REFUGEE SUPPORT COORDINATOR

With primary responsibility for supporting the charity’s beneficiaries housed through Home Office asylum dispersal.

Employment status: Permanent, full-time.
Pay: £28,000 per annum gross 
Hours of work: 5 days per week
Work pattern: Flexible to suit demand. Field work and some working from home, home visits and a requirement to attend formal meetings.
Responsible to: The Charity Manager 

The purpose of this job:

Asylum seekers housed either in a former hotel or in the community while they await a decision on their application for asylum, receive a level of support from the Government and the national charity Migrant Help. This support is supplemented by staff and volunteers of Sanctuary in Chichester.

The UK Government provides housing and pays energy costs (heating, light etc) for those accommodated in the community plus around £49 per week per individual for living expenses. 

For those housed in the former hotel, the Government provides accommodation and food (full board) plus around £9 per week per individual.

Once a leave to remain decision is communicated to individuals or families, their Home Office support ends 28 days later and they are also given notice to leave their accommodation in a very short space of time. During this transition to refugee leave to remain status, they have to find themselves alternative accommodation plus the means to support themselves.

For people who have arrived as asylum seekers and been provided with supported accommodation, but generally no permission to work for at least 12 months from arrival, this can be very difficult and traumatic for them.

This postholder will be dedicated to helping asylum seekers prepare for a decision from the Government (either asylum approval or refusal) and then assisting them to transition into living in our community or with an appeal or repatriation process.

Overview of the role:

Reporting to the Charity Manager, the postholder will be an integral member of our small team of paid staff, working with Sanctuary in Chichester volunteers in assisting asylum seekers accommodated in the Chichester area to transition after receiving their leave to remain’.

As directed by the Charity Manager, this postholder will assist in filling gaps in support where no volunteer is available, or the support needed is not something a volunteer is able to provide. 

This postholder will also act as the charity’s operational point of contact with Chichester District Council Accommodation Services Team and local Housing Associations, working to assist refugees with newly granted leave to remain, in finding suitable accommodation.

Objectives of the role:

  • To ensure the effective day-to-day management of support for beneficiaries in line with the values and principles of SiC.
  • To work directly with asylum seeking individuals and families, helping them prepare for receiving leave to remain.
  • To provide help and advice to asylum seekers on the practicalities of leaving their Government-provided accommodation and moving into the community at short notice.
  • To assist volunteer befrienders with supporting the process of transition for asylum seekers to leave to remain refugee status.
  • To ensure fairness and equality of opportunity in all SiC activities.
  • To ensure the welfare of beneficiaries is central to all activities.
  • To ensure good safeguarding practices in all operations.
  • To maintain accurate operational records.
  • To work as a team with colleagues and volunteers.
  • To provide information to beneficiaries about SiC services and policies in suitable formats and languages, and ensure that they understand SiC’s role in their resettlement, and their own rights and responsibilities.

Working with volunteers:

  • The majority of SiC support is provided by volunteers but there are occasions when no volunteer is available or the knowledge and skills required is beyond the capacity of our volunteers, and so this postholder will be required to step in and fill those gaps.
  • This postholder will, on occasions, be required to provide more structured training or other support sessions to volunteers e.g. working with the Pathways to Independence Programme Manager or being involved in volunteer wellbeing sessions etc.

Monitoring and reporting:

  • Keeping and maintaining accurate beneficiary records within GDPR guidelines.
  • Keeping and maintaining accurate and up-to-date volunteer information within GDPR guidelines. 
  • Playing an active role in the Family Review process.
  • Regular monitoring of volunteer activity logs and other methods of data collection. 
  • Providing regular and accurate reports of SiC operations to the Charity Manager and Lead Volunteer Coordinator.
  • Providing data as requested for fundraising activities and communications purposes.

Working with external agencies:

  • Liaising with Migrant Help, legal aid solicitors, local housing associations and Job Centre Plus, to ensure beneficiaries receive the support they require.
  • Seeking out and developing relationships with local support charities for the mutual benefit of beneficiaries. 
  • Working with government agencies and local authorities on behalf of beneficiaries, specifically Chichester District Council Accommodation Services Team.  

The postholder may be required to undertake any other duties that fall within the nature of the role and responsibilities of the post as detailed above. There may be occasions when the postholder is asked to undertake work outside their regular working hours, for example, attending meetings and welcoming new families.

Person Specification

It is assumed that the postholder will subscribe to Sanctuary in Chichester’s principles of fairness and equality of opportunity and will be guided by these principles in all aspects of their work.

Essential skills, knowledge, abilities and experience:

  • Secondary education up to at least ‘A’ Level standard or equivalent. 
  • Demomstrable ability to understand and work with legal issues (specifically immigration, employment and housing law), regulations and bureaucracy such as Universal Credit.
  • Strong written and verbal communications skills. 
  • Excellent communication and good interpersonal skills are essential to assist with ongoing language barrier challenges.
  • An understanding of the importance of safeguarding and safeguarding issues.
  • Good understanding of the general and cultural issues facing refugees and asylum seekers as they settle in the UK.
  • A desire to offer welcome and support to all refugees and asylum seekers in
  • the Chichester area.
  • Competence in Microsoft Office and Google suites. 
  • Ability to build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders. 
  • Eligibility to work in the UK.
  • A focus on the welfare of the individual, either beneficiary or volunteer, as a priority.
  • A determination to challenge poor practice.
  • The ability to work independently when required but also to be a collaborative team member.
  • The ability to respond quickly in times of crisis with a ‘hands-on’ approach. 
  • Car owner and driver, with full driving licence.

Desirable skills, knowledge, abilities and experience:

  • Qualifications in charity management and/ or administration, including volunteer recruitment and training.
  • A qualification in or at least a demonstrable understanding of working in a safeguarding environment.
  • Experience of people/ volunteer management and delivering training. 
  • Working knowledge of GDPR and confidentiality issues. 
  • Familiarity with customer relationship management (CRM) software/ platforms.
  • Recent and relevant experience working in the third sector.
  • Recent and relevant experience of volunteer recruitment, volunteer coordination or of being a volunteer.

Safeguarding

Sanctuary in Chichester is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of refugees, asylum seekers, children and vulnerable adults. All staff and volunteers are expected to share this commitment. Employment is subject to safer-recruitment procedures, including references and an enhanced DBS check. 

Equal Opportunities

Sanctuary in Chichester welcomes and encourages applications from people of all backgrounds. As part of our recruitment policy, Sanctuary in Chichester intends to ensure that no prospective employee is discriminated against based on ethnicity, sex, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, employment status, socio economic background, disability, age, religious belief, political persuasion or any other identity. We encourage applications from refugees and others with lived experience. We are happy to provide reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process.

To apply, please send your CV and a cover letter to contact@sanctuaryinchichester.org

If this job is not for you, but you are interested in working for Sanctuary in Chichester, please send your CV along with any information on the type of role you’re looking for, to contact@sanctuaryinchichester.org.