LOCATION
Greater London (working from home with regular travel in Greater London)

SALARY
£37,000 – £40,000

CONTRACT LENGTH
21-months

APPLICATION DEADLINE
2nd January (applications reviewed on ongoing basis)

 

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About the Position

RYS is looking for a Social Worker & Casework Lead to join its team and expands its No Children in Hotels project. As part of a small team they will provide a lifeline to age-disputed unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, currently residing in accommodations intended only for adults. The successful candidate will be responsible for monitoring the welfare of the children and for aiding them in accessing their rights, as well as overseeing the casework of other professionals in the team.

Please note that to be eligible for the role applicants must hold a social work qualification approved by one of the UK’s Social Work regulators, and be based in Greater London for the full duration of the contract. 

 

About the Project 

Every year hundreds of unaccompanied asylum seeking children are wrongly accommodated in hotels intended for adults. These hotels lack basic safeguards for children, and subject them to heightened risks of abuse, exploitation, and mental and physical harm.

The No Children in Hotels project helps age disputed asylum-seeking children to leave Home Office hotel accommodations and enter the appropriate care systems. The project team visits children at their accommodations to conduct welfare checks, and subsequently makes referrals to statutory services or pro-bono lawyers to make this happen. 

In addition to these vital interventions the project, through the implementation of recreational activities, offers immediate respite for children. Furthermore, by establishing trusted relationships with them we are able to actively monitor their well-being, and swiftly raise the alarm when signs of deteriorating mental health emerge.

 

Key Areas of Accountability

• Identify unaccompanied children and build professional relationships that can foster trust
• Ensure that all children have the necessary information regarding the child protection systems, therefore ensuring that they are informed of their rights in relation to the asylum process, housing, protection and access to education and medical care
• Identify situations of extreme vulnerability or need
• Communicate with and refer children to local authorities
• Make referrals inline with children’s health and wellbeing needs
• Oversee the casework of other team members
• Promote information sharing within the team to ensure continuous and seamless monitoring of all children
• Oversee child-friendly and child-focused activities, delivered by interns, volunteers and session workers
• Ensure sure that all safeguarding and child protection issues concerning unaccompanied children are responded to appropriately through the policies, procedures and systems that are in place 
• Champion and model best safeguarding practices, making sure that everyone working or volunteering at RYS understands safeguarding procedures and knows what to do if they have concerns about a child’s welfare
• Develop and maintain a network of key contacts within local government departments and other organisations to maintain and develop referral pathways to ensure unaccompanied children get the support they need
• Comply with the RYS Code of Conduct, Safeguarding Policy and Data Protection Policy and Procedures

 

Relevant skills and experience 

Essential 

• Postgraduate degree in Social Work or diploma in social work (DipSW) or other social work qualification. In addition, the degree has to be approved by the regulator, Social Work England.
• At least 2 years experience working as a Social Worker
• Experience of working with children and young people in challenging environments 
• Good knowledge of children’s/adolescent’s rights and related matters 
• Experience in information management and editing development-related reports
• Good understanding of equal opportunities, cultural diversity and gender and sexuality issues; commitment to applying relevant policies, and an unwavering commitment to the human rights of all people, irrespective of immigration status.  

 

Desirable 

• Lived experience of the issues faced by unaccompanied children
• Drivers License and willingness to drive as part of the role
• Experience of managing small teams or departments and supervising casework 
• Experience of working with unaccompanied asylum seeking children
• Ability to converse in any of the languages spoken by children supported: Tigrinya, Amharic, Oromo, Pashto, Dari/Farsi, Arabic etc.
• Proficiency with Lamplight or similar casework software  
• Experience working in the humanitarian sector 
• Experience of monitoring and evaluation systems and impact reporting

 

Why work with us?

As an employee, you’ll benefit from a supportive and collaborative work environment, where your ideas are valued and your professional growth is prioritised. You will also be provided ongoing professional development opportunities to ensure you are equipped with the necessary skills to excel in your role. Additionally, you’ll be part of a network of like-minded individuals who are committed to creating positive change. Our team is diverse, inclusive, and driven by a shared purpose, making every day at work inspiring and fulfilling.

 

How to apply 

To apply for this position, send your CV and either a single-page motivation letter or a short video* (2 minutes max) to: info@refugeeyouthservice.org. 

If you have any questions about the role and/or the application process, please contact us via email. 

*To submit a video, upload it to a video-sharing platform and send us the link. Please note we are not judging the production or video quality, a recording on a phone is fine. 

 

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