Community Caseworker

About Tadamon

Since the start of the genocide in Gaza, more than 1,300 Palestinians have arrived in Britain, with many hundreds more expected over the coming months and years. Some have arrived via boats and others as students or visitors unable to return home and forced to apply for asylum. Added to this are increasing numbers of students, injured children and their families who have been evacuated directly from Gaza to Britain.

Upon arrival they in dire need of support, but often instead find a hostile environment and a charitable sector decimated by legal aid cuts and with limited capacity to assist them. The support that is available has been provided on an ad hoc basis by the Palestinian community and other migrant and faith organisations.

Tadamon aims to formalise much of this ad hoc support, by extending more structured provisions for supporting the Palestinian community in Britain particularly newly arrived Palestinian refugees and those from Gaza through casework, community services, access to legal resources, advice and advocacy, mental health support, cultural connection, employment, language and skills training.

Purpose of the Role

Tadamon is seeking an experienced and compassionate Community Caseworker to join our small and growing team.

The postholder will work directly with Palestinian new arrivals, including asylum seekers, refugees, students unable to return home and evacuees from Gaza. Many of our community members are navigating trauma, loss, displacement and complex immigration processes.

The purpose of the role is to:

• Provide holistic, high-quality casework support and advocacy.
• Ensure community members can access safe housing, legal representation (via referral), healthcare, education and welfare support.
• Reduce isolation and strengthen community engagement.
• Support Tadamon s volunteers and mentors to deliver coordinated and culturally grounded support.
• Contribute to Tadamon s development as a new and growing charity.

This role does not involve the provision of any regulated immigration advice or medical advice. The caseworker will provide information, advocacy and referrals to appropriately regulated legal and medical professionals.

Tadamon is committed to building internal immigration advice capacity. We are keen to support the successful candidate, where appropriate, to work towards accreditation with the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA), subject to organisational need and funding, and in line with relevant regulatory requirements which we hope to work towards meeting in due course.

Key Responsibilities

Casework & Direct Support

1. Build positive, professional and trusting relationships with community members, ensuring a culturally sensitive and trauma-informed approach to casework.
2. Conduct comprehensive needs assessments and co-produce tailored support plans addressing immediate and longer-term needs.
3. Provide holistic casework support, including:
   • Support with accessing safe and stable housing.
   • Assistance with GP registration and navigating NHS services (without providing medical advice).
   • Support to access education, ESOL, employment and training opportunities.
   • Support accessing welfare benefits, access to our hardship fund, and financial assistance where eligible.
   • Referral to qualified immigration advisers and solicitors for legal advice.
4. Advocate (with informed consent) on behalf of community members with local authorities, housing providers, schools, healthcare providers, solicitors and other statutory or voluntary agencies.
5. Accompany community members to key appointments where appropriate and capacity allows.
6. Support individuals who may be at risk or in crisis, escalating safeguarding concerns in line with policy.

Community & Partnership Working

1. Encourage community members participation in Tadamon s events, peer support initiatives and community activities to reduce isolation and strengthen connection.
2. Build and maintain effective partnerships with local authorities, legal providers, health services, community organisations and other stakeholders.
3. Contribute to the development of structured community initiatives and culturally appropriate support models for Palestinians in the UK.

Organisational Development

1. Maintain accurate and timely case records using Tadamon s case management system in line with GDPR and data protection legislation.
2. Contribute to monitoring, evaluation and reporting requirements, including providing anonymised case studies and data.
3. Attend supervision, team meetings and appraisals.
4. Take initiative in pursuing relevant training, including maintaining up-to-date knowledge of UK asylum, immigration and welfare systems.
5. Where agreed, work towards IAA accreditation to support Tadamon in building regulated immigration advice capacity (training and supervision support to be discussed).
6. Comply with all Tadamon policies and procedures, including safeguarding, confidentiality, equality, diversity and inclusion, and health and safety.
7. Undertake other duties appropriate to the role as the organisation grows.

Person specification

The ideal candidate will be an Arabic speaker, and will have a minimum of three years experience as a caseworker. They must bring energy and determination to the role and must be committed to working in collaboration with community members who may be at high risk or in crisis.

The ideal candidate will possess a proven ability to manage a complex caseload and the desire to work as a member of a small team to protect and promote the interests of some of the Palestinian community through the provision of support to the individuals we seek to support.

The ideal candidate will be committed to the achievement of Tadamon s long-term goals and will be passionate about ensuring that our community members can access the resources they need and feel seen, heard and supported in doing so.

The ideal candidate will have previous experience in carrying out casework with children, young adults, and vulnerable adults, including supporting and safeguarding individuals with complex needs.