Afghan Association Paiwand
Advocacy Service Manager
Job Description
Job Title: Advocacy Service Manager (Maternity Cover, 12 months)
Salary: £28,337.00 plus pension contribution @ 4%
Contract length: 12 months
Hours: 35 hours per week
Reports to: Director
Location: Main Office + Outreach Work
Introduction
Afghan Association Paiwand (Paiwand) is a registered charity and limited company founded in 2002 by committed volunteers from the Afghan community. Paiwand aims to benefit all refugee communities in the United Kingdom through reducing poverty, advancing education, and relieving suffering. Last year, as an organisation we served over 3,000 refugees and migrants through a number of services including Saturday schools, advice and advocacy, community events, accommodation for unaccompanied refugee young people, mentoring and youth support, among others. Paiwand supports all refugees and migrants to the UK, not just Afghans.
The Advocacy Service
The Paiwand Advocacy Service aims to assist and enable refugees and asylum seekers to have their views taken into account by the organisations who make decisions which affect them. Advocacy is not about making decisions for people, but about giving them the information and resources they need to make decisions for themselves and then assisting them in following through those decisions. The service provides people with advice in support in a number of areas including housing, welfare benefits, legal rights, immigration advice, livelihoods and access to education. The team takes a client-centred approach. The advocacy service provided by Paiwand is both free and independent.
Aims of the Post:
· To enable refugees and migrants living in Northwest London to successfully integrate and access services by providing support, information, representation and volunteer opportunities.
· To enable refugees and asylum seekers to communicate their views and exercise choices about the services they receive.
· To provide a service which reflects, and responds to the needs and aspirations of people of different cultures, ages and backgrounds.
· To support refugees and migrants improve their mental health and wellbeing.
Main duties and responsibilities:
· Lead and manage the advice and advocacy service.
· Act as a deputy for the Director.
· Take strategic oversight of Paiwand as a charity together with the Senior Management Team.
· Be responsible for strategic development and for the quality of Paiwand's advice and advocacy services, including mental health advocacy.
· Supervise and line manage Mental Health Advocacy Project Manager.
· Manage and supervise budgets.
· Ensure the smooth and effective running of the advice and advocacy services.
· Recruit and manage a team of volunteer advocates.
· Oversee and organise training for staff and volunteers within the team;
· Personally deal with complex cases/issues.
· Work jointly with the Senior Management Team on seeking out and securing new funding opportunities for the advice and advocacy services.
· Maintain existing / develop new partnerships with other organisations in order to establish referrals, share resources, promoting and publicising Paiwand’s activities and raising the quality of the service.
· Visit community settings on a regular basis to provide information and support related to the advocacy service.
· Ensure that the advocacy project provides at least four group workshops each year to refugees and migrants in areas such as legal rights, civil issues, welfare reforms and housing.
· Maintain independence from statutory service providers and to represent refugees and migrants at tribunals, meetings and reviews impartially.
· Organise workshops to statutory service providers on refugee and migrant community’s needs.
Case work:
· Provide advice to service users on issues of legal rights, health services, housing, welfare benefits, immigration etc. and to advocate on behalf of clients to enable them to exercise their rights in these areas.
· Provide practical assistance such as letter writing, accompanying clients to local schools, job centre plus or others, and form filling.
· Negotiate with service providers on behalf of service users, if requested.
· Support service users in accessing legal representation.
· Assist service users in accessing appropriate services not covered by Paiwand.
· Follow the wishes of clients and support their right to make their own decisions.
· Encourage service users to self-advocate where possible and support them in doing so.
Records:
· Oversee and maintain accurate records of contacts with service users in accordance with established monitoring systems.
· Participate in the collection of data for monitoring and evaluation of Paiwand’s advocacy services.
· Assist the director in the migration of data onto a new organisational database.
· Maintain the confidentiality of clients with external parties at all times unless authorised otherwise by the Director of Afghan Association Paiwand.
Equal opportunities:
· Abide by and promote Afghan Association Paiwand’s Equal Opportunities policy.
· Take positive action to encourage the participation of service users who experience discrimination for reasons of gender, national or ethnic origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, or health status.
Policies:
· Participate in the development and review of advocacy guidelines and protocols.
· Work in accordance with Afghan Association Paiwand’s policies and procedures, including the confidentiality policy, health and safety policy and advocacy guidelines.
· Keep abreast of new developments in advocacy, particularly those relating to the refugee and migrant communities.
· Keep up-to-date with the relevant policy changes in areas which effect client groups i.e. housing, immigration, welfare benefits etc.
Networking and publicity:
· Publicise Paiwand’s services to potential service users through visits to projects and community organisations.
· Work collaboratively with other advice and advocacy services and refugee organisations.
· Network with other organisations from voluntary and statutory sectors for the purpose of promoting and publicising Paiwand’s activities and raising the profile of the charity as a whole.
Administration:
· Oversee and carry out administration duties associated with the provision of advocacy services, including correspondence, photocopying, maintaining accurate records and filing.
· Write reports, recommendations and reviews as required.
General:
· Attend and participate in regular supervision with line manager.
· Supervise and support volunteer and staff members within the advocacy teams.
· Take part in training and professional development.
· Attend, and lead weekly advocacy team meetings.
· Participate in cover arrangements for absent colleagues.
· Carry out other relevant duties as requested by the Director of Paiwand.
· Be flexible in working hours – occasional evening and weekend work will be required for which time off in lieu will be given. The Advocacy Service Manager is encouraged to work flexitime and manage their own schedule to ensure they are not working excessive overtime.
Afghan Association Paiwand
Advocacy Service Manager
Person Specification
Experience and Skills:
1. Ability to listen, understand and engage effectively with a diverse range of people who may be experiencing distress. ESSENTIAL
2. Ability to communicate, both verbally and in writing, in an accessible way to both service users and statutory service professionals. ESSENTIAL
3. Extensive years’ experience of advocacy work, including experience of providing support in a sensitive and responsive way to refugees and migrants. DESIRABLE
4. The ability to manage a diverse and demanding workload, requiring good organisational skills and prioritisation. ESSENTIAL
5. To be able to understand relevant legislation and guidance and apply this appropriately to your work. ESSENTIAL
6. Experience of identifying outcomes and demonstrating the effectiveness of a programme to stakeholders.
ESSENTIAL
7. The ability to produce clear and accurate service evaluation reports. ESSENTIAL
8. Experience of project management. ESSENTIAL
9. Experience of volunteer management. DESIRABLE
Knowledge and understanding:
10. To have an understanding of issues that face refugees and migrants in accessing services in the UK. ESSENTIAL
11. To have an understanding of values and principles underpinning service user involvement and good client care. ESSENTIAL
12. To have an understanding of current legislative framework and procedural guidance relating to Advice and Advocacy support. ESSENTIAL
13. To have an understanding of the policy frameworks, systems and structures for the delivery of statutory services. ESSENTIAL
14. Knowledge of the welfare benefits system and housing in the UK. ESSENTIAL
15. Computer literacy. ESSENTIAL
16. OISC Level 2 accreditation. DESIRABLE
Qualities:
14. Ability to adapt readily and quickly to a changing environment. ESSENTIAL
15. Ability to work without direction and continuous supervision. ESSENTIAL
16. Ability to work under pressure. ESSENTIAL
17. Ability to manage and administer office work. ESSENTIAL
18. Ability to work within a team of full/part time staff and volunteers. ESSENTIAL
To apply for this position please send a CV and covering letter by 1st February 2016, midday to Sarah Wahby, [log in to unmask]
Interviews will take place on Wednesday 3rd February 2016.
Sarah Wahby
Advocacy Service Manager
0208 905 8770
www.paiwand.com
@AA_Paiwand
Afghan Association Paiwand
Middlesex House
3rd Floor
130 College Road
Harrow
Middlesex
HA1 1BQ
Supporting refugees, asylum seekers and migrants
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