Welfare Rights Caseworker

Lewisham Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Project

 21 hours per week

Initial 1 year fixed term contract with the possibility of extension

 Salary range: NJC scale SP 28-37 £35,682-£44,364 pro rata

For an informal discussion please contact sally.causer@southwarklawcentre.org.uk

Southwark Law Centre (SLC) is developing a new project in partnership with the Guys and St Thomas Community Sickle Cell service.

A recent study reported: South London has the highest concentration of people with sickle cell in the UK, with over 3800 people living or accessing hospital care in this area (National Haemoglobinopathy Registry 2019/20)… adults also report issues with mental wellbeing as well as problems with employment or access to benefits or suitable housing. This is often due to not understanding their rights or having easy access to the support they need”

The main objectives of this role :

• To assist patients, families and carers in the Borough of Lewisham affected by Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia to access the welfare benefits they are entitled to.
• To provide legal support, training and advice to health professionals and community organisations working with people affected.
• To ensure people affected are referred or signposted to other sources of legal support in areas such as housing and discrimination in employment.

People living with Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia, and their carers will be referred for advice by the hospital teams, and other community organisations.

The project also involves providing second tier advice and training workshops for hospital team members, and community groups.

The successful applicant will have at least two years recent, experience of providing welfare rights casework in a legal or advice including experience of advocating on welfare benefits cases in the First-tier Tribunal and preparing submissions.

You should also demonstrate an understanding of the issues facing people living with Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia, though awareness training will be provided.

The post will be based at our office in Peckham with some outreach in Lewisham SLC has adopted an agile working policy and encourage staff to work from partly from home.

Terms and conditions include:

• Excellent Pension Scheme
• Flexible working policy
• 30 days’ holiday plus bank holidays

Our policy re starting salary

• 1 extra scale point for a solicitor qualification
• Relevant casework experience 0-2 years SP28 (SP29 if qualified)
• Relevant casework experience 2-3 years SP29 (SP31 if qualified)
• Relevant casework experience 3-4 years SP30 (SP31 if qualified)
• Relevant casework experience 4-5 years SP31 (SP32 if qualified)
• Relevant casework of 5 years + SP32 (SP33 if qualified)

 Southwark Law Centre is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all who believe they fit the essential key skills and abilities required of the role. We encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex (gender) and sexual orientation.

We particularly encourage applications from people with lived experience of the issues we deal with.

For an application pack, please Click Here

Closing date for applications: 5pm, Tuesday 31st May 2022

Interviews: Friday 10th June

Immigration Caseworker/Solicitor 35 Hours per week

 Salary range: NJC scale SP 28-37 £35,682-£44,364

The immigration team at Southwark Law Centre delivers specialist legal advice and assistance including outreach, telephone, and email advice to frontline advice agencies and casework including appeals and judicial review. The need for our services has never been greater.

We are looking for someone to join our highly skilled team, to lead a project to provide Immigration advice for rough sleepers, in South East London.

The successful applicant will have at least two years recent, professional experience of providing immigration casework in a legal or advice setting and Law Society Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Level 2 or higher.

You will also demonstrate experience of working on a Legal Aid Immigration and Asylum contract.

If the successful applicant is not a solicitor they will need to be regulated by the OISC.  Law Society Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Level 2 exempts the caseworker in the asylum and protection category for OISC regulation but they will need to undertake OISC assessment exams at level one and three in the immigration category, if they have not already done so.

We have developed an agile working policy and staff can work partly from home and partly in the office.

Terms and conditions include:

• Excellent Pension Scheme
• Flexible working policy
• 30 days’ holiday per year plus bank holidays

Our policy re starting salary

• 1 extra scale point for a solicitor qualification
• Relevant casework experience 0-2 years SP28 (SP29 if qualified)
• Relevant casework experience 2-3 years SP29 (SP31 if qualified)
• Relevant casework experience 3-4 years SP30 (SP31 if qualified)
• Relevant casework experience 4-5 years SP31 (SP32 if qualified)
• Relevant casework of 5 years + SP32 (SP33 if qualified)

 

Southwark Law Centre is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all who believe they fit the essential key skills and abilities required of the role. We encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex (gender) and sexual orientation.

We encourage people with lived experience of the issues we deal with.

For an application pack please Click Here

Closing date for applications: Monday 6^th June 12pm

 Interviews will take place on: Friday 17^th June