Placement Team Support (Refugee Support Casework)

Description:

Placement Volunteers at the British Red Cross are highly valued for the skills and energy they bring. We aim to provide our placement volunteers with an insight into the daily workings of the world’s largest humanitarian organisation. They will have access to relevant in-house training and development opportunities during their placement with possible ad hoc opportunities to get involved in other areas of activity. Our volunteers will help make a great contribution to the work of the British Red Cross and will be responsible for achieving specific agreed objectives within one of our various departments.

We are looking for a placement volunteer who will be able to volunteer for 3 days per week for 12 weeks. You will be part of our South Yorkshire Refugee Support team based in Sheffield (S9 2RX). You will be providing support to vulnerable migrants through effective triage, casework and advocacy.

Placement Details:

The expected start date for the placement is 2 June 2026 and the placement will run for 12 weeks: Tuesdays to Thursdays, 9am to 5pm.

The placement will mainly be based at the Sheffield British Red Cross office, with 1 day every 2 weeks at a drop-in location in Sheffield, and 1 day every 2 weeks working remotely from home.

About the role:

Our Casework Placement Volunteers work one-to-one with asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants at a time which many will find difficult and distressing. We help to make sure people have choices and opportunities available to them to move forward with their lives in a new country. We are looking for empathetic Casework Placement Volunteers to help people access the vital services and opportunities they need. Volunteers will be supporting vulnerable clients over the phone, via email and in person at our fortnightly Sheffield based drop-in, in our office, and remotely.

You will enjoy being part of a supportive team, who will guide and train you to develop the skills you need to become one of our Casework Placement Volunteers. You will start by shadowing and supporting experienced Caseworkers to develop your learning and understanding of how to provide appropriate support to service users.

Typical tasks on the placement may include:

• Giving one to one support to people e.g. advice on asylum support, accommodation and healthcare.
• Completing triage and detailed strengths and needs assessments in casework appointments.
• Leading sensitive, compassionate conversations with people about their circumstances.
• Agreeing a plan of action to help people access their rights and entitlements.
• Using your Red Cross training to give emotional support to adults and children.
• Maintaining accurate case notes and client databases.
• Referring people to other support services e.g. mental health and loneliness support.
• Working effectively with interpreters as well as people from the Home Office and other charities.
• Identifying and responding appropriately to safeguarding and protection issues.

We would like you to have/be able to:

• Have strong communication skills.
• Understand and empathize with the situation and needs of asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants.
• Are able to volunteer in a multicultural environment.
• Are emotionally resilient and able to deal with challenging or difficult situations.
• Previous experience of face to face client work or casework would be helpful.
• Speak English; knowledge of another language would be helpful (particularly one used in the current local refugee population).
• Keep the people we support at the heart of what you do.
• Understand and are committed to upholding the Fundamental Principles of the British Red Cross.

Inclusive Environment:

Diversity is something we celebrate. We want you to be able to bring your authentic self to the Red Cross and feel that you belong. We want to create an inclusive environment, and promote and spread the power of kindness. As part of creating an inclusive space, we have an expenses policy that prioritizes volunteers not being out of pocket for expenses linked to your role. If upfront costs are difficult, you can speak to your volunteering manager about this to find alternatives. We welcome refugees, asylum seekers, and others currently in the UK to volunteer with us. We want volunteering to be accessible to everyone.

Health and Safety Statement:

We take an individual approach to ensuring your safety. We may ask you to complete a simple risk assessment. We will also have a conversation with you to discuss any restrictions that may still be in place in your region and identify any adjustments you may need.

Unfortunately, we can’t accept applications from 15 – 17-year-olds for this role.

Bursary Scheme:

The British Red Cross offers a bursary scheme to those placement volunteers from low-income households. Eligibility will be determined through a separate application process open to all shortlisted candidates. All British Red Cross volunteers are entitled to out-of-pocket reasonable expenses.

For this scheme, we are defining low-income households as:

• Inside London: Living with family or partner £25,000 or under. Living independently £22,500 or under.
• Outside London: Living with family or partner £18,500 or under. Living independently £16,500 or under.

Additional Tasks and Skills:

Tasks:

• General admin tasks
• Other tasks as required by the team

Skills:

• Good communication
• Flexible and willing to help the team with a range of tasks
• Reliable, organised, and able to work independently
• Good IT skills

Benefits:

• Meet new people and be part of a supportive and inclusive team
• A great opportunity to develop your existing skills and gain new ones
• All training and induction for the role (there is no charge for training)
• Reasonable pre-agreed travel expenses for the role including for attending training
• An opportunity to be part of the world’s largest humanitarian organisation and the knowledge that you are making a difference to people’s lives