Detention Advocacy Coordinator

GDWG has an exciting full-time opportunity to join our team working within the casework team, with responsibility for leading our IRC welfare surgeries, volunteer training programme and educational outreach work.

We require blended working from home and from our office in Crawley with Thursday in the office and one other day a week to be agreed. This is a one-year fixed term contract. The role requires an all-rounder who is comfortable giving calm support to people in crisis, can demonstrate a high level of organisational skills in a fast-paced work environment and a passion for educating the public on the issue of immigration detention. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

• Managing a caseload of clients in detention
• Coordinating Detention Centre drop-ins
• Supporting on research projects
• Leading on educational outreach
• Leading on training IRC-related staff
• Supporting Advocacy and Support Volunteers
• Coordinating volunteer training
• Volunteer coordination

Skills and experience required:

Essential

• Attention to detail
• Empathy with GDWG’s values and mission and with the issues facing refugees, people seeking asylum, and those in or with experience of detention
• Ability and willingness to learn and develop in the role
• Initiative, problem-solving, and resourcefulness
• Reliability
• Ability to build strong working relationships with external contacts and volunteers
• Natural empathy and ability to build trust with those we support in detention
• Non-judgmental attitude and ability to work with clients with unconditional positive regard
• Ability to maintain effective professional boundaries with those we support
• Teamwork and self-reliance: ability to work well with others and also use initiative
• Effective time management and ability to juggle and prioritise competing demands on their time
• Understanding of issues faced by migrants with an unstable immigration status
• Experience using databases
• Experience using Microsoft Word and Excel
• Experience receiving and sending emails

Preferred

• Lived experience of detention/the asylum system or experience of work with refugees, migrants, criminal justice, or human rights
• Experience of work/volunteering in the voluntary sector
• Good understanding of mental health and complex needs
• Experience of safeguarding people with vulnerabilities

Equal Opportunities

GDWG is an equal opportunities employer committed to promoting an environment that isinclusive and free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and valuesthe diversity of its people. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds including those with lived experience of detention and take every possible step to ensure that no individual will be disadvantaged. We are committed to the employment and career development of disabled people and guarantee an interview to anyone with a disability whose application demonstrates the essential requirements of the role.