management roles
• Refer a Friend Scheme - £250 for each referral who passes probation
• Organisation wide away days
• Thorough induction and training
• Career development pathways 

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*This post is open to female applicants only as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.  

Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

We value diversity and believe the variety of ideas, perspectives and experiences it brings creates an effective environment in which talents can be fully utilised to achieve our goals.

We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and actively seek to recruit people from groups underrepresented in our current team. We have policies and processes in place to ensure that all employees are offered an equal opportunity in recruitment and selection, promotion, training, pay and benefits.