This vacancy includes:

‘Gatekeeping’ where clients e.g. have been referred as ‘no recourse to public funds ’ where they ought to be accessing mainstream support or housing
Carrying out the necessary liaison (e.g. with Housing / Housing Benefits internally / the Home Office / DWP externally) to try and enable this
Meeting clients as they present to determine eligibility for assessment and whether excluded from support under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (NIAA)

Casework aspect of the role is Care Act assessments and Human Rights Act to determine whether:
Person has eligible needs
Human Rights exception applies to them (Sch 3 NIAA) (working closely with Legal)
Person could be enabled to access mainstream support e.g. by applying for a change of conditions, getting evidence of work history etc.

And:
Maintenance of NRPF Connect Data
Ongoing liaison with Home Office and client’s immigration advisers with a view to getting them on to alternative support
Reviews of both needs and HR considerations
Co-working cases with relevant teams including MH / LD / ASC to look at HR considerations alongside more specialist assessments of need
Liaison / Policy aspect
Regional and national liaison on behalf of BHCC e.g. at the Strategic Partnership for Migration and local events / meetings; close work with Refugee & Migrant C&V sector organisations locally etc.
Organising and chairing the quarterly council-wide Asylum and Immigration Liaison Group meetings
Close work with the other specialist A&I staff in Children's services and Support Through Care teams
Ongoing liaison with the NRPF Network, a network of local authorities hosted by Islington Council who provide training materials and advice to local authority specialist NRPF staff
Named officer with responsibility for data management on NRPF Connect – the database we share with the Home Office (it is a stipulation of the contract that there is a named data manager in each service)
Close work with Community Safety team
Training aspect
Maintaining, developing and delivering training and materials on this area of social work practice
Keeping up-to-date with relevant changes in immigration, housing and social security law and how this may impact ASC’s statutory duties towards clients

Grade: NJC SO1/2, pro rata
Hours per week: 22.2

Brighton & Hove City Council - Taking Action for Equality