Primary Care Domestic Abuse Professional

Job responsibilities

• Respond rapidly - ideally immediately but always within within 48 hours - to referrals from GP practice staff.
• Conduct risk assessments, DASH RIC, and safety planning for victims, perpetrators, and families.
• Provide trauma-informed support and facilitate access to appropriate services e.g., refuge, mental health, counselling.
• Represent GP practices at MARAC and liaise with DRAMM.
• Support GP practice staff experiencing domestic abuse through self-referral.
• Deliver training and resources to GP practice staff on domestic abuse.
• Support practices in updating domestic abuse policies and procedures.
• Promote routine enquiry and support implementation of non-fatal strangulation pathways.
• Attend practice meetings to provide case guidance and share information.
• Collect and report data, patient stories, and outcomes for evaluation.
• Ensure inclusive, accessible, and culturally competent service delivery.
• Continual evaluation and improvement of the service, making recommendations to senior managers for future service developments.
• Develop networks with the domestic abuse sector.
• Act as an expert resource for the multi-professional team, particularly with primary care.
• In conjunction with the safeguarding colleagues, lead in the development and advancement of clinical enquiry, emphasising the implementation of evidence-based knowledge into practice.
• Promote reflective practice among primary care colleagues and a culture of life-long learning relating to domestic abuse.
• Where appropriate, and in consultation with the patient and other professionals, provide a warm welcome to patients to a wide range of services including domestic abuse support services.
• To attend the multi-agency risk assessment conference, MARAC, case conferences and any safeguarding strategic meetings as requested.
• Facilitate primary care practice development to ensure practice meets recommendations from domestic homicide reviews, serious case reviews and significant incident learning processes both locally and nationally.
• Responsible for a caseload of vulnerable patients affected by domestic abuse, including the planning and implementing of individualised care plans in partnership with the multidisciplinary team.
• Have increased knowledge of and interest in domestic abuse including the impact on outcomes.
• Have awareness around other complexities and vulnerabilities that may accompany exposure to domestic abuse.
• Work in partnership with other members of the health and social care team to ensure a joint plan of care and management of risks
• Have sound knowledge of safeguarding procedures and access regular safeguarding supervision.
• Promote both short-term and long-term health through evidence-based education.
• Support patients and their families to make sustainable changes to improve health outcomes and decrease the generational impact.
• Develop training and support materials for primary care colleagues across Calderdale, delivering regular training and updates on domestic abuse.

Key Relationships:

• GP practice staff and safeguarding leads
• Domestic abuse services e.g., Womens Centre, refuge providers
• Calderdale Council - Children and Adults Social Care
• NHS Trusts and Primary Care Networks
• Calderdale Community Safety Partnership

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse - any field, Midwife, Allied Health Professional, Social Worker or IDVA.
• Educated to degree level.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.

Desirable

• Mentor qualification.
• Qualifications relating to safeguarding and/or domestic abuse.
• IDVA or equivalent domestic abuse training.

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 4 years post-registration experience.
• Experience of service leadership and development across an organisation/system.
• Experience of working with victims / perpetrators of domestic abuse - including in a strategic role.
• Multi-agency working.
• Risk assessment and safety planning.
• Delivering training or education.
• Experience in health settings.

Desirable

• Experience of teaching/mentoring students/groups.
• Experience in research, audit and benchmarking.
• Working with under-recognised groups (e.g. BAME, disabled, LGBTQ+).
• Developing patient pathways.

Knowledge

Essential

• Domestic abuse legislation and safeguarding frameworks.
• Trauma-informed care.
• Local and national domestic abuse pathways.
• Knowledge of MARAC/DRAMM processes.
• NHS and primary care systems.
• Confidentiality and information sharing principles.
• Children and adult safeguarding.
• Mental Capacity Act.

Values & Behaviours

Essential

• Empathy, compassion and respect for service users regardless of background, gender, or circumstances.
• Non-judgmental Attitude - Avoid assumptions or blame, recognise the complexity of abusive relationships and the barriers to leaving.
• Commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
• Professional integrity and confidentiality.
• Commitment to continuous improvement and learning.
• Commitment to engaging in supervision.
• Promote autonomy and self determination.

Skills

Essential

• Demonstrate the application of evidenced based practice.
• Ability to work independently and flexibly.
• Ability to manage sensitive and complex cases.
• Ability to quickly and effectively build trusting relationships with patients and professionals.
• Able to demonstrate a depth and breadth of current issues and policies within the NHS and inclusion healthcare and have the ability to translate into practice.
• Understanding and experience of interagency working and adult/child safeguarding.
• Able to communicate highly complex, highly sensitive and/or contentious information, including where there are barriers to understanding.
• IT skills.

Desirable

• Able to organise and present seminars, workshops or teaching sessions.
• Experience of working with interpreters.
• Data collection and reporting.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).