Overview
Monaghan County Council is acting as a host County for the reception of refugees under the International Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP). The Council seeks to recruit a Resettlement Support Worker to provide day-to-day support to programme refugees across County Monaghan and to assist service providers in identifying and addressing gaps in service provision. The Resettlement Support Worker shall report to the Local Authority Integration Coordinator in the Community Development section of Monaghan County Council.
The Resettlement Support Worker will provide the link between service provider agencies and the refugees in the community and will co-ordinate the project from the perspective of the needs of the refugees and their families. They will assist service providers to identify and address gaps in service provision and establish mechanisms for ongoing support and liaison between the refugee community, local communities, and service providers to ensure the smoothest possible integration of refugee families into Monaghan communities. A key element of the Resettlement Programme will be to identify practical solutions to integration, share best practices, and recommend to local and national service providers how best to promote integration at a local level to meet the needs of both the receiving and new communities.
Applications are invited from suitably qualified persons who wish to be considered for inclusion on a panel for the position of Resettlement Support Worker. The position is full-time and temporary (18-month specific purpose contract).
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Resettlement Support Worker shall perform such duties as may be assigned in relation to employment and shall carry out instructions related to the performance of duties. The role provides overall coordination of services and community liaison with refugees being resettled in the County in consultation with the Community Integration Forum and Local Area Integration Team (LAIT) within the Community Development Section of Monaghan County Council.
The duties of the post shall include the following, including ongoing day-to-day duties:
* Provide support for the relocation of the refugees at their initial arrival in the County, in close cooperation with the LAIT and other local agencies, services such as schools, health services, local housing authority, and other providers.
* Liaise with service providers to ensure that each family receives information regarding the running of their new home and monitor progress on a weekly basis for the first month after arrival of each group.
* Identify needs for interpretation services and other backup supports and liaise with the LAIT and other agencies to ensure these services are accessible, particularly in the early days of resettlement.
* Provide day-to-day support (where feasible) to assist refugees in managing their daily lives.
* Assist refugees to interact with appropriate authorities to empower them to become self-reliant and to establish links within local communities for sustainable and integrated resettlement.
* Assist programme refugees to complete application and registration forms and follow up where necessary.
* Liaise with LAIT and other relevant service providers and local community bodies to provide appropriate soft supports in local communities (e.g., weekly drop-in service, after-school supports for children and young people).
* Liaise with agencies to ensure necessary interpretation supports are provided when accessing supports and services.
* Assist individuals and families to interact with schools and adult education providers and to access English Language training and other appropriate education provision.
Working with programme refugees as individuals and as a community
* Develop a working relationship with community members to be resettled, focusing on building trust, understanding cultural differences, and creating mutual respect.
* Work flexibly with the refugee community to meet initial needs related to settling into new homes, building relationships with schools and health services, learning English, and settling into the local community.
* Support the community to access appropriate religious services and facilities including sourcing transport supports.
* Help the community build confidence and connections to live independently while providing adequate supports.
* Support the refugee community to develop cultural skills to access services, social connections, and networks.
* Link individuals and the community with training, education, and personal development programmes to develop skills, such as projects in local libraries, with the Local Enterprise Office, the ETB and Family Resource Centres.
* Support refugees to have qualifications recognised, in conjunction with the Cavan Monaghan Education and Training Board.
* Advocate with local employers and local community and voluntary groups for full- or part-time work or for work experience for refugees.
* Identify other resources that will support development and integration of the refugee group.
Working with Service Providers and advocate for the refugees
* Identify key issues arising from the resettlement and, where possible, make recommendations on potential solutions to the Resettlement Support Team, service providers, and the Community Integration Forum.
* Report to the Local Area Integration Coordinator on the progress of the refugees and liaise with services to ensure a smooth transition from induction to life in the County.
* Identify cost-effective and coordinated mechanisms for the provision of interpretative services to meet the needs of both service providers and refugees, bearing in mind public procurement requirements.
* Liaise with the Local HSE Social Inclusion team regarding health care provision for programme refugees.
* Assist key service providers to develop strategies for the provision of services to the group to provide sustainable services.
* Inform service providers and advocate on behalf of refugees where issues arise, and refer in the first instance to the Local Authority Integration Coordinator and the Community Integration Forum.
* Identify where short-term targeted initiatives are required and work with mainstream service providers to develop them.
* Monitor, record, and evaluate the quality of services delivered to programme refugees on an ongoing basis. Provide reports on progress in relation to the Resettlement Programme and any difficulties or issues arising as required by Monaghan County Council and the Community Integration Forum.
General
* Identify and ensure the delivery of appropriate training for both service providers and refugees to aid cross-cultural understanding and promote greater integration in County Monaghan.
* Liaise with staff (resettlement workers and other service providers in other counties) with relevant knowledge or good practice that could benefit the Resettlement Programme in County Monaghan, or share local learning with others.
* Prepare financial and progress reports as required by Monaghan County Council, the Community Integration Forum, and the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration.
* Prepare refugees to access mainstream services in the towns in which they are located in preparation for the end of the Resettlement Programme and ensure service providers have strategies to continue to support their integration.
These duties are indicative rather than exhaustive and outline the main functions and responsibilities of the post of the Resettlement Support Worker and may be subject to change in the future. The post holder may therefore be required to perform duties appropriate to the post, other than those detailed above and to take instruction from and report to an appropriate officer or such designated officer as may be assigned from time to time by Monaghan County Council.
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