NORTHERN REFUGEE CENTRE 
JOB DESCRIPTION
 
Job title:  Women’s Integration Advice Worker
Job Ref No.:  IAW-Sheff
 
Responsible to:   Advice Services Manager
 
Employee supervision: None
 
Salary: £20,708 pa (- pro rata)
 
Purpose of job: To provide an advice service (including casework) covering a wide variety of welfare issues to female refugees and asylum seekers.
 
Hours:  16 hours / week 
 
Holidays: 20 days plus English Bank Holidays (pro rata)
 
Start date: The successful candidate will be expected to start as soon as possible after recruitment process.  The contract is for the existing period of local authority funding, although it is anticipated that funding will be identified to extend contract.
Working arrangements
 
The post holder will work a 16-hour week.  The place of work is flexible within Sheffield this will include undertaking casework and face to face appointments on an outreach basis.  
 
The Advice Service (AS) operates during usual office hours.  However some flexibility is essential, as the post holder may need to attend meetings, training and other events outside normal working hours and outside the Sheffield area. 
 
The Northern Refugee Centre does not have dedicated administrative workers and therefore the AS is self-serving in typing and administration.  All staff are expected, where necessary, to support and assist their colleagues in the carrying out of their duties and to contribute to the general administration of the office.
 
The NRC is a relatively small organisation and therefore the post-holder may be required to perform work not specifically referred to above.  Such duties, however, will fall within the scope of the job, at the appropriate grade.  This job specification will therefore be subject to periodic review with the post-holder to ensure it accurately reflects the duties of the job.  
 
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Equal opportunities
 
1.	To actively promote the aims, core values and equal opportunities of the NRC service.
Advice Work
 
2.	To provide an advice service (including assisted referrals) regarding enquiries relating to asylum, immigration, family reunion, housing, health education, welfare benefits etc. and matters relating to long-term resettlement/integration (including some casework).
 
3.	To provide interpretation, as necessary, by using interpreters who are appropriately qualified and able to meet agreed standards.
 
4.	To stay aware of changes in legislation affecting asylum-seekers and refugees and support the development of the Integration Advice Service accordingly.
 
5.	To liase with the RIES, Refugee Council and NASS accommodation providers in assisting refugees to access mainstream services once they leave NASS support.
 
6.	To liaise with other agencies, voluntary and statutory, to enable access to appropriate service provision for asylum seekers and refugees.
 
7.	Maintain confidentiality in all dealings with refugees and asylum-seekers.
 
Administrative duties
 
8.	To ensure in combination with other staff that information and administrative systems for casework are maintained and developed.
 
9.	To maintain service user records and ensure good administration of the files and papers relating to their caseload within agreed practice.
 
10.	To prepare routine reports, including basic statistics relating to service activity, for management and NRC’s Board of Directors.
 
11.	To maintain up-to-date reference material on relevant legislation and advice work.
 
12.	To act as a key-holder for the office.

Supervision and staff development
 
13.	To provide training (where appropriate) to other NRC staff and volunteers.
 
Service Development
 
14.	To assist in the development, co-ordination and planning of the Integration Advice Service.
 
15.	To represent the NRC at local, regional and national conferences etc. as appropriate.
 
16.	Attend and contribute to external training organised by/for NRC
 
Personal Development 
 
17.	To identify own training and development needs and undertake training as necessary.
Other duties
 
18.	To work as a team member and contribute to the general activities of NRC.
 
19.	To assist with the planning and organisation of events arranged by the NRC.
 
20.	Other duties of a reasonable nature as determined by the post-holders supervisor, from time to time, in consultation with the post-holder.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES STATEMENT
 
As part of its recruitment policy, the Northern Refugee Centre intends to ensure that no prospective or actual employee is discriminated against on the basis of race, gender, nationality, marital status, sexual orientation, employment status, class, disability, age, religious belief or political persuasion, or is disadvantaged by any condition or requirement which is not demonstrably justifiable.

NORTHERN REFUGEE CENTRE
PERSON SPECIFICATION
JOB TITLE:   INTEGRATION ADVICE WORKER
RESPONSIBLE TO:   ADVICE SERVICES MANAGER
     
Your application form should show clearly how you meet the requirements for the post set out below.  You must not assume that your experience speaks for itself.
                                  
1.		Experience 	Essential / Desirable	
1.1	Experience of advice work in the U.K., preferably of 1 year	D	
1.2	Experience of advising refugees and asylum seekers, particularly on immigration and asylum support issues.	        E	
2.		Skills, knowledge and abilities. 	 	
2.1	Knowledge of immigration and a willingness to work towards OISC registration.	E	
2.2	Knowledge of asylum support issues and, secondarily, of welfare benefits, homelessness, immigration status and practice and understanding of how these affect refugees.	E	
2.3	Knowledge of the immediate and long-term needs of refugees and asylum seekers.	D	
2.4	Good command of spoken and written English, e.g. to enable telephone negotiation with other agencies and report writing/letter drafting.	E	
2.5	Experience that includes working with distressed service users and people whose first language is not English.	D	
2.6	Commitment and understanding of equal opportunities and sensitivity to working in a multi-cultural organisation. 	E	
2.7	Ability to work effectively with interpreters, colleagues in the team and to establish good working relationships with other refugee agencies, community groups, and statutory sector services. 	D	
2.8	Ability to prioritise and manage own workload within a pressurised environment.	E	
2.9	Excellent listening skills and ability to empathise as well as establish boundaries to avoid emotional over involvement.  	E	
2.10	Excellent organisational skills.	D	
2.11	Basic word processing and database skills, or the willingness to learn. The ability to make comprehensive records of advice given in a legible fashion and in an IT based case recording system when introduced.	E	
2.12	Knowledge of a community language. 	D