About The Role
This is an exciting opportunity to join the Domestic Abuse and Interpersonal Violence and lead on Operation Encompass, which is now a statutory duty, and working collaboratively with education colleagues and West Midlands Police across Birmingham.
Under the definition of domestic abuse within the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, children and young people are considered victims of domestic abuse in their own right if they live in a home where domestic abuse is occurring, whether or not they see or hear it. In 2024, the Victims and Prisoners Act (2024) placed a statutory duty on local police forces to report any incidents of domestic abuse to education, including nurseries, schools and colleges. Birmingham Children’s Trust lead on this work. The Domestic Abuse Education Lead is pivotal in ensuring we deploy statutory requirements and enhance the response to domestic abuse for children and young people.
Every day will be different. The role will require someone with significant domestic abuse work experience and knowledge as you will need to be able to identify risk, detail safety plans and other partners that can support the family who are experiencing domestic abuse. You will need to work with our business support team to ensure police domestic abuse notifications are sent to education colleagues on a daily basis, follow up on actions from MARAC, support education colleagues with specialist advice and guidance that helps and safeguards the child or young person and deliver domestic abuse training to education professionals. You will receive an induction and ongoing support to undertake the role and be supported by a team of colleagues.
We have been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted, following a 2023 inspection. This is a fantastic achievement for Birmingham Children's Trust, with many positive highlights focusing on areas including the quality of staff leadership, partnership working, safeguarding and corporate parenting.
This is a hybrid role based in Birmingham so you must reside within a suitable commutable distance around Birmingham and have the correct right-to-work documents to work in the UK. Sadly, we do not support those who require sponsorship.
Contract: Please note this is a fixed term contract until April 2026, covering maternity leave.
About you:
- Extensive experience of working within domestic abuse roles.
- Have a sound understanding of the impact of domestic abuse on children and young people, legislation related to domestic abuse, particularly the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024.
- Experience of working in children’s social care is desirable.
- Confident in providing advice and guidance to other agencies including risk assessment and safety planning.
- Must understand the pathways of support for survivors of domestic abuse and civil orders available to families.
- Understand trauma and consider how the needs of children and young people are best met through a trauma informed response, challenge victim blaming language and advocate for the non-abusive parent where needed.
- Be confident in delivering two training modules to education staff; 1) Understanding domestic abuse and coercive control, 2) Understanding the impact of domestic abuse on children and young people and how to support them. Power Points will be provided.
- Must be confident in using a range of IT applications and will be required to access a range of databases.
- Strong record-keeping skills and able to write quarterly reports which analyse data, gaps and impact.
- You need to be solution focussed, calm under pressure and work autonomously but know when to escalate matters of concern.
For an informal discussion please contact: [email protected]
About Us
Help us to change children and young people’s lives!
At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of over 10,000 children and young people in our city every day. Our mission is to support the most disadvantaged children and young people in Birmingham, ensuring they are safe, happy, and healthy.
Why Join Us?
- Impactful Work - be part of a team that makes a real difference in the lives of the city’s most vulnerable children.
- Supportive Environment - enjoy a supportive and collaborative work culture where your contributions are valued.
- Career Development - benefit from tailored development programs, supportive supervision, and a range of learning opportunities to enhance your skills and advance your career.
- Generous Benefits - take advantage of our competitive reward package including generous leave allowance, Local Government pension scheme, and additional benefits.
Our Values
We approach our work with care and compassion, actively listening to the needs of the children and young people we serve. We involve them in the decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and respected.
We are committed to using our resources wisely, ensuring that every penny is spent where it counts the most. We foster collaboration among schools, health professionals, and the police, working together to create a supportive network for our young people.
We believe that when we work as one cohesive team, the children and young people of Birmingham are more likely to thrive. Our unified approach ensures that we provide the best possible support and opportunities for their growth and development.
Join us and together, we can create a brighter future for all.
Safeguarding
At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.
Depending on the role, you may be asked to undergo the appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to assess your suitability for working with children and young people.
The level of check (Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with Barred List) is determined based on the specific responsibilities of the role and the level of contact with children and young people.
We are committed to the fair treatment of all applicants, including those with criminal records. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the offence.
