Welsh Women’s Aid Associates (freelance)
Welsh Women’s Aid is the national charity in Wales working to end domestic abuse and to promote
high-quality services for survivors that are needs-led, gender-responsive and holistic. Welsh Women’s
Aid represents and supports a federation of 26 local specialist domestic abuse/violence against
women services in Wales, as part of a UK network of provision. These specialist services constitute our
core membership, and between them they provide lifesaving refuges, outreach, community advocacy
and support for survivors of violence and abuse - women, men and children - and deliver innovative
preventative work in local communities. As a national federation, our policy work, campaigning,
consultancy, training and advocacy is all grounded in the lived experience of local specialist services
and service users. Our success is founded on making sure the experiences and needs of survivors are
central to all we do.
Associates
Welsh Women’s Aid is looking to expand our pool of associates to provide independent assessment
of our national quality service standards; to help deliver our capacity building project that supports
specialist services across Wales to evidence their impact and become commission-ready; and to
deliver domestic abuse/violence against women training in a range of subject areas.
You will need to be skilled and experienced domestic abuse/violence against women experts with a
proven track record of supporting small specialist refuge and community services, of delivering
training programmes, and providing a range of bespoke consultancy work related to strategic and
operational responses to domestic abuse.
Duties and commitments would vary depending on needs of Welsh Women’s Aid and availability of
associates. Payment is typically made on a daily rate or in some cases for project at an agreed sum,
and will include expenses where applicable.
Background information
1. Independent Assessors - National Quality Service Standards
The role of the assessor is to support and assess a specialist service in meeting the Welsh Women’s
Aid National Quality Service Standards with the ultimate aim that they will be awarded the WWA
quality mark.
The assessor brings an independent perspective to the analysis of evidence, gathered through
submitted documentation and interview with relevant people at the organisation’s premises. The
assessor’s report will inform the NQSS panel in their decision to award the quality mark and provide
positive guidance for services on recommended areas of improvement.
The role and skills of the assessor are critical to the process to ensure services feel the process is fair
and supportive while at the same time ensuring the assessment is discerning and robust.
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Key tasks:
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To become familiar with the Welsh Women’s Aid National Quality Service Standards, the
indicators and suggested evidence, the Assessor’s Manual and the Services Manual.
To liaise with and report to the Welsh Women’s Aid Services Development Officer over
the allocation of assessments and provide information on capacity and availability in a
timely manner.
To access, read and analyse documentary evidence provided by allocated applicants when
these are made available by Welsh Women’s Aid team.
To liaise with applicant organisations to set up site visits and interviews with staff, service
users and trustees and prepare appropriate questions based on the assessor manual and
the review of documentary evidence.
To conduct interviews in a safe and confidential manner, ensuring appropriate scrutiny
within clear boundaries and working in partnership with the applicant organisation.
To provide full written reports with recommendations in a timely manner to deadlines
agreed with the Welsh Women’s Aid team.
To respond promptly to all communications from the Welsh Women’s Aid team and work
with the team in a collaborative and flexible manner to achieve good quality panel reports
on time.
Time and rate:
The assessment (including a site visit) will take approximately 3-4 days to complete.
2. Independent Capacity Building Consultancy for Specialist Services
The purpose of independent consultancy will be to provide intense bespoke support to enable
specialist services to be commissioning-ready and to support specialist services to maximise their
access to funding. This targeted capacity-building support aims to ensure no independent specialist
domestic abuse/violence against women service closes as a result of commissioning processes
currently happening or imminent across regional and local areas in Wales.
It will involve working with and supporting specialist services engage in commissioning processes – for
example, to provide evidence to inform needs assessments and enable services to become tenderready; to enable services to better deliver needs-led support and evidence their quality and impact.
The role can also assist services and partnerships of services to articulate the need and value of their
specialist work within commissioning structures.
Key tasks:
1. To support the sustainability needs of local services through the provision of bespoke one to
one support with commissioning, tendering and demonstrating quality assurance.
2. To support service providers to evidence their quality and outcomes to local commissioners
and position themselves as the expert bodies supporting locally or regionally those affected
by domestic abuse.
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3. To support local specialist providers to develop partnership approaches to commissioning and
tendering processes and communicate a joint specialist sector voice to commissioners and
other local stakeholders.
4. To facilitate the growth in partnership and peer support arrangements between specialist
services and reduce the impact of competitive tendering between specialist services.
5. To support services in demonstrating the provision of high quality services through the use of
appropriate quality frameworks.
Time:
This project runs initially between November and March 2016, with extension subject to funding
continuation. The consultancy will be bespoke to the specialist services need so number of days
support will vary and will be agreed between WWA, the specialist service and consultant on
identification of support needed. A contract will be drawn up between all parties to ensure that this
agreement is honoured.
3. Welsh Women’s Aid National Training Service
Welsh Women’s Aid has developed and delivered high-quality accredited and non-accredited
training and associated support for front-line staff and managers in specialist services and public
sectors across Wales, and in 2009, achieved Agored Cymru Accredited Centre status which
demonstrates our commitment to excellence in training delivery in Wales.
Welsh Women’s Aid (in partnership with UK Federations) developed the first suite of accredited
qualifications and training designed for both specialist and non-specialist professionals working
domestic abuse. This suite, which is listed in the Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales
(QCF), conforms to the Welsh Government National Training Standards, and provides a
consistent framework for the effective and efficient delivery of high quality training throughout
Wales.
In 2015, Welsh Women’s Aid combined our expertise in service delivery and training by bringing
together a national partnership of sector-specialist trainers from regional independent violence
against women services. This team of associate trainers/assessors supplement our own trainers
and assessors, to comprise the Welsh Women’s Aid National Training Service.
We periodically seek associate trainers holding expertise in subject areas related to domestic
abuse, sexual violence and other forms of violence against women. Associate trainers are used
to supplement the capacity and expertise held within our core training service partnership.
Person Specification for Associates
The types of experience, knowledge and aptitude that are beneficial for consultants to hold are:
Experience:
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Experience of leading or managing, women’s domestic abuse, sexual violence or violence
against women services, and/or an in depth understanding of effective service models
within the specialist violence against women third sector.
Experience of writing and producing strategies and delivery plans, briefings, tender and
other funding applications, training programmes, quality assessment and other reports
or other information resources for a variety of audiences.
A background in training and/or other accreditation frameworks.
Experience of service delivery within a quality assurance framework.
Experience of evidencing grassroots work and demonstrating this to
funders/commissioners.
Experience of negotiating and developing partnerships between organisations in the
voluntary sector.
Experience of building trust and respect with a range of stakeholders including
consultation with service users and/or survivors of abuse.
Knowledge:
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An excellent understanding of effective service models for survivors of domestic abuse,
sexual violence and other forms of violence against women, that are needs-led, strengthsbased, gender-responsive and trauma-informed.
An understanding of the Welsh commissioning context and issues facing specialist
services management, delivery and sustainability.
An understanding of, and commitment to, the core principles of the Welsh Women’s Aid
National Quality Service Standards.
A good knowledge of commissioning cycles including needs assessment, services and
costs mapping, strategy development, and tendering processes and requirements.
A good knowledge of commissioning and procurement practice, legislation and guidance
in Wales, UK and EU; as well as an awareness of future developments expected in these
areas.
A good understanding of specialist domestic abuse / violence against women service
delivery models.
An understanding of the purpose of quality service standards for specialist domestic abuse
sector.
An understanding of the development and implementation of effective policies and
procedures.
An understanding of data protection and the importance of confidentiality and
anonymity.
Skills and aptitude:
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Ability to provide assessment of an organisations abilities in a non-judgemental but
discerning manner.
Ability to read, process and summarise large quantities of documentation efficiently to
identify key indicators of quality.
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Excellent verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate with diverse
audiences from service user groups to external stakeholders and commissioners.
Excellent written communication skills with the ability to provide objective and
informative evidence-based reports to the panel.
Ability to travel across Wales and work unsociable hours if needed.
Commitment to the vision, mission and values of Welsh Women’s Aid.
Particulars and Expression of Interest
Responsible to: Director of Business Development and Operations
Payment: To be agreed
Working Hours: Variable
Work Location: work will be delivered across Wales dependent on need, but associates can be homebased, at Welsh Women’s Aid head office in Cardiff, or other agreed venue.
If you would like to express an interest in delivering consultancy on the above projects please send
your CV and a short statement outlining how you meet the above person specification, and include
your particular interest and skills.
To support the National Quality Standards and Capacity Building projects, please send details to our
Services Development Officer, Gwendolyn Sterk via gwendolynsterk@welshwomensaid.org.uk.
To support the National Training Service, please send details to our Director of Business Development
and Operations via DawnJeffery@welshwomensaid.org.uk
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