A Day in the Life of an IDVA
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My name is Emily. I’ve worked for Stop Domestic Abuse for three years as an Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA). My job is to work with the most high-risk clients in the community to manage their vulnerabilities and help them to stay safe. 8.30am: My day always starts with a cup of good coffee. That sets me up nicely for the morning. On my way into the office, I listen to the radio and sing along to get me into a positive mood! 9.00am: When I get to my desk, the first thing I do is check my calendar for the day’s appointments and go through my emails and messages. There are a couple of urgent emails relating to two of my current clients. Another one is from a client who I am due to see later. She’s received some paperwork from her solicitor and is asking if I can go over it with her. I give her a quick call to confirm our appointment and to reassure her that we will look at the paperwork together. 9.20am: My first appointment of the day is with a new client, who has been referred to us by the police. Before leaving the office, I check the referral information and risk assessment, then head out to meet her. This client has been assessed as high-risk, so I am keen to help make her feel safer and more in control of her situation. 9.45am: I meet the client and it’s clear that she is very frightened. She is experiencing fairly high levels of stalking from her ex-partner and feels unable to leave the house. This is having a massive impact on her wellbeing. During our appointment, I contact Hampshire Police’s Stalking Clinic to seek advice and support for the issues she is experiencing. The client and I arrange to attend a meeting together since she doesn’t feel safe to go alone. We also arrange an appointment with a solicitor to apply for a Non-Molestation Order. This would stop her ex-partner from contacting her directly or indirectly. We complete a safety plan for the client to start using immediately. We will complete further work around her individual support plan at our next meeting, but we agree that she needs an immediate referral to our target hardening team, who can help to increase her security at home. Before I leave the client, I check how she is feeling STOP DOMESTIC ABUSE
now. She tells me a huge weight has been lifted from her shoulders. I leave with a smile on my face. 11.05am: Back in the car, I make a few notes about the appointment, which I will use to write up my full length notes once I am back in the office. A quick check of my phone shows that I have a missed call from another client. I call her back and she tells me that a court date has been set for the charge against her children’s father. She has been called as a witness and is feeling nervous. I talk to her about what this means and make sure that she fully understands what will happen at the hearing. We have an appointment later in the week where we can discuss the criminal justice process in more detail, but I don’t want her to worry until then. 11.30am: Onto my next appointment, with the client who I spoke to earlier this morning. We go over a couple of things which were on her support plan: housing and benefits. Both of these are now being dealt with by the relevant agencies, but the client is anxious for an update. She asks me to contact them and to ensure that they have all the relevant information. I suggest that we do this together, now, instead. By supporting the client to make the phone calls herself, I empower her to start taking more control of her situation. We then go over the papers from the solicitor together and review some other outstanding items on her support plan. We also check that everything in her safety plan is still relevant and that she doesn’t have any concerns. I arrange to meet the client at the solicitor’s office the following week. 12.55pm: I have a message from my next client cancelling our appointment at the last minute, so I head back to the office and grab a quick bite for lunch with a couple of colleagues. We talk about our holiday plans – normal stuff! It’s nice to unwind a little after a busy morning. stopdomesticabuse.uk
