Domestic Abuse Worker

Job Description

• Suffolk County Council 
• Address: Beacon House, Ipswich, IP1 5PB or West Suffolk House, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3SP - Hybrid
• Salary:£35,570 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• Hours:2 x posts - 37 hours and 18.5 hours per week, flexible working options 
• Contract: Permanent

Posts
1 x 37 hours - West Suffolk House, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3SP
1 x 18.5 hours - Beacon House, Ipswich, IP1 5PB 

At Suffolk County Council, every role is a chance to create positive change. As a Domestic Abuse Worker in Family Help, you’ll see the direct impact of your work on children, young people and families across Suffolk. Join us and turn your passion for progress into action.

Reimagine the possibilities.

Your role and responsibilities 

This is a rewarding and varied role where you’ll work directly with children, young people and families where domestic abuse is a factor, helping to improve safety, wellbeing and long-term outcomes.

You’ll play a vital role in supporting colleagues and families, using your specialist knowledge to guide safeguarding decisions and deliver effective, trauma-informed interventions.

You will:

• deliver specialist domestic abuse interventions, including one-to-one and group work, to support safer futures for families 
• assess and manage risk associated with domestic abuse, contributing to safety planning and ongoing review 
• provide advice, guidance and consultation to practitioners and managers on domestic abuse cases 
• build trusted, relationship-based engagement with victims, survivors, perpetrators and families using strengths-based approaches 
• work as part of multi-agency arrangements, including Team Around the Family and Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC)
• maintain high-quality case records and reports, ensuring evidence-based and outcome-focused practice 
• contribute to service development and improving domestic abuse practice across the team 

You’ll also use your professional curiosity and judgement to identify safeguarding concerns, respond to risk and help coordinate the right support at the right time.

What you will need 

We’re looking for someone who is passionate about making a difference and confident working in a safeguarding environment.

Ideally you will bring:

• A Level 5 qualification (or equivalent experience) in a relevant area 
• experience of working directly with children, young people and families 
• strong knowledge of domestic abuse, safeguarding and risk management
• experience of working collaboratively with partners across agencies 
• ability to engage, influence and motivate families to achieve positive change 
• confidence to identify risk, make sound decisions and respond appropriately 
• strong organisational skills and the ability to manage your own workload effectively.

We would also welcome:

• experience using Signs of Safety or solution-focused approaches 
• experience of working with complex needs, including exploitation or additional vulnerabilities.
   

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (JPP), which you can find in the ‘How to apply’ section towards the bottom of this advert.  

If you believe you can succeed in this role, apply. Even if you don't meet all requirements, still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

Due to the nature of this role, you will be required to have a driving licence and access to personal transport.  If you feel you can meet these travel requirements through other suitable means, please contact the Hiring Manager before applying to discuss.

The team 

At Suffolk County Council, we aspire for every child to live their best life. 

Our Family Help teams are multi-disciplinary, bringing together social workers and practitioners to provide early help, safeguarding and support to children and families. 

We focus on:

• early intervention and prevention
• strengths-based, relationship-led practice
• multi-agency working to deliver joined-up support
• creating sustainable change for families.
   

You’ll be joining a supportive and collaborative team that values learning, development and continuous improvement.

Learn more about Suffolk County Council's We Had Enough campaign, developed in partnership with RESTORE, and watch the campaign film here: We Had Enough Video

Empowering Everyone 

We’re big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report.

For more information 

Please contact Steve Blaney (he/him) for a casual conversation. You can reach them by calling [phone removed] or emailing [email removed].

How to apply

Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (Word)

Step 2 - Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application. 

Step 3 - Upload asupporting statementanswering the following questions below (no more than 400 words per question). You should use the Supporting Statement template.  

1. Describe your experience of working with individuals or families where domestic abuse was a factor. What interventions did you use and what was the outcome?

2. What is your understanding of family help model and how will the Domestic Abuse Worker help within this service?

3. The DA worker is a new role for children services, what would your priorities be during your first 3 months?

Please specify in your application which post/s you are applying for.

Please note: Without a supporting statement, your interest will not be progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format.  

For guidance on completing your application, please see our How to Apply page. 

We value authentic applications that showcase your genuine skills and experiences, so we encourage you to present your own work and ideas throughout the process. You can also read our Using AI in Your Application and Interview guidance to understand acceptable and unacceptable use of AI. If AI is used inappropriately, your applica