Hope for Justice exists to bring an end to modern slavery by preventing exploitation, rescuing victims, restoring lives and reforming society. Around the world, we are growing a movement of abolitionists who believe freedom is worth the fight. Our team works from more than 30 locations across five continents. If you’re looking to make a difference, this is the place for the you.

Hope for Justice is committed to the principles of diversity, equality and inclusion. We are a global organisation with staff from a wide variety of backgrounds, and ensure through our recruitment processes that we continue to welcome candidates from all walks of life. If you feel that your skills and experience fit one of our advertised roles, and you share our values and mission to end slavery, then we strongly encourage your application regardless of your background.

Hope for Justice are looking for a Community Engagement Specialist on a full-time, permanent basis, to join our team based in our West Yorkshire, UK Hub.

The role of a Community Engagement Specialist includes, but is not limited to:

Community Engagement

• Active participation in relevant operational and strategic multi-agency partnership working.
• Using local and cultural knowledge and language skills, to seek networking opportunities with other key stakeholders, to combat modern slavery and to develop support pathways for victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.
• Provide independent and impartial advice, strategic guidance, and awareness training to key stakeholders, including First Responder organisations, on modern slavery and human trafficking and victim pathways, rights, and entitlements.
• Engage in multi-agency outreach, gather, and share intelligence and identity potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.

Identification & Intervention

• Respond to referrals and enquiries, conduct dynamic risk assessments and work with key stakeholders to address immediate needs of potential victims and ensure their safe transition into appropriate support pathways. Encourage and promote greater trust between potential victims and law enforcement and use of a trauma informed approach.
• Empower victims to make informed decisions about their rights and entitlements by providing a clear and unbiased overview, in their own language, of the systems and services available to them.
• Work with victims, advocating for them when required, to access and appropriate support services and systems, including the NRM, housing, repatriation, and police reporting.
• Promote greater trust between potential victims, law enforcement, statutory organisations and other stakeholders.

Casework & Advocacy

• Support NRM First Responders with specialist pre-NRM advice and submissions.
• Examine relevant NRM documents, contribute to gathering objective evidence and challenge negative NRM Reasonable Grounds decisions where necessary.
• Act as a single point of contact for victims and all stakeholders throughout the process of identification and support pathways.
• Manage a caseload, working with victims to navigate and secure their rights and entitlements.

Essential

• Experience in relevant sector or working with vulnerable adults, trauma-informed approach, and case management.
• Experience of representing an organisation externally and partnership working.
• Knowledge of issues affecting at risk communities, and community resources locally, regionally, and nationally.
• Education to a Degree level or equivalent, ideally with a Social, legal, criminal justice background or similar.
• An understanding and experience of needs-based risk assessments and safeguarding best practice.
• Full UK or EU Driving License.

Desirable

• Knowledge of systems relating to modern slavery and human trafficking, including criminal justice and immigration systems.
• Diverse Language skills, with fluency in English and one or more other languages.
• Experience working in a cross-cultural setting.
• Mental Health First Aid training.

Benefits of working at Hope for Justice

Hope for Justice is committed to supporting our staff’s wellbeing and offers competitive salaries and a range of additional benefits to our staff.

At Hope for Justice, our values act as guiding principles for everything we do, and we are committed to upholding our values of honouring and empowering our employees. Hope for Justice are a Living Wage employer, accredited by the Living Wage Foundation.

As part of Hope for Justice, you will benefit from an excellent package including:

· 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays

· 1 day Marriage Leave

· Enhanced employer pension contributions

· Company sick pay

· Enhanced maternity and paternity pay

· Access to our Employee Rewards Platform, providing discounts and offers for well-known retailers

· Free, confidential Employee Assistance Programme for staff and their family

· Professional development opportunities

· Professional memberships paid

· Flexible and hybrid working

Salary: £22,880 (rising to £25,000 on successful completion of 6 months' probation period)

Job Type: Full time

Closing date: 6th October 2023

Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire Hub. The successful candidate will work in the local community and will be able to split time between the hub and remote working for administration activites. There will potentially be a requirement on occasion to travel to our other hubs to support the wider team in the meeting of operational demands.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which include criminal records checks, in line with our Global background checks policy. Hope for Justice participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme, as part of the referencing process we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We would like to inform you that due to the high number of applicants we receive, we regret that we are not able to respond individually to all applicants. Rest assured that all applications are carefully reviewed, however only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further steps in the selection process, this is expected to be within 2 weeks from the job application close date. Thank you for your understanding.