Job Title: / Outreach solicitor/advisor
Service: / Migrant Children’s Project, Coram Children’s Legal Centre
Reporting to: / Head of Migrant Children’s Project
Accountable to: / Head of Migrant Children’s Project
Supervisory responsibilities: / Legal Intern
Hours and location / Central London, 5days per week (substantive part-time considered). Fixed term for 1 year (with extension subject to funding)
Salary Range: / £29 - 32k p.a.

Coram is a children’s charity which draws upon a distinguished history and reputation for contemporary practice in creating better chances for children. With some 250 staff, a distinctive headquarters near King’s Cross and service delivery teams across England, Coram strives to be a credible, respectful, professional, dynamic and committed organisation where these values infuse all that we do to promote the welfare and rights of children.

Part of the Coram group, Coram Children's Legal Centre (CCLC) is the UK's leading children's legal charity. We are committed to promoting children's rights in the UK and worldwide. We provide free legal information, advice and representation to children, young people, their families, carers and professionals, as well as training and consultancy on child law and children’s rights. CCLC is an OISC regulated organisation.

The Migrant Children’s Project (MCP) at CCLCpromotes the rights of migrant, asylum-seeking and refugee children and young people and works to ensure that they receive the protection and support they need. The MCP provides one-to-one legal advice through an advice line and outreach advice programme, a range of free resources and online information, and training to practitioners working with young refugees and migrants. It undertakes research and policy advocacy to protect and promote the rights of migrant children in UK legislation and policy

This role will involve the provision of legal advice and representation to migrant children, young people and families in London through a dedicated outreach programme. It will suit a dedicated individual with advice and casework experience who is looking to be part of an effective team and passionate about ensuring access to justice for young migrants.

Deadline for applications: Wednesday 24th January 2018
Interview date: Tuesday 30th January 2018

Purpose of the Role:

The Migrant Children’s Project (MCP) at Coram Children’s Legal Centre (CCLC) is looking for a qualified advisor, solicitor or barrister to undertake immigration advice work.

The successful candidate will provide holistic legal advice on immigration, asylum and nationality; support, accommodation and local authority duties; healthcare; education and related issues to migrant children, young people, families and carers. The advisor would be expected to provide one-off immigration legal advice and would be expected to be a qualified solicitor or barrister, or a caseworker holding OISC level 2, or above. The outreach work encompasses family migration, asylum, trafficking and the rights of European nationals and their family members in the UK.

The advice work will encompass onward referral and signposting, including to CCLC’s Legal Practice Unit, other solicitors and other services as appropriate. The role will also include completing exceptional case funding applications and some pro bono immigration casework. The successful candidate will work closely with caseworkers and volunteers at partner organisations/services who provide practical advice and support to clients.

This work will feed into the MCP’s wider policy advocacy to promote the rights of migrant children, with a focus on lobbying for greater access to services, advice and legal representation for migrant children.

The role is funded, in part, by the Big Lottery. The role is initially a fixed term contact, but with a view to the contract being extended if further funding is secured.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

Outreach

  • Planning, co-ordinating and carrying out regular legal advice sessions and legal advice appointments in collaboration with partner agencies.
  • Ensuring the project targets for the MCP’s outreach programme are met as far as possible.
  • Co-ordinating with, supporting, training and up-skilling practitioners and volunteers at partner agencies.
  • Developing and maintaining positive relationships with partner agencies.
  • Monitoring opportunities for outreach advice provision and developing the outreach programme further to meet need.

Advice and casework

  • Day-to-day provision of face-to-face and telephone advice in relation to immigration, asylum and nationality law; community care and local authority duties to children and families; and access to support, services , health care and education.
  • Maintaining accurate client records on all outreach and advice work.
  • Undertaking pro bono casework for immigration cases which are out of the scope of legal aid, under the supervision of the Legal Practice Unit.
  • Completing applications for exceptional case funding from the Legal Aid Agency for out-of-scope immigration cases.
  • Ensuring that own legal knowledge is as up to date as possible in the relevant fields of law, including immigration, asylum and nationality law, as well as child law and child-related community care law.
  • Maintaining the standard of professional service in line with CCLC’s Standards and Procedures documents and complying with all CCLC policies.
  • Complying with accreditation and professional standards imposed by the Law Society, Bar Councilor OISC.
  • Onward referral to other solicitors and services as appropriate.

Training and Publicity

  • Giving talks and training to statutory and voluntary organisations on the rights and entitlements of migrant children, young people and families.
  • Participating in publicity events such as training events and conferences to promote the work of the MCP.

Other

  • Record-keeping and reporting to funders on project outcomes, ensuring all targets are met where possible.
  • Contributing towards funding applications.
  • Drafting legal resources including fact-sheets and case notes for the CCLC website.
  • Proactively contributing to CCLC’s policy and research work.
  • Supervising the legal intern.
  • Contributing positively to the day-to-day work of the CCLC.
  • Ability to conduct work away from the office and without supervision.

This job description is not exhaustive and as such the post holder will be expected to be flexible. However, changes will only be made following discussions with the post holder.

Person Specification:

Knowledge and experience

  • Working knowledge and understanding of the issues affecting asylum seekers, refugees and migrant children and families (E)
  • Thorough, up-to-date understanding of immigration, asylum and nationality law relating to asylum-seekers, refugees, undocumented migrants and EEA nationals (E)
  • Experience of conducting legal casework (E)
  • Experience of providing advice on support, accommodation and community care and/or education issues and an understanding of how immigration law intersects with other areas of law (D)
  • Commitment to promoting children's and young people’s rights, and understanding of working within a human rights and child rights framework (E)
  • Experience of developing and delivering training and presentations to other professionals (D)

Qualifications, skills and personal attributes

  • A valid practising certificate, accreditation with the Immigration & Asylum Accreditation Scheme or OISC accreditation (E)
  • An excellent educational background, which should normally include at least an uppersecond class honours degree or equivalent (E)
  • Highly developed communication skills, written and oral, and attention to detail (E)
  • A sensitive approach to working with children, young people and families, including those without regular immigration status (E)
  • Excellent administrative and organisational skills to operate administrative and record-keeping systems (E)
  • Excellent IT skills including Microsoft Office packages (E)
  • Ability to work independently and on own initiative, taking responsibility for delivering and reporting on set targets (E)
  • Ability to liaise and work effectively as part of a team and in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders (E)
  • An understanding of the need for client confidentiality (E)
  • Ability to work flexibly and sometimes outside office hours, with extensive travel across London (E)