Vacancies
Back to Vacancies
Responsible To: DSA Shift Leader
Location: Hybrid role with various shifts within each operating window
Hours: • Office-based: 08:00 – 20:00 (Monday – Friday) • Home-based (remote): 20:00 – 08:00 (Monday – Friday) • Home-based (remote): 24/7 (Saturday and Sunday)
Salary: £14.10 per hour
Job Details:
Role Purpose
The Helpline Operator plays a critical frontline role in providing safe, trauma informed, and survivor centred support to individuals affected by domestic abuse and sexual abuse.
The postholder will respond to helpline contacts across multiple channels (telephone, email, webchat, and other digital platforms where applicable), delivering support, risk assessment, safety planning, information provision, and referral into appropriate statutory and voluntary services.
The role requires a high level of professional judgement, emotional intelligence, and adherence to safeguarding, governance, and legislative frameworks.
The Helpline Operator must operate within a robust ethical, legal, and organisational framework, ensuring confidentiality, data protection, and safeguarding responsibilities are always upheld.
Key Responsibilities
1. Helpline Service Delivery
• Provide empathetic, non judgemental, and trauma informed support to callers affected by domestic abuse, sexual abuse, stalking, harassment, and related forms of harm.
• Respond in a timely and effective manner to contacts across all helpline communication channels, including telephone, email, webchat, and digital platforms.
• Support callers in crisis, including those experiencing high levels of distress, dissociation, fear, or emotional dysregulation.
• Manage calls involving complex needs, including repeat callers, high risk cases, and callers with multiple intersecting vulnerabilities.
• Maintain professional boundaries while building trust and rapport with service users.
2. Safeguarding and Risk Management
• Adhere strictly to organisational safeguarding policies and procedures for adults and children at risk.
• Conduct comprehensive risk assessments, including identification of immediate danger, escalation factors, and protective factors.
• Develop and support safety planning with callers, tailored to their individual circumstances and level of risk.
• Recognise indicators of coercive control, honour based abuse, forced marriage, sexual exploitation, and other forms of abuse.
• Escalate safeguarding concerns appropriately, including consultation with appointed safeguarding person to enable appropriate referrals to statutory agencies where required.
• Ensure robust follow up on safeguarding actions, including documentation, internal alerts, and inter agency communication.
3. Assessment, Information and Referral
• Undertake thorough needs assessments to identify the most appropriate support pathways for callers.
• Provide accurate, up to date information on legal options, protective measures, and support services.
• Facilitate referrals to internal services and external agencies, including refuges, PSNI, housing executive.
• Signpost to other specialist support services e.g. ASSIST NI, Victim Support, Nexus, Women’s Aid, MAP NI, MANI, Rainbow, Cara Friend, etc.
• Support callers to make informed choices while respecting autonomy and consent.
• Liaise professionally with partner agencies and professionals where consent and information sharing protocols allow.
4. Governance, Compliance and Legislation
• Work in full compliance with all organisational policies and procedures, including safeguarding, confidentiality, lone working, and health and safety.
• Maintain up to date knowledge of relevant legislation and guidance, including but not limited to:
o Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021
o Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022
o Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008
o Protection from Stalking Act (Northern Ireland) 2022
o Protection from Harassment (Northern Ireland) Order 1997
o Family Homes and Domestic Violence (Northern Ireland) Order 1998
o Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995
o Safeguarding Board Act (Northern Ireland) 2011
o Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Criminal Justice and Support for Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2015
o Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1999
o Data Protection Act 2018
o UK GDPR
o Human Rights Act 1998
• Understand and apply information sharing frameworks, including lawful bases for sharing information in safeguarding contexts.
• Contribute to audits, monitoring, and quality assurance processes as required.
5. Record Keeping and Data Management
• Maintain appropriate service user records in line with organisational and legal requirements, whilst upholding callers right to anonymity.
• Record call data, risk assessments, outcomes, safeguarding actions, and referrals accurately and in a timely manner.
• Ensure data is stored and handled securely in compliance with data protection legislation and organisational policy.
• Contribute to monitoring and evaluation through accurate data capture to support service reporting and funding requirements.
6. Professional Practice and Development
• Work autonomously and manage workload effectively, including prioritising high risk contacts.
• Participate in regular supervision, line management meetings, and reflective practice sessions.
• Engage proactively in mandatory training, continuous professional development, and skills updates.
• Demonstrate resilience and effective self care strategies when working with distressing and traumatic content.
• Contribute to a supportive team culture and always uphold organisational values.
7. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• Deliver an inclusive and accessible service to individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Respond sensitively to callers with additional barriers, including language needs, disabilities, mental health needs, immigration status, or cultural considerations.
• Work effectively with interpreters and translation services when required.
• Demonstrate awareness of the impact of discrimination, inequality, and intersectionality on experiences of abuse.
8. Outreach and Service Development
• Support outreach activity, including distribution of promotional materials and participation in awareness raising initiatives.
• Engage with professionals and partner organisations via phone, email, and events to promote the helpline.
• Contribute to the development and enhancement of helpline resources, referral pathways, and service improvements.
• Participate in structured feedback processes to support accountability and service user voice.
