Volunteer Coordinator Jobs

Purpose and Scope of the Role

To enable and empower newly arrived often vulnerable refugees to settle into their new communities with confidence. 

Postholders will work closely with the volunteers, bank staff and Project Coordinators to provide a wraparound service to our clients across the region. Key elements of the service will include support with welfare benefits/income maximisation, immigration, housing, health, education and employment.

There will be a requirement to record and document contact using online systems, ensuring an evidence-based practice model of working and seamless support delivery for our clients. 

Main duties and responsibilities 

Manage a caseload of clients/households:

· Provide initial reception and orientation at client’s homes and within their local community settings 

· Carry out a holistic needs assessment and prepare a Personal Integration Plan with every household on a quarterly basis, preferably in the clients homes.

· Negotiate specialist intervention with external agencies as appropriate according to the client’s needs. 

· To be the lead contact for all agencies and responsible for coordinating support for your key clients.

· To work with families in a variety of locations such as within their home, RMC premises, on outreach and via digital means.

· To jointly agree a plan leading to beneficiary independence and service exit as per project requirements

· Where possible deliver the service in a community language

· To deliver a comprehensive action plan for welcoming the refugees from preparation prior to arrival and support for the first year. This includes but is not limited to: 

· Housing situation and housing/tenancy related goals and checking suitability of accommodation with relevant hosts, landlords and/or any other housing partners.  

 

Welcoming families upon arrival

· Registering with GP’s, dentists and opticians; attending medical assessments and appointments; securing appropriate specialist medical care and liaising with different health services; 

· Working with Social Services to ensure all special needs are addressed; 

· Registering for Biometric Residence Cards and ensuring that immigration paperwork is correct and any errors or discrepancies are reported to the relevant Home Office department by an OISC qualified adviser from the wider team.

· Ensure the Home Office is notified if BRP cards are not issued within the timescales set out by Home Office service standards.

· Ensure that all newly arrived are given immigration advice as required by referring them to an OISC qualified advisor within RMC.

· Ensure that every newly arrived adult above the age of 18 has access to their own bank account.

· Ensuring that refugees understand their financial rights and responsibilities

· Complete a full Entitled To calculation with all newly arrived households and apply for relevant welfare benefit provisions from DWP and HMRC.

· Support refugees with mandatory reconsiderations as required.

· Support with access to individual grants if required.

· Providing on-going orientation to the UK – information, classes, workshops and visits by key statutory services; 

· Registering and supporting children with local schools; 

· Facilitating access to ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes for all newly arrived adults; 

· Signposting and assisting in training, education and employment to ensure long term independence

· Refer into other provision as provided by third party organisations

· Organising trips and outings to places of interest and providing opportunities for social interaction and accompany refugees if required as per ongoing Personal Integration Plan and risk assessment.

· To provide client centric support around all areas of need including housing, welfare, employment, substance misuse, family reunion and social engagement.

· To ensure that this work has a focus on fostering the independence of the clients and has respect for the culture, personal history and situation of all its users. 

· To promote the long-term integration of refugees and the development of refugee communities by providing a range of tailored services to them and through working with other service providers to maximise opportunities for refugees. 

· To work with clients to facilitate their access and engagement with mainstream statutory and voluntary sector services. 

· To ensure that this work is carried out in accordance with RMC’s values, principles, policies and procedures, specifically those around equal opportunity, confidentiality, impartiality and non-directive advice.

· With the support of the Coordinator and Manager, to maintain and develop excellent working relationships with and between external stakeholders to improve the availability of mainstream and specialist services for newly arrived refugees.

· To work as part of a multi-skilled team, supporting your colleagues and volunteers to achieve outcomes. 

· To keep full, accurate and up-to-date case records. 

· To provide written and oral reports as required. 

· To work with the coordinator in reviewing, planning and developing the service delivered to beneficiaries

· To carry out monitoring and evaluation processes as appropriate 

For the Charity 

· To play an active role in one or more RMC’s working groups as required. 

· To liaise with other teams in RMC as appropriate. 

· To attend regular team meetings, to share information, monitor services and foster effective and supportive teamwork. 

· To participate in supervision, appraisal and training as agreed with the Manager. 

· To carry out administrative tasks in support of own work (e.g. word- processing, filing and recording on RMC’s database). 

· To carry out other duties consistent with the nature of the post, and in furtherance of the project. 

· To carry out all the above in accordance with the aims, values and policies of RMC confidentiality, impartiality and Equal Opportunities. 

The above duties will be prioritised by the Head of Services in consultation with the post-holder.  The post-holder may be asked to re-organise his/her work to help RMC to respond to changes in type or extent of needs of refugees, which can arise from time to time.  This would be done in a way consistent with the purposes of the post and in consultation with the post-holder. 

A DBS check will be carried out for this post.

Flexibility

To deliver the stated aims of for this post, a degree of flexibility and agility is needed. The post holder may be required to perform work not specifically referred to above, such duties will fall within the scope of the job and be directly related 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

Person Specification

Experience and Skills

Desirable

Essential

Experience of working with vulnerable people and an understanding of the needs of refugees, and the issues or difficulties which may affect their resettlement. 

 

X

Experience of comprehensively assessing need and creating risk management plans for multiple individuals. 

 

X

Experiences of supporting people to address their needs through support planning, case management and an understanding of the importance of involving clients fully as possible in that process. 

 

X

Experience of working with a wide range of professionals to access needs led intervention. 

 

X

Experience of working within a multitier staff team, inclusive of supporting volunteers to support clients. 

 

X

Knowledge and awareness of how to engage with hard-to-reach individuals, and understanding of the potential barriers to active engagement. 

 

X

An understanding of the issues facing refugees during integration to a new community. 

 

X

Good knowledge of the services available to support refugees. 

 

X

Proven ability to communicate and negotiate to a high level and build strong partnerships, both verbal and non-verbally with shareholders and stakeholders.

 

X

Good organisational and monitoring skills, with the ability to prioritise. 

 

X

Excellent administrative skills including good computing skills and the ability to use I.T. applications. 

 

X

Understanding and a commitment to diversity and equality, with demonstrable cultural competence. 

 

X

Ability to lone work and complete delegated task with own initiative. 

 

X

Ability to be flexible to the needs of the organisation. 

 

X

Enthusiasm and willingness to agile working and outreach activities.

 

X

Ability to speak a community language

X

 

Good local knowledge

X

 

OISC (Office of Immigration Services Commission) regulated 

X

 

Experience of providing outreach support to families in their home and in community settings

 

X

Car driver 

X