Job Application Pack

Family Education Casework Manager

Included in this pack:

  • Job Description
  • Application Form
  • Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form

If you would like to know more or are interested in applying for this position please contact us by email or call 020 7223 2845 and speak to Fleur Anderson or Aaron Barbour ()

Katherine Low Settlement

108 Battersea High Street, London, SW11 3HP

020 7223 2845

Katherine Low Settlement Ltd is a registered charity no. 1081248, and a company limited by guarantee no. 3814833

Job Description

Job Title: Family Education Casework Manager

Position: Fixed-term contractto September 2021

Salary: £32,000 per annum pro rata (£19,200)

Hours: 21 hours per week

Holidays: 25 days plus Bank Holidays pro rata

Responsible to:Head of Community Services, Katherine Low Settlement

Part of:Love to Learn Family Casework Team, responsible for three p/tFamily Caseworkers

Location: 108 Battersea High Street, London SW11 3HP

This is an excellent opportunity to come and work in a well-established and successful project, enabling young people from a refugee background to overcome barriers to education so that they can thrive and reach their potential. Love to Learn has a track record of supporting local families from a refugee background to access better education and learning since 2004.We are looking for someone with experience of education information, advice and guidance casework to be the first contact with new families, monitor on-going support of families we are already working with, coordinate the work of the part-time Love to Learn Family Caseworkers and collaborate with the Love to Learn mentoring and homework club staff.

Application Process

Please apply by sending in the application form and equal opportunities form as two separate files to by 9am on 1st October 2018. Interviews will be on October 11th.

For further information and an informal chat about this post please contact Fleur Anderson or Aaron Barbour on 020 7223 2845 d Sophie Roumat:

About Katherine Low Settlement

Katherine Low Settlement is a multi-purpose 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 tackle poverty and isolation and empower and support children, young people and their families, older people and refugee communities. Our main projects are Love to Learn, Older People, ESOL and our Somali womens’ group.

We also 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 40+ charities supporting more than 500 people. Visit:

About this role and Love to Learn

Since 2004, KLS’ Love to Learn education team of 8 part-time staff and over 100 volunteers have supported young refugees and their families in Battersea and the London Borough of Wandsworth. Though mentoring, family support and homework club we provide the tailored support each young person and their family needs to overcome the barriers to education they face at home and school. This role will manage three family support workers. These are a Somali family support worker, an Eritrean family support worker and another support worker is also currently being recruited.

The position is funded for 3 years, and we will continue to seek future funding at the end of this period.

Visit:

Why is our Family Education Support project distinctive?

* We’re education-focused: our primary objective is to get the best for our people, and it is this that determines the education advice and options we present. This is our area of expertise. We refer on to other expert partner agencies for non-education related issues.

* We're known and trusted in the community: We have established a reputation of being a reliable, trustworthy and high-quality source of support. We are known for going the extra mile, working in a respectful and empowering manner that centres on the specific needs of our families and their children.

* We’re confidential and non-judgmental: our role is help people find a way forward, so we’ll be straight-talking and practical about how to resolve problems.

* Our services can be accessed in different ways: we believe there is significant value in ensuring everyone has access to advice and support at any time. Our diverse staff team reflects the backgrounds of our clients.

* We understand the complexity of issues that affect people’s lives: this doesn’t daunt us, and we’ll work to understand the root cause and aim to tackle that too.

* We provide the necessary level of support: we tailor our advice and allocate our resources to meet our clients’ needs, whatever stage their problem may have reached or level of support needed.

* We understand that experiencing a problem affects self-confidence: we’ll provide as much support as needed, empowering clients to regain control of their circumstances, with certainty they’re taking the right approach.

* We help people understand their rights and responsibilities: we support people to address their problem, bringing our voice, credibility and experience.

* We access other services within the Love to Learn team: enabling refugee families to access a range of support to meet their education needs.

Our Family Casework Team works in four ways

a) Immediate support: Providing emotional, practical and tactical information, advice and guidance on education rights and entitlements, aimed at resolving problems for families to get ahead in education. Issues include SEN, housing, medical issues, exclusion or risk of exclusion, foster carers support issues, applying for primary/secondary/tertiary education.

b) Foster Independence: Providing parents/carers with the knowledge and skills to understand, navigate and negotiate the education system for themselves.

c) Refer on: Making supported referrals to our partners at Citizens Advice, the Law Centre and other specialist advice partners about non-education issues.

d) Policy & Practice and Campaigns: From the data we collect we identify trends emerging about the issues people face and the underlying reasons for them. We develop evidence-based policy solutions and campaign for change.

Key Objectives for this Role

  • Provide information, support, advocacy and guidance to young people from refugee backgrounds and their families to ensure that they are able to access educational services and rights.
  • Provide a first contact point for refugee families who are new to Love to Learn to assess their educational needs and allocate them to a Love to Learn family support worker or to other appropriate projects or external services.
  • Coordinate family support by assessing and allocating cases and knowing the progress of each case, important dates and events and ensure that we are providing the best service for the families we work with.
  • Empower parents and young people to enable them to take control and be their own bet advocates.
  • Manage three part-time Family Caseworkers.

Main duties and responsibilities

  1. Meet families, assess education needs and issues, process referrals, and allocate cases so that information, advice, advocacy and guidance is provided in a supportive and timely way.
  2. Facilitate the involvement and engagement of parents in their children’s education by providing information in an accessible form and explaining how they can support their children.
  3. Be familiar with local schools and services and work in tandem with professionals in complementary statutory services in person, by phone or by email.
  4. Advocate on behalf of and/or represent parents by preparing reports and attending appeals or interviews or meetings with them. Empowering and enabling them to have an effective voice and to be engaged in their children’s education.
  5. Track and keep records of meetings and events to support following up on allocated tasks with each Family Caseworker.
  6. Maintain accurate and detailed client records, action plans and monitoring data and support the Family Caseworkers to do the same.
  7. Monitor and evaluate the quality and impact of our family support work so that we can ensure we provide the best service for families and best use of resources, keep learning and improving, and report back to funders.
  8. Keep up to date with other agencies and organisations that can provide support and that we can signpost families to.
  9. Manage three part-time Family Caseworkers, including regular team meetings and supervision meetings, providing advice on cases, agreeing training and development needs and agreeing other support needs.
  10. Attend Katherine Low Settlement and Love to Learn team meetings.
  11. Always work with anti-discriminatory, empowering practice, ensuring everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
  12. Adhere to Katherine Low Settlement’s code of confidentiality, safeguarding and equal opportunities policies. Undertake your role in a professional manner and maintain a high quality standard of work in accordance with the aims, values and ethos of KLS.

The above job description reflects the position at the time of writing; it is not intended to be a task list but indicates the general level of work involved. It is expected that duties will be reviewed and revised as required

Person Specification

Skills and Experience / Essential /
Desirable
Excellent project management and coordination experience, very competent in prioritising workloads / E
At least three years management experience. / E
Track record of providing advice, advocacy and/or casework services - particularly to refugee groups around education and/or to people facing barriers to accessing rights or services / E
Up to date knowledge of the English education system, rights to education, the barriers facing refugee communities in accessing education and how these might be addressed / E
Strong understanding of the needs of refugee communities, particularly around education and learning / E
Knowledge of the relevant local services and experience of making supported referrals / E
Experience of keeping high-quality casework records, filing system, databases, producing action plans and reviewing casework / E
Experience of using anti-discriminatory, empowering practice / E
Proven ability of working well in a team, listening to people and valuing the contribution of all staff, service users and volunteers / E
Strong communication skills (both verbal and written), with excellent written and spoken English, including communicating with people from a wide range of backgrounds and with limited English / E
Ability to travel across the borough to home visits to meet with families and relevant professionals and services / E
Understanding and experience of adhering to codes of safeguarding, confidentiality, equal opportunities and health & safety / E
Excellent IT skills including MS Office suite and ability to use internet and email / E
Committed to KLS’s mission, vision and values / E
Spoken fluency in Farsi, Amharic, Dari, Somali, Tigrinya or Pashtu / D
Knowledge of Battersea / Wandsworth / D
Personal Qualities
Passionate about social justice, education and championing the value of families from refugee communities / E
A hands-on, highly motivated individual with considerable drive, energy and a determination to succeed / E
Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills, specifically with young people / E
Trustworthy, non-judgemental, caring and compassionate, proactive, self-motivated and hardworking / E

Further Information

  • Katherine Low Settlement is committed to equal opportunities and safeguarding.
  • All offers to work at Katherine Low Settlement are subject to two satisfactory references, which is standard KLS policy applicable to all roles. KLS also ask for an enhanced DBS check.
  • You will adhere to matters of confidentiality concerning this role, the KLS team and trustees.
  • An induction is given to all staff. This includes sharing relevant KLS and Love to Learn policies and procedures.
  • There is a 3-month probation period for this role.

Katherine Low Settlement Job Application Form

Contact Details
Name
Address + Postcode
Telephone
Email
Qualifications / Training / Education
Subject Studied / Qualification / Awarding Body / Name of College / Result / Dates
Work & Voluntary Experience
Employer / Role / Main Responsibilities / Dates / Reason for Leaving
Why do you think you are suitable for the job as advertised?
References (2 required)
Name / Organisation / Telephone / Email

I confirm that the details above are correct and true

Signed…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Printed Name…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Date……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Katherine Low Settlement Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form

KLS want to make sure that it is an equal opportunities employer in practice, which is why we want to monitor our recruitment procedures. By completing this form, you are helping us improve our equal opportunities practice. We will separate this part of the form from the application form. It will not form part of the selection process. All information will be held confidentially.

Please tick the appropriate boxes:

  1. How would you describe your gender?

Male□Female □Transgender □Prefer not to say □

  1. What age group do you belong to?

16-24□25-34 □35-44□45-54□55-64 □over 65□

Prefer not to say □

  1. How would you describe your sexuality?

Heterosexual/straight □Gay man □Gay woman/lesbian□

Bi-sexual□ Prefer not to say □

  1. Do you consider that you have a disability?

Yes □No □ Prefer not to say □

  1. Do you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act?

Yes □No □Prefer not to say □Don’t know□

  1. Do you consider that you have a long-term health problem?

Yes □No □Prefer not to say □

  1. How would you describe your religion or belief?

My religion or belief is ______

I have no religion or belief□Prefer not to say □

  1. How would you describe your nationality?

Please describe______

Prefer not to say □

  1. How would you describe your ethnic origin?

Please describe ______

Prefer not to say□

Thank You.