About Hope for the Young

Since 2008, Hope for the Young has been removing obstacles to young refugees and asylum-seekers’ education and wellbeing through financial and mentoring support. We currently run two key projects:

The Education Fund supports young people who, due to their immigration status, have no access to student finance to enable them to go to college or university. We provide grants to pay for tuition fees, living allowances and travel expenses to enable them to access education.

The Mentoring Project supports young refugees and asylum-seekers aged 16-25 by matching them with trained volunteer mentors across London who provide weekly one-to-one support, tailored to the young people's needs.

About this role

Since 2008, The Education Fund has been providing financial support to refugees, asylum-seekers and undocumented young people to enable them to access education across the UK.

In 2020, we would like to transform our Education Fund into a new "Grants and Advocacy Programme.” The Grants and Advocacy Programme will continue to offer financial support to those seeking access to education, but in addition, we will begin offering tailored advice and support to those who receive funding from Hope for the Young. Having listened to the feedback from previous grantees, referrers and the wider community, we know that developing a more holistic service is essential for our grant recipients to not only access, but succeed, and move successfully beyond education.

Historically the Education Fund has been administered by Hope for the Young’s Trustees on a voluntary basis. However, we have secured funding to recruit a new Grants and Advocacy Coordinator who will take over the day-today allocation and management of Hope for the Young’s grants. The successful candidate will be responsible for assessing young people’s financial needs, shortlisting applicants and allocating grants based on the programme’s eligibility criteria, priorities and funding availability. You will be required to liaise with colleges, universities, referral partners, and young people on a regular basis to ensure grantees receive effective and timely support. Part of the new service will require you to meet with Hope for the Young’s grantees once they have been awarded a grant to further assess their needs and educational objectives and provide appropriate guidance and advocacy to help them succeed with their goals.

In the months that Hope for the Young recieves fewer grants, the Grants and Advocacy Coordinator will also be responsible for designing and implementing an Ambassadors Programme within the new service. This will aim to bring together the young people supported by Hope for the Young to increase their involvement in the charity’s activities, develop skills in advocating their right to education, and raise awareness, engagement and support for Hope for the Young's services. We are therefore looking for somebody with experience facilitating youth-led groups who can inspire and motivate young people to make their voices heard. This could be through attending events, joining campaigns and being active online through social media. You will also be required to assist with the monitoring and evaluation of the project by sending out feedback forms and providing regular impact reports on individuals and the Grants and Advocacy Programme as a whole.

We are looking for an outstanding candidate who is passionate about equal access to education and has experience providing advice and support to young people – ideally refugees – to enable them to reach their full academic potential. You will need to have a background in, or strong knowledge of the UK’s education system and the obstacles young migrants face in accessing and remaining in education. We require somebody with strong administrative and organisational skills. Previous experience of grant management will be an advantage.

You will be one of only four members of staff working alongside a team of dedicated volunteers. Being part of a small team, you will get the opportunity to contribute ideas and help to shape Hope for the Young as we grow and support more young people each year. If you think you have the skills and experience to be our new Grants and Advocacy Coordinator, we would love to hear from you.

The job description as described will be reviewed on a regular basis to respond to any changing needs of the post.

Main duties and responsibilities

Grant Management

1. To manage the day-to-day allocation of Hope for the Young’s grants to refugees, asylum-seekers and undocumented young people.

2. To receive and respond to email and telephone enquiries regarding the Grants and Advocacy Programme and to keep referral forms and the database up to date.

3. To review referral forms and assess young people’s eligibility and financial needs.

4. To ensure all applications contain the relevant documentation and evidence required.

5. To shortlist applicants and award funding based on the programme’s eligibility criteria, priorities, and funding availability (for the first 3-6 months, decisions will be made in consultation with the designated Trustees).

6. To agree a payment and reporting plan with each applicant and ensure Hope for the Young and grantees both comply with this.

7. To manage the annual grant budget and ensure full allocation of funding each year.

8. To request attendance records and send reminders for future funding rounds.

9. To ensure all applicants undergo a smooth application process and that all grantees feel welcome, valued and part of Hope for the Young.

Networking and Partnerships

10. To work with refugee community organisations and statutory agencies to create referral and access pathways into and out of the Grants and Advocacy Programme and to promote the project as widely as possible.

11. To research and maintain a list of refugee support organisations and other funding opportunities to signpost or refer applicants to for further support.

12. To liaise with referrers and applicants to ensure funding applications represent a true reflection of need.

13. To maintain communication with colleges, universities, referral partners, and young people on a regular basis to confirm Hope for the Young’s financial commitments and ensure grantees receive effective and timely support

14. To advocate on behalf of successful applicants when they require additional support in speaking with colleges, universities, and other support organisations. This could be through letters, phone calls or supporting statements.

Advice, Support and Advocacy

15. To meet with successful grantees to understand their goals and provide email, telephone and face-to-face advice and support to increase the chances of them accessing, succeeding in, and moving successfully beyond education.

16. To plan and facilitate reviews with applicants at the start of their grant periods and at least every 6 months afterwards to ensure they are on track to achieving their academic and personal goals.

17. To provide support that will help grantees develop skills leading to increased levels of education and employment and support them in making choices which will help them improve their physical, psychological and social well-being.

18. To maintain regular communication with grantees throughout their grant period to maintain engagement and keep them informed of important dates and events.

19. To provide one-to-one ad-hoc advice and support when applicants face difficulties succeeding or remaining in education.

20. To research, upload and disseminate information to grantees about local activities, volunteering, work experience, training, and job opportunities through emails and newsletters.

21. To provide supporting letters and references for grantees when required.

22. To help organise and deliver Hope for the Young’s social events such as annual celebrations and award ceremonies for all grantees, volunteers, and others within Hope for the Young.

Ambassadors Programme

23. To establish a youth-led Ambassadors Programme for Hope for the Young’s beneficiaries and inspire and engage new and existing grantees to get involved in the programme.

24. To coordinate, organise and deliver training to Ambassadors, with the support of external organisations, which will support them to develop their skills in areas such as public speaking, organising events, writing in the media, and campaigning.

25. To research and facilitate ways for grantees to become more involved in the planning and delivery of Hope for the Young’s services.

26. To support Ambassadors to advocate for equal access to education through working with other organisations and joining campaigns which influence policies affecting young migrants in the UK.

27. To facilitate a shared culture of co-operation and joint learning.

Monitoring and Evaluation

28. To keep proper records of contact with young people and provide regular statistics in reports.

29. To assist with developing and implementing an effective monitoring and evaluation framework to assess the impact of the Grants and Advocacy Programme. This will involve carrying out evaluation forms, satisfaction surveys and reviews.

30. To attend regular supervisory sessions with the Head of Programmes and Development and produce verbal/written reports on the project as appropriate.

Other Duties

31. To ensure safeguarding, child protection and vulnerable adult processes are in place and adhered to at all times.

32. To work with and oversee a core volunteer who can assist you with your tasks.

33. To represent Hope for Young at external meetings when required.

34. To support the customisation and development of our new database with the aim to increase the quality and productivity of service delivery.

35. To develop and maintain good relations with potential and existing donors and identify future funding opportunities to ensure sustainability of the service.

36. To process all expenses, invoices and receipts in line with financial management systems and adhere to allocated budgets in line with funding requirements.

37. To act at all times in compliance with all policies and procedures of Hope for the Young and ensure filing and storage systems are managed in line with GDPR.

38. To undertake training relevant to the job in order to keep up to date with issues relevant to providing a good service for refugee and asylum-seeking young people.

39. To undertake any other appropriate duties relevant to the post

Further Information

• You must have the right to work in the UK to apply for this job.
• You must adhere to Hope for the Young’s Equal Opportunities Policy at all times.

• Your employment at Hope for the Young is subject to two satisfactory references and an enhanced DBS check.
• There is a 3-month probation period for this role.
• Ideally the successful candidate will start on or before 1st April 2020.
• Salary will be negotiated dependent on experience.
• In the application form please demonstrate how you meet the person specification of this post and explain why you would like to work for Hope for the Young.
• The closing date for applications is 9am on Monday 10th February 2020.
• Interviews will be held on the 18th and 20th of February 2020.

We’re looking for someone who is passionate about the power of education to change lives, and wanting to support young people from refugee backgrounds to overcome the barriers they face to having a great education. You’ll enjoy working with volunteers and young people. You’ll have a background in education (for example, as a teacher, mentor, TA, youth worker) and experience of working with refugee young people and/or unaccompanied asylum seeking children. You’ll join a great team of Love to Learn staff and volunteers in a community centre which is in the heart of Battersea.

We particularly welcome applications if you have a refugee background and/or can speak Pashto, Farsi/Dari, Tigrinya, Amharic, Somali, or Arabic – but it is not essential. 

About Katherine Low Settlement

Katherine Low Settlement is a charity that has been serving the communities of Battersea and Wandsworth since 1924. We are dedicated to building stronger communities and enable people to challenge and find ways out of poverty and isolation.

We run a range of our own projects to support children, young people and their families, older people and refugee communities. We recognise there are many other expert local charities and community groups working with, for example, disabled people and mental health users. We invite them to operate from our premises – so together as partners we can meet the diverse needs of the local communities of Wandsworth. Each week we work with 45+ charities supporting more than 1,100 people.

Visit our website (pls google it!) 

About KLS and Love to Learn

KLS’ Love to Learn education team was established in 2004. We provide a range of high-quality education services for 250+ refugee children, young people and their families including befriending and mentoring support, advocacy and casework, a homework club, trips and activities. The aims are to broaden their educational experiences, improve educational outcomes and confidence, and support their aspirations. 10 part-time staff are supported by a fantastic team of 100+ committed volunteers.

Key Objectives for this Role  

• Work with the Mentoring Team to recruit, train, manage and support volunteer learning mentors to improve the educational outcomes of the young people we work with.
• Provide advice and advocacy support to refugee young people as appropriate.

Further Information

For further information and an informal chat about this post please contact Aaron Barbour, KLS' CEO (his contact details are in the job application pack). 

​Application Process 

Please complete KLS’ job application form, equal opportunities form and self-declaration and disclosure form and return to Filsan Osman by email (you'll find her email address in the job application pack) or post to Katherine Low Settlement, 108 Battersea High Street, London SW11 3HP

No CV's!

Timings

Closing Date for Applications: 3rd February 2020 – 9.00am

Interview Date: 10th February 2020

We are looking for an experienced manager to lead our high performing Love to Learn education team and continue to change the lives of young refugees. The Head of Love to Learn is responsible for the strategic direction and management of the team, increasing our successful fundraising, raising awareness about our work and ensuring that we provide the best outcomes for the young people we work with and their families, in an increasingly difficult environment for refugees and asylum seekers.

About Katherine Low Settlement

Katherine Low Settlement is a charity that has been serving the communities of Battersea and Wandsworth since 1924. We are dedicated to building stronger communities and enable people to challenge and find ways out of poverty and isolation.

We run a range of our own community projects to support children, young people and their families, older people and refugee communities. We recognise there are many other expert local charities and community groups working with, for example, disabled people and mental health users. We invite them to operate from our premises – so together as partners we can meet the diverse needs of the local communities of Wandsworth. Each week we work with 45+ charities supporting more than 1,100 people.

Visit our website (pls google it!) 

About KLS and Love to Learn

KLS' Love to Learn education team was established in 2004. The team provides a range of high-quality education services for 250+ refugee children, young people and their families including befriending and mentoring support, advocacy and casework, homework clubs, GCSE study groups, trips and activities. The aims are to broaden their educational experiences, improve educational outcomes and confidence, and support their aspirations. 9 p/t staff are supported by a fantastic team of 100+ committed volunteers.

​Key Objectives for this Role

• Provide clear leadership and management to all aspects of our Love to Learn project
• Manage a fantastic team of staff and volunteers
• Monitor and evaluate the project to ensure it provides in the most effective way to meet client needs, in terms of cost and quality
• Manage and develop the budget and finances; whilst securing its financial viability by fundraising

Further Information

More information about the role is the job application pack (pls download it!). You can also contact Aaron Babrour, our CEO, for an informal chat about this post (his contact details are in the job application pack). 

Application Process 

Please complete our job application form, equal opportunities form and self-declaration and disclosure form and return to Filsan Osman either by email (our preference and found in the job application pack) or post to Katherine Low Settlement, 108 Battersea High Street, London SW11 3HP.

No CVs!

Timings

Closing Date for Applications: 3rd February 2020 – 9.00am deadline

1st Interview Date: 12th February 2020

2nd Interview Date: 19th February 2020

Good luck! 

Job Description & Person Specification - Systems Coordinator

Responsible to: Operations Manager

Location: Based in Main Baca office, Loughborough, England. The role requires some travel.

Hours: 15 hrs per week (incorporating occasional out of office hours)

Contract: Fixed Term – 2 years

Salary: Band £22,000 - £25000 pro rata per annum

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Overall Purpose

To administer and coordinate Baca’s organisational systems to ensure that the charity is dynamic, responsive and efficient in its work.  You will ensure Baca has effective HR, ICT, Quality Management and Health & Safety systems so that all teams can excel in the delivery of Baca’s strategy.

___________________________________________________

Duties Responsibilities

• Coordinate the delivery of Baca’s quality management system so as to meet requirements of ISO 9001:2015. This includes conducting audits, developing audit reports and coordinating actions from audits.
• To support the Directors and managers in the development of legally compliant policies, ensuring policies are up to date in line with the policy register whilst enabling the achievement of Baca’s strategic priorities.
• Work with team managers to ensure key project risks are identified and documented in line with Baca’s quality management system.
• Administer HR processes associated with recruitment, induction, probations, appraisals and supervisions for staff and volunteers.  Ensuring compliance with all current legislation and facilitating management responses to issues as they arise.
• Coordinate staff training, ensuring all are up to date with core training and working with management to implement identified further training for the development of staff and drive our service towards our vision and strategy.
• Oversight of Baca’s ICT systems, troubleshooting issues, reviewing changing needs alongside technological developments. Ensuring systems and technology are innovative, productive, enabling and supportive to staff and young people in our care.
• Able to identify areas of development within Baca’s systems and initiate a plan of action to implement improvements.

General:

• Play an active and supportive role within the organisation
• Take ownership of files allocated, ensuring they are up to date and stored correctly.
• Maintain strict confidentiality in relation to work undertaken and ensure all confidential material is stored according to Baca’s Confidentiality statement and Data Protection Policy.
• Embrace the Vision and Values of Baca and reflect this in working practice.
• Treat all staff and young people fairly and without prejudice, in line with Baca’s Equality and Diversity policy
• Be aware of the correct procedures for dealing with any suggested incidences of safeguarding concerns and to follow them, in line with Baca’s Child, Vulnerable Adult Protection & Safeguarding Policy
• Adhere to all Baca’s policies and procedures.

Personal Specification

Baca is looking for someone who can take the lead on coordinating, developing and maintaining key systems that are critical to the success of Baca’s work.  You will have the ability to catch the big picture vision of the organisation and then apply this to the understanding of the detail required to bring this vision into being.  You will be passionate about our vision and mission. You will be able to interact well and empathise with the young people in our care.

You will be very organised and able to work to a high level of detail in implementing processes. You will have strong initiative and will have an ability to problem solve to ensure the Charity is able to continue to develop new and innovative ways of working in a continually changing environment.

You will be a great people person who can develop key relationships internally and externally where required. You will be able to subscribe to Baca’s values and demonstrate these values in behaviours in line with the culture of Baca.

Qualifications/Knowledge/Experience

• Able to understand the big picture and apply this to the details, communicating this with the wider team and stakeholders.
• Experience of working with statutory and voluntary agencies within the UK
• Knowledge, experience and/or aptitude for working with vulnerable young people. Understanding of the needs of young people from other cultures, including asylum seekers and refugees.

Skills/Abilities

• Strong organisation and planning skills, working to a high level of detail.
• Excellent communication both written and verbal.
• Able to find the right balance between administering effective systems and the bigger picture the systems exist to serve.
• Ability to work flexibly in a changing and developing environment. 
• Someone who is able to take the initiative in the analysis of situations and problems logically, and identify robust and workable solutions.  Be able to clearly present these solutions to other members of the team in a way that allows for clear understanding quick decision making and follow through.
• Someone who is able to manage a high workload and able prioritise different tasks, balancing customers and young people’s needs within our organisational strategy and development.
• Strong Willingness to learn and work in line with Baca’s learning culture.

Other Expectations

• Have a genuine concern for and commitment to asylum seekers/refugees, young people and UASCs in particular
• Ability and commitment to work at all times within a framework of confidentiality and anti-discriminatory practice
• Ability to recognise and address pro-actively and professionally problems which arise and ways of improving the service
• Hold a full, clean driving licence
• Commitment to work within the aims, values and ethos of the organisation

INTERVIEWS WILL BE ON THE 7th OF FEBRUARY 2020

Salary: £30,741 (including outer London weighting)

Hours: 35 hours per week 

Contract Type: 2 years fixed term

Based at: Ealing CVS and CAN Mezzanine Hounslow

Closing date for applications: 7th February 2020

• Do you understand the housing issues faced by low income, disadvantaged and BAMER residents in Ealing and Hounslow?

• Could you enable and support the voluntary and community sector in Hounslow and Ealing to work towards improving the housing situation for low income, disadvantaged and BAMER residents?

Ealing CVS is looking for a Development and Campaigns Officer to support voluntary and community groups in improving housing provision and conditions for disadvantaged residents or BAMER residents in Ealing and Hounslow.

The role will involve developing campaign and leadership training, collaborating with partner organisations and policy makers to identify housing campaigns and researching housing policy issues and changes in legislation.

The successful applicant will also need to manage relationships with a broad base of stakeholders and be able to maintain effective partnerships with local public sector bodies and joint working between the sectors.

We are looking for someone who is: dynamic, a self-starter, able to work independently, able to think strategically and understands current housing issues faced by disadvantaged residents in Ealing and Hounslow.

Must be able to: coordinate regular community outreach sessions for disadvantaged and BAMER groups on local developments/current issues affecting the community and how they can get involved. A good communicator able to disseminate campaigning best practice, including case studies, through a variety of mediums, including the website, blog, and e bulletin.

The right person could come from a broad background including private sector and someone who enjoys challenges and problem solving.