Bromsgrove and Redditch Welcome Refugees
Description of the role
As a key friend, you will be a friendly listening ear and the first point of contact for the people you support. You will also offer social support and help them make sense of the new cultural context they are in and understand British customs. You will head up a small team supporting a family unit or an individual. You will have a second in command who can stand in for you and also help from other volunteers covering specific areas such as finding furniture and other items, giving lifts, teaching English, undertaking DIY etc.
Worcestershire County Council (WCC) will have found accommodation and basic furnishings for the accommodation before you get involved. They will also help with registering with local services such as banks, GPs, NHS Dentists and Schools where required in the initial stages.
You will meet the family or individual for the first time with WCC staff, your second in command and Chair of BRWR.
You may be called upon to offer basic emotional support and friendship, and provide practical support, such as –
- Source additional furniture and furnishings, toys and games for the children
- Explore and show public transport options
- Flag up or show local facilities (e.g. parks, leisure centres)
- Explain how services work, in particular the NHS
- Take to appointments
- Act as an intermediary to overcome some of the initial language barriers
- Explain and action correspondence (e.g. hospital appointment letters, letters from utility companies)
- Sign post to services (e.g. Youth clubs, Parent support groups, Wellbeing support)
- Explore and help enrol on English language courses (BRWR provide weekly classes in Bromsgrove and Redditch) and other educational courses
- Help with filling forms (e.g. benefits, job centre info)
- Accompany on social outings organised by BRWR
This is a hugely rewarding role: you learn a lot about another culture and you get to experience how things work in your own country through a lens you may not have used before. Most importantly, meeting and befriending people from a different culture is interesting and fun!
We would love to welcome onboard enthusiastic, friendly, open minded, resourceful and reliable people. All ages and backgrounds can make a valuable contribution to our organisation. This opportunity could provide a springboard for someone training in Social care or Education to develop their skills.
Practical Considerations
- Owning or having access to a car would be preferable.
- Ownership of a laptop or iPad and general knowledge of Ms Word and Excel.
Any specific requirements
- Requires References
- Requires Criminal Record Check (DBS) – BRWR can provide help for this.
- You must live or work locally
- You must be 18 or over to apply
Where is the opportunity based?
The role coming up will be in the Redditch area, but you can live in either the Bromsgrove or Redditch areas as long as you have your own transport.
When is the opportunity available?
Bromsgrove and Redditch Welcomes Refugees are looking for someone to start right away.
About the organisation
Bromsgrove and Redditch Welcome Refugees (BRWR) is a group of volunteers set up in 2015, to support local refugees who arrived under the government’s Syrian Vulnerable Persons’ Relocation Scheme. Since then, we’ve expanded our work to support new arrivals from other countries including Afghanistan and Ukraine.
We are guided by our refugee friends regarding the specific type of support they need, and we aim to provide a dedicated volunteer to provide that support.
The help we offer varies from financial loans to practical support such as local knowledge, lifts, DIY and form-filling for jobs or benefits.
Other important facilities are weekly support group meetings in Bromsgrove and Redditch which, as well as providing regular help and assistance, allow refugees and volunteers to develop personal friendships.
Bromsgrove and Redditch Network 