The Home Office is here to make the UK safer. Border Force is a Law Enforcement arm of the Home Office with primary responsibility for UK Border Security, including counter terrorism, immigration and customs matters.
Border Force is a Law Enforcement arm of the Home Office. We are responsible for handling the UK border control by implementing immigration and customs regulations and working with the wider Home Office on counter terrorism, organised crime, modern slavery and trafficking. Learn more on the Border Force careers page.
The Irregular Migration Intake Unit (IMIU) is responsible for the timely processing of irregular migrants, consisting of the registration and screening of those arriving in the UK illegally, locking the identity of asylum claimants from small boat arrivals, lorry drops and other clandestine arrivals.
IMIU consists of the Kent Intake Unit (KIU), Midlands Intake Unit (MIU) within Yarl’s Wood IRC, Belfast Intake Unit (BIU), Intake Response Team (IRT), Manston Onsite Operations, Manston Remote Operations and the Corporate Enablement Functions.
These roles will work alongside our Kent Intake Unit (KIU) who primarily deal with new arrivals detected either near the port, in the surrounding area in Kent, and small boat arrivals. The unit operates 24/7, 365 days of the year. Those arriving at the Kent Intake Unit will already be detained, so the Kent Intake Unit includes a holding room facility. The Kent Intake Unit has a particular focus around processing unaccompanied children, so the work of the unit involves the identification of those children and working closely with Kent Children’s Services to ensure they are processed and placed into appropriate care as quickly as possible.
We are looking for candidates who are qualified social workers, with extensive post-qualification experience in a local authority setting. Alongside proven expertise and experience in complex assessments, you will thrive in a fast-paced environment with the accountability for a high-profile area of work.
Please note this role is not open to individuals who work in the social care sector, unless they are already qualified social workers.
Responsibilities
Ensuring the welfare of people who have arrived in the UK is at the heart of what we do, you will provide critical safeguarding expertise and support through:
1. Age Determination & Safeguarding at Point of Entry:
• Conducting initial age decisions in collaboration with Border Force and Home Office officials.
• Providing professional judgment on immediate age concerns while ensuring fairness, consistency, and adherence to child protection principles.
• Identifying and escalating cases requiring Merton-compliant full age assessments and where necessary; conducting Merton- compliant assessments on behalf of the Home Office where requested.
• Ensuring trauma-informed, child-centred approaches in all assessments and interactions.
2. Safeguarding & Child Protection:
• Identifying children at risk of exploitation, trafficking, or harm and making immediate safeguarding interventions.
• Working with Border Force and local authority safeguarding leads to ensure children’s safety and appropriate placement.
• Offering advice on risk assessments and action plans for children presenting safeguarding concerns.
3. Enhancing Border Force & Immigration Expertise:
• Delivering guidance to immigration officers on child protection, trauma-informed practice, and modern slavery indicators through social work practice awareness sessions.
• Supporting decision-making by providing professional social work insight on the presentation and vulnerabilities of UASC.
• Contributing to developing improved Home Office protocols for UASC identification and safeguarding.
4. Assessing Family & Kinship Relationships:
• Conducting rapid assessments of claimed family connections to prevent child trafficking and ensure safe reunification.
• Liaising with local authorities to verify family relationships where required.
• Preventing inappropriate placements by identifying potential safeguarding concerns in family claims.
5. Reporting & Multi-Agency Coordination:
• Producing clear, concise reports on the assessment of age, safeguarding risks, and well-being concerns.
• Ensuring accurate and timely record-keeping in line with Home Office and Social Work England standards.
Although these roles are based at our Kent Intake Unit, Dover, you will be required to regularly attend other Kent based Home Office approved sites, including Frontier House, Folkestone, Western Jet Foil, Dover, and Manston (near Ramsgate), to monitor and engage with young people and ensure their welfare. Occasionally you may be asked to travel to locations outside Kent. Travel and subsistence would be paid in line with guidance.
Please note that due to the nature of the work and/or the geographical area, driving is a key requirement for this role. You must therefore hold a full valid UK manual or automatic driving licence.
The successful candidates will be subject to a Criminal Record Check (CRC).
Annualised Hours Working (AHW)
The Irregular Migration Intake Unit operate a shift working pattern, where Annualised Hours Working (AHW) is paid in accordance with the operational needs of the business. This allowance is paid in addition to the monthly salary to compensate for out of office hours working and flexibility.
A review of AHW takes place annually and there is an anticipation that the shift working pattern will include working some unsocial hours. It is envisaged that in future the roster may include some night work. If this were to occur this would be discussed with post-holders in advance.
We are a 365-day operation and utilise a range of shifts including earlies, lates, weekend and public holiday working. Shift lengths can vary and be up to 12 hours. Rosters are published in advance, but shifts can change or extend according to business need.
The average allowance is currently 24.05% (and can change subject to an annual review). You would be deployed to a range of different duties, shifts and locations. Occasionally this may include travel to other UK based locations.
Due to the operational nature of these roles, these are full-time in person positions. All post-holders are expected to work the full range of shifts, and attend the office or required allocated location, in person.
Training
Training for all front-line Irregular Migration Intake Unit colleagues will include teaching skills in personal safety techniques to keep you and your team colleagues safe. This Personal Safety Training (PST) requires physical activity and physical contact with the other delegates. This training is refreshed annually.
Completing this training is a mandatory requirement for the role. By submitting an application for this role, you are confirming that you understand this requirement.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident .