Young refugee caseworker volunteer volunteer roles

Youth Casework Volunteer

Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers

London, Greater London (On-site)

Unpaid role, expenses paid

Voluntary

Actively Interviewing

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Job description

Role: Youth casework volunteer

Team: Casework

Supervised by: Youth caseworker

Location: Tooting Hub on a Wednesday evening (18:00pm - 21:00pm)

Time commitment: 3 hours a week, we ask that volunteers commit for a minimum of 6 months

About CARAS:

Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (CARAS) is a registered charity that has been supporting refugees and asylum-seekers since 2002 empowering them to integrate and engage in the local community.

Arriving as an asylum seeker/refugee can be a disempowering experience. Difficulties with language, accessing services and overcoming prejudice are ever-present. As an organisation, we are committed to work alongside refugees to overcome those challenges, and to help them build their lives.

We offer group support and targeted support work. We offer a range of activities including: ESOL classes; social and recreational activities such as youth club, drama, trips, and family activities; educational support for young people; and casework and advocacy support.

Our values are at the centre of all our work:

• Kindness: CARAS will nurture all who are part of our community, helping everyone to develop their skills, talents, and interests.

• Justice: CARAS will strive for social justice following a rights-based approach in all our work and challenging instances when rights are not upheld in wider society.

• Empowerment: CARAS works alongside people, recognising and respecting their skills and strengths and striving together for better outcomes.

• ‘With’ not ‘for’: CARAS will put the voices, opinions, experiences and needs of its beneficiaries at the heart of all that we do.

About CARAS Casework:

CARAS works with adults and young people of a refugee and asylum seeker background to find solutions to their problems. There are two separate sub-teams within the Casework team; young people and adults. We support young people to navigate the asylum system, understand their rights and entitlements, access education, connect with services and realise their goals. We are a non-specialist casework and advocacy service, so we work in close partnership with other local organisations to whom we refer people with more complex issues.

Using the empowerment model, our casework service embodies CARAS’ values of ‘with not for’, always striving to ensure people are armed with the information and resources they need to make decisions and take action for themselves.

About the Role:

We are currently recruiting 3 volunteers to join our Youth Casework team.

The purpose of the Youth Casework volunteer role is to support young people with a refugee or asylum-seeking background to understand their rights, access information and services, and ultimately, take control of their own lives. You will work with individuals to address problems they may face relating to, among other issues, asylum support, accessing healthcare and education, access to legal advice and finding activities and opportunities.

You will start from an understanding that individuals are always best placed to solve their own problems, and often need nothing more than to talk out a problem and find the solution themselves. When helpful, you will provide information to clarify and support to take action.

The Youth Casework team hold a support session at our community space in Tooting Hub on Wednesday evenings from 18:00pm - 21:00pm. Volunteer caseworkers have 1:1 appointments, either in person or by phone, with CARAS members. These can be related to a range of topics. Currently, our biggest areas of work are around social care, the National Transfer Scheme, access to college, nursery/school places for children, referrals to mental health providers, searches, and signposting to activities, finding solicitors and supporting people to apply for bus passes and ID cards. Volunteers also support administrative tasks such as updating our databases, collating resources, and creating information guides.

Youth Casework Volunteer Tasks and Responsibilities: 

Working in an empowering way with individuals and promoting their independence through goal-setting.

Supporting people to develop their knowledge of rights and entitlements.

Assisting with filling out forms.

Signposting and referring to other services and organisations.

Gathering information from experts and disseminating information to people in an accessible manner.

Engaging in collaborative internet and phone research on services, organisations, and grants.

Flagging safeguarding concerns and other issues where further support is required.

Keeping accurate case notes.

Supporting to maintain our signposting database.

Researching and collating resources.

Working collaboratively as a team and assisting in shaping the Youth Casework project.

Adhering to CARAS Confidentiality Policy, Health & Safety policy, Equal Opportunities policy and all other policies as relevant.

Requirements (all experience can be from paid or voluntary roles): 

Essential: 

Excellent communication skills, especially with people with varying levels of English.

Confidence in using IT (Microsoft Office, Outlook, Zoom, Google Search, online forms)

To be non-judgemental and able to engage with people from diverse backgrounds;

A commitment to confidentiality and data protection

Thorough with good attention to detail

Reliable

A high level of spoken and written English

Ability to gather information from people in a sensitive way

A calm, friendly, kind, and patient approach

Enjoyment in speaking to new people

A commitment to working in an empowering way

Able to maintain boundaries

Able to work autonomously

Currently resident in the UK

Desirable:

Experience in doing 1:1 advice work/casework

Working knowledge or experience of relevant law and policy around asylum support, the asylum process, rights, and entitlements for people seeking asylum.

Direct experience of the UK immigration system.

Past experience of working with people seeking asylum.

Proficiency in one or more of the following languages: Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Dari, Farsi, Kurdish, Oromo, Pashto, Russian, Spanish, Somali, Tigrinya, Urdu, or Vietnamese.

We will prioritise applicants with lived experience of the asylum process.

Benefits of Volunteering:

· Learn about issues relating to refugees and people seeking asylum.

· Work as part of a friendly, welcoming team.

· Develop your skills and competencies.

· Be able to access relevant training, including safeguarding training.

Obtain a reference from us relating to your placement after 3 months regular volunteering

All volunteers must complete an enhanced DBS check for working with young people and attend training with us before starting. You will also receive training and support relevant to your specific role.

To Apply:

Applicants will have an informal meeting with the Youth caseworker, and one with community members, to assess compatibility to the role. These meetings will be on a rolling basis so apply ASAP.

Successful applicants will be required to complete 2 hours of online general CARAS induction and 2 hours of online safeguarding training and specialist Casework volunteer training before commencing their placement.

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Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers View profile

Registered Charity

6 - 10

We provide firm foundations for new-arrival asylum seekers to build happy and successful lives.

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Posted on: 20 October 2025

Closing date: 18 January 2026 at 14:43

Job ref: Volunteer Role 05

Tags: Advice / Information, Advocacy

The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.

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Age Dispute Team Caseworker - Legal Access Department

Care4Calais

Remote

Unpaid role, expenses paid

Voluntary

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Job description

A fantastic opportunity to build knowledge of the UK asylum system, gain experience of casework and deliver an essential service to young asylum seekers.

About Care4Calais

Care4Calais is a volunteer-based charity providing essential aid and support for refugees in France and the UK.

In northern France we operate year-round from Calais, providing warm clothing, bedding, food and assistance to refugees who live in appalling and dangerous conditions.

Across the UK we collect and distribute clothes, shoes, mobile phones and other essential items, as well as offering social support and interaction, including language lessons, sport and music workshops. We also help with vital access to legal, medical and educational services.

Our Legal Access Department is an access to justice project that exists to arrange critical legal representation for people seeking asylum and, more than this, to support people through the hostility and difficulty of claiming asylum. The department, made up mostly of volunteers, works tirelessly to ensure that people feel informed, empowered, and far less isolated and alone.

About the role

This role provides crucial one-to-one casework and support to people seeking asylum in the UK. Our Age Dispute Team assists young unaccompanied asylum seekers whose age is disputed, and are subsequently treated as adults though they are children, to access the support they deserve through referrals to local authorities and legal representatives. The casework support provided is invaluable and ensures that clients have someone to turn to and someone advocating for their safety and care in a confusing and often scary system.

You’ll have the chance to gain broad experience of working in a fast-paced and experienced team while meeting the ever-changing needs of those we support. So, if you thrive in a collaborative environment and are looking for a role where you can make a real difference, we want to hear from you!

We ask volunteers to commit to a minimum of 6 hours per week. We can be flexible in how this time is allocated. Successful applicants will be provided with the induction and training needed for them to succeed in the role.

We are looking for people who have a genuine passion for human rights and refugee protection. If this is you, please get in touch.

Responsibilities:

Supporting people seeking asylum to understand the process and ensuring that they are able to make their own, informed choices.
Attend induction, ongoing training and keep up to date with resources and procedure to ensure you can carry out the role effectively and efficiently.
Working independently and managing your time, sometimes working to tight deadlines.
Taking on new cases regularly, whilst also providing ongoing support to existing clients.
Sorting and organising client’s paperwork and accurately maintaining client records.
Liaising with other professionals including lawyers, Migrant Help, children's services and other C4C teams.
Following safeguarding procedures and reporting safeguarding incidents appropriately.
Provide emotional support and reassurance and make referrals and signpost to more appropriate support if needed.

Keeping the management team updated of any issues that may impact your ability to carry out the role effectively.

Person Specification

Essential criteria:

Ability to use spreadsheets, Google Workspace, messaging platforms and secure databases.
Dedication to social justice with a clear understanding of the challenges faced by vulnerable populations, or a willingness to learn about these.

Ability to work sensitively with a diverse range of clients, demonstrating cultural competence, respect and compassion.
Experience or transferable experience in efficiently managing high volume caseloads while maintaining a high standard of care and attention.
Resilience in the face of challenging and emotionally demanding situations, with a positive and solution-oriented mindset.
Proactive and self-motivated, with the ability to take initiative.
Excellent communication skills and the ability to communicate with people who do not have English as their first language, working alongside interpreters to ensure clients’ understand the process.
Professional and dedicated to ensure that the best interests of the clients and Care4Calais are represented at all times.

Not essential but we welcome individuals with the below skills to offer:

Proficiency in one or more of the languages spoken within asylum seeking communities, such as but not limited to Arabic, Farsi, Pashto, Dari, Kurdish Sorani, Tigrinya, Amharic, is a strong asset.
Having experience of the asylum system in the UK is a strong asset.
Knowledge of local authority's responsibilities to unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

Lived Experience Inclusion:

We are an anti-racist organisation and a proud member of the Experts by Experience Employment Network (EBE), which aims to create a charitable sector led by individuals with lived experience of the asylum system.

As part of our membership, we are dedicated to creating inclusive employment practices that recognise and accommodate the unique circumstances and strengths of people with lived experience. We actively move away from a one-size-fits-all approach, ensuring our recruitment processes are fair, supportive, and accessible.

We warmly encourage applicants with lived experience to make use of the guidance and resources available on the EBE website (ebeemployment)

In addition, applicants with lived experience are welcome to connect with the EBE support team for tailored assistance with completing the application form and, where available, one-to-one interview preparation.

Importantly, we recognise the significant cultural, linguistic, and experiential insights that individuals with lived experience of the UK asylum system bring to this role. As such, all applicants from this background who meet the essential criteria will be automatically shortlisted and invited to interview.

Application Instructions:

To apply, please submit your CV and complete the application form in full. Kindly note that incomplete applications (i.e. missing a completed form) will not be considered.

We look forward to hearing from you.

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