The Refugee Council is one of the leading organisations in the UK working with asylum seekers and refugees. We provide advice and assistance across a wide range of issues. These include helping asylum seekers through the asylum system, accessing housing, welfare, benefits, health, education, and employment. Our teams work with relevant agencies such as the Home Office, Local Authorities, Housing providers, UKBA, Health and Mental Health providers, and Legal Service Providers. You can find out more about the work we do, our strategy, and our values on our website.
Context and Purpose of the Job
For 70 years, the Refugee Council has enabled people seeking refugee protection in the UK by providing independent advice and practice support. Today, we are one of the leading organisations working with refugees and asylum seekers in the UK, and an influential and effective advocate of refugee protection rights, supporting and empowering refugees to lead safe, dignified, and fulfilling lives both nationally and locally. For more information about our work, visit www.refugeecouncil.org.uk.
The Barnsley Refugee Advice Project team provides advice and support for asylum seekers and refugees to help them access services and mainstream provision and establish community links.
Working closely with local stakeholders and in partnership with other voluntary sector agencies running similar services across the UK, the BRAP team in Barnsley promotes both the integration and independence of refugees.
Barnsley is a city with high numbers of people seeking asylum and refugees living there, within a community with high levels of social and economic deprivation. The Barnsley Refugee Advice Project (BRAP) service exists to enable people seeking asylum and refugees to live with safety, connected to the expert support they need to live with dignity and independence in their local community, and able to rebuild their lives in Barnsley. BRAP is a partnership project with Barnsley CVS funded for 5 years by the National Community Lottery Fund, funded until 2026. The BRAP service plays a vital role bringing together statutory and voluntary and community sector partners to develop collaborative solutions to shared issues such as access to legal advice, while also providing solutions to key service gaps such as immigration and housing and welfare advice.
The post holder will develop and implement a community development strategy centred on the needs of people seeking asylum and refugees designed to achieve systemic change with refugees in Barnsley. They will achieve this by working with like-minded partners to create a coordinated ‘whole town’ change strategy that, if successful, could be replicated elsewhere as a model of good practice. The aim is to leave a legacy within Barnsley – a sustainable system that enables people seeking asylum and refugees to live in safety, connected to their communities, and able to rebuild their lives.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
1. To enable asylum seekers and refugees to identify their needs and aspirations and play an active role in fulfilling them.
2. To develop and take part in social, cultural, recreational, and other community activities.
3. To develop community development initiatives that promote links between asylum seekers & refugees and the wider community, including established refugee communities.
4. To promote the successful integration of refugees through community initiatives that may include key factors such as health, employment, housing, education, and training.
* Contract type:
Fixed Term - until February 2026
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