Job description

Purpose of the post:

The Ukrainian Engagement Worker will be employed by Centrala CIC to work 3 days a week. It is funded by Birmingham City Council’s Engage for Ukraine community grants 6 months post. The successful candidate will act as a support person of the Ukrainian support project. They will coordinate day activities and organise support and advice systems, and provide advice and guidance to Ukrainian refugees.

The post holder will work as part of the Centrala team to support individuals, groups and communities and provide advocacy and representation for Ukrainians. The role will include the provision of a one to one and group support (information, advice, advocacy, and guidance) for Ukrainian refugees and involves dealing with a range of issues, including , housing, mental health and wellbeing services, English language provision and employment. Fluent English and Ukrainian are required for this post.

The job entails working with a range of partners and stakeholders (including in the statutory and voluntary sector and key government departments) in order to ensure the relevant services and support are available and, if not, that bespoke solutions can be found. The role will require both working online and in person.

Main duties and responsibilities:

● Engaging in outreach community development work with Ukrainian Refugees in Birmingham with the main emphasis on central and south Birmingham.

● Identifying the needs of the target group and engaging and supporting refugees in one-to-one and group sessions.

● Effective signposting when required to both non-profit and statutory bodies.

● Building links between target groups/communities and relevant agencies

● Work as part of the team within Centrala and as a delivery partner.

● Prepare reports on the programme activities and actions as requested by the Board,

CEO, Programme Manager and/or the funder.

● Liaise and work with partners to ensure key services and support are available and bespoke solutions can be developed where necessary. This will involve research and development of options for meeting various needs and will require the ability to work within the relevant legal frameworks.

● Liaise with the relevant partners and BCC departments, housing authorities, NHS, Police, Birmingham City of Sanctuary and relevant migrant and refugee organisations in order to keep up to date with relevant policies and procedures and update these partners on developments as required.

● Coordinate appropriate additional support from charities and volunteers in order to ensure a targeted approach to the provision of services.

● Provide advice and support that is fully understood (using interpreters where needed), culturally sensitive, empathetic, and complies with the need for confidentiality, data protection and the maintenance of personal boundaries.

● Ensure accurate and up-to-date records on all the individuals, the issues worked on, and the actions are taken. Produce reports on this work as required.

● Producing resources and a knowledge base (digital and printed)

● Provision of easily accessible information and advice (online & in-person)

● Attending relevant meetings providing representation and advocacy for Ukrainian Migrants.

● encourage participation, volunteering and direct involvement in city life

● Regular communication and engagement with the community (in their own language) to disseminate the Council’s messages in a culturally competent and trauma-informed manner that would understand the lived experience of the Ukrainian people arriving in Birmingham

The above duties and responsibilities are not intended to be a complete list of all duties involved, and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post
(which may be assigned to them from time to time) and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.

Experience in both paid or voluntary capacity

● Fluency in Ukrainian and English is essential for this post

● Experience in facilitating and engaging with individuals and groups with a strong commitment to community development principles and practice

● Excellent communication, interpersonal and team-building skills

● Ability to develop positive working relationships with a range of groups and agencies

● Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team.

● Proven ability to manage own time, set priorities, plan and organise work to meet timelines and targets

● Working with refugees or other vulnerable groups.

● Solving complex problems faced by families and individuals, building on their strengths and capabilities.

● Providing advice, information, and guidance on various issues, for example, benefits, housing, health services, education, and employment.

● Working with a variety of people from diverse cultures and backgrounds and dealing with a range of organisations in the statutory and voluntary sectors.

● Effective communication skills (both written and verbal) and proficiency in the main IT systems.

● Effective negotiating skills with a wide range of individuals and partners.

● Assessment skills.

● The ability to empathise with the experiences of people fleeing difficult and traumatic situations and develop appropriate solutions to meet their needs.

● Well organised, flexible and the ability to work under pressure and on own initiative.

Knowledge

● An understanding of safeguarding issues and the system for dealing with these

● Good understanding of the systems of support for families and individuals on low incomes and/or vulnerable due to their refugee experience, health, and disability issues. This should include:

• The UK benefits system, especially Universal Credit, has other means-tested support and non-means-tested benefits such as PIP and DLA.
• The support available via the NHS, adult social care, children’s services, and mental health services.
• Basic knowledge of the schemes for assisting refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.
• An understanding of the UK education system and the fundamental issues regarding employment for refugees (e.g., impact on benefits).
• A good awareness of the issues and challenges faced by people relocating to the UK, particularly under traumatic circumstances.

Relevant training and qualifications:

Ideally, the person will have professional qualifications in Community Development, Development
Education or a Social Science disciplines. However, it is more important that the person is a self-starter, can work independently, is motivated to work with the refugee community, has experience in facilitating and engaging with individuals and groups or has worked with other nationalities, and who understands the impact of cultural differences and life experiences.

Job details:

Location: Centrala and Birmingham-wide outreach work

Working time: This post will require flexible working hours between Monday at Saturday; however, most time will be within usual Centrala office hours, 10 am -6 pm.

Contract: An initial 6-month contract will be offered, which may be extended depending on funding and need. Flexibility will be required, and the successful applicant will, from time to time, be required to work additional time or time outside of normal working hours. This time can be taken again as time off in lieu of hours.

The successful candidate is required to serve a probationary period of 3 months.

Pay: £24,000 pro rata

Contract: fixed 6 months

Hours: 22.5 hours per week

Start Date early November 2023

To Apply:

Please send a CV and cover letter explaining your interest and suitability for the role to recruitment@centrala-space.org.uk or apply via indeed