Next Steps Project Worker (Smallwood - CoLab Women)
Job Reference: NSPW/0825
Responsible to: Brave Spaces Service Lead
Salary: £27,103 / £15,382 pro rata
Hours: 21 hours per week
Contract: Fixed Term Contract until 31st March 2027
DBS Required: Enhanced
Project Summary
CoLab Women has been supporting women in Exeter since 2017, creating positive pathways for those who face the greatest barriers to accessing help. We work with women who experience multiple disadvantage, including domestic and sexual violence and abuse, homelessness, trauma, poverty, mental health challenges, substance use, and involvement with the criminal justice system.
Brave Spaces is a women’s domestic abuse project delivered in partnership with the Devon Domestic Abuse Alliance. It offers consistent, trauma-informed support through one-to-one work, group sessions, and practical help with housing, finances, and health. Many of the women we support have experienced long-term trauma and difficult relationships with services, so our approach is long-term, flexible, women-only, and focused on building trust, and working alongside women at their own pace. The project also works with partners to reduce barriers, improve system responses, and create safer and more accessible routes into support.
The Next Steps strand of Brave Spaces focuses specifically on improving women’s financial resilience and reducing the impact of economic abuse. It combines practical support, advocacy, and group work to help women build stability, manage life skills and “life admin,” and navigate systems such as housing, benefits, and court, while also working with partners to influence better system responses.
Role Sumnary & Key Responsibilities
We are seeking a skilled and compassionate Next Steps Project Worker to join the Brave Spaces team. This role focuses on supporting women facing multiple disadvantage, with a particular emphasis on financial resilience, economic abuse, and life skills.
The postholder will provide practical, person-centred support, helping women to manage housing and benefits, build financial understanding, and strengthen their confidence and autonomy. They will deliver a mix of casework, group sessions, drop-ins, and advocacy, working closely with accommodation providers, system partners, and financial advice agencies.
Key responsibilities include:
Holding a small caseload, offering tailored practical and financial support.
Supporting women to manage budgeting, benefits, rent arrears, and financial wellbeing (excluding debt advice).
Helping women recognise and respond to economic abuse as part of wider domestic abuse support.
Facilitating drop-ins and outreach sessions with accommodation services and community partners.
Providing advocacy and support with housing appointments, benefit assessments, and other systems navigation.
Developing and delivering group sessions on life skills, tenancy sustainment, and money management.
Building strong referral pathways and working with partners such as Citizens Advice, DWP, and local money advice services.
Contributing to monitoring, evaluation, and system learning to strengthen responses to women’s financial and economic disadvantage.
This is a varied and meaningful role for someone who can combine warmth and compassion with resilience and clear boundaries, and who shares our values of welcome, collaboration, social justice, and ambition. For further detail, please see the job description.
Employee Benefits at CoLab
At CoLab, we value our team and offer a range of benefits, including:
Employee Assistance Programme - 24/7 support for your wellbeing.
Pension Scheme - Helping you plan for the future
Annual Leave - 27 days per year, plus bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time). Increases after five years of continuous service.
Birthday Celebration Day – Enjoy an extra day off for your birthday!
Volunteering Days – Two paid days per year to volunteer with a registered organisation of your choice.
Blue Light Card – Access to exclusive discounts and offers.
Learning & Development – Training opportunities through our in-house learning platform to develop your skills and career.
CoLab Hub Breakfast Mornings – A chance to connect and catch up with colleagues over breakfast.
Inclusive Recruitment
CoLab welcomes applications from people with convictions or lived experience of the criminal justice system.
How to Apply:
CoLab Exeter is committed to promoting a positive approach to equality, diversity and inclusion, and values the benefits of employing a diverse range of talented people.
Application Deadline: Sunday 14th September
Please Note: We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
Interviews: Thursday 2nd October 2025, at CoLab, Exeter.