Service Coordinator – Refugee Support (Thames Valley)
Salary band / Level 2b / ReferenceArea / Department / South East of England / Refugee Support and Restoring Family Links / Territory / Division / UK Operations
Work location / Abingdon / Reports to / Service Manager – Refugee Support and IFT
Role duration / Fixed term 19 months / Last updated / December 2016
Scale and scope of role
Direct reports / Volunteers / Indirect reports / N/ABudgetary responsibility / accountability / None / Accountability for other resources / Mobile phone
Reach and impact / The post holder will have responsibility for coordinating and delivering high quality orientation and casework services for Syrian refugee families. They will be responsible for recruiting, training and supervising a team of volunteers. They will promote the service externally and develop and maintain effective relationships with a range of external stakeholders. They will work alongside the existing service coordinator and as part of the wider Thames Valley Refugee Support team.
Context
The British Red Cross refuses to ignore people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. We are part of a global voluntary network, responding to conflicts, natural disasters and individual emergencies. We enable vulnerable people in the UK and abroad to prepare for and withstand emergencies in their own communities. And when the crisis is over, we help them to recover and move on with their lives. Within the UK, the British Red Cross operates through about 4,000 staff and over 20,000 volunteers.
The British Red Cross has a long tradition of providing practical and emotional assistance to vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees. Our trained volunteers provide much needed support to thousands of people every year, helping them to access local services and adjust to life in a new country. The Red Cross’s services include:
· Providing practical/emotional help to vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees
· Offering orientation services to help refugees adapt to life in the UK
· Providing emergency support for new arrivals
· Providing emergency provisions for those in crisis
Our service in the Thames Valley area assists vulnerable refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in times of crisis through emotional and practical support including information, advice and advocacy. Our International Family Tracing service works to link together families separated as a result of conflict, disaster or migration with their loved ones. Specifically, we also provide support services to those from Syria given Humanitarian Protection under the Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme (VPRS). We deliver these services from our offices in Milton Keynes, Reading (Berkshire), High Wycombe (South Buckinghamshire) and Abingdon (Oxfordshire). Our well-established Refugee Support service is highly regarded by our partner agencies and we deliver a combination of drop-in sessions, appointments and outreach services.
Overall purpose of the role
British Red Cross has been commissioned by South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils to deliver an integration and orientation support service for Syrian refugee families, who are being resettled in the area through the Syrian Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme (VPRS).
The Service Coordinator - Refugee Support post holder will have responsibility for delivering a high quality orientation and casework service to the vulnerable Syrian refugee families being resettled in the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse area through VRPS. The post holder will undertake a range of duties, including supporting service users to develop personal integration plans (PIPs). They will also work with the service manager to ensure the service meets organisational and regulatory quality standards, including Office of Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) standards for which training and support is provided. The overall purpose of this role is:
To coordinate the delivery of the Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) integration and support service in the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse area, including recruiting, training and supervising a team of casework, interpreter and admin volunteers
To work alongside the existing service coordinator and as part of the wider Red Cross Refugee Support team in the Thames Valley in delivering this service
Main responsibilities and duties
1. To develop a project plan for the VPRS service prior to the arrival of the service users, working with the support of the service manager
2. To recruit, induct, train, support and supervise a team of volunteers to assist in the delivery of the VPRS service in line with BRC policies and procedures, with the support of the service manager
3. To contribute to the development of an orientation information packs for service users and maintain these packs on an ongoing basis
4. To coordinate the development of a ‘welcome pack’ of items and resources to be issued to the families upon arrival
5. To meet and greet the newly arrived Syrian families at the airport and help them to settle into their accommodation, working in coordination with South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils personnel and with the support of the BRC service manager and BRC volunteers
6. To ensure that the newly arrived families have a comprehensive property briefing upon their arrival, liaising with South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils housing department personnel and the property landlords accordingly
7. To work with service users to draw up phased personal integration plans (PIPs), identifying service users’ needs, strengths and any risks and agreeing a comprehensive action plan with them
8. To assist service users to obtain their Biometric Residence Permits
9. To support service users to maintain their tenancies, working closely with South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils housing department personnel
10. To assist service users to register and access appointments with essential and statutory services including GPs, opticians, dentists, mental health services (if required), schools, job centre plus and providers of English language classes, training, volunteering and employment support
11. To develop relationships and liaise with relevant voluntary, faith based and civil society groups to ensure service users have access to the support these groups can offer to aid their integration into the local community
12. To ensure service users’ records are accurate and up-to-date in accordance with BRC best practice and contractual requirements
13. To collate statistics on the service and contribute to monitoring and evaluation reports as required
14. To have a flexible approach to the work as some out of hours and on-call support may be required
15. To ensure the service is delivered to agreed organisational and regulatory policies, standards and guidelines
16. To ensure volunteers delivering the service are fully aware of and trained in appropriate health and safety policies, procedures and risk assessments
17. To ensure confidentiality in relation to all aspects of the service, including service user records
18. To promote and raise awareness of refugee and asylum seeker issues with sensitivity and in accordance with BRC principles and values
19. To commit to your on-going professional development participating in supervision, training and relevant internal and external meetings and events
20. To make known to the service manager any circumstance, errors or omissions that may have a detrimental effect on the service and its users
Staff may not unreasonably refuse a request to undertake any task which is appropriate to their level for which they have the necessary skills and/or experience. Any resulting change to their objectives and priorities will be discussed and confirmed with their line manager
To do all of the above in accordance with the Fundamental Principles and polices of the British Red Cross
Person Specification
/Requirements
Education & training
/ Educated to GCSE standard (or equivalent) including Maths and English or equivalent by experience EOffice of Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) at Level 1 competency or equivalent D
Experience
/ Experience of project coordination EExperience of delivering high quality, confidential, client-centred services to vulnerable individuals E
Experience of conducting casework interviews and assessments E
Experience of recruiting, supporting and supervising staff or volunteers E
Experience of working with interpreters D
Experience of developing and maintaining effective working relationships with external stakeholders D
Skills & knowledge
/ Working knowledge of issues affecting refugees EWoking knowledge of provisions relating to vulnerable people E
Knowledge of services, both statutory and voluntary, that provide support to refugees and vulnerable people E
IT literate: working knowledge of and ability to use e-mail, word processing, Excel and database packages E
Excellent communication and networking skills, including the ability to communicate with people of diverse cultures E
Working knowledge of health and safety practise in a service delivery environment D
Ability to collate and interpret a range of service delivery information including statistics and user feedback D
Competencies and behaviours
/ Ability to empathise with the needs and experiences of refugees and be sensitive to cultural issues, including those relating to gender EAbility to listen and be sensitive when dealing with people in distress E
Ability to plan and manage own time and workload and prioritise a range of competing tasks E
Ability to write clearly and accurately and give verbal presentations E
Ability to uphold the Red Cross’s Fundamental Principles and act with integrity and in accordance with the Society’s values and obligations E
Commitment to working within equal opportunities and to promoting diversity E
Ability to work as part of a team and recognise and value the contribution of others E
Additional requirements
/ Able to work and travel as appropriate in line with the needs of the job and more widely across the Area as required EAble and willing to work unsociable hours and respond to emergency situations as required E
Current driving licence valid for use in the UK and access to own vehicle E
The ability to speak Arabic would be an advantage D
E = Essential criteria
D = Desirable criteria
All points marked E are the minimum short-listing criteria. N.B. All disabled candidates who meet these criteria must be short-listed for interview in line with our commitment under the Disability Confident Scheme.