Resettlement Program, Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Officer

Saint Andrew’s Refugee Services, Cairo

Vacancy Announcement: Resettlement Program, Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Officer

Founded in 1979, StARS is a refugee service provider in central Cairo that works to enhance the quality of life for refugees and vulnerable migrants through five broad program areas: education, psychosocial, legal, community outreach and unaccompanied youth and children support services. We provide high-quality services meeting the unaddressed needs of refugees, and we provide a safe and inclusive space for displaced people to come together as a community. We work for refugees, with refugees, to make rights recognition a reality.

StARS’ Mission: Driven by a commitment to justice and fairness, StARS works as displaced people and for displaced people to respect human dignity and enhance quality of life.

StARS’ Vision: Displaced people lead in the creation and implementation of responses to different forms of migration to establish safe, just, welcoming, and inclusive communities globally.

We serve people from many places, including Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

To learn more please visit our website: www.stars-egypt.org or our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/standrewsrefugeeservices?fref=ts

Project Description: Refugee Legal Aid Program

The Refugee Legal Aid Program provides advice and representation to refugees seeking recognition by UNHCR through refugee status determination procedures in Egypt, and assists refugees in accessing resettlement to safe third countries. We serve people from many places, including Ethiopia, Iraq, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, and Syria. Read more at http://stars-egypt.org/rlap/. StARS has established a full-service center dedicated to meeting the education, protection, support and advocacy needs of Unaccompanied Children and Youths in Cairo. The Resettlement Legal Officer for Unaccompanied Children and Youths works as part of a growing Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid team alongside a team of legal staff providing specialized legal representation and advice to the Unaccompanied Children and Youth refugee population in their UNHCR process.

Role

Under the supervision of the Refugee Legal Aid Program Resettlement Coordinator and the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Coordinator, the Resettlement Legal Officer for Unaccompanied Children and Youths is responsible for the provision of legal advice and representation to unaccompanied children and youth refugees in matters related to protection and resettlement. This includes: assessment of initial requests for assistance with resettlement; the screening of cases to identify those of heightened vulnerability fitting UNHCR’s resettlement criteria; drafting referral documents in support of claims for resettlement; and providing advice to unaccompanied children and youth refugees in all matters related to protection and resettlement through drop-in services. The Refugee Legal Aid Program Resettlement Legal Officer is also expected to contribute to advocacy efforts regarding the unaccompanied children and youth refugee population and to train volunteer staff.

Responsibilities

All duties are carried out under the supervision of the Refugee Legal Aid Program Resettlement Coordinator and the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Coordinator.

Legal and Technical

● To develop and supervise the screening and intake of potential clients for representation in protection and resettlement matters.

● To prepare a required number of referrals per month.

● To maintain good working knowledge of UNHCR policies and procedures in protection and resettlement matters.

● To assist in the preparation of protection and resettlement referrals to UNHCR.

● To identify cases appropriate for expedited consideration by UNHCR and to draft such requests.

● To assist with follow-up communication and inquiries to UNHCR’s African/Iraqi and Syrian Resettlement Units regarding resettlement cases.

● To provide general legal counseling and assistance to unaccompanied children and youth refugees regarding their applications for registration, protection, and resettlement before UNHCR.

● To identify domestic legal needs of Unaccompanied Children and Youths and prepare referrals to UNHCR.

● To undertake country of origin research in support of individual claims and for general organizational research purposes. To maintain good working knowledge of the current political and social situations in the countries of origin of StARS’ clients.

● To assess extra-legal client needs and refer to other StARS teams or external organizations as appropriate.

● To undertake comprehensive case management practices including maintaining and updating electronic databases and records for each client, and keeping detailed notes of all casework activities.

● To adhere to the Nairobi Code of Ethics, the StARS Policies and Procedures Manual, and the StARS Code of Conduct.

Programmatic

● To assist the Refugee Legal Aid Program Resettlement Coordinator and the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Coordinator in development and implementation of team policies and procedures.

● To provide case reporting data to the Refugee Legal Aid Program Resettlement Coordinator and the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Coordinator as requested for purposes of accurately reporting work to senior management, funders, and others.

● To attend and contribute to Refugee Legal Aid Program meetings and other staff meetings.

● To build and maintain strong relationships with refugee communities in Cairo.

● To build and maintain relationships with psychosocial and education staff and operational partners.

Supervisory

● To assist the Refugee Legal Aid Program Resettlement Coordinator and the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Coordinator in the recruitment of volunteer legal advisors and other staff.

● To assist the Refugee Legal Aid Program Resettlement Coordinator and the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Coordinator in conducting intensive one-to-two-week training for new volunteers.

● Under the supervision of the Resettlement Coordinator and the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Coordinator, to assist in the supervision of volunteer legal advisors in resettlement legal work.

● To assist the Refugee Legal Aid Program Resettlement Coordinator and the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Coordinator in the management of volunteer caseloads, and the provision of case specific advice.

● To engage proactively in promoting self-care among volunteers and other staff.

● To ensure high quality legal advice and representation and a refugee rights-based approach.

Finance and Administration

● To undergo probation and regular performance appraisals.

Communication and Reporting

● To communicate regularly with the Resettlement Coordinator and the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Coordinator, reporting on all major issues and developments in the field and within Refugee Legal Aid Program.

● To promote information-sharing within Refugee Legal Aid Program and StARS on all issues affecting the populations we serve.

Qualifications & Experience

The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated interest in working with children and youth. She or he will be energetic, articulate, and comfortable interacting with diverse segments of society. She or he will have demonstrated a firm commitment to human rights and refugee issues.

Essential qualifications:

● English being the official language of UNHCR Cairo and StARS, the Refugee Legal Aid Program Resettlement Legal Officer must be fluent in oral and written English.

● Fluency in Arabic or a refugee language is an advantage.

● Master’s degree in a related field (international development, international law, development studies, Middle East Studies) OR a qualified lawyer in any jurisdiction (J.D., LLB or equivalent) OR a minimum of one year of experience in representing refugees in the resettlement or RSD processes OR two years of experience providing direct representation to indigent people in any setting.

● Excellent legal research and drafting skills.

● An understanding of the complex protection needs of refugee children and youth, and importance of specialized and holistic service provision.

● Knowledge of UNHCR guidelines and procedures, especially resettlement criteria.

● Knowledge of the general protection situation and vulnerabilities of refugees in Egypt.

● A demonstrated commitment to and sensitivity toward vulnerable or displaced people, particularly children and youth.

● Ability to live and work in a fluid security environment.

● Proven experience drafting client affidavits and legal arguments.

● Ability to exercise sound legal judgment, well organized, self-motivated, and reliable.

● Demonstrated compassion for refugees and displaced people, particularly children and youth.

● Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

● Demonstrated ability to work in a team as well as individually.

● A positive attitude and sensitive manner when dealing with clients including a range of interviewing skills for dealing with challenging scenarios, particularly in advocating for children and youth, survivors of violence, trafficking, torture, and SGBV.

Desirable Characteristics:

● Experience designing and conducting trainings for non-technical audiences.

● Managerial experience or familiarity with volunteer oversight.

● Experience working with children and youth.

● Life and work experience in the Middle East or Egypt or with an urban refugee population.

Working Hours: The Refugee Status Determination Program Volunteer Legal Advisor is expected to be at work for 40 hours per week, between the hours of 9am and 5pm, from Sunday to Thursday. Longer hours, evening and weekend work are sometimes necessary. Work will be conducted both in StARS premises and also in refugee communities and centers.

Supervised by: Resettlement Coordinator and the Unaccompanied Children and Youth Legal Aid Coordinator.