Outreach Volunteer

Outreach Volunteer Role Description 

About the Refugee and Migrant Centre  

• RMC vision: A society where newcomers feel welcome, valued and live dignified lives. 
• RMC mission: We will act with humanity and compassion – knowing that with the right support and a chance to rebuild their lives, people can go on to thrive and be equal citizens.

To fulfil our vision and mission, RMC offers advice and guidance in the areas of housing and destitution, training, employment, health and immigration. RMC provides a free drop-in service with face-to-face, holistic advice, support and guidance to clients. 

We provide advice to clients who drop in during the mornings and book appointments for more complex cases during the afternoons. We close to the public all day Wednesdays. 

Volunteering with RMC 

The aim of this outreach role will be to enable and empower newly arrived refugees to settle into their new communities with confidence. As an outreach support volunteer, you will work closely with the caseworker, floating support workers and project coordinator to provide a wrap-around service to our clients in Birmingham. 

Outreach Support Volunteers assist clients to attend appointments and access services with ease, providing orientation support and advocacy where required. A key element of this role is to ensure our clients rights and choices are upheld, without communication being lost in translation.  

There would be a requirement to record and document contact with clients using our secure database, ensuring an evidence-based practice model of working and seamless support delivery to our clients. 

Role Description 

• Building a rapport with families and supporting them with their integration and settlement into the community 
• Supporting clients with orientation and familiarisation of the local area 
• Accompanying clients to external appointments, for example doctors’ appointments, job centre meetings, school meetings etc; as well as visiting families in their homes 
• Providing advocacy and translation support 
• Working as part of an effective team 
• Encouraging community participation 
• Updating records on our client database system – this is done in line with GDPR, as information is highly sensitive, relating to the care of children and vulnerable adults 
• Lone working (in line with our Lone Working Policy) – only with agreement from the Resettlement Team Manager, and based on level of experience 

Skills required 

We provide a comprehensive induction, on-going training and support to all our volunteers but there are some skills we require you to have before you begin with us, these include: 

• A friendly and approachable personality 
• Enthusiastic and passionate about working with refugees, migrants and asylum seekers. 
• Willingness to work as part of a team 
• Fluent in a community language (depending on the need of the project)  
• Fluent in English (good verbal and written skills) 
• Basic computer skills (ability to word process/email etc.) 
• An understanding of equal opportunities (cultural competence) 
• Confident in lone working & self-time management 
• Knowledge of the local area and transport links 
• Approachable and respectful of individuals, their rights and choices. 

What you can gain from volunteering with RMC 

Join our volunteer team and have the chance to: 

• Volunteer within a diverse team in an inclusive environment 
• Experience working with new arrival communities 
• Access progressive induction and training 
• Gain access to additional opportunities  
• Receive personalised supervision and support sessions 
• Have travel expenses covered 

Other information 

Disabled access: Yes 

Insurance: Yes 

Travel Expenses: Yes 

Induction: Yes 

Training: Yes 

Health and Safety Policy: Yes 

Equal Opportunities Policy: Yes 

Application Process 

The application process will involve the completion of an application form, an informal face-to-face meeting, reference checks and a DBS.  

If you would like more information on the role, you can find out more and complete your application on our website.