Description Fixed Term contract until 31 March 2028 | £36,124 to £40,476 per annum (Scale I/J) | 37 hours per week | Millennium Library Level 1: £36,124 to £37,938 per annum (Scale I) Level 2: £38,626 to £40,476 per annum (Scale J) We offer a £2000 welcome payment for qualified and experienced Social Workers/Occupational Therapists (grade J and above), Practice Consultants and Team Managers new to Norfolk County Council. Amount to be repaid in full should they leave within two years of employment. We are looking for an experienced Occupational Therapist to join our unique team supporting Migrants across Norfolk. This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference to people's lives, supporting them to settle into Norfolk and become truly independent. These families will have experienced extreme circumstances and this is your chance to support them to start a new chapter in their lives. This post will form part of the multidisciplinary support services provided to migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, including migrant support, voluntary repatriation assistance, homelessness and help for victims of honour-based abuse, forced marriage, conflict-based trauma, modern slavery and human trafficking who may be unable to access conventional accommodation assistance. You will also be required to carry out Human Rights Assessments and consider entitlement to services including providing temporary accommodation and subsistence support to those who do not have recourse to public funds (NRPF) and/or are caught by the restrictions on social care support. Your role will be to carry out a range of occupational therapy assessments of children and adults, and co-ordinating support plans to enable clients to become independent, self-reliant including ways to overcome obstacles. You will need to liaise with the Home Office and voluntary sector partners as well as exploring a range of solutions to promote independence. This includes helping families who originate from overseas to consider and partake in voluntary departure routes from the United Kingdom as well as helping to support them in times of crisis and emergency in situations where they cannot access help from conventional services due to their immigration status. You will also hold a caseload of adults and families who are resettled to Norfolk through the government's refugee resettlement programmes. Our award-winning team of professionals, which also includes volunteers, provides specialist services across the county to migrants and refugees. You will be required to work occasional evenings and weekends. Duties include visiting people and providing support in community settings. Enhanced DBS clearance is required for this post. You will need to be able to use our social care systems (LAS and LCS) and other national databases. You will need to have experience of working with people who originate from abroad and in undertaking Human Rights assessments and preparing complex case reports. An awareness of the housing adaptations system would also be an advantage. You will be involved in exploring and developing new services, building networks and liaising with other agencies, both within the UK and overseas. You will be well-organised with a positive outlook, able to prioritise effectively and able to work calmly under pressure and to tight timescales. Good IT, communication and networking skills are essential. Fluency in another major European language is desirable to compliment the range of languages currently spoken in the team. Are you motivated and have a passion for supporting people in need of support at a time of crisis and enabling them to overcome barriers and achieve independence? Do you wish to develop or continue your specialist knowledge in this field of work, including working with people who do not have recourse to public funds? If so, you are the type of practitioner we are looking for. This post is located at the Millennium Library, where the team's office base is located, but you will also be expected to work part of the week from home, so you should ensure you have a good internet connection at home and some space to work from. You will require to hold a full GB driving licence and have access to a car. Who are we? The People from Abroad Team provides specialist social work services to Norfolk residents who have immigration-related issues. We receive and support refugees under the government’s resettlement programmes, support asylum seekers who are placed in Norfolk by the Home Office to access local services and support, provide assistance and support to families with children who have no recourse to public funds, and support other migrants to access services and overcome the additional barriers they may face to achieving independence once they have settled in Norfolk. We provide immigration advice and support at Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) Level 1 and provide advice and support to our colleagues in Adult’s and Children’s Social Services. Qualified practitioners and experienced support workers on our team include specialists in early years, education, health, housing and employment, as well as people able to speak foreign languages. We aim to find lasting solutions for our clients and to promote their independence through ethnical, human-rights based practice. Our great practice has been recognised by being awarded of the Overall Social Workers of the Year 2024 in the recent awards for England. What we offer At Norfolk County Council we are committed to our employees’ learning and development. We offer all Social Workers and Occupational Therapists a protected half day per month for continuing professional development and training. We want our people to be inspired and motivated to work well together, make the most of our workspaces, enjoy a healthy work-life balance, and deliver excellent services to Norfolk and its people. Flexibility is built into the way we work, with hybrid working a key feature for many roles. Our technology platform and equipment are first class, enabling you to connect and collaborate remotely. We ask that you have in place good Broadband connectivity. We operate a talent pool scheme whereby candidates who are not successful on this occasion may be considered for a period of up to 3 months for equal positions. You can also find out about the rewards and benefits we offer as well as our other terms and conditions. Norwich is the county capital of Norfolk, 120 miles from London and 60 miles from Cambridge. It’s on the edge of the Broads National Park, and a 40-minute drive to the seaside. Norwich is a superb city. It effortlessly mixes outstanding heritage through the ages with modern shopping centres, excellent restaurants, hundreds of cafés and pubs, a superb arts and theatre scene with huge parks and green spaces, canoeing, rowing and sailing. By train, Norwich to London takes 90 minutes and Cambridge less than an hour. There are also direct train links to the Midlands. Norwich International Airport has regular flights to Schiphol, Amsterdam and from there on to the rest of the world, plus daily internal flights to Scotland, Manchester, Exeter and Dublin. Service Manager, Simon Shreeve said: “Helping people from abroad to settle in Norfolk can involve dealing with a myriad of intricate, fascinating issues. The social care system in Great Britain is often very different from the system in the countries where people have travelled from. It can be very confusing and frustrating for people, especially if their English is not quite up to dealing with the forms they are faced with. Having a diverse, supportive, skilled team able to make life better for our clients is essential to our service here in Norfolk.” Your application Please ensure you include a statement in your application to demonstrate why you feel you meet the person specification and job description for this post. CVs submitted without a supporting statement about this post will not be accepted. You need to be registered with HCPC as a practising Occupational Therapist. Applications will be reviewed as and when received, you do not need to wait until the closing date. These are some benefits you can enjoy by working for Norfolk County Council: Competitive salary Generous holiday entitlement with the ability to buy and sell leave Health and Wellbeing services including fast-track physiotherapy and a free counselling service Flexible working opportunities including flexi-time, part time, remote and hybrid working – dependant on your job role and business need. Financial benefits such as: ‘ Norfolk Rewards’ our employee discounts programme which helps you save money on almost anything, from everyday groceries and clothes, to holidays, new technology, gym membership, trips to the cinema and days out. A Blue Light card for Fire Service and Social Care Workers Relocation expenses paid upfront (where applicable) An advance of your expenses if you travel for work Local Government Pension Scheme with generous employer contribution, life assurance, death in service payments and dependants’ pensions. A payment if you refer someone you know to a hard to fill job. Tax efficient ways of getting extra pension, new bikes and electric cars. Before you apply, we recommend reading the full Job Description and Person Specificatio n to help you demonstrate you meet the criteria. You can also find information on our Terms and Conditions here. Already a Norfolk County Council employee? See and apply for internal and external vacancies in myOracle using your norfolk.gov.uk or nccal.ac.uk email. Closing date: 2 January 2025 at 23:59