Senior Resettlement Caseworker Jobs

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

• Manage a small caseload and provide high quality legal advice and representation to clients;

• Supervise the work of volunteer pro bono commercial lawyers on cases;

• Deliver training to pro bono commercial lawyers;

• Ensure that all legal work is promptly and accurate recorded on RLS’s case management system and keep relevant time recording; 

• 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;

• 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;

• 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;

• 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;

• Participate in, and contribute to, RLS’s monitoring, evaluation and learning framework;

• 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; 

• Be an active and collaborative member of the APBI Project team together with the other Lawyer/s, Coordinator and Community Engagement and Research Lead;

• 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;

• Maintain accurate and confidential records in line with GDPR;

• Adhere to RLS safeguarding policies and procedures at all times. 

Person Specification

Essential

• 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;

• Experience of asylum casework;

• 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;

• Experience of online immigration applications; 

• Demonstrable knowledge of legal aid provision and ECF applications; 

• Demonstrable supervision experience; 

• Experience of and commitment to working in a collaborative way on legal cases;

• Good verbal and written communication skills in English;

• Strong organisational skills, including the ability to prioritise work and meet deadlines;

• Strong attention to detail, responsiveness, reliability and dependability;

• Strong interpersonal and relationship management skills and an ability to deal professionally and collaboratively with both legal and not-for-profit stakeholders;

• Computer literacy;

• Right to reside and work in the UK;

• 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;

• Have a strong commitment to upholding the human rights of asylum seekers, migrants, and refugees; 

• Commitment to the aims of the project and the values of RLS.

• 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

• Those with lived experience of navigating immigration systems are strongly encouraged to apply and will be favourable considered;

• Experience of legal aid casework; 

• Experience of conducting immigration appeals and/or public law litigation; 

• Experience of supervising commercial lawyers in a pro bono project setting;

• Experience of preparing and delivering training;

• Interest in collaborating with non-legal colleagues to bring about systemic change;

• Working knowledge of Dari and/or Pashto.