Advice For Families Caseworker Jobs in Hackney, Greater London
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Are you passionate about supporting people to uphold their rights?
Disability Advice Service Lambeth (dasl) is Lambeth’s peer-led Disabled People’s Organisation.
We want to appoint a Professional Advocate who shares our ethos and values and is committed to supporting Lambeth residents achieve their legal rights.
dasl have provided an advocacy service for Lambeth Council for 12 years and since 2020 we have played a key role in the Lambeth Advocacy Hub, a single point of access for all statutory independent advocacy services for Lambeth residents aged 16 and over. We manage referrals and enquiries and provide independent Care Act advocacy and a range of non-statutory advocacy.
We provide a high quality service - we hold the Advocacy Quality Performance Mark. You will hold, or be working towards, a qualification such as the Certificate/Diploma in Independent Advocacy (Level 3), or be able to show the necessary skills and relevant experience in a formal or informal advocacy role.
dasl’s success comes from dedicated work of our skilled staff, many of whom are Disabled people. You will be valued for who you are in our supportive and friendly team.
We work flexibly between home and office. Our office in Brixton is accessible.
This is a rolling recruitment - applicants will be shortlisted and interviewed as soon as possible. We encourage you to apply as soon as you are able.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, Greater London, SE18 6HQ
Ref CFC-241
Are you a proactive, compassionate and collaborative individual with a proven record of supporting and engaging positively with vulnerable adults and young people in a community setting? Do you have sound experience of working with Children and Family Services and supporting volunteers in a community setting?
If so, join St Giles Trust as our Children and Families Caseworker where, as part of our Greenwich Gangs team, you will provide both face-to-face and virtual/remote one-to-one case working to children and families at risk or on the periphery of gangs and serious youth violence, plus play a central role in deterring young people from offending and safeguarding families who may be at risk.
About St Giles Trust
An ambitious, well-established charity that helps people facing adversity to find jobs, homes and the right support they need. Central to our ethos is our belief that people with first-hand experience of successfully overcoming issues such as an offending background, homelessness, addictions and gang involvement, hold the key to positive change in others.
About this key role
As our Children and Families Caseworker, you will support individuals who are affected by domestic violence, C.S.E, Mental health, grooming and exploitation, and gang and serious youth violence, all of which will include working with both victims and perpetrators. You will carry and review thorough risk management plans with young people and their family, ensuring each family member has an age-appropriate safety plan, and provide a client-led support service that responds to each individual’s needs, including supporting with housing, finances, schooling, parenting, health, ETE and criminal justice. We will rely on you to deliver the service in a timely and targeted manner and to close cases effectively and positively, identifying a survival plan for the client that can be used for ongoing support and agencies that can be used if serious problems develop in the future. Providing social support to children and family members, including identification of need, liaison and referral to specialist agencies, is also a key element of this role.
What we are looking for
- To have lived experience similar to that of the client group or to have worked on an offender-led/ social care service with a commitment to utilising a peer-led approach
- Proven record of working with and supporting volunteers in a community setting
- The ability to recruit, engage and keep the target client group motivated
- Experience of calculating risk and implementing safety procedures for vulnerable clients
- Experience of supporting and mentoring young people and adults, including socially excluded children
- Mentoring Level 3 qualification (or be willing to work towards this)
- Excellent interpersonal, relationship-building and communication skills, both verbal and written.
Please note this role requires that successful candidates must undergo an Enhanced DBS check, on the basis that the post involves contact with vulnerable participants and colleagues.
In return, you can expect a competitive salary, generous leave allowance, staff pension, flexible working, a mentoring programme, an advice and counselling service, clinical therapist sessions, life insurance (4 x annual salary), duvet days, season ticket loan, employee perks programme, eye care voucher and much more.
We are an equity and inclusion confident employer. We welcome all applications and we particularly encourage applications from people of the global majority (black, brown, multi-heritage) and those who identify as disabled, neuroexpansive, neurodiverse, with any protected characteristics and/or social barriers or challenges. We value the empowering and informative impact that all lived experiences and diversity of thought can offer the organisation.
St Giles will guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria set out in the Job Description for the vacancy.
To apply please visit our website via the apply button.
Closing date: 25th April 2024 23:45pm Interview date: 30th April 2024
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Our system keeps your personal information hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
Why Access Social Care Exists
Every day millions of older and disabled people are denied the social care they need. Most local authorities can’t meet the growing demand for care, and none are confident they can meet their legal duties in the future. This affects all of us - we will all need social care at some point in our lives.
We all have a right to hold public bodies to account, but most of us cannot afford lawyers so rely on legal aid. The 92% drop in legal aid cases since 2010 means that we have nowhere to turn. Without access to justice, our rights do not exist. The rule of law is broken.
What we do
Access Social Care provides free legal advice and information for people with social care needs, helping achieve a better quality of life. We work with communities to increase knowledge of the law and our rights. We highlight the gap left by cuts to Legal Aid and provide advice for those who can’t afford it.
With a 98% success rate, our network of lawyers provide access to justice when things go wrong. We collaborate with social services whilst ensuring legal obligations are met. We are working towards a future where social care is adequately funded and we all get the support we need.
We provide rights awareness training to front line managers, and legal advice and support to families and individuals. As well as providing access to justice, our aim is to drive system level change through evidence-led influencing and strategic casework. We operate our casework service mainly under a membership model where organisations involved in the social care sector contract with Access Social Care to provide legal assistance to their clients.
This is an exciting time to join ASC. We have a new strategy and are growing quickly. We have more than doubled in size and income since we started operating in April 2020 and we anticipate that this strong growth will continue for the duration of our next strategic period. We are dedicated to the people who need our help, but we also care deeply about our team, and we think that work should be an exciting and satisfying place to be.
About the role
As we move into 2024, Access Social Care is launching a new workstream aimed at training more experts in community care law. To achieve our aims, we will be developing learning and development programmes for internal and external use. We are looking for an experienced learning and development professional to lead this programme of work.
We want you to:
- Oversee the development and delivery online and in person training on the Care Act 2014 and associated legislation, regulations, guidance and caselaw. We already have some training materials in-house, but you will need to expand and develop these for different audiences (carers, social care providers, advocates, advisers and caseworkers).
- Work with external stakeholders at academic institutions to develop degree/diploma level learning modules.
- Work closely with others at ASC and play a key role in developing the skills and knowledge of our trainee caseworkers and other new staff.
- Work alongside the Head of Business Development to develop a learning and development income stream.
Responsibilities
1. Project management of the Access Social Care learning and development offer: Working with internal and external stakeholders and using project management tools and software you will drive the project forwards ensuring milestones and deadlines are met, delivering reports
2. Content and resources development: Work closely with our Head of Digital Content, Product Manager and legal team members to develop training materials for use online and in person on the Care Act which enable people with different starting points to understand the rights of social care users, to enforce those rights, and to understand the responsibilities of social care providers and local authorities.
3. External training strategy development. Work with the Head of Business development to develop an income stream from learning and development.
4. Training delivery: Deliver training internally and externally, online and in person, using a variety of training techniques, and tailored materials to engage different audiences with different immediate purposes.
5. Intelligence gathering: Contribute to our understanding of systemic problems in the social care and community care law systems, feeding back to legal colleagues' issues that are brought up in training session.
6. General tasks: Undertake such other tasks as may reasonably be required or asked of you in order to respond to organisational needs and specifically needs within the legal team.
This list of tasks is not exhaustive and will be reviewed from time to time in discussion with the post holder.
For full details on this role please see attached job discription.
How to apply
We hope that having read this far; you still want to apply!
Please ensure that your CV and supporting statement do not include your name – use initials only. This will ensure that we avoid unconscious bias in our shortlisting process. To apply, please provide the following documents:
- An up-to-date CV
- A completed diversity monitoring form - linked in the full job discription attached.
- A supporting statement of no more than two pages, addressing why you meet the essential requirements of the person specification
If you want support applying, contact us.
Timeline for the recruitment process
Closing date: 23.59pm on Tuesday 23rd April 2024
Interviews: will be held virtually on MS Teams on Thursday 2nd May and Friday 3rd May 2024
Please ensure you keep these dates free.
At Access Social care, we aren’t interested in tokenism. We know that if we are to make the biggest difference for the people that need us the most, we need to get Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and anti-racism right. Part of this is recruiting greater diversity in all our teams.
With this in mind, we particularly welcome applications from candidates with experience of the communities we serve, including people with direct experience of the social care system, and from marginalised groups, particularly Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, older and disabled people, and trans and non-binary people.
To note we are only able to accept applicants with the right to work in the UK.
How to apply
We hope that having read this far; you still want to apply!
Please ensure that your CV and supporting statement do not include your name – use initials only. This will ensure that we avoid unconscious bias in our shortlisting process. To apply, please provide the following documents:
• An up-to-date CV
• A completed diversity monitoring form
• A supporting statement of no more than two pages, addressing:
o The essential requirements of the person specification
If you want support applying, contact us.
Timeline for the recruitment process
Closing date: 23.59pm on Tuesday 23rd April 2024
Interviews: will be held virtually on MS Teams on Thursday 2nd May and Friday 3rd May 2024
Please ensure you keep these dates free
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
ABOUT ASYLUM AID
For over thirty years, Asylum Aid has been providing legal representation to some of the most vulnerable people seeking asylum. We have built an expert service, delivering vital and life-saving services in some of the most complex legal cases, with a particular speciality working with unaccompanied children, Survivors of trafficking, torture or other forms of human cruelty, and stateless people. Our vision is that all those in need of protection from persecution and other forms of human cruelty in the UK can obtain it, and are treated fairly and with dignity.
ABOUT THE ROLE
As Children and Young People’s Solicitor and Senior Caseworker at Asylum Aid, you will primarily work with unaccompanied asylum-seeking child (UASC) and young people (under 25), providing end to end representation on their asylum, human rights and trafficking claims. You may also undertake age dispute challenges and other judicial review work on behalf of your clients. You will combine this work, which will account for approximately 70% of your time, with conducting other immigration matters, including adult asylum claims, family reunion applications and statelessness applications. You will also have the opportunity to contribute to the wider work of the Asylum Aid team, delivering high quality legal services on the full range of protection and trafficking issues that affect migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. You will conduct asylum casework under legal aid funding, with a specialist focus on representing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people, and contribute to policy and strategic legal work to promote the rights of children and young people in the asylum system.
You will be a qualified solicitor or Immigration caseworker with IAAS Level 2/Senior Caseworker accreditation and have significant experience in publicly funded immigration work under a Legal Aid Agency Contract. You should have, or be able to obtain, Level 2 Children Safeguarding.
As is the nature of this sector, the role will be exposed to a high volume of traumatic and distressing material and, whilst they will be supported by the Asylum Aid Director, supervisors and the surrounding team, they should also be able to demonstrate knowledge of good self-care principles in an intense work environment.
Equal Opportunities
The Foundation and Asylum Aid is an equal opportunities and Living Wage employer. We are committed to attracting and recruiting diverse candidates as we are keen to make sure that our staff, trustees, volunteers and ambassadors reflect the communities we serve and the wider community we work in at every level within the organisation. We particularly welcome applications from those with BAME backgrounds and with lived experience of the UK immigration system.
Please note you must have the right to work in the UK as we are unable to provide visa sponsorship.
Please note that the successful candidate will be offered the job subject to suitable references and an enhanced DBS check.
If appointed you will be required to give your consent to Asylum Aid to receive regular updates on your criminal records status throughout your employment.
Please submit an up to date CV and covering letter by 9am on 25 April 2024. Your application should outline your relevant skills and experience, as well as how your previous experience matches the listed responsibilities and person specification. Please state in your covering letter when you would be available to start the role. In setting the salary regard has been had to the NCJ payscales.
Interviews are scheduled to be held during the week commencing 6 May 2024 at our offices in central London. For any queries, please contact Monika Nollet, Director of Legal Casework at Asylum Aid.
We regret that we can only respond to applicants who make it to the interview stage. No agencies.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
About RLS
RLS is a UK charity and a non-profit company in Greece (AMKE).
Refugee Legal Support works in solidarity with people who migrate. We operate in the UK, France and Greece, promoting and protecting rights through legal support, casework, litigation, engagement, training and partnerships. We advocate for safe migration and oppose discriminatory immigration systems and policies.
RLS has held a legal aid contract in the UK since 2023.
About the Afghan Pro Bono Initiative (APBI)
The Afghan Pro Bono Initiative is a specialist casework project delivered by RLS with funding and pro bono assistance from 14 leading commercial law firms. It is a project delivered in partnership with SPI.
Firm pro bono lawyers are trained and supervised by the project’s two full-time supervising lawyers so that they can then assist with legal casework.
APBI has two core components. The team delivers legal information and support to and within the Afghan community, working together with the Community Engagement and Research Lead to ensure wide access. While the project also provides high quality legal representation in a range of cases for this community. This includes family reunion, the ARAP scheme, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and others.
APBI then aims to respond to the increased need for legal information, advice and representation of Afghan nationals and their family members forced to seek protection and reunion with family in the United Kingdom following the Taliban takeover. The project is now going into its 3rd year, and won the Most Effective Pro Bono Partnership Award at the Law Works Pro Bono Awards in 2022 as well as being nominated and commended for numerous other awards in 2022 and 2023.
The casework of this project feeds into strategic research, policy and advocacy efforts to make existing ‘safe’ routes to protection (in particular refugee family reunion and resettlement schemes) more accessible and effective, advocate for their expansion and defend the fundamental rights of people on the move by influencing policy and decision making.
Litigation arising out of the project is actively pursued (where eligible) under RLS’s legal aid contract to push for better decision-making, secure results for individuals and pursue improvements in the relevant law, policy and practices.
RLS recognise that pro bono legal work is always an adjunct to, and not a substitute for, an adequate system of publicly funded legal services.
Key responsibilities and objectives
The post holder will be a staff member of Refugee Legal Support. They will be a participant within the Afghan Pro Bono Initiative project team, which comprises two lawyers (the other being at SPI), a coordinator and a Community Engagement and Research Lead in addition to the volunteer lawyers from the individual commercial firm partners.
Key responsibilities
-
Manage a small caseload and provide high quality legal advice and representation to clients;
-
Supervise the work of volunteer pro bono commercial lawyers on cases;
-
Deliver training to pro bono commercial lawyers;
-
Ensure that all legal work is promptly and accurate recorded on RLS’s case management system and keep relevant time recording;
-
Develop and disseminate relevant information on legal developments in this area for relevant stakeholders, including both the Afghan Community and building the capacity of other practitioners;
-
Work in close collaboration with the other project Lawyer/s to develop and share experiences and best practice in relation to all aspects of casework (legal, evidential and procedural) and relevant internal processes;
-
Work in close collaboration with the Legal Director, Programmes Manager and Coordinator to ensure that appropriate steps to achieve the aims and objectives of the project are taken, including ensuring that relevant data is obtained and assisting with the timely completion of the project Operational Plan/s;
-
Work in close collaboration with the APBI Coordinator and Programmes Manager to contribute to the production of materials such as project periodic reports, information on emerging and strategic issues in relation to ‘safe’ routes for use in advocacy, content for newsletters, social media posts and articles to raise awareness of the project and its aims and outputs;
-
Participate in, and contribute to, RLS’s monitoring, evaluation and learning framework;
-
Be an active member of the RLS team participating in team meetings at both the UK and International level: engaging in a collegiate and collaborative environment that includes participating in the development of a new and exciting legal organisation;
-
Be an active and collaborative member of the APBI Project team together with the other Lawyer/s, Coordinator and Community Engagement and Research Lead;
-
Work in close collaboration with the Community Engagement and Research Lead to contribute to the production of information sheets and other materials to disseminate to the Afghan community/ies;
-
Maintain accurate and confidential records in line with GDPR;
-
Adhere to RLS safeguarding policies and procedures at all times.
Person Specification
Essential
-
Be either a member of the Bar, a solicitor and accredited to IAAS Senior caseworker level, accredited to IAAS Senior caseworker level, or OISC accredited to Level 3;
-
Experience of asylum casework;
-
Experience of refugee family reunion procedures and applications, including applications outside of the Immigration Rules reliant on Article 8 ECHR and other human rights provisions;
-
Experience of online immigration applications;
-
Demonstrable knowledge of legal aid provision and ECF applications;
-
Demonstrable supervision experience;
-
Experience of and commitment to working in a collaborative way on legal cases;
-
Good verbal and written communication skills in English;
-
Strong organisational skills, including the ability to prioritise work and meet deadlines;
-
Strong attention to detail, responsiveness, reliability and dependability;
-
Strong interpersonal and relationship management skills and an ability to deal professionally and collaboratively with both legal and not-for-profit stakeholders;
-
Computer literacy;
-
Right to reside and work in the UK;
-
Enjoy working with a small team in a flexible and fast-paced environment, as well as being an independent self-starter able to work with a high degree of autonomy;
-
Have a strong commitment to upholding the human rights of asylum seekers, migrants, and refugees;
-
Commitment to the aims of the project and the values of RLS.
-
The successful candidate will be required to obtain an enhanced DBS certificate (we cover the cost). However, a criminal record is not a barrier to the role.
Desirable
-
Those with lived experience of navigating immigration systems are strongly encouraged to apply and will be favourable considered;
-
Experience of legal aid casework;
-
Experience of conducting immigration appeals and/or public law litigation;
-
Experience of supervising commercial lawyers in a pro bono project setting;
-
Experience of preparing and delivering training;
-
Interest in collaborating with non-legal colleagues to bring about systemic change;
-
Working knowledge of Dari and/or Pashto.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
Springfield Advice & Law Centre is a community based legal practice and a registered charity. We were formed in 1982 when we were set up to serve the mental health community. We are based mainly on the site of Springfield University Hospital Mental Health NHS Trust. Springfield Law Centre is unique as a working model of a health justice partnership.
We are seeking a for a new Director & Head of Legal Practice to take forward this unique, niche Law Centre. There is an opportunity for expanding the work of the Law Centre and showcasing the worth of health justice partnerships.We are looking for an energetic and compassionate lawyer with a broad experience of either housing or community care casework and representation, who is capable of being a legal aid category supervisor in either area, who has the confidence to lead the team and to develop it so that we can continue to make a real difference within the community.
Qualifications and experience
- 5 years’ PQE qualified lawyer, with demonstrable experience of management at a senior level.
- Ability to meet the supervisor for the Legal Aid Agency contract in either housing or community care.
- A track record of implementing and managing change.
- A track record of leading and motivating others demonstrating strong people skills.
- A track record of innovation and problem solving.
- Appropriate skills and experience that demonstrate an ability and commitment to manage staff effectively. This should include support, supervision, and appraisal and performance management.
- Appropriate skills and experience to effectively handle and manage complaints.
- Experience of managing a Legal Aid Agency Contract and Legal Help matters, with billing targets.
- Ability to bill all types of legally-aided work and to report to the Legal Aid Agency.
- Ability to manage a varied caseload of sufficient, appropriate matters to meet the billing target in place.
- Ability to draft appropriate documentation in your specialist area of law.
- Experience of giving successful training or talks, for example giving presentations, or
- representing clients before Courts or Tribunals.
- Skills
- Ability to take an active role in, leading the direction of the Law Centre, developing new strategies and raising profile.
- Ability to manage the Lexcel Quality Mark and ensure that systems and standards are maintained across the organisation so that audits are passed.
- Ability to understand the financial viability of the Law Centre.
- Ability to report effectively to funders and to monitor progress against grant funded projects.
- Commitment to equality and diversity as set out in the principles and policies of the Law Centre.
- Ability to be self-servicing: you will be expected to manage most of your own typing, filing and billing of Legal Help/Aid cases to comply with LAA requirements.
- Ability to prioritise your workload with minimum supervision.
- Excellent communication skills: you must be able to relate well to colleagues, clients and third parties, in person, in writing and on the telephone, despite the pressures of the role.
- You must be very well organised, with excellent ICT skills, in order to work well under pressure without compromising standards.
- Ability to work flexibly and outside regular office hours including attending and reporting to the trustees on the progress of the Law Centre.
Consideration will be given to requests for flexible or family friendly hours of work to include job share, part time working or specific proposals. The Management Committee consider the range and number of duties to be a full-time role and that any reduction from a full-time role will result in a division of duties to accommodate all aspects of the Law Centre’s needs and aspirations.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Havering, East London
Ref SWH-241
Are you a proactive, highly organised and collaborative individual with a proven record of supporting young people, who have multiple and complex needs within a supported accommodation setting? Do you have strong experience of engaging positively with vulnerable young people or other vulnerable groups and a sound understanding of relevant policies and legislation?
If so, St Giles has a rewarding career opportunity for a Senior Support Worker to join our dynamic team and use your expertise to work on a vital multi-disciplinary residential support service for young people that will allow them to exit environments involving youth violence, reach their goals and aspirations and move on successfully to independent living and, importantly, to sustain this life.
About St Giles Trust
An ambitious, well-established charity that helps people facing adversity to find jobs, homes and the right support they need. Central to our ethos is our belief that people with first-hand experience of successfully overcoming issues such as an offending background, homelessness, addictions and gang involvement, hold the key to positive change in others.
About this key role
Working as part of a multi-agency team, we will count on you to lead by example, be the day-to-day expert within team, and be a positive role model to the team of caseworkers. Using a strength-based approach, you will provide support, advice and advocacy for young people and their families regarding accommodation, working through person-centred support plans designed to promote choice and control for young people. You will ensure, on a day-to-day basis, that all monitoring information and evidence is being recorded and collated correctly, and that you promote inter-agency collaboration in the assessment and planning process and include appropriate agencies in the delivery of the service.
The delivery of a holistic support service, working solo or with colleagues as the situation dictates, is also a crucial element of this role, where you will provide practical guidance on issues such as social and housing support, ETE options, benefits work, debt advice and cleaning. Promoting the value of lifestyle changes to the young people being supported and operating within clear professional boundaries are also key duties.
What we are looking for
• Experience of using support plans to enable young people to successfully access and sustain accommodation and support services.
• Experience of providing support, advice and advocacy.
• Substantial experience of assessing risk and implementing safety procedures when thinking about young people involved in or at risk of violence or exploitation.
• Proven experience of working in a high intensity environment.
• A relevant qualification to a good standard or be working towards one.
• Excellent interpersonal, prioritisation and communication skills, verbal and written.
• A flexible, collaborative and professional approach to your work.
As an organisation that works with children and adults at risk we are committed to safeguarding, protecting and promoting the safety of our clients and successful applicants will require an Enhanced Child and Adult with Child Barred DBS Check.
In return, you can expect a competitive salary, generous leave allowance, staff pension, flexible working, a mentoring programme, an advice and counselling service, clinical therapist sessions, life insurance (4 x annual salary), duvet days, season ticket loan, employee perks programme, eye care voucher and much more.
We are an equity and inclusion confident employer. We welcome all applications and we particularly encourage applications from people of the global majority (black, brown, multi- heritage) and those who identify as disabled, neuroexpansive, neurodiverse, with any protected characteristics and/or social barriers or challenges. We value the empowering and informative impact that all lived experiences and diversity of thought can offer the organisation.
St Giles will guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria set out in the Job Description for the vacancy.
To apply, please visit our website via the ‘Apply’ button. We encourage you to apply early as we will be shortlisting as applications come in.
Closing date: 19/04/2024. 11:00pm
Interview Date: 26/04/2024
Previous applicants need not apply.