Support Worker
Specialist domestic violence support | County Kildare
Role at a glance
LOCATION: Primarily Kildare Town, with work in Naas, Safe Homes and agreed
community locations across County Kildare
HOURS Full time, 38 paid hours per week
WORKING PATTERN: 4 x days per week, 9:00am-7:30pm, including an unpaid one-hour lunch break
BASE SALARY €43,209 per annum (€21.87 per hour)
PREMIUMS Additional €2.00 per hour for Sunday and public-holiday hours worked
CONTRACT 12-month fixed-term contract; six-month probation
ANNUAL LEAVE 190 hours per annum (5 standard working weeks)
CORU Registration is not required for this post
Sample three-week rota
WEEK 1: Mon · Tues· Thurs· Sat
WEEK 2: Tues · Weds · Fri · Sun
WEEK 3: Mon · Weds · Thurs · Fri
Specific days may change according to service needs. The postholder will work flexibly across Teach Tearmainn's services to maintain appropriate coverage.
About Teach Tearmainn
Teach Tearmainn is the only dedicated domestic violence and abuse support service in County Kildare. We provide free, confidential and specialist support to women and children affected by domestic violence and abuse.
Our mission is to meet the needs of women and children experiencing domestic violence and abuse through inclusive, supportive and confidential services that empower them to live life without fear.
About the Role
The Support Worker is a key member of Teach Tearmainn's Support Team. The role provides planned, structured and specialist support to women experiencing, or recovering from, domestic violence and abuse by a current or former intimate partner.
Women will have different circumstances, levels of risk and support needs. The Support Worker helps each woman understand her situation, assess risk, strengthen safety, consider options and build confidence and independence - without taking control of her decisions.
Who you will support
- Women in the community accessing planned one-to-one support at safe locations across County Kildare.
- Women and children staying in Teach Tearmainn's Refuge or Safe Homes following domestic violence and abuse.
- Women contacting the Helpline for immediate information, emotional support, safety support and access to services. Concerned family members, friends and professionals may also contact theHelpline.
How we work
Woman-led
Women are supported to understand their options and make their own informed decisions.
Safety-focused
Risk is recognised, assessed and responded to through collaborative safety planning.
Domestic-abuse specific
Support maintains a clear focus on abuse, coercive control and their impact. Trauma-informed Practice is safe, respectful, validating and avoids re-traumatisation.
Strengths-based
Support builds on each woman's strengths, resources, autonomy and independence.
Professional scope: This is a specialist domestic abuse support role. It does not provide counselling or psychotherapy, clinical diagnosis or treatment, legal advice, or specialist housing, welfare or mental-health interventions.
Professional and boundaried: Warmth and compassion operate within clear ethical, confidential and accountable practice.
What the role involves
Structured one-to-one support
Standard support sessions are approximately 60 minutes. They offer a safe, confidential and purposeful space for women who may still be living with an abusive partner, considering separation, living apart following separation, or staying in Refuge or Safe Home accommodation.
- Explore experiences and patterns of domestic violence, abuse and coercive control.
- Identify immediate and ongoing risk and develop orreview safety plans.
- Agree clear domestic abuse-related support goals and review progress.
- Provide appropriate psychoeducation, emotional support and practical information.
- Support informed decision-making, confidence, recovery and independence.
Information, advocacy and referral
Women may also need support relating to housing, social welfare, health, mental health, finances, immigration, legal matters or family services. The Support Worker identifies how these issues relate to domestic abuse and safety, provides relevant information and advocacy within the role's remit, and connects women with the appropriate internal or external specialist service.
- Internal pathways may include Court Accompaniment, Children's Support and group programmes.
- External referrals may include legal, housing, welfare, health, social work, counselling, addiction, immigration and family services.
Working Across Our Services
Community Support
Provide planned support at Teach Tearmainn sites, community clinics and other agreed safe locations, while following lone-working, confidentiality and personal-safety procedures.
Refuge and Safe Homes
Support women entering emergency or short-term accommodation; respond calmly to crisis and distress; contribute to a safe environment; and support transition and move-on planning.
Helpline
Respond to women who may be distressed or frightened, identify immediate risk, provide domestic abuse information and emotional support, explain available services, facilitate referrals and accurately record contacts.
Court, Groups and Community Engagement
Refer to the dedicated Court Accompaniment Service and provide court-related support when operationally required. Staff may be required to provide Court related support if the court worker is not on shift or unavailable. Staff may also be required to support the planning, organization and facilitation of group programmes such as Own My Life and TLC Kidz, awareness initiatives, workshops and community education (with appropriate training).
Key Responsibilities
- Provide structured, one-to-one specialist domestic abuse support across community, accommodation and Helpline settings.
- Complete appropriate domestic abuse risk assessments, safety plans, support plans and reviews.
- Respond to crisis, distress, safeguarding concerns and changes in risk, escalating concerns appropriately.
- Provide domestic abuse-specific information, psychoeducation, emotional support and practical assistance within the role's remit.
- Advocate, signpost and make timely internal and external referrals while promoting independence and self-advocacy.
- Manage a varied caseload, appointments, travel, follow-up actions whilst managing your professional diary effectively and efficiently.
- Maintain accurate, factual, timely and confidential records on Salesforce and other agreed systems.
- Provide clear handovers and communicate relevant information through agreed organisational channels.
- Work collaboratively with colleagues, statutory agencies and community services.
- Participate in meetings, case management, supervision, reflective practice, training, service monitoring and continuous improvement.
- Contribute flexibly to service operations and coverage, including court-related, group and practical service-support tasks, where required.
Professional Standards and Safeguarding
Safe and effective domestic abuse work requires compassion alongside sound judgement, consistent boundaries and accountability. The successful candidate will be expected to:
- Maintain clear professional boundaries with service users and colleagues and avoid over- involvement or rescuing behaviours.
- Maintain confidentiality, understand its limits and share information only through appropriate and agreed channels.
- Recognise the limits of their role, knowledge and competence; seek guidance and accept professional direction.
- Follow Children First, safeguarding, risk-management, lone-working, health and safety, and service security procedures.
- Remain calm, reliable and professional during challenging or emotionally demanding situations.
- Complete records, commitments and follow-up actions promptly and use supervision reflectively.
Person Specification
Essential Qualification
- A minimum Level 7 or 8 third-level qualification in Social Science, Community Work, Social Work, Social Studies or another relevant discipline.
Essential Experience
- At least three years' relevant paid experience within a domestic violence or community-based support service.
- Experience providing structured one-to-one support, key-working,support planning or casework.
- Experience supporting people affected by crisis, trauma or complex circumstances.
- Experience of risk assessment, safety planning, advocacy, signposting and referral.
- Experience maintaining professional boundaries and accurate, confidential records.
- Experience managing appointments, caseloads and competing priorities while working both independently and as part of a team.
- Experience of interagency or multidisciplinary working.
Essential knowledge and capabilities
- Strong understanding of domestic violence and abuse, coercive control and their impact on women and children.
- Ability to provide structured, non-directive, strengths-based and empowerment-focused support.
- Understanding of trauma-informed practice, safeguarding, confidentiality and appropriate information sharing.
- Clear understanding of the distinction between specialist domestic abuse support and counselling, therapy or clinical intervention.
- Excellent verbal, written, listening, organisational and time-management skills.
- Sound professional judgement, strong boundaries and the ability to seek guidance and escalate appropriately.
- Confidence using electronic client-management, diary and communication systems.
Desirable experience
- Experience in a specialist domestic violence service, Refuge or Safe Home service.
- Helpline, crisis-support or court-accompaniment experience.
- Experience facilitating structured women's or family programmes.
- Experience using Salesforce or another electronic client-management database.
- Experience of child safeguarding, community education, prevention or awareness work.
Desirable Attributes
We are looking for someone who is warm, woman-centred and non-judgemental; calm and emotionally mature; organised, reliable and accountable; reflective and open to learning; and able to balance independent working with strong teamwork.
Other Requirements
- A full clean Irish driving licence and access to your own vehicle are essential.
- Ability and willingness to travel throughout County Kildare.
- Willingness to work across community settings, Refuge and Safe Homes and to participate in Helpline provision.
- Willingness to provide court accompaniment where required by service needs.
- Willingness to work the rolling four-day rota, including weekends and public/bank holidays, from 9:00am to 7:30pm with an unpaid one-hour lunch break.
- Ability to work safely in community and lone-working environments and participate in relevant training.
- Appointment is subject to satisfactory Garda Vetting, references and qualification checks.
What we are looking for
We are looking for someone who understands the purpose of specialist domestic abuse support: a professional who can sit alongside a woman, explore what she is experiencing, assess risk, develop a safety plan and help her consider her options without taking control of her decisions.
Good support is compassionate, structured and purposeful. It recognises when another specialist is better placed to help and connects women with appropriate services. It also depends on strong organisation, accurate records, reliable follow-through, effective teamwork and professional accountability.
Please Note: Although we are a 24/7 service, this is not a residential service. It is a specialised domestic violence support service.
Garda Vetting applies to this role.
Please note: only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Pay: €21.87-€23.87 per hour
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Employee assistance program
- On-site parking
Education:
Experience:
- community support : 2 years (required)
Licence/Certification:
- Full Irish Drivers licence+access to your own vehicle (required)
Work authorisation:
Work Location: In person
