As Referral and Advice Line Worker my role is to offer confidential advice and support to all callers, concerned family and friends and professionals. My role involves providing emotional and practical support, signposting clients, professionals and others who call. The service is funded for Greenwich residents but we also get calls from elsewhere.
I am the first point of call for a client looking for refuge accommodation. If we have a space I will make a referral, if not, I will run a refuge search or signpost the caller to other agencies. On a daily basis, I update routes to support and make refuge searches for clients and professionals.
I am also responsible for taking Floating Support and Sanctuary Scheme referrals for clients in Greenwich. Our Floating Support service is for clients who live in their own homes or in temporary accommodation. The Sanctuary Scheme is a scheme which provides extra security to ensure clients can live safely in their own homes. Initially, a risk and needs assessment is completed. Clients who have been placed on our waiting list for Floating Support will have access to my support until they are allocated a dedicated Floating Support worker.
I also signpost clients to support for practical issues such as legal issues, safety planning, housing, education, training and employment. Additionally, I am involved in the coordination of clients for the Freedom programme, a workshop focusing on domestic abuse awareness and self-esteem.
I had worked as a support worker in refuges for approx. 10 years and had then been in various temporary positions for 3 years following this. A friend of mine told me that there was a job going at Housing for Women in June 2018. I applied and was fortunate enough to secure the position in July 2018. It wasn’t long before I realised that supporting victims and survivors of domestic abuse is where my passion lay, and that my true purpose is helping others.
I am based within Housing for Women’s Greenwich DVA Services.
I hold both an Advanced Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and a Women’s Aid WAFE qualification. My skills include good communication and listening skills, empathy and support in a non-judgmental manner as well as an ability to question in a non-intrusive way to gain information. Additionally, my experience of working in a refuge setting as a support worker have given me a wealth of first-hand experience and knowledge.
Yes, it has been. You can’t work in an environment such as this and not be affected by the challenging stories and the pain that you hear or feel following conversations with clients. There are times when it can feel like a lot which is when the importance of self-care kicks in and having an amazing team around you.
The days and weeks fly by so fast and this is because my working day is packed full due to the sheer volume of helpline calls coming in. If I am not answering calls I am making calls, or taking referrals. I spend quite a bit of time inputting data about the calls I have received. In between all my normal duties I get involved in other tasks such as collecting donations, cleaning and clearing, speaking to service users… the list is endless!
The organisation and the team that I am fortunate to be a part of, that genuinely care about the people who come through our service. I have been encouraged to ensure that no client, concerned family/friend or professional is turned away without advice/support or signposting to other agencies. I am working with some awesome, passionate, dedicated and brilliantly talented people. I love the fact that I am trusted to get on and do my job. I get it wrong sometimes and I love the fact that I am not judged but encouraged to learn from my mistakes and move on. No days are the same and amongst all the challenges we face we still make time to have a laugh.
Right now I feel so grateful to be a part of Housing for Women and Greenwich DVA Services. I want to continue to make a difference to our client group and to all who come in contact with our services.
If you are using a shared computer, or simply do not want other people to see that you have visited the Housing for Women website, you may want to hide your internet viewing history.
When InPrivate Browsing is turned on, you will see this indicator in the address bar
InPrivate Browsing helps prevent Internet Explorer from storing data about your browsing session. This includes cookies, temporary Internet files, history, and other data. Toolbars and extensions are disabled by default
Browsers store some info—like your search history—to help improve your experience on the web. When you use InPrivate Browsing, info like passwords, search history, and page history is deleted once you close the tab.
To open an InPrivate Browsing session, right–select the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar, and select Start InPrivate Browsing. Or if you have already opened Internet Explorer select the Settings icon to the extreme right side of the address bar. Doing so will present a list of options, one of which reads Safety. Selecting this option presents another set of options, one of which is InPrivate Browsing. Clicking this option will open a new window allowing private browsing, and which can be closed with a single click.
As you browse the web, Firefox remembers lots of information for you - like the sites you've visited. There may be times, however, when you don't want people with access to your computer to see this information. Private Browsing allows you to browse the Internet without saving any information about which sites and pages you’ve visited.
There are two ways to open a new Private Window.
When you use Private Browsing windows, Safari doesn’t save your browsing history, and it asks websites you visit not to track you.
To use Private Browsing: Choose File > New Private Window, or switch to a Safari window that’s already using Private Browsing. A window that’s using Private Browsing has a dark Smart Search field with white text.
If you don’t want Google Chrome to save a record of what you visit and download, you can browse the web privately in Incognito mode.
The method for starting Incognito may very depening on the PC you are using. The default method in Chrome is to click on the 3 dots to the extreme right side of the address bar. Doing so will present a list of options, one of which is New Incognito Window. Clicking this option will open a new window allowing private browsing, and which can be closed with a single click.
How Incognito mode works
Incognito mode opens a new window where you can browse the Internet in private without Chrome saving the sites you visit. You can switch between an Incognito window and any regular Chrome browsing windows you have open. You'll only be in Incognito mode when you're using the Incognito window.
Others can see some information
Incognito mode only prevents Chrome from saving your site visit activity. It won't stop other sources from seeing what sites you’ve visited, including:
Downloads are saved to your computer
Chrome won’t save a record of the files you download in Incognito mode. However, the downloaded files will be saved to your computer’s Downloads folder, even after you close your Incognito tabs. You and anyone who uses your computer can see and open the files.