Active Recovery Lead

The Southmead Project

Job Description - Active Recovery Lead

Title: Active Recovery Lead

Employer:  The Southmead Project

Accountable to: Head of Active Recovery

Place of Work: The Southmead Project, Southmead, Bristol. BS10 6AS and Somerset

Hours: 2 days per week - (12 months fixed term contract, subject to funding with potential for further extension)

Salary: £31,278.00 p/a pro rata

The Southmead Project:

The Southmead Project is an equal opportunities employer providing free specialist trauma counselling and support for adult survivors of abuse across Bristol and surrounding areas. Our recruitment is done in line with safer recruitment practices. We value our team very highly and pride ourselves on being a supportive employer. We provide the following benefits to encourage every staff member to have a supported, well-rounded and enriched working experience:

• Paid supervision for 1.5 hours per month, with an external clinical supervisor Line management for 1 hour per month Training budget of £500 per year to spend on relevant training of that person’s choice Optional private counselling for up to twelve sessions per year with an external counsellor of that person’s choice Employer pension contribution of 5%

We also support employees with reasonable adjustments through the Access to Work scheme.

The Active Recovery Project gives adult survivors of abuse the opportunity to take part in community-based activities. Members of Active Recovery can participate in a variety of group activities with others who share or understand their experience and develop peer relationships, resulting in increased confidence and reduced isolation. The activities are based on ideas from our members and include water-based activities (such as rowing, canoeing, sailing and kayaking), surfing, trips to community spaces and creative sessions (such as arts and crafts). Activities take place every week. Each activity will last approximately 2.5 hours and members can attend the group sessions for up to 18 months.

Job Purpose:

We are looking for a warm and passionate leader to come and join the Active Recovery Service. As an Active Recovery Lead, their job will be to develop and deliver the Active Recovery Project in Bristol/Somerset. Using a trauma-informed approach, the Active Recovery Lead will create and provide a safe and supportive space for clients from The Sexual Violence Alliance organisations (The Southmead Project, SARSAS, Kinergy, Womankind and the Bridge Sarc) to participate in a variety of group activities, with others who share or understand their experience and develop peer relationships, resulting in increased confidence and reduced isolation.

Principal Tasks:

Support the Head of Active Recovery in setting up a new Active Recovery Project, with the help of the Practitioner.

Provide initial trauma-informed assessment phone calls and/or meetings with potential members as part of the registration process for Active Recovery. This includes assessing need, risk and suitability for the service using a trauma-informed approach.

Create safety plans and tailor activity sessions where appropriate after building relationships with members following the initial phone calls.

Plan trauma-informed sessions for members, including producing risk assessments for each activity, visiting activity locations and delivering relevant trauma training to activity providers.

Oversee and lead on setting up, delivering and debriefing about activity sessions with members, volunteers and staff. Ensuring members are clear on each session's ground rules and safeguarding processes, using the Member’s Agreement.

Provide trauma-informed face-to-face support to members at sessions who may become overwhelmed or require help dealing with flashbacks and dissociation.

To support volunteers and staff with safeguarding queries and ensure safeguarding procedures are followed. To be the safeguarding lead at activity sessions, escalating any onward safeguarding referrals and queries to the Southmead Project Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Participate in and support the recruitment and induction training of volunteers.

Support and line manage a team of volunteers.

Develop and maintain an Active Recovery community through email, phone calls, texts and in person.

Develop and drive forward the project’s aim to have the members’ voices at the heart of the project.

Collaborate with developing outcome processes in line with the Southmead Project and its funders’ requirements.

Analyse data and feedback collected through outcomes processes to adapt and constantly improve the planning and delivery of the project sessions.

Contribute content for reports as required.

Build and maintain positive relationships with partnership organisations for the project.

Manage the day-to-day budget for the project sessions, keeping accurate records to report to the Head of Active Recovery and planning how the budget will be spent across sessions, within guidelines provided by the Head of Active Recovery. Record data accurately and in a timely manner on Oasis.

Produce social media and website posts about the project, including producing and editing videos.

Attend monthly one-to-one line management meetings with the Head of Active Recovery.

To attend monthly one-to-one clinical supervision with a Supervisor who is approved by the Southmead Project. Supervision is a requirement of this charity as an organisational member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.

To work within the framework, spirit and ethos of the Southmead Project’s Equal Opportunities Policy, and actively engage in promoting the policy within the charity and in all dealings with clients and other agencies.

Follow the Southmead Project policies, procedures and professional code of conduct as outlined in the Staff Handbook.  All members of staff, paid and unpaid, are required to undergo the   enhanced level of Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Person Specification

ESSENTIAL

• Full drivers licence and access to own transport.
• Professional qualification, such as a Diploma or degree in Counselling or in other relevant fields of work, such as; social work, psychology, mental health, education, support work or similar: or extensive experience in any of these fields.
• Knowledge of local activity based organisations in Bristol/Somerset.
• A sound understanding of the issues affecting members who have experienced trauma and abuse.
• Experience in managing projects.
• At least 2 years’ experience of delivering groups in the community, preferably activity based.
• At least 1 year’s experience of providing face-to-face support for survivors of abuse.
• The ability to arrange group activities and liaise with other local organisations to help plan them.
• The ability to plan sessions in detail to ensure that they are trauma-informed and having the experience and confidence to ‘hold’ groups when things do not go to plan.
• The ability to work flexibly within a team and support those within it.
• Experience in managing volunteers.
• Knowledge and awareness of how particular activities and social situations could improve people’s self-esteem, self-confidence, build friendships and reduce their isolation.
• A sound understanding of safeguarding and experience of supporting others to act in accordance with safeguarding policies and within the best interests of the Active Recovery member or those at risk.
• Experience in using case management systems.
• Experience in managing a long-term budget.
• Knowledge of survivors’ voice work.
• To be able to attend monthly one-to-one line management meetings and monthly clinical supervision.
• To work within the framework, spirit and ethos of the Southmead Project’s Equal Opportunities Policy, and actively engage in promoting the policy within the charity and in all dealings with clients and other agencies.

DESIRABLE:

Experience of building and maintaining positive partnerships in the community.

Experience of setting up a new community based project - preferably with knowledge of community organisations in Bristol/Somerset.

Experience of setting up processes for survivors’ voice work. Knowledge of making content for social media, including video recording and editing skills.

Experience managing recruitment and training.

Experience in chairing meetings and the ability to plan and review activities with a team.

Experience designing outcomes processes and collecting outcomes data.

Experience in writing reports, preferably funding reports in the charity sector.

We anticipate that the training for this role will take place in Bristol, starting in  January 2025. There may be a delay between the interviews and starting training because we need to obtain a DBS check (which can often take a few weeks) and check references.  Please note that there must be at least 12 months between receiving support from the Southmead Project as a client/member and starting this role.

We welcome applications from people of any gender, of all backgrounds, cultures, dis/abilities and lived experiences. If you are invited to interview for this role and you require any reasonable adjustments please let us know. We will provide all applicants invited to interview with the interview questions 30 minutes prior to your interview time. 

The closing date for applications is Monday the 2nd of December 2025 at 9am, please note: we will close the application process earlier if we reach capacity with applications prior to the closing date. Interviews will be held on Wednesday the 11th of December. To apply for this role please send the completed application form and Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form to: admin@southmeadproject.com 

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this position further please contact Amy Derrick, Head of Active Recovery, at amy.derrick@southmeadproject.com