Mental Health Foundation

Job Description

Policy and DevelopmentOfficer(Refugees)

December 2016

Mental Health Foundation

Job Description

Job title / Policy and Development Officer (Refugees)
Reporting to / Programmes Manager
Responsible for / Volunteers and Sessional Staff
Department / team / Development and Delivery/Scotland/Programmes
Job location / Glasgow (With travel across Scotland, and some travel in the UK and abroad)
Hours / 28 per week (4 days)
Salary / Band D £27,000 per annum pro rata
Contract length / 9 months (possible extension)

Main purpose of the job

This is a significant role in supporting the Foundation to achieve the aim of reducing inequalities experienced by refugees and asylum seekers who are at high risk of developing mental health problems or have lived experience of mental health problems. You will lead a programme of work that promotes positive mental health and wellbeing, challenges stigma and discrimination and tackles inequality within BME communities focusing upon refugees and asylum seekers.

Specifically you will:

To Co-ordinate and lead our new project ‘Musawa’ funded by The Scottish Government and implemented in collaboration with local authorities, Freedom from Torture and community partners.This will involve facilitating development and training to local authorities in Scotland, ensuring that the voices of refugees and asylum seekers are heard and inform local and national health policy; advance community development initiatives in local areas; and influence national mental health programmes. You will support our new project ‘Sawti’’ funded by The National Lottery that will build upon our successful community programmes to enhance mental health and wellbeing amongst refugees including asylum seekers. This will involve coordinating a community conversation empowerment initiative with adults and young people using group-work, arts and peer support; supporting refugees to take leadership roles in community development; co-producing arts projects; and developing a peer mentoring model.

In addition you will:

  • Be a resource for staff across directorates to inform their work with refugees
  • Use your experience of refugees and asylum seekers in a professional context to inform inform policy, research, development and training programmes.
  • Support policy and communications work in this field including acting as media spokesperson in this field
  • Ensure that refugees are involved in helping to shape the Foundation’s work.

Project Management Responsibilities

In leading this work, under the supervision of the Programmes Manager, you will:

  • Implement community development initiatives with refugee and asylum seeking communities to promote mental health and wellbeing, challenge stigma and discrimination and promote equality.
  • Ensure a strong community development approach is utilised where need is identified through research and local intelligence.
  • Plan, manage and conduct projects ethically and professionally, in keeping with the goals and ethos of the Foundation.
  • Contribute to the production of comprehensive project plans, including agreed objectives, outcomes and measures, budget, deliverables and milestones.
  • Follow agreed project management procedures and to assist in keeping project management records up to date.
  • Support the review of project performance, to ensure they are delivering to agreed deliverables and timescales, reporting and helping to address projects where identified.
  • Assist in the reporting back to funders on progress of projects as required throughout the life of the project and on the conclusion of the project
  • Ensure financial procedures are followed professionally, including supporting senior staff to develop and manage budgets and identify risk.

Policy

  • Support policy workincluding responses to Government consultations and briefings for external stakeholders or politicians.
  • Represent the Foundation within the Scottish Parliament as directed, ensuring effective communication with MSPs and their staff. Contribute to wider UK parliamentary work as agreed with Programmes Manager.
  • Maintain a general knowledge of Refugee policy issues and developments across the spectrum of MHF work.
  • Create opportunities for refugee and asylum seekers and people with lived experience from BME communities to become involved in the co-production of the Foundation’s work

Communication

  • Engage with partners and stakeholders, in furtherance of the policy and strategic objectives of the Foundation.
  • Act as representative of the Mental Health Foundation at external steering groups and meetings as agreed.
  • Feedback on policy activities to Scotland and UK Foundation staff based in other offices as agreed by Programmes Manager
  • Disseminate the work of the Foundation through contributing to the production of written reports, publications and presentations for a variety of stakeholders.
  • Assist in the review and dissemination of experiences and findings from projects to relevant audiences, both internal and external.
  • To represent the Foundation at events, conferences, meetings and seminars as required.

Managerial

  • To support and supervise sessional staff and volunteers where they are working on specific projects being led by post holder or as agreed by Programmes Manager.
  • Deputise for the Programmes Manager as appropriate.

Business Development

  • To help to identify new opportunities and support the development of these in consultation with line manager and senior staff across the Foundation.
  • To support the development of new partnerships with external organisations.
  • To contribute to the development of relationships with current and new funders in partnership with fundraising colleagues to help identify funding opportunities and to gain support for funding ideas.

General

  • Ensure all projects are developed and delivered through sound and rigorous processes including reviewing appropriate literature, policy and practice, develop hypotheses and employing appropriate methodology.
  • Contribute to the production of reports and other publications, briefings and guidelines for a variety of stakeholders.
  • Contribute to the development of the policy and development section of the Scottish operational plan.
  • Maintain a high standard of probity in professional, personal and financial matters.
  • To uphold and promote the Foundation's commitment to diversity and the benefits it brings.
  • To undertake any other duties as may reasonably be required.

This job description is not contractual and is liable to change over time

Mental Health Foundation

Person Specification

Experience

Personal lived experience of being an asylum seeker or refugee, and of using this to inform professional practice (or considerable experience and credibility in this field) / E
At least three years experience in this field / E
Demonstrable experience of designing and delivering training / E
Demonstrable experience of community development approaches / E
Experience of producing high quality written reports for a range of audiences / E
Experience of organising and delivering events / E
Experience of groupwork facilitation / E
Experience of participatory research and consultation approaches / D
Experience of acting as a media spokesperson / D

Knowledge

Working knowledge of the policy process in Scotland from national to local level for asylum seekers and refugees / E
Good general knowledge of the mental health sector in Scotland / E
Very good knowledge of the refugee sector in Scotland / E
Knowledge of human rights, and/or equality and diversity programmes / E
Skills
Excellent good oral communication skills, including presentations / E
Excellent written communication skills / E
Excellent facilitation and negotiation skills / E
Good inter-personal skills / E
Ability to work as part of, and across teams / E
Ability to manage a busy, varied workload and meet deadlines / E
Ability to problem solve / E
IT Skills (able to use Office, Internet and Social Media) / E
Sensitivity and commitment to equal opportunities / E
Able to research and process information and resources / E
Ability to be a representative of the Foundation reflecting its values and priorities / E

Personal Characteristics

Empathy with the Foundation and its aims / E
Flexible and facilitative working style / E
Confident communicator / E
Ability to quickly build credibility internally and externally / E
Effective groupwork skills / E
Qualifications
Educated to degree level in relevant field / E
Masters Degree in relevant field / D

E = essential D = desirable

REQUIREMENTS OF ALL ROLES AT THE FOUNDATION
 Willingness to work flexibly to meet the reasonable needs of the Foundation.
 Commitment to working in accordance with the Foundation’s values.
 Prepared on occasions to work unsocial hours.
 Prepared to travel within the UK and abroad, occasionally staying away from home overnight.
 Self-sufficient in use of information and communications technology.
 Ability to self-manage a full and varied workload.
COMPETENCIES FOR WORKING AT THE MENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION
We expect all employees to be able to use these competences to a high level in their roles. During the recruitment process, at interview stage, we look for evidence of all these competencies.
 Expertise, knowledge and analysis.
 Communication, influencing and promotion.
 Relationships and partnership working.
 Service focused.
 Business aware.
 Strategic thinking and decision making.
 Leadership.
 Adaptability and personal responsibility. Innovative and creative.
 Committed to personal development.