Advisor Caseworker Jobs in Birmingham, West Midlands
Job description
Caseworker Role (OISC Level 1, 2 and 3)
About us
The Refugee and Migrant Centre (RMC) is an established, multi award winning charity that provides a safe, welcoming environment to thousands of refugees and migrants living in the Black Country and Birmingham.
Our highly skilled and diverse staff team provide a broad range of services including advice and support on immigration (OISC regulated level 1, 2 & 3), employment, welfare, education, ESOL, housing, homelessness, destitution, citizenship, health and wellbeing.
RMC have been assisting beneficiaries to access and sustain appropriate accommodation and improve their housing and living conditions for nearly two decades. RMC also deals with many aspects of homelessness, destitution, rough sleeping, exploitation, etc.
Why work for us
Our culture is what makes us unique. We encourage an open, honest working environment where people are valued. We're always challenging each other to learn and improve, because we know when we work together, we can deliver better outcomes.
What you will be doing
All Caseworkers (Levels 1,2 and 3) will be required to carry out the tasks shown below. The skill level to progress from one level to the next level is also detailed below.
· To provide professional and effective OISC regulated casework as well as advice, guidance and support to a broad range of RMC’s service users.
· To assist/support the team and the management to meet the needs of the beneficiaries and achieve targets.
· To support and supervise colleagues on a lower level of OISC regulation and designated volunteers.
· To deliver presentations and represent RMC at meetings/events when required by management.
· To take responsibility of projects related to the job
Working within the team
· To ensure the requirements of OISC are respected and met during the delivery of immigration-related advice and casework.
· To assist the senior colleagues and managers in order to drive efficiency, quality, systems improvement and target achievement.
· To supervise and/or manage colleagues on a lower level of OISC-regulation and designated volunteers.
Casework and advice
· To offer advice & casework to service users with various aspects related to their immigration case.
· To deliver the appropriate level of casework either independently or under supervision, depending on the level of OISC registration.
· To provide appropriate support and mentoring to any caseworkers and/or advisors that are under this role’s supervision.
· To maintain confidentiality in all dealings with service users and ensure their needs are met in a satisfactory and sensitive manner.
Other
· To be responsible for the day to day delivery of specific projects if requested by the Senior Management Team–this is flexible and could change depending on the nature of funding.
· To represent RMC at external meetings and events when required by senior colleagues.
· To maintain effective working relationships with partners and stakeholders.
Flexibility
In order to deliver the stated aims of this post, a degree of flexibility is needed and the post holder may be required to perform work not specifically referred to above. Such duties will fall within the scope of the job within the appropriate pay grade. The job description will therefore be subject to periodic review with the post holder to ensure it accurately reflects the duties that are being performed
___________________________________________________________________
OISC Level 1
Skill / experience Essential Desirable
· OISC Level 1 Accreditation or equivalent
· Commitment to working towards level 2
· Experience of advice work dealing with asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants.
· Ability to communicate complex information clearly to distressed clients.
· Commitment to equality and diversity.
· A proven high standard of communication skills, including written, oral, presentational and inter-personal skills.
· An ability to self-motivate and work independently.
· Fluent in a community language
· Experience of working in a multicultural environment and sensitivity towards other cultures.
· Educated to degree level or equivalent.
· A proven record of team work and flexibility.
· Excellent listening skills and ability to empathise as well as establish boundaries to avoid emotional over involvement.
OISC Level 2
Essential Desirable
· OISC Level 2 Accreditation or equivalent
· Commitment to working towards Level 3
· Experience of complex advice work dealing with asylum seekers, refugees, vulnerable migrants and ‘outside of rules applications
· Ability to communicate complex information clearly to distressed clients
· Commitment to equality and diversity.
· A proven high standard of communication skills, including written, oral, presentational and inter-personal skills.
· An ability to self-motivate and work independently.
· Fluent in a community language
· Experience of working in a multicultural environment and sensitivity towards other cultures.
· Educated to degree level or equivalent.
· A proven record of team work and flexibility.
· Excellent listening skills and ability to empathise as well as
· establish boundaries to avoid emotional over involvement.
OISC Level 3
Essential Desirable
· OISC Level 3 Accreditation or equivalent
· Experience of delivering complex advice work dealing with asylum seekers, refugees, vulnerable migrants, ‘outside of rules applications’ and representation at tribunal.
· Ability to communicate complex information clearly to distressed clients.
· Commitment to equality and diversity.
· A proven high standard of communication skills, including written, oral, presentational and inter-personal skills.
· An ability to self-motivate and work independently.
· Fluent in a community language
· Experience of working in a multicultural environment and sensitivity towards other cultures.
· Educated to degree level or equivalent.
· A proven record of team work and flexibility.
· Excellent listening skills and ability to empathise as well as establish boundaries to avoid emotional over involvement.
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!
Job title: Employment Adviser
Location: Hybrid, contracted to work at our Birmingham office at least 2 days a week
Salary: £24,000 - £26,500
Hours: 37.5 hours per week, with occasional evening/weekend work (TOIL provided)
Contract: Permanent
Language Requirements: Fluency in English and at least one target language is desirable e.g. Arabic, Cantonese, Amharic, Dari, Farsi, Kurdish, Pashto, or Tigrinya.
Purpose of the role:
We are looking for candidates with experience of supporting individuals with barriers to work into paid employment. Within this role you will carry a significant responsibility, managing a caseload of clients from a refugee background and supporting them in securing meaningful employment, training, and education opportunities.
You will provide one-to-one personalised support, delivering quality Information Advice and Guidance (IAG), alongside ongoing support to ensure your clients have all the skills they need to get into work. This involves working with clients to produce individual action plans with clear goals and actions to overcome identified needs and barriers and provide a clear pathway towards the labour market.
You will work with clients online and by phone, as well as in person to monitor their progress towards their goals. Complementary support will be delivered through our volunteers who are trained in delivering employment advice, and you will book weekly appointments for clients, allocating time slots according to availability and the volunteer’s specialty.
You will also work with specialist referral partners to support clients to overcome complex barriers to employment. We offer a strong team environment, where your ideas and drive will be welcomed and where you as an individual can make a real difference to people’s lives.
To view the full job description and person specification, as well as details on our accessible recruitment process, please view the attached recruitment pack.
Other considerations
- As part of our safeguarding commitment to our clients, we carry out pre-employment checks to ensure that successful applicants are suitable to work with adults at risk. These include basic DBS checks, obtaining references and verifying a candidate’s identity and right to work in the UK.
- Breaking Barriers is committed to protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect and for their views, wishes and beliefs to be fully considered when deciding action.
- We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity status, race, religion or belief.
- Some travel between our different areas of operation (London, Birmingham and Manchester) will be required.
- Occasional evening or weekend work may be required. Time off in lieu would be provided in this case.
How to apply
If you are looking for a role where you can make a real difference, we want to hear from you. To apply, please submit a CV and statement (up to approximately 500 words/1 A4 page) outlining:
- Why you are interested in the role
- What skills you would bring to be successful in this role
- Any experience you would like to highlight
- Any reasonable adjustments you require for the interview process
- Disclosure of disabilities if you wish to do so (as a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, we guarantee an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role)
Please note that applications without a covering letter will not be considered.
Closing date for applications is 11:59pm on Saturday 6th April. Interviews will be held on a rolling basis so please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
We belong to the Experts by Experience Employment Initiative, which advocates and supports organisations to employ more people from a refugee background. With this in mind, we particularly welcome applicants with experience of seeking asylum and/or a refugee background. If you are an expert by experience (a refugee or a migrant with direct, first-hand experience of issues and challenges of the UK asylum or immigration system), you can ask for an independent and confidential support for your job application from the Experts by Experience Employment Network. Please reach out to HR Manager Dani Meier for further details (we are unable to include email addresses in this advert, but you can find contact details on the final page of the attached recruitment pack).