'Paving the Way' Handbook - ICMC

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3.4 The Role of Caseworkers
Providing support to resettled refugees can include a range of mediation and support roles
such as:
‣¾ Orientation to the new country
‣¾ Acting as a point of reference for other services
‣¾ Emotional support
‣¾ Referral to relevant agencies
‣¾ Advice and information on housing, benefits and other social services
‣¾ Mediation between family members and the host community
‣¾ Advocacy, support and awareness-raising with mainstream services – see previous page
‣¾ Family reunion and legal assistance
Caseworkers need to be aware of cultural differences that may affect the way refugees deal with
issues. For example, many refugees come from a cultural background where there is less focus
on the individual and more on the family. In such cases it may be the norm for all family members
to be involved in decision-making. Accordingly, caseworkers may need to apply a family-centred
approach taking into account the needs and experiences of all the family members.
Part II - Essential Services
At the heart of every caseworker role is empowering resettled refugees to be fully independent.
Often tasks are much quicker if completed by the caseworker, such as calling to make doctor’s
appointments, but it is important that refugees are encouraged to carry out tasks on their own,
so they can learn and build confidence for the future. Caseworkers should ask themselves: is it
possible for the refugee to do this task themselves? If not, what does the refugee need to learn
so that they can do it in the future, and, how can I support their learning?
Defining clear professional boundaries between the refugee and the caseworker is crucial
to providing a service that respects and empowers refugees. This can be done by explaining
to refugees what a caseworker’s role is- and is not -and what is expected of the refugee; a
client charter can be a useful tool to assist with this (see annex 4). Clear guidelines should
be established for refugees and staff, for example, about contacting the caseworker during
working hours, avoiding conversations about the caseworker’s family and not accepting
gifts, or social invitations, from the refugee.
It is important to establish clear guidelines for confidentiality between the caseworker and
the client. This could be done through agreeing and signing a confidentiality statement,
detailing what information is confidential and also in what instances this confidentiality may
be broken e.g. if there is a child protection risk.