STOCKWELL PARTNERSHIP
JOB DESCRIPTION
JOB TITLE: AMHARIC / TIGRINYA BILINGUAL ADVOCATE
REPORTING TO: COMPANY SECRETARY
BASED AT: STOCKWELL PARTNERSHIP OFFICES, 157 South Lambeth Road, Stockwell SW8 1XN
DURATION: Fixed Term Position (to end of September 2015) with a possibility of extension
SALARY: £12,300 pa for 21 hrs per week (£21,000 pro rata)
STOCKWELL PARTNERSHIP
Stockwell is characterized by its diversity. It has a vibrant ethnic and cultural mix, with high numbers of settlers from Portugal, the Caribbean, and the Horn of Africa. Stockwell is close to central London, with excellent transport links.
Stockwell Partnership has been working with residents and agencies to improve the local neighbourhood since 1999. We deliver services and projects which support:
· individuals in need – through bilingual advice, advocacy and employment training
· community action – supporting people to build their skills, connect with others, and take action on issues they care about
· the local environment – improving the public realm and increasing environmental sustainability
We are a charity managed by a board of local residents, employing 8 members of staff. See our website www.stockwell.org.uk for further details, or follow us on Twitter (@Stockwell_Pship).
The postholder will work as part of our Bilingual Advocacy team, helping migrant parents of 0-5 year olds to improve their independence and quality of life as part of our programme with Lambeth Early Years. This programme is currently funded until the end of September 2015 – but may be subject to extension.
MAIN PURPOSE OF JOB
To encourage Amharic and Tigrinya-speaking families with 0-5 year olds in the London Borough of Lambeth to access available health care / prevention services, generic advice and welfare services, and particularly services in Children’s Centres. Throughout your work the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults will be imperative.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
· To manage a caseload and provide on-going support to clients.
· To accompany and provide support, including translation, for individual clients attending health and welfare services.
· To refer cases to specialist agencies where appropriate.
· To encourage Amharic/Tigrinya speaking families to participate in Children’s Centre Parents’ groups.
· To help parents and carers articulate their needs and desires in order to inform the future development of services as part of Early Years and Children’s Centre programmes and other research / consultations.
· To work with statutory and voluntary sector providers to encourage them to be more aware of, and more sensitive to, the needs of Tigrinya/Amharic-speaking refugees, settlers and asylum seekers.
· To undertake an assessment of individual need for family members.
· To assist service users to access generic advice; support to access day care services, playgroups, parenting classes, further education and employment.
· To maintain an up-to-date a database of services detailed above.
· To identify and implement solutions to problems being experienced by families & their children.
· To compile monitoring data as specified by Lambeth Early Years and / or Stockwell Partnership.
· To attend supervision, line management and workplace sessions and to feedback on casework and share information with other advocates.
· To attend bilingual advocacy project meetings when required.
· To undertake any other reasonable tasks as agreed with the Stockwell Partnership Director
· To work within the ethos, aims and objectives of the Stockwell Partnership.
· To abide by and implement Stockwell partnership’s Equal Opportunities and Safeguarding procedures and to work within the Health and Safety Policy Framework.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Experience
· Six months’ experience of advocacy work (paid or unpaid).
· One year’s experience of working with migrant families.
Personal skills and abilities
· Able to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, in English and Amharic or Tigrinya.
· Able to prioritise own workload.
· Able to work effectively both as an individual and as part of a team.
· Able to conduct effective liaison and negotiation with both internal staff / volunteers and external agencies.
· Able to produce written information appropriate for refugees, migrants and workers dealing with them.
· Basic computer skills and familiarity with Microsoft Office software.
· Able to maintain confidential case notes.
· Able to prepare information for monitoring and evaluation reports.
· Able to travel independently within the London area to escort clients to suitable service access points.
Knowledge
· Good understanding of the health and social needs of Amharic/Tigrinya speaking families
· Good understanding of the difficulties faced by Amharic/Tigrinya speaking families in accessing services
· Good understanding of the concept of equal opportunities and the ability to work within Stockwell Partnership’s equal opportunities policy framework
· Understanding of the need for client confidentiality
Additional Desirable Skills
· Arabic
· Able to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, in both Amharic and Tigrinya.