Practitioner Jobs
This role has been established within SWA core work for a couple of years offering the opportunity to develop our participation work as an organisation and managing the relationship with the Survivor Reference Group (SRG), a group of women with lived experience who offer their invaluable knowledge and experience to our work. This position will work as a part of the Membership Services Team, but work very closely with other teams within the organisation including Policy and Training.
Salary Range: £34,877 – £40,023 per year (pro-rata)
Hours: 35 hours per week (flexible work pattern options can be discussed).
Location: Blend of home working and office, based in Rose Street, Edinburgh or can be entirely home-based anywhere in the UK. Please talk to us about your flexible working requirements.
Closing Date: The recruitment panel will be appointing on a rolling basis. After considering your application, the panel will be in touch if they would like to invite you to interview. Please don’t delay in applying as the post will close once the position is filled.
Applications will be accepted from women only under Schedule 9, part 1 of the Equality Act 2010.
Scottish Women’s Aid is an equal opportunities employer, all women, including women with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment, may apply for women-only roles.
SWA are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that is representative of the people we serve.
We are taking positive action to address an under-representation of minoritised and marginalised women within our workforce. We offer Disabled and racially minoritised women the option of requesting that their application is considered under the terms of our Guaranteed Interview Schemes. You will be asked if you wish to be considered when you complete our application form.
BACKGROUND
The Helen Bamber Foundation is a human rights organisation with an international reputation for providing medical consultation, therapeutic care, legal protection, and practical support to survivors of trafficking and torture. We are a team of therapists, doctors, lawyers, caseworkers and administrators who help men, women and children recover from the emotional and physical damage they have suffered because of torture, human trafficking, or other forms of cruelty.
OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE
As Psychotherapist within the Helen Bamber Foundation, you will work alongside our current Senior Psychotherapist and be responsible for supporting the Head of Therapies and the Team Manager in providing a comprehensive range of therapeutic interventions to clients of the Helen Bamber Foundation.
In addition to providing psychotherapy, stabilization, psychoeducation, and trauma focused therapy, this role will include delivery of psychological assessments for both medico-legal and clinical purposes, as well as delivery of clinical supervision to staff from non-clinical backgrounds who nonetheless have significant client contact, and supervision of assistant psychologists. As you develop in the role you will also have opportunities to contribute to the on-going development of the service and at times, the role may include input into policy, research and fundraising and delivery of consultancy and training.
We are looking for someone who is committed to working therapeutically with individuals who have experienced human rights abuses and who have developed trauma spectrum disorders as a result. The successful applicant will ideally have proven experience in working therapeutically with this client group, have a passion for human rights work beyond the individual client work, and a desire to contribute to effecting change at a policy level. This role requires the ability to be with the complex and sometimes harrowing details of a client’s experience, and to react and respond creatively and appropriately to their needs.Additionally, you will be knowledgeable and experienced in consultation and assessment including risk management, and have competence, or a commitment to receiving training, in at least one model of trauma therapy such as NET or EMDR.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
The Helen Bamber Foundation and Asylum Aid is an equal opportunities and Living Wage employer. We are committed to attracting and recruiting diverse candidates as we strive to ensure that our staff, trustees, volunteers, and ambassadors reflect the communities we serve and the wider community we work in at every level of the organisation. We actively welcome applications from people of colour, applicants with disabilities, applicants with lived experience of the asylum system, and from other minority groups.
Please note that the successful candidate will be offered the job subject to suitable references and a DBS check. This role will require disclosure of both the adult and child barring lists. If appointed, you will be required to give your consent to HBF to receive regular updates on your criminal records status throughout your employment.
Please submit an up-to-date CV and a covering letter by midnight on Friday 3rd May, outlining 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. Interviews are scheduled to be held the week commencing Monday 20th May.
For any queries, please call our numbers and ask to speak to Dr Kemi Komolafe or Dr Christina Curry
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
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Manage a small caseload and provide high quality legal advice and representation to clients;
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Supervise the work of volunteer pro bono commercial lawyers on cases;
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Deliver training to pro bono commercial lawyers;
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Ensure that all legal work is promptly and accurate recorded on RLS’s case management system and keep relevant time recording;
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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;
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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;
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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;
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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;
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Participate in, and contribute to, RLS’s monitoring, evaluation and learning framework;
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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;
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Be an active and collaborative member of the APBI Project team together with the other Lawyer/s, Coordinator and Community Engagement and Research Lead;
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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;
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Maintain accurate and confidential records in line with GDPR;
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Adhere to RLS safeguarding policies and procedures at all times.
Person Specification
Essential
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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;
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Experience of asylum casework;
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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;
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Experience of online immigration applications;
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Demonstrable knowledge of legal aid provision and ECF applications;
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Demonstrable supervision experience;
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Experience of and commitment to working in a collaborative way on legal cases;
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Good verbal and written communication skills in English;
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Strong organisational skills, including the ability to prioritise work and meet deadlines;
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Strong attention to detail, responsiveness, reliability and dependability;
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Strong interpersonal and relationship management skills and an ability to deal professionally and collaboratively with both legal and not-for-profit stakeholders;
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Computer literacy;
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Right to reside and work in the UK;
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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;
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Have a strong commitment to upholding the human rights of asylum seekers, migrants, and refugees;
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Commitment to the aims of the project and the values of RLS.
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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
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Those with lived experience of navigating immigration systems are strongly encouraged to apply and will be favourable considered;
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Experience of legal aid casework;
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Experience of conducting immigration appeals and/or public law litigation;
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Experience of supervising commercial lawyers in a pro bono project setting;
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Experience of preparing and delivering training;
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Interest in collaborating with non-legal colleagues to bring about systemic change;
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Working knowledge of Dari and/or Pashto.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
This role will involve office based working at WGN sites in Shepherd’s Bush as well as travel across London, community based and remote working.
About us
Women and Girls Network (WGN) was established in 1987 and has spent over 30 years supporting women and girls across London affected by gendered violence. This includes childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, rape, prostitution (including trafficking and sexual exploitation), female genital mutilation (FGM), and so-called 'honour' based crimes such as forced marriage.
Our goal is to promote, preserve, and restore the mental health and wellbeing of women and girls, to empower them to make a total and sustainable recovery from the experiences of violence.
About the role
This new and exciting role is part of CouRAGEus, a unique pan-London project established to provide specialist advocacy, counselling, resilience and prevention programs for black and minoritised young women and girls (YWG) experiencing gendered violence, mental health and/or multiple disadvantage.
About you
The ideal candidate will be an experienced and dynamic individual with an in-depth understanding of the specific needs of minoritised and multiple disadvantaged YWG with experiences of gendered violence. You will have experience of working with YWG’s with high-risk presentations, including self-injury and suicidal risk and adept at providing crises support and more in-depth work that cultivates self-protective factors as well as meaningful interventions and strategies that aim to reduce and mitigate risk.
You will deliver holistic, YWG’s centred, individualised care pathways that are gender informed, trauma focused and aimed at addressing multiple areas of disadvantage including mental health challenges, problematic substance use and homelessness. You will be well versed in advocating on behalf of YWG to multi-agency services to ensure support, protection and choice for the YWG’s you represent. In this role, the Advocate will also develop relationships with local communities and professionals with an aim to raise awareness about sexual violence, improve communities and professionals’ responses as well as to improve access to services for survivors. This work will be carried out through one to one advocacy sessions, workshops, trainings, consultations and other means.
Further information
WGN’s employee benefits include: 3% pension contribution, enhanced leave entitlement and an Employee Assistance Programme, as well as the opportunity to work with a leading multi-cultural, women-led feminist charity.
We welcome and encourage applications from women of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Ethnic communities.
This post is subject to satisfactory references and DBS check.
WGN is an equal opportunities employer.
Posts are exempt under the Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, Part 1.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
This role will involve office based working at WGN sites in Shepherd’s Bush as well as travel across London, community based and remote working.
About us
Women and Girls Network (WGN) was established in 1987 and has spent over 30 years supporting women and girls across London affected by gendered violence. This includes childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, rape, prostitution (including trafficking and sexual exploitation), female genital mutilation (FGM), and so-called 'honour' based crimes such as forced marriage.
Our goal is to promote, preserve, and restore the mental health and wellbeing of women and girls, to empower them to make a total and sustainable recovery from the experiences of violence.
About the role
We are now looking for an experienced and innovative individual to support the engagement and outreach of our Young Women’s Service.
The successful candidate will be experienced in developing and delivering creative Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention programs and confident to successfully engage young women in a wide range of settings including schools, colleges, youth programs & pupil referral units to raise awareness, challenge and positively influence the attitudes and behaviours that normalise GBV in this peer group. You will receive training on delivering GBV Resilience Programs that build psychological and emotional resilience in young people (YP) to strengthen protective factors to promote positive mental and emotional well-being in YP. You will co-produce and deliver training and awareness raising work for professionals, including first responders and managers in GBV related services / mental health provisions, educational centres and non-abusing family members and carers to facilitate appropriate response towards YP at risk.
About you
You will therefore be skilled in nurturing and developing YP voices and active engagement within such forums. You will be skilled at working alongside young women with an acute awareness of how to successfully co-create and co-deliver training packages to professionals and the wider community, thus centralising YP as the leaders and change agents in the project.
Further information
WGN’s employee benefits include: 3% pension contribution, enhanced leave entitlement and an Employee Assistance Programme, as well as the opportunity to work with a leading multi-cultural, women-led feminist charity.
We welcome and encourage applications from women of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Ethnic communities.
This post is subject to satisfactory references and DBS check.
WGN is an equal opportunities employer.
Posts are exempt under the Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, Part 1.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.