Location: Worthing, Adur, Arun and Chichester.
Availability: Approximately two hours fortnightly.
Reporting to: The Outreach Manager.
Due to the nature of our work, our volunteer positions are open to women only and subject to exemption from the Sex Discrimination Act Section 7(e).
About Yada
Yada is the overarching charitable organisation that runs The Yada Outreach Service. Yada aims to prevent the sexual exploitation of women through:
- Preventing sexual exploitation of those at risk
- Supporting those who have experienced sexual exploitation
- Educating people on the risks of sexual exploitation.
We do this through the following work.
Early intervention (prevention)
Yada works proactively to reduce the risk of sexual exploitation. This includes delivering wellbeing workshops to women in the community. These programmes are often delivered in partnership with local organisations and aim to build resilience, awareness and self-worth.
Outreach (direct support)
Support is provided through our two outreach pathways.
- Women currently selling or exchanging sex: Yada provides up to two years of flexible, relationship-based support. Women are paired with an outreach worker and typically meet fortnightly in safe, informal settings such as cafés. Support includes help with housing, mental health, employment, sexual health, relationships, personal safety and reducing isolation. Advocacy and emotional listening support are integral to this work.
- Women who have previously experienced sexual exploitation: Yada offers up to six months of focused emotional support. This includes regular listening sessions, as well as ‘compassionate signposting’, actively supporting women to access other relevant services and navigate systems that may otherwise feel inaccessible. Women may be supported onto our in-house counselling programme.
Across both pathways, the emphasis is on building trust, empowering women and supporting long-term recovery.
Training and education (raising awareness)
Yada delivers training to professionals to increase understanding of sexual exploitation, its risks and appropriate responses. This strand of work strengthens local safeguarding systems and promotes earlier identification and intervention.
Partnership working
We work in partnership with others to improve access to specialist services.
The project aims to increase safety, reduce isolation and improve emotional wellbeing amongst women who have experienced sexual exploitation and those currently selling and exchanging sex.
Understanding sexual exploitation
Yada defines sexual exploitation as situations where an individual is used for sexual purposes in exchange for money, power or other benefits. This includes women who are selling or exchanging sex, working in the sex industry, or being coerced by others. The organisation recognises that not all women in the sex industry identify as exploited. However, we recognise that the risk of exploitation whilst engaging in the sex industry is high, and we want to support women who are selling or exchanging sex to reduce the risk of exploitation.
The befriending role
The befriending programme is to support women who have historically experienced sexual exploitation. It aims to provide a supportive space where individuals can share their thoughts and feelings, and to reduce isolation.
The role of a befriender is to listen and offer a space for the women to process, without the befriender providing advice or solutions. If they want more support, we also offer in-house counselling and outreach support.
Key principles of this include active listening, being non-judgemental, always maintaining confidentiality and being fully present with the women.
Our befriending service will be arranged through the Outreach Manager and predominantly offers fortnightly sessions at set times, either 10–11am or 1–2pm. This would look like meeting a woman for a coffee, building a rapport and offering emotional listening support. We offer these over a course of six months, with the aim of women feeling more empowered, confident and independent at the end of these six months.
In time, other responsibilities, if appropriate, may include:
- going for a walk to provide listening support
- supporting the service user with shopping trips at the local supermarket
- supporting the service user to attend an appointment.
This would be reviewed and agreed with the Outreach Manager if deemed appropriate.
Other requirements
Befrienders will:
- check in and out of each befriending session by texting the Outreach Manager
- have a download call after each session with the Outreach Manager to discuss the session and share any concerns they may have
- then send a summary of the meeting or conversation to the Outreach Manager
- undergo an informal interview with the Outreach Manager before starting in their position
- undertake a full DBS check and provide references
- read all relevant policies and procedures and receive an induction, including a safeguarding induction
- receive induction training and ongoing support from the Outreach Manager, including essential safeguarding training
- have a meeting every six months to review how they feel the befriending is going, and to ask for any support they may need.
Yada has a Christian ethos and we ask that our befrienders have a sympathetic attitude towards this.
Person requirements
The essential criteria we expect of our befrienders are:
- to be non-judgemental
- to be warm, empathetic and a good listener
- to be self-aware, and to recognise the importance of self-care
- to communicate in fluent English (written and spoken)
- to understand the importance of confidentiality.
Experience of working with women at risk and/or relevant experience is desirable.
As this role may require you to handle sensitive information, you will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement.
Interested?
If you are interested or have any questions about the role, please contact Candice at candice@yadauk.org
You can also use the form below to register your interest. Fields marked * are required.
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