LGBT+ Co-Located Hospital Independent Domestic Abuse Advocate (IDVA)

Independent Domestic Abuse Advocate

Location:Hybrid working, with a minimum of two days per week based across Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Galop's London office.
Salary:You will start on scale point F3, £33,771.85 per year (including London Weighting of £4,296.25).
Hours: 35/week
Contract: Fixed Term to 31 March 2027

About Galop

Galop is the UK's LGBT+ anti-abuse charity (est. 1982). We support thousands experiencing domestic abuse, sexual violence, hate crime, honour-based abuse, forced marriage, and conversion therapies. Person-centred, empowerment-based, trauma-informed. We drive policy change and legislative reform for LGBT+ victims.

The Role

Provide specialist domestic abuse advocacy to LGBT+ survivors at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as part of Safe Horizons London Partnership. Work independently within the hospital, supervised by Galop, delivering advocacy, risk assessment, safety planning, and improving access to specialist support.

You Will

• Manage a caseload of LGBT+ survivors experiencing domestic abuse
• Deliver trauma-informed, survivor-led advocacy and safety planning
• Complete DASH assessments and support MARAC referrals
• Work with NHS safeguarding teams whilst maintaining independence
• Support access to housing, criminal justice, health and specialist services
• Respond promptly to referrals and prioritise high-risk cases
• Build relationships with clinicians to improve referral pathways
• Deliver training on LGBT+ domestic abuse
• Maintain accurate case records

About You

Passionate about improving LGBT+ survivors' lives. Work autonomously in healthcare, building strong relationships with clinicians and safeguarding practitioners. Combine excellent professional judgement with trauma-informed, survivor-led advocacy. Organised, resilient, committed. Good self-care essential. Training and support provided - you don't need to be an expert.

LGBTQ+ applicants only (Equality Act 2010, Genuine Occupational Requirement).

Essential

• Experience supporting domestic abuse/gender-based violence survivors
• Understanding of LGBT+ survivors' barriers to mainstream services
• Advocacy or case management experience
• Safeguarding knowledge and DASH risk assessment experience
• Case record management and GDPR knowledge
• MARAC and IDVA processes understanding

Essential Skills

• Trauma-informed, survivor-led advocacy
• Strong advocacy and negotiation with statutory agencies
• Risk assessment and decision-making under pressure
• Professional relationships across multidisciplinary teams
• Professional boundaries and resilience
• Independent working and workload management
• IT systems proficiency

Desirable

• NHS/healthcare setting experience
• SafeLives IDVA accreditation
• Training delivery experience
• Criminal/civil justice knowledge

Working at Galop

We encourage applications from underrepresented groups: trans/non-binary, Global Majority, people of faith, those with disability, and those with lived experience of abuse.

Reports To: Senior IDVA/Advocacy & Support Manager

Closing: 14 August 2026 Interviews: Week of 24 August 2026

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