Personal Advisor - Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children

Overview

We currently have an exciting opportunity within our unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children’s Team (UASC Team) for a full-time Personal Advisor to work specifically with asylum-seeking young people.

You will be providing support, advice and assistance to young people between the ages of 17 and 25. You will be helping them to adjust to life in the UK whilst also helping them to understand their individual rights and entitlements based on decisions made by the Home Office. You will work with interpreters to ensure that young people are fully involved in plans that are being made and you will support them as care leavers to embark successfully into adult life.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.  

Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

About the role

You will be the allocated Personal Advisor for a caseload of young people. You will be acting as their corporate parent and as such will have responsibility for visiting each young person at least 8 weekly and overseeing their welfare. You will have responsibility for reviewing and updating their Pathway Plan at least 6 monthly, or when a major change of circumstance occurs in their life. You will ensure that young people are well supported with any appointments relating to their asylum claim and they understand all possible outcomes.

You will work directly with young people to help them to develop practical and emotional life skills, and to understand UK customs, culture and language. You will support them with their emotional needs and with exploring family relationships whilst developing their confidence and self-esteem. You will be required to support the team on a duty basis when required, responding to new arrivals and urgent situations. You will also have opportunities to work with the team on developing the service that we are providing to asylum-seeking young people within Buckinghamshire.

Please see job description for further information.

Mobile:

A ‘mobile’ role gives you the flexibility to schedule your own diary, so you can meet with colleagues and clients in a variety of locations. You’ll access digital folders and resources on your laptop and be able to use the network wherever you are based. Working from home will be common, as well as meeting your team in the office where necessary.

About you

• You must have an interest in working directly with young people.
• You should have a good understanding of the issues facing young people who are seeking asylum in the UK as well as the needs of care leavers.
• You will have experience working directly with vulnerable young people and professionals.
• You should also have the ability to adapt readily to change and work effectively in a variety of situations, in groups or with individuals.
• You will be confident in working directly with young people and assessing their needs, and you must have the ability to converse at ease with young people. Accurate spoken English is essential for the role.
• You will feel confident to work as part of a team to deliver and develop services.
• You will be expected to travel around the country to visit young people.
• Car use is essential or the ability to use public transport for this post

Please see job description for full person specification.

Other information

If you would like to find out more about this role, please contact Bukky Oginni at:

Email: [email protected]

Mobile: 07522 352903

Closing Date: Midnight on Sunday 1st December 2024.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Buckinghamshire is a successful, growing place with fantastic natural assets, a highly productive economy and many resourceful and thriving communities. However, we are far from complacent and our new and ambitious unitary authority is well placed to tackle the challenges associated with growth, an aging population, climate change and inequalities in both opportunities and outcomes – particularly for our children and young people.

Children’s Services is on an improvement journey and as our very recent Ofsted report shows, we have continued to improve despite the pressures of the pandemic and have built solid foundations for future success. Relationships with partners are strong and our collective response to the pandemic has strengthened and deepened our work together.

We have a big, ambitious agenda for Buckinghamshire, and our teams work collaboratively and at pace to make a positive difference to the lives of children and young people across the county.

We are looking for talented and driven individuals to help us achieve the best outcomes for our children, young people and families in Buckinghamshire. Our key priorities include continuing to protect vulnerable children and young people from harm, whilst sustaining an environment where social work practice can thrive. Through our vital work with our partners, including The Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Childrens Partnership, we continue to improve our collective response to children and young people who have been exposed to domestic abuse, exploitation, substance misuse and mental health issues.

No matter what role you take on in our Children’s services, you will be part of a team who is dedicated to supporting children and their families to achieve their full potential.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/