Independent Sexual Violence Advisor

Can you provide ongoing emotional, practical, and advocacy support to clients, maintaining a focus on safety, wellbeing, and empowerment?

Do you possess highly developed advocacy, negotiation, and persuasive communication skills that can genuinely influence decisions and make a meaningful impact?

We are seeking a committed Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) to play a key role in delivering trauma-informed, person-centred support to victims and survivors of sexual violence and abuse.

Salary: £35,235 to £37,938 per annum

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full-time (37 hours per week) Monday to Friday

Location: Bridge House, Barrington Rd, Goring-by-Sea, Worthing BN12 4SE

Interview Date: 17th July 2025 at Bridge House, Worthing

This role requires the successful candidate to travel independently to various venues, council locations, and family homes across the County, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport. Pool cars and pool bikes available.

Regular attendance at your base location will also be necessary, and there will be opportunities for remote work. Final arrangements will be confirmed with the successful candidate.

This is essential for working closely with colleagues and families, offering them the vital face-to-face support they deserve.

About the job

Our work in the Community Safety and Wellbeing team brings a unique experience each day, filled with unexpected challenges and rewards! There are several key responsibilities that are likely to be integral to this role, including:

• Working directly with children and young people (aged 13 and over) as well as adults of all genders who have experienced sexual violence and abuse, ensuring they receive suitable support and are empowered to make informed decisions.
• Deliver trauma-informed advocacy and both emotional and practical support, including guidance through criminal justice procedures, safeguarding protocols, and access to specialised services.
• Work collaboratively within a multi-agency environment, ensuring that the safety and wellbeing of clients and their children remain at the forefront of all coordinated efforts.
• Manage a caseload of clients impacted by sexual violence, passionately advocating for their safety and well-being as you proactively addressing varying levels of risk.
• Conducting in-depth needs and risk assessments, developing personalized safety plans, and offering both practical assistance and emotionally empowering support tailored to each individual's unique circumstances.
• Deliver comprehensive training to professionals and stakeholders to enhance understanding of sexual violence, the needs of survivors, and the role of the ISVA in facilitating safe and effective support responses.

If you are passionate about making a positive difference in the community, then this role is perfect for you.

Required Qualifications and Skills:

• Relevant degree qualification in a related field (e.g., social work, psychology, criminology) or demonstrated experience in supporting individuals in stressful, complex, or traumatic circumstances.
• Accredited ISVA qualification or other relevant qualification.
• A valid and full UK driving licence, along with access to personal transport, and a genuine willingness to travel across the county as needed.
• Proven experience working within a multi-agency environment supporting victims and survivors of sexual violence and abuse.
• Comprehensive understanding of adult and child safeguarding procedures and policies, committed to ensure safety and well-being.
• Excellent crisis management skills, demonstrating the ability to respond calmly and effectively to clients in highly sensitive, challenging, or complex situations.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and rapport with clients, and to provide clear, empathetic, and informed guidance while upholding professional boundaries.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

Rewards and Benefits

We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

A laptop and mobile will be supplied if applicable to your role. You will benefit from 27 days annual leave rising to 28 days after 5 years' service, plus the opportunity to buy additional leave and an excellent local government pension scheme

A range of discounts give our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over £1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform.

For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CPP01139

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Francesca Erdelyi at

For issues or queries regarding your application please contact .

Does this sound like the opportunity for you? Click apply below, upload your CV and cover letter.

Your cover letter should:

• Outline your motivations for applying.
• Explain the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills in the attached job description).

Does this sound like the opportunity for you? Click apply below, upload your CV, and complete the application form, explaining how you meet the key skills in the attached job description and experience you can bring to the role. Please ensure all that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV.

Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to right to work within the UK, enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, satisfactory references, and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.