Local Authority Asylum Support Liaison Officer

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.

Coventry City Council’s Migration Team is dedicated to meeting the needs of newly arriving communities and facilitating a successful integration journey into the city. As leaders in the field of refugee resettlement, we provide support to vulnerable individuals through various initiatives, including employment, education, language acquisition and training enabling them to contribute to the economic, civic and social fabric of our vibrant city. With collaborative partnerships and exciting projects, like "Our Coventry" and "Step Forward," we celebrate diversity while ensuring everyone's rights and opportunities are valued.

Join us in making Coventry a place people choose to live, learn, and work.

In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.

Our Values are:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

Coventry City Council is seeking a committed and compassionate Male Asylum Seeker Liaison Officer to support the welfare and inclusion of Asylum Seekers accommodated in the City. This role will act as a central point of contact between the Council, Home Office - contracted accommodation providers, support agencies, and individual service users - ensuring appropriate, timely, and culturally sensitive support is in place.

The majority of Asylum Seekers in Coventry are male, many of whom face complex challenges linked to trauma, safeguarding, and cultural sensitivities. As such, this post is restricted to male applicants in line with a Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR) under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010, to enable effective gender-appropriate engagement and support.

This is a fixed term contract of two years.

You will have experience working in frontline community support, housing, health, or migrant services, with an understanding of the UK asylum system and the particular barriers faced by men seeking asylum. Strong interpersonal and organisational skills, cultural sensitivity, and the ability to work across professional boundaries are essential.

Key Responsibilities are:

• Build direct relationships with male asylum seekers living in Initial and Dispersal Accommodation across the city to understand their needs and experiences.
• Act as a liaison between service users and key stakeholders including housing providers, healthcare services, voluntary sector organisations, and the Home Office.
• Support the identification and resolution of issues related to housing conditions, health access, safeguarding, and social inclusion.
• Maintain accurate records and contribute to internal reports and external forums to inform service planning and delivery.
• Represent Coventry City Council at multi-agency meetings on asylum accommodation and welfare.

If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact agnes.gaspar@coventry.gov.uk

Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.

Interview date: 11 July 2025

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.

At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies