Drop In Adviser Jobs
About us:
The Refugee and Migrant Forum of Essex and London (RAMFEL) is one of the largest immigration and asylum advice charities in the UK, supporting refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants to access justice. An OISC level 3 accredited organisation, we represent clients at all stages of the immigration and asylum process, up to and including the Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber.
We also actively campaign for a fairer and more humane immigration system. RAMFEL caseworkers therefore have the opportunity to work on systemic and strategic challenges and support broader advocacy work.
We particularly welcome and encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals, and those who are migrants or refugees, and who have lived experience of the impact of UK immigration policy and/or of rough sleeping.
Purpose of the role:
The purpose of the role is to assist some of the most vulnerable people in our society. The focus of the legal work is on non-legal aid funded matters, supporting people who otherwise have no access to legal advice and support. There will be particular focus on working with people who are facing a crisis, providing legal representation and support that will take them out of destitution.
This is a vacant position being filled as a replacement. The role gives an opportunity to assist some of the most vulnerable people in our society. The focus of the role is on supporting people who otherwise have no access to legal advice and support.
We will primarily consider applications with relevant legal experience. Qualifications needed are OISC level 2/3 or Solicitor with IAAS accreditation.
Relationships: This post will report to the Rough Sleeping Casework Manager
Contract duration: Fixed term until 31 March 2025
Hours of work: The role is primarily a full-time position, requiring 37.5 hours per week. However, for the right candidate, we may consider accommodating part-time working hours. Given the nature of RAMFEL’s work, there may be instances where the Supervisor will need to exceed the standard hours. In such cases, compensatory time off can be arranged with the line manager
Specific Responsibilities
Case management
- Manage own caseload, working to advance the best interests of the client
- Adhere to standards set out by OISC/SRA and AQS to deliver high-quality advice
- Provide representation and advice up to OISC level 2/3.
- Engage with the Line Manager to create and follow a training plan to ensure compliance with OISC CPD, keeping up to date with changes in law, policy and guidance to ensure clients receive accurate and high-quality advice
- Liaise directly with the UKVI and related governmental agencies
- Complete forms, letters and immigration applications
- Liaise with and refer clients to Legal Aid Solicitors or other advisers, as appropriate
- Manage clients’ expectations by discussing deadlines, outcomes and timing
- Deliver legal advice outreach surgeries/drop in as and when required
- Progress cases in a timely manner in line with regulatory requirements.
- Implement organisational priorities into day-to-day casework.
Person Specification
Education/qualifications
- Ideally candidates must be Solicitors with IAAS Level 2 with at least 1-year immigration experience or OISC level 2/3 qualified
- If OISC level 1, the candidate will be expected to initially work under supervision completing level 2 work and qualifying at level 2 within 6 months. (Training is provided and study leave is accommodated.) Upon obtaining a higher level of accreditation, the candidate’s salary will increase in line with RAMFEL pay scales.
- IAAS level 2 caseworkers (non-solicitor) will be considered but if appointed must be prepared to work under supervision and qualify at level 1 within 6 months. (Training is provided and study leave is accommodated) Upon obtaining a higher level of accreditation, the candidate’s salary will increase in line with RAMFEL pay scales.
Experience/knowledge
- Experience in providing high-quality advice and representation to clients
- A good understanding of law and policy as it relates to immigration and asylum
- Experience in professional, independent, and impartial service delivery to the public
- Experience in maintaining a caseload of cases in line with OISC requirements in relation to the conduct of cases, file management and supervision
- Knowledge of and empathy with the backgrounds and experiences of asylum seekers, rough sleepers and vulnerable migrants
- Experience in using client databases
- Experience working with interpreters supporting clients with complex matters
Application process
We will only be shortlisting candidates who have submitted a CV and a cover letter explaining why they are applying for the role.
The interview consists of an interview, followed by a written exercise (45 min).
Interviews will take place during the week beginning 20th May 2024.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
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.
Energise Sussex Coast is a community benefit society. Our mission is to work together to end fuel poverty and protect the environment through community led local green power & energy saving schemes.
We are looking for an energetic and creative person to organise and deliver a calendar of engaging and inspiring energy and climate themed events and outreach activities across East Sussex. The events will cover the following themes: saving and sharing energy, insulation, solar and batteries, renewable heat, funding energy efficiency measures, creating healthy and mould-free homes etc.
About you
You are committed to getting the information out there about the transition to zero carbon in a way that is engaging and brings communities together.
You have experience of organising events or other engagement activities. You bring a proactive attitude to the role. You are confident and self driven but enjoy working in cooperation to achieve common goals and to increase your impact. You are a creative thinker with some great ideas about how to engage communities in the transition to a fossil free future and ensure that no one is left behind.
You are a great advocate and because you believe in community energy are happy to promote our services to other organisations and groups with the aim of increasing the number of residents we can support with energy advice and who are able to engage in the transition to a more sustainable future.
You have a high standard of written and verbal communication skills. You are organised with an attention to detail and respect for the importance of collecting data to enable monitoring and evaluation of the project. You want to improve the events by collecting and listening to feedback and implementing improvements. You value the input of our service users, volunteers and staff team into the design of the events programme.
Responsibilities
- Work in collaboration with the ESC team and stakeholders to design a programme of inspiring energy and climate themed events in Hastings, Rother, Eastbourne, and Wealden, reaching a total of 1000 residents across the year.
- Create engagement opportunities for your team at the events and activities of other organisations and local groups by networking and working with the Communications and Marketing person to promote our services.
- Find interesting speakers and organisations to participate in our events.
- Create public events for our No One Left Behind project, finding new, exciting ways to engage the public in conversation about energy and climate topics.
- Manage the administration and logistics of the events, including room bookings, ticket booking processes, etc.
- Look for opportunities to invite our funder along to events and participate in the activities.
- Manage relationships with staff team and volunteer Energy Champions on local events.
- Create event plans and risk assessments for each event.
- Work with the Marketing and Communications Officer and local volunteers to plan PR and promotion of events to agreed timelines.
- Create and work to agreed budgets.
- Ensure you are collecting the data needed to monitor and evaluate the project.
- Create inclusivity in the event registration and attendance experience to support people with a variety of needs.
- Ensure events feed into the wider work and services of Energise Sussex Coast.
- Provide event reports to manager detailing the number of attendees, write-up of the event, and feedback.
- Provide general assistance with ESC events and projects as required.
- Adhere to Energise Sussex Coast’s policies around safeguarding, data protection, etc.
- Attend monthly in-person team meetings in Hastings.
Key Details
• Hours: 30 hours a week, flexible working. Will include some evening and weekend work.
• Job location: Home based (or optional hot desk in Hastings) with regular events in Hastings, Rother, Eastbourne and Wealden. Please note, travel costs to the events will only be paid from a local East Sussex postcode, we would not be able to cover the cost of travelling to events from London or further afield.
Criteria
Essential
1. Professional experience or a personal commitment to the pressing importance of the transition to a sustainable, fossil fuel free future
2. Experience of organising events or community engagement.
3. Experience or an understanding of the importance of quality data collection, monitoring and evaluation, for example collecting and analysing event feedback
4. Effective administration and organisational skills, with good time management and high attention to detail
5. Good written and verbal communication skills
6. Experience working in a team for shared objectives and self-motivated to work independently.
Desirable
7. A qualification in a relevant field: events, marketing or climate/ energy
8. Experience of working with volunteers
To apply
Please send the following to apply:
1.A copy of your CV
2 . A covering letter (of around a page or two) of how you meet the essential and desirable criteria.
Please note - if you are offered the job you will need to provide two references including one from your last employer.
Interviews in person on Weds 22nd May
Inclusion and equality of opportunity
If there's anything you need to help you apply for the job - whether that's help with the job application or alternatives to interview or particular requirements for interview access please let us know and we will make alternative arrangements.
To apply please write a covering letter which explains how you meet each numbered point from the person criteria. Please use the numbers from the list of criteria and give an example for each one. Examples can be taken from your professional or personal life. For example, rather than say “I have strong communication skills' instead give an example which illustrates the skill "I write and send out our monthly e-newsletter and regularly give in person presentations to community groups"
Energise Sussex Coast is a community benefit society. Our mission is to work together to end fuel poverty and protect the environment through communit
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
About us
World Jewish Relief has been successfully delivering our refugee employment programme, STEP, for over seven years. Research into this programme showed that women were dropping out more often than men, not moving through the programme as fast as men, and not getting the same level of job outcomes. As a result, STEP Forward was created to specifically address the barriers to integration faced by women.
The aim is for women refugees to make informed decisions about their lives and their continued pathways in the UK. In April 2023, a new phase of the programme was launched with a target to support 315 women until April 2026 in Coventry, Bradford, and Leeds.
Project Details
We are seeking a Monitoring and Evaluation consultant(s) to assess STEP Forward programme effectiveness, identify areas for improvement, and provide recommendations for enhancement. The consultant(s) will be responsible to produce three monitoring reports between 2024 and 2026.
Specific tasks:
- Conduct a thorough desk review of all relevant project documents.
- Design and implement a systematic approach for data collection, both quantitative and qualitative.
- Engage key stakeholders, including partners and clients, through surveys, focus groups, and individual interviews, including site visits to Coventry, Bradford and Leeds.
- Leverage various data collection tools to gather quantitative and qualitative data.
- Compile comprehensive reports that synthesise the consultancy's findings and recommendations.
- Deliver presentations that effectively convey the consultancy's findings to a diverse audience.
Submitting a proposal:
Interested parties should send technical and financial proposals, detailing how they would approach the consultancy, with a timeline included. Please send your proposals to:
1.UK Refugee Programme Manager Abelia Leskin
2. UK Refugee Programme Officer Elly Brimacombe
with clear indication of the call for proposal title in the email subject.
Please see attached Request for proposals document for more details. If you would like to discuss further or have any questions, please contact Elly and Abelia.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as the applications come in. Don’t miss your opportunity, apply now!
The Margins Project, Union Chapel’s Frontline charity, work with people who are homeless or who are at risk of homelessness and helps address pertinent social justice issues these communities face.
The charity runs three integrated programmes:
• a community drop-in programme providing access to nutritious hot meals, and limited access to showers & laundry services.
• advice and engagement programme providing one-to-one as well as group advice service on benefits and housing, and onward referrals to pertinent services.
• support employment programme offers a paid catering training to 10 people who have had experience of homelessness, substance misuse, mental ill-health, and or imprisonment.
Our range of services are designed to help guests (service users) at varying stages, from having no roof over their head to getting back into employment.
This role offers an opportunity for an experienced adviser to help shape and evolve Margins services. Experiences on the ground at the drop-in programme inform the charity’s strategic direction. The role will involve expanding our partner network to link into pertinent statutory and other charitable organisations that provide services that will help our guests with their housing, substance misuse, recidivism, and mental health challenges.
We work closely with people on an individual case work basis to get guests off the streets, into hostels or temporary accommodation where possible, and work with private and social landlords on a range of issues. We support and represent the people we work with on the phone and in person, including at the council, the doctors, the job centre, and benefits tribunals.
Our drop-ins run on Mondays and Wednesdays 11:00am to 1:00pm where attendance is currently from 65 to 75 guests. The advice and engagement worker works more intensively with smaller numbers of up to 20. The demand for more follow up work and advocacy support has been increasing over the last two years and this in-house advice worker is critical for this demand.
Working collaboratively with the Drop-in Community worker (currently vacant), the head chef, and a small group of dedicated volunteers, you will be responsible for the support of a caseload of guests, some with complex needs, and will undertake key work responsibilities including registering the guests, identifying their housing, benefit and personal needs and conducting all necessary follow ups including occasional advocacy support, where deemed necessary.
Job Title: ADVICE AND ENGAGEMENT WORKER
Responsible to: Head of Margins
Location: Margins Offices at Union Chapel, Islington, London
Salary: £32,500 - £35,000
Terms: Full time 37.5 hours per week with 1 hour unpaid for lunch.
Three-month probation, two months’ notice.
23 days annual leave + bank holidays. Workplace pension scheme (NEST)
Start date: May 2024
Purpose of Job:
• To advise and assist guests (service users) with benefit claims and related issues, e.g., Housing Benefit, DLA, PIP, Income Support, ESA, Universal Credit, and other benefits. In particular, assisting them to claim Housing Benefit and UC to reduce risk of rent arrears.
• To develop significant contact and liaison with comparable housing and benefits advice organisations.
• To encourage guests engage with Margins activities, and where practicable, with the wider Union Chapel activities.
• To develop, facilitate and deliver group advice workshops/training programmes and open discussions forums to engage guests who historically do not engage with Union Chapel.
• To Refer Margins guests to relevant internal and external services.
• In liaison with the head of Margins and the chef to refer potential candidates to Margins’ Supported Employment Programme.
The Advice and Engagement Worker will have an active role in identifying and engaging guests as well as referring potential candidates to the Supported Employment Programme, a programme anticipated to expand beyond its current services in Margins catering.
Responsible For:
• Working with caseload of guests
• With the support of drop-in services community worker (currently vacant) to ensure the smooth running of the drop-in services
• Identifying opportunities to improve services both at a project and organisational level.
• Assist the Head of Margins in ensuring that the Margins Project remains GDPR compliant.
• Represent the organisation effectively internally and externally.
• Working in partnership with statutory and other charities to deliver co-ordinated support to guests.
• Identify relevant training opportunities in capacity building.
• Initial liaison with and acting as the first referral contact for the Supported Employment Programme
Key Duties:
• To encourage and assist guests achieve the maximum income from benefits to which they are entitled to, and to refer to relevant support services such as mental health, social services, community support.
• To advise guests on basic budgeting and where applicable to refer to Tenancy Support Officers or outside agencies for more complex help.
• To liaise closely with local authorities, social, and private landlords to try to achieve the best outcome for our guests.
• To identify if the guest is accessioning the right benefit that will support their long-term wellbeing.
• To support newly arrived refugees with their housing and benefit advice needs.
• To actively assist guests with formal appeals against Local Authority, DWP and HMRC decisions regarding benefit entitlement. Representing at Appeal Tribunals.
• To signpost guests to resources that can assist them in finding work.
• When needed, signposting guests to specialist providers in mental health or drug and alcohol support services.
• To Support guests on paying their rent, including providing advice on benefits and debt management.
• To Address breaches of occupancy agreements and develop strategies that would prevent and avoid eviction.
• To assist guests with backdated claims for Benefit by supporting their applications through to completion.
• To ensure all guests’ files are up-to-date and that data is captured on our management system.
• To provide written reports and statistics as and when requested.
• To attend supervision, training, and meetings as and when required.
• To provide advocacy support to guests as and when required.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential:
• Good knowledge of the benefits system, including Universal Credit.
• Experience of working with homeless and marginalised people and understanding of the issues that face them.
• Experience of working or collaborating with people with mental health issues.
• Experience of working with refugees and their needs.
• Ability to manage challenging behaviours.
• Embrace a strength-based approach.
• A clear understanding of professional boundaries.
• A knowledge of the best practice in Safeguarding Adult procedures.
• Excellent written and oral communication skill.
• Ability to work proactively as part of a team.
• Ability to plan, manage and action follow-ups on time and manage and contain workload.
• Proficient in IT skills and competence in Microsoft Office applications.
• Committed to personal and professional development through ongoing training.
Desirable:
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience of providing advice to vulnerable groups
• Experience of delivering provision for the benefit of vulnerable backgrounds
Equal Opportunities:
• Ensure consistent and effective implementation of Union Chapel Equal Opportunities & Diversity policy and procedures.
• Positively promote an environment which respects and values the diversity of staff, volunteers, and Guests.
This is a guide to the nature of the work required of the Advice and Engagement Worker. It is therefore not comprehensive or restrictive and may be reviewed with the postholder and the line manager from time to time. The post holder may undertake any other reasonable duties within the capabilities and scope of the post as specified by their line manager. In such circumstances appropriate training will be provided.
How to apply
Please apply with your CV and a support statement, both no more than two pages, outlining your skills and experiences to meet the criteria of the role, why you want to work for Union Chapel Project and your availability to start with “Advice and Engagement Worker” in the subject line. Please also complete our Equal Opportunities Form.
Closing date: Tuesday 30 April 2024, 8am
Interviews will take place w/c 13 May 2024
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.