Teams
Asylum Seeker Support Initiative – Short Term
ASSIST is a registered charity which provides basic support for over 60 destitute asylum seekers, to
buy food and pay transport costs for legal and medical appointments. It provides accommodation
through volunteer hosts, in 3 houses and in a night shelter. Asylum seekers are usually supported for
up to 12 months.
ASSIST is totally reliant on its volunteers, and is organised through a variety of teams. We hope you
will find something that suits your talents and your availability!
An induction session is provided for all volunteers, and training for specific roles is arranged through
the team leader.
Travel expenses are paid, plus a lunch / meal allowance where the volunteer’s task is for more than
3.5 hours.
Most of ASSIST’s activities are based in Sheffield City Centre.
Accommodation Team
The accommodation team meets on a fortnightly basis to update each other on key decisions and
events in the previous month as well as to prepare for future weeks. They prioritise new referrals for
ASSIST accommodation/housing, and review the existing individuals in receipt of ASSIST
accommodation / housing. The majority of the work is done by the member who is on phone duty for
2 weeks at a time (mobile phone provided): they co-ordinate transfers, make arrangements to see
new hosts and are the first point of contact for referrals.
Mon 7- 8.45pm plus other times as needed
(often evening – this role suits those who work during the day)
The Accommodation team is currently looking for new volunteer hosts
Administrators
General administration duties
Tues 11am-1pm and / or Weds 11am – 1pm
One administrator role negotiable between 11am and 2pm, Mon - Fri
The Administration team is currently looking for new volunteers
Advocacy Team
Trained volunteers collect information from applicants and submit it to ASSIST’s Panel for decisions
about possible support. They help existing clients with their appeal cases, and review progress at
regular intervals. They encourage clients to understand their legal requirements and to gather
information relevant to case work, and to find alternative support once Assist support is removed
(normally after a maximum of 12 months).
Tues 1.30 - 3.30pm
The Advocacy team is currently looking for new volunteers
Team tasks summary 21/11/11
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Befriending Team
Befriend individual asylum seekers for up to six months on a one-to-one basis. Support varies, from
accompanying the asylum seeker to appointments, to activities such as introducing them to sources
of social support e.g. leisure & education activities etc
Times variable, to suit both volunteer and asylum seeker.
Preferably available most Wednesday afternoons 1.30 to 3.30 and occasional Wednesday
mornings.
The Befriending team is not currently looking for new volunteers
Bus Pass Team
The Bus pass team gives out vouchers for bus passes to asylum seekers. You need to be able to
focus on the task of ensuring accuracy, keeping the paperwork right, in a busy environment.
Wednesdays 1.15-2.30pm
The Bus Pass team is currently looking for new volunteers
Cleaner
General cleaning tasks (hovering, dusting, wiping surfaces, washing up, emptying bins) in the busy
ASSIST office and its other 2 rooms.
Negotiable on Mon - Fri, 10.30am – 3pm
We are currently looking for a new cleaning volunteer
Events, Fundraising and Awareness Team (“EFA”)
This team talks with the general public, raising awareness regarding asylum seekers, the issue of
destitution, and the work of ASSIST including speaking with churches and other groups. It arranges
fundraising events and supports other groups and individuals in arranging events for ASSIST. It
produces ASSIST’s newsletter, There are a variety of different roles.
Evening meetings of the core team, other times vary according to volunteer role and events
The Events, Fundraising and Awareness team is currently looking for new volunteers
Grant Application team
The team aims to obtain finance for core activities and expenses, and new projects
The team researches sources of grants, assesses their funding priorities and probable amounts of
grants. Grant applications are written using information from records made by other ASSIST teams.
Reports on progress during and after the grant are also part of the teams work, and are useful for
monitoring and evaluation purposes.
Flexible within Mon-Fri, 10am – 3pm (negotiable)
The Grant Application team is currently looking for a new volunteer
Team tasks summary 21/11/11
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Help desk team
A team of volunteers staff the ASSIST tables at Sheffield City Council’s drop-in for asylum seekers.
It’s a busy environment. Using interpreters where required, the volunteer will interview asylum
seekers. The volunteer may provide information, signpost the asylum seeker to other agencies, make
a referral within ASSIST, and provide support to enable the asylum seeker to move forwards.
Weds 1.45-4.30pm
The Help desk team is currently looking for new volunteers
Night Shelter
This takes place in a church centre, for both men and women. The volunteers sleep overnight in the
centre. The referrals are usually made through ASSIST.
Mon evening – Sat morning Overnight 10pm – 8am
The Night Shelter team is currently looking for new volunteers
Panel Team
The Panel team exists to prioritise new referrals for ASSIST support and To review individuals who
are in receipt of ASSIST support. Each week 3 Panel members (from a small pool of volunteers) look
at all new referrals, checking to see whether they meet ASSIST’s criteria for support and prioritising
those that do according to the most vulnerable. Panel has to make tough decisions and uses agreed
criteria to make those decisions. Everyone who is in receipt of ASSIST support is reviewed by Panel
at regular intervals. ASSIST usually only provides short term support and Panel also identifies those
individuals who meet our criteria for receiving longer term support on an exceptional basis.
Tuesday evenings – 2 hours, 4-6pm, 5-7pm or 6-8pm
The Panel team is currently looking for new volunteers
Welfare Payments Team
The Welfare payments team pays out weekly grants to destitute asylum seekers. You need to be able
to focus on the task of ensuring accurate payment of welfare payments, and keeping the paperwork
right, in a busy environment.
Wednesdays 1.15-2.30pm
The Welfare payments team is currently looking for new volunteers
A number of other roles are available …
For details, come to one of our Drop In sessions
Team tasks summary 21/11/11
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