Refugee Resettlement Officer

**Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers**

**Refugee Resettlement Officer Job Description**

Hours: 37.5 hours per week (job share considered)

Duration: Initial 1 year post

**Salary**: £27,344-£29,439 (NJC Scale 6, levels 18-22)

Responsible to: UKRS Resettlement Team Leaders and Director

GARAS is recruiting a Refugee Resettlement Officer to support the significant expansion of our Refugee Programme. This is a unique and exciting opportunity for someone interested in gaining first-hand experience working on the frontline of a fast-paced, client-facing charity.

This in an immensely rewarding role, working in a dynamic charity building on an ethos of care and inclusivity. We are looking for an exceptional individual, committed to go the extra mile and convey our passion to support and transform the lives of refugees in our care.

**Job Summary**

The purpose of the job is to assist individuals and families in their resettlement in to life in West Oxfordshire. Interventions will be aimed to ensure families gain independence and feel integrated into their new communities.

To support individuals and families through five stages of integration to include:
Preparation, Housing, Finance, Education, Health and Employment.

To work with key partners across the geographical area to ensure refugees are referred and signposted into appropriate support services and networks.

An enhanced DBS check will be required for this post.

**Main Duties and Responsibilities**
- To develop and deliver comprehensive support plans for families who are newly arrived and throughout their first years in the UK. This includes reviewing these at regular intervals to ensure they continue to fully meet the needs of all family members.
- To support individuals and families with complex physical and physiological vulnerabilities in order that they are able to link with the help that they need to overcome these as fully as possible.
- To record, monitor and evaluate casework practice and maintain confidential records for each family using in-house data recording systems.
- To manage the transition of allocated families from intensive support to independence by empowering families to understand the systems and develop the skills required to live well in the UK.
- To provide support and advice in a manner which understands the core elements of the refugee journey, the impact of trauma and principles for effective recovery.
- To build and maintain collaborative relationship with partner agencies and community services to provide effective support for families. This will include; Benefits, Housing, English Learning, Healthcare and Social Care providers as well as others as needed.
- To help other agencies understand the needs of the families of this programme and to help to avoid misunderstandings between parties due to cultural and language differences.
- To connect families with meaningful engagement opportunities to enable them to build community connections and networks, develop confidence and learn new skills to improve their well-being.
- To manage workload effectively using flexibility and adaptability, to ensure a good balance between competing priorities such as urgent client issues, pro-active casework support, medium to long term plans and other project work. This will include providing regular updates on all areas of work to the UKRS Resettlement Team Leaders.

**Professional Development**
- Keep up to date with legislation, policies and procedures and undertake appropriate training particularly with migration.
- Undertake cultural awareness training where appropriate and understanding of UK processes in order to assist the new families as they settle.

**Administration**
- Use IT, maintain accurate records and GARAS diary.
- Prepare for and attend supervision sessions, team meetings, staff meetings and meetings with external partners.

**Other Duties & Responsibilities**
- To demonstrate commitment to the aims, principles and policies of the UKRS project.
- Abide by health and safety guidelines and share responsibility for own safety and that of colleagues.
- To abide by GARAS’ confidentiality requirements.
- To maintain relevant professional boundaries.
- To undertake any other duties and tasks as may lie within the scope of this post.

**Person Specification**

**Essential**
- Experience of providing advice and support to vulnerable people.
- A strong understanding of services available and the needs of refugees moving to the UK.
- A willingness to learn quickly and develop new skills to support your client group.
- A good understanding/experience of the processes in relation to the following systems: Benefit, Education, Health and Social Care, Housing, and Financial Management.
- The ability to prioritise tasks, to identify and work to deadlines and to manage time effectively under your own initiative.
- The ability to communicate effectively and sensitively with clients, and to manage difficult situations