About the role

Domestic Abuse Counsellor

Service: Family Action Domestic Abuse Healing and Empowerment Service Gloucestershire (For Survivors in Safe Accommodation)
Salary: £28,884 FTE per annum (£15,612.97 per annum for part-time, 20 hours per week)
Location: Dursley, Gloucestershire (office based with travel across Gloucestershire)
Hours: 20 hours per week (part-time)
Contract: Contracted until March 2027 (may be additional funding beyond this)

Family Action & the Role’s Impact:
At Family Action we support people through change, challenge or crisis. It’s what we’ve done for over 150 years. We protect children, support young people and adults and offer direct, practical help to families and communities.

We see first-hand the power of family to shape lives, for better or worse, so we speak up for the importance of family in national and local policymaking, amplify family voices and represent the changing needs of families in the UK today.

Family Action delivers a wide range of projects for victims/survivors of domestic abuse. This is an exciting opportunity to join the adult team specialising in counselling survivors of domestic abuse, with a trauma-informed approach. The contract is based in Gloucestershire working with all people who access Safe Accommodation within the community.

Family Action delivers a wide range of projects for victims/survivors of domestic abuse. This is an exciting opportunity to join the adult team specialising in counselling survivors of domestic abuse, with a trauma-informed approach. The contract is based in Gloucestershire working with all people who access Safe Accommodation within the community.

We is currently looking for one counsellor to join our team in Gloucestershire, focusing on supporting victims/survivors of domestic violence. Experience working with children and young people aged 16-25 will be desirable.

Ideal candidates will hold a minimum Level 5 qualification in counselling/psychotherapy. They will possess recognised professional accreditation or be actively working towards accreditation. Previous experience in domestic abuse, trauma-informed practice, and working with diverse communities is a must.

We provide holistic humanistic support through individual counselling, face-to-face, online support and a specialist helpline. Therapeutic interventions may include counselling, and wrap-around therapeutic support and interventions will include, pre and post-group support with a group facilitator. This may include self-care strategies such as meditation, yoga, and mindfulness.

We are seeking candidates who are passionate about addressing violence against girls and women and are committed to intersectional work. Our counsellors should excel in managing clinical risks, conducting assessments, and handling confidential information with sensitivity

Main Responsibilities (see job description for full list):
• To provide inclusive counselling for a diverse range of adult survivors of domestic abuse in safe accommodation in line with the commissioned timeframes and objectives.
• To undertake initial assessments with new clients and be able to assess need, risk and to record the assessment as part of the allocation process.
• To have an active interest in working with those affected by domestic abuse, and recognise the impact that trauma has in relation to this.
• To maintain confidential, up to date and accurate records of all sessions and plans, carefully considering the sensitive nature of the work, regarding statutory investigations and court proceedings.
• To use outcome tools to measure and monitor client well-being, to assess on-going risk, promote safety, collate data and to welcome service feedback.
• To liaise with referrers and other professionals and agencies as appropriate and where required, including signposting.
• To carry out or participate in all such other tasks and activities that will help develop and promote the service, including a commitment to learning and providing feedback for reporting to commissioners.
• To ensure the implementation of Family Action’s Equality & Diversity Policy and Ethical Policy in every aspect of your work and positively promote the principles of these policies amongst colleagues, service users and other members of the community.

Main Requirements (for details check the job description and person specification):
• You will be client centred and committed to ensuring there is equality of access to the service and that service users are treated with dignity and that their specific needs are prioritised to improve their sense of wellbeing.
• You will have a strong track record in quality, performance, and safeguarding. With a client-facing approach, you will be passionate about engaging our service users in all aspects of our work including co-production.
• This role will be office-based in Gloucestershire with travel across the county and potentially include one evening and weekend shift per week.
• There will be 3 hours per month of paid clinical supervision plus line management supervision with the Clinical Service Manager.

Benefits:
- an annual paid leave entitlement that commences at 25 working days (pro-rata), and after a full year of service, rising each April by one day, subject to a maximum of 30 working days plus bank holidays
- up to 6% matched-pension contributions
- enhanced paid sick leave and paid family leave provisions
- eye care and winter flu jabs vouchers
- cycle to work scheme
- investing in your professional development with ongoing quality training and career development opportunities

We are forward looking, ambitious and committed to continuous improvement. We are a people focused, can-do organisation, which strives for excellence in all we do and operates with mutual respect.

To Apply:
• Click the ‘Apply’ link below and fill out our digital application form
• Closing Date: 17th July 2026 17:00pm

Interviews are scheduled to take place from 01-14 August 2026 virtually, with slots throughout the working day and early/late slots available.
For any queries, or if you would like to discuss any aspect of the selection process or the potential for flexible working, please email: lisa.platts@family-action.org.uk

All appointments with Family Action are subject to satisfactory Safer Recruitment checks.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:
We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process and you will be asked whether you require any adjustments if shortlisted for interview. We also make reasonable adjustments on the job, where required.

We are committed to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in all that we do and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Intersectionality is important to us and we welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates. We are committed to increasing the representation of these groups at Family Action because we know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for families and children and we strive for our workforce to be truly representative of the diverse communities we support.

All candidates with a disability are welcome to apply under the Disability Confident Scheme and request priority consideration for an interview, provided they meet the essential criteria for the role.

To help remove financial barriers to working with us, we will reimburse reasonable travel costs if you are invited to attend an interview in person.

*Ordinarily Family Action appoints new starters at the starting point of the salary scale (with subsequent annual pay progression), unless you have experience that would justify appointment further up the salary scale or there are any other exceptional reasons.