Youth Coordinator

YOUTH COORDINATOR RECRUITMENT PACK

Registered Charity 1078794

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Who we are
Suffolk Refugee Support aims to ensure that all asylum seekers and refugees in Suffolk are enabled to live integrated, fulfilled and
contributing lives in their new communities. We provide a welcoming environment where clients can access help, advice, support and
practical services in order to be healthy and safe and begin to rebuild their lives. We work with external agencies, community and
voluntary  sector  organisations,  health  providers  and  others  to  enable  our  clients  to  access  a  range  of  support.  We  are  based  in
Ipswich, but our services operate increasingly on location with refugees and asylum seekers housed in accommodation across Suffolk.

Values
Individuals Matter - Each Client is unique and has an intrinsic value and constructive role to play in UK society
Respect - We are open, welcoming, respectful, and transparent in our dealings with one another and with others
Self Determination - We direct our efforts towards self-determination and ultimate independence for our Clients
Client Centred - We are led by the needs and interests of our Clients and design our services to work holistically
to meet these
Safe Environment - The all-round safety and security of our Clients and everyone who works for and with SRS
is of paramount importance
Keeping Informed - We keep ourselves fully informed and knowledgeable about every sphere of our work
Aims
Basic Needs - To address our Clients' fundamental needs including immigration status, housing, education, physical and mental
health, employment and personal safety
Social Well-being – To facilitate and support recreational and leisure-time activities aimed at enhancing our Clients’ social well-being
and quality of life
Independence - To support our Clients in transitioning towards independence from SRS’ services
Awareness  and  Rights  -  To  promote  awareness  and  understanding  of  our  Clients’  experience  in  the  community,  including
advocating, advising, and lobbying to encourage statutory and other bodies to meet their obligations to our Clients
Client Partnership - To develop our partnership with our Clients to achieve a co-production model of service design, evaluation, and
delivery
Governance - To uphold the effective governance and management of SRS in order to maximise its impact and ensure that its work
is informed by ‘voices of lived experience’
Staff - To maintain a workplace that values and supports Staff, enabling them to effectively carry out their roles in a healthy working
environment
Volunteers - To increase and develop Volunteers’ contribution to the work of SRS

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Our structure

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What we offer

Financial

•  Competitive salaries
•  Contributory  pension  scheme  –  up  to  6%  Employer  contribution  in  addition  to  Employee

contribution

•  Enhanced sick pay scheme after successful probation period

Development

We  believe  that  investment  in  our  staff  to  develop  their  skills  is  essential  to  providing  high  quality
support to our clients. We provide:

•  Training for role related duties
•  Generic skills training to contribute towards personal development
•  On the job training and mentoring
•  Opportunities to shadow other roles or activities within the wider team

Wellbeing

•  Hybrid working (role dependant)
•  Opportunities for social activities
•  Workplace activity sessions, for example, lunchtime walks
•  A welcoming, diverse team with lots of cooking skills and a strong sense of community!

Time off

•  25 days annual leave pro rata (plus public holidays pro rata)
•  One-week pro rata paid carer’s leave
•  One-week pro rata paid compassionate leave
•  Options for unpaid leave after successful probation period

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Job Title

Youth Coordinator

Reports to

Evaluation and Programmes Manager

The opportunity

Hours

Salary

Contract

Location

21 hours per week

£18,103 (pro rata from £30,172 FTE from 1st April 2026) – Band 3

Permanent, subject to a 3 months’ probation review

Partly  based  at  Suffolk  Refugee  Support  offices,  38  St  Matthew’s  Street,  Ipswich,  IP1  3EP  and  on
location in Suffolk.  This role will involve travel across the county.

Important note on Working with Minors

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Therefore all convictions, cautions and bind-overs, including those
regarded as ‘spent’, must be declared at the application stage.

About the role
The Youth  Coordinator will  work with children and young people  under the age  of 25. This cohort is made up of unaccompanied
asylum-seeking children (UASC), young asylum seekers or refugees living independently, and children and young people living in
refugee or asylum-seeking families. This group have specific needs, and the role will be a mixture of advice work and delivery and
coordination of projects to help promote the personal, educational, creative and social development of young people.

The post holder is required to work 21 hours a week (days to be confirmed with the successful candidate). You will usually be expected
to work 1 to 2 evenings per week (including Tuesdays and Thursdays), and occasional weekends.

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Main Deliverables
Youth Support

•  To keep up to date with the numbers, locations and needs of young refugees and asylum seekers in Suffolk, through seeking

information and building relationships with other agencies who provide support for them

•  Proactively reach out to young asylum seekers and refugees in Suffolk, building trust and acting as a consistent point of contact
to help them raise concerns, access timely support, and work together on practical solutions through SRS or partner agencies

•  To deliver one-to-one support to young people, offering tailored advice, signposting to additional services, and ensuring smooth

introductions through warm handovers

•  To use information, from your research and funder outcome requirements, to develop a plan of action to address the gaps in
knowledge, skills and opportunities for young refugees and asylum seekers in Suffolk, linking with colleges and youth groups
as needed

•  Deliver and coordinate workshops, in collaboration with other SRS members and external partners, to ensure young people
stay informed, healthy, and safe during their asylum claim period, and are prepared for what to expect when they receive a
decision on their asylum case. Topics may include immigration, housing, health and nutrition, employment, life and culture in
the UK, life skills (e.g. cooking, budgeting, e-safety), and risks of radicalisation

•  To use external speakers and facilitators to bring specialist knowledge and opportunities to the young people ensuring the
delivery of their information and activities is culturally and language-ability appropriate for maximum participation and learning

Youth Groups

•  To be responsible for coordinating evening youth activities (currently in Ipswich) alongside our delivery partners (e.g.  ITFC
Foundation,  Ipswich  School  and  YMCA):    currently  Homework  Club  on  Tuesdays  4-6pm,  Football  club  6.30-8.30pm  on
Tuesdays,  with  occasional  Tournaments  throughout  the  year,  and  a  Youth  Club  monthly,    with  a  view  to  expanding  these
across Suffolk using partner organisations

•  To identify and set up additional youth activities across the year, particularly during the school holidays

•  To ensure all groups and activities are promoted widely to asylum seeking and refugee children, young people and their carers

via WhatsApp, email, word of mouth or other publicity

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•  Oversee  logistics  and  compliance  for  youth  activities,  including  booking  and  assessing  venues,  managing  registrations,

safeguarding records, attendance, and outcome monitoring for funder reporting

•  Ensure  health  and  safety  standards  by  completing  risk  assessments,  reporting  incidents,  maintaining  fire  evacuation

procedures, and putting PEEPs in place for staff, volunteers, and clients

•  To induct and supervise volunteers working with young people and children in SRS youth activities

•  To host occasional visits from funders and other visitors

Monitoring, Evaluation and Funder Reporting

•  To record services given and outcomes achieved on internal monitoring systems (CRM) and to maintain the filing system in

line with data protection regulations

•  To assist with reports in reference to our funders’ outcomes and targets, and regular internal reporting on progress and activities

•  To help with the development and administration of written information produced by SRS for our clients’ benefit

•  To contribute to development of new services and funding applications

Partnership Working

•  Work  in  partnership  with  Suffolk  County  Council’s  UASC  and  Leaving  Care  Team,  foster  carers,  housing  and  education
providers, and other youth and refugee agencies to deliver cohesive services for young refugees and asylum seekers. Attend
regular partnership meetings, including regional and national forums, to share insights and coordinate support

•  Work in partnership with further education colleges, local employers and SRS's Employment Coordinator to identify, coordinate

and monitor work experience opportunities for young asylum seekers

•  To ensure that foster carers of asylum seekers in Suffolk feel supported and know about services and activities available to

them

Risk management / safeguarding

•  To identify, report and follow up safeguarding issues for any young person attending a group, including attending multi-agency

safeguarding meetings with other professionals when appropriate

•  To identify possible risks and work to minimise or eliminate the risk

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•  To attend relevant training, including safeguarding/child protection

Client participation and representation

•  Actively engage children and young people in organising groups and activities, including running client focus groups to capture
their ideas. Champion co-production by working alongside them to design, deliver, and evaluate youth services, ensuring their
voices meaningfully shape decision-making

•  To assist the Client Partnership Coordinator with the plan to increase young people's participation in the planning and delivery

of SRS services. To represent the views and experiences of SRS’s clients at external meetings and advisory boards

Additional Duties and Responsibilities

•  To occasionally contribute to media features and SRS newsletter articles concerning the scheme and its clients (in liaison with

SRS’s Communications Officer), and to promote public awareness and positive perceptions

•  To take responsibility for keeping up to date with changes to legislation, policy and rules affecting asylum seekers and refugees,

including attending training as applicable

•  To contribute to other SRS work including weekly team meetings and activities as requested by Management, such as assisting

with external SRS events or activities

•  To work in line with SRS’s policies and codes of conduct

Other requirements
To deliver services effectively, a degree of flexibility is needed, and you may be required to perform work not specifically referred to
above.  Such duties, however, will fall within the scope of the job, at the appropriate skills and responsibility level.  This job description
will therefore be subject to periodic review with the post-holder to ensure it accurately reflects the duties of the job.

Please note that an Enhanced DBS Check is required for this post. The decision to request a DBS disclosure is made in accordance
with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The check will be paid for by Suffolk Refugee Support.

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Person Specification

What we are looking for

Experience and knowledge

Essential

Qualification in Youth Work, Education, Social or Community Work, or at least two years’ experience of working with vulnerable,
young people in a community or education setting

Experience of planning and organising youth activities (such as social, sport and learning activities) for young people with a thorough
understanding of how to motivate them to attend these

Experience of devising & delivering workshops and training sessions to young people ensuring maximum benefit is achieved

Working  knowledge  of  legislation,  policies  and  issues  relevant  to  refugees  and  asylum  seekers  including  immigration,  housing,
health, education etc

Experience of liaising with service providers, both statutory and voluntary, that provide support to vulnerable people, and of ensuring
clients receive access to all services to which they are entitled

Experience of working in partnership with other service providers for joint working or signposting

Excellent organisational skills, ability to manage a busy caseload, stay calm under pressure and manage conflicting demands on
time

Essential

Desirable

Skills

Ability to give advice and support in a sensitive manner including
when English is not the first language of the client

Ability to support young people in improving their English, Maths
and life skills

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Excellent written and verbal communication skills, to advocate on
behalf of clients and present cases factually and clearly

Proven  ability  to  manage  and  motivate  volunteers  to  engage
with young clients

Ability  to  use  own  initiative  to  solve  problems  as  well  as
contributing to team plans and joint activities

Experience  of  using  successful  monitoring  and  evaluation
processes

Proficiency in working with Microsoft Office packages and using
a CRM database

Diligent  and  timely  approach  to  admin  work  and  good  record
keeping

A  full  UK  driving  license,  access  to  your  own  transport  and  a
willingness to work in locations around Suffolk

Friendly approachable manner and the ability to put people at ease

Flexible and prepared to work varied hours, including evenings as required

Attributes

Essential

A strong commitment to Equal Opportunities and Safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults. The post holder will
be subject to Enhanced DBS checking and will require full clearance to work with this client group.

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Equal Opportunities Statement
Suffolk Refugee Support (SRS) is committed to equal opportunities and to supporting diversity both in the provision of services and
as an employer. These commitments are set out in the Equality and Diversity policy and are integral to the provision of SRS’s services
and to the work done by its staff, trustees, and volunteers, who are expected to promote equality in the workplace and to deliver
services with sensitivity.

In essence, this means that no service user, job applicant, employee, volunteer, trustee, or member will be treated less favourably on
the grounds of the following protected characteristics: age, disability (physical or mental impairment), gender reassignment, marital
or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race (colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin), religious beliefs, sex and sexual
orientation. In addition, SRS is committed to ensuring that no service user, job applicant, employee, volunteer, trustee, or member
will be treated less favourably on the grounds of membership of a particular social group, political opinion, caring responsibilities, HIV
status and employment status.

SRS  recognises  that  refugees  and  asylum  seekers  are  a  particularly  vulnerable  group  of  people  and  may  experience  additional
prejudice and  discrimination.  As a result,  SRS  is committed  to  supporting refugees and asylum  seekers  to take their  full  place in
society, including being involved in SRS’s governance structures.

Equality and Diversity and you
You will be required to support individuals, families, children, women, and young people from very diverse backgrounds and engage
them equally irrespective of political, religious or other affiliations.

We expect our team members to act professionally at all times and uphold the values, ambitions and aims of Suffolk Refugee Support.

We are committed to making every reasonable adjustment to the workplace or working arrangements to accommodate people with
disabilities.

Please be aware that our offices are accessed via a steep staircase.  We will endeavour to accommodate staff with mobility issues
as far as possible.

You will have received an Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form as part of this recruitment pack.  Please complete and return to
Marianne Walker at HR@suffolkrefugee.org.uk

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How to apply

Please complete the Application Form, the Equal Monitoring Form and attach your CV (which should cover your education history,
employment history and any relevant training) and send the three documents to Marianne Walker at HR@suffolkrefugee.org.uk

If you require a larger print form or a paper form, please contact Marianne Walker at HR@suffolkrefugee.org.uk

Alternatively, you can send the documents by post to Suffolk Refugee Support, 38 St Matthews Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 3EP.

Deadline for submission: no later than 12 noon on 20th March 2026

Interview date: 26th March 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early and interview at an earlier date if we receive sufficient applications for the
role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

How we choose who we invite to an interview

Shortlisting  is  completed  by  a  panel  of  Suffolk  Refugee  Support  staff  members  who  will  review  and  independently  score  your
anonymised CV and the responses you have given to the questions asked in the application form’s Why are you the right person
for this job section.

They then meet as a group to discuss their scores and decide which candidates’ answers have ranked highest for them.

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