NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY DELHI
PROJECT 39-A
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: SOCIAL WORK FELLOW
Position:
National Law University, Delhi (“University”) is seeking to engage on a contractual basis, 10 Social Work Fellows for Pune and Nagpur (five positions in each location) for the Fair Trial Fellowship programme supported by a grant from the Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives.
Social Work Fellows in the programme will focus on crucial socio-legal field work relating to cases of undertrial prisoners and support the Legal Fellows in ensuring that the undertrial prisoner is provided quality legal representation. The maximum period of engagement will be for three years and the contract will be renewed on an annual basis.
About the programme:
The Fair Trial Fellowship (“the Fellowship”) is an opportunity for young lawyers and social workers to work for providing quality legal representation to undertrial prisoners. The Fellowship will train and mentor a group of young professionals to work in collaboration with the State Legal Services Authority towards ensuring fair trial for undertrial prisoners at both pre-trial and trial stages.
The Fellowship is being currently rolled out for work in Nagpur and Pune Central prisons. The twin goals of the programme are to reduce the undertrial population in prisons in Pune and Nagpur and to work with the legal aid system in Maharashtra. To this end, there will be a research as well as a litigation component to the programme. The programme will have offices in Pune and Nagpur. The programme staff will comprise two Legal Strategy Co-ordinators, 20 Legal Fellows and 10 Social Work Fellows.
Responsibilities:
This is a full time paid position based in Nagpur and Pune. Selected candidates will be expected to reside within the municipal limits of the city of their selection but may be required to travel frequently to other districts as per programme needs. The responsibilities of the Social Work Fellows will include :
A. Visiting the Prisons, interacting with undertrial prisoners, identifying individuals who need legal aid from the DLSA and supporting them in writing applications to DLSA.
B. Identifying undertrial prisoners entitled for bail/early release and refer such cases to the DLSA and the Prison Authorities.
C. Socio-legal case work interventions and handholding undertrial prisoners through the legal proceedings at both pre-trial and trial stage.
D. Home visits and working with families of undertrials in gathering information/documents relevant to their case.
E. Co-ordinating with other authorities if required for gathering relevant documents like age proof, address proof, medical certificates etc.
F. Identifying special needs of undertrials including pregnancy, claims for juvenility, disability, terminal illnesses, mental health issues etc.
G. Travelling as required to meet and communicate with family members of undertrial prisoners and other persons who may have oral and documentary information relevant for mitigation of the prisoners, using the tools and techniques for communication and obtaining information devised.
H. Co-ordinating with Legal Fellows and provide relevant socio-legal inputs in individual cases.
I. Case Documentation with details of interventions for cases handled
J. Organising and conducting training workshops and conferences.
K. Documentation and Reporting as per programmatic needs.
L. Any other work that may be necessary to further the aims of the Fellowship Programme
Qualifications:
A. Post-graduate qualification in social work (M.A. in Social Work/MSW) or any other Helping Professions/Social Science/Humanities subject or related areas from a Central/Deemed/State-Recognised University
B. Minimum of one year experience (full time) in intervention work at the grassroot level.
C. Proficiency in reading, writing and speaking Marathi
D. Ability to read, write and speak English
E. Familiarity with the use of MS-Office, emails and the internet
F. Prior work experience within institutions in the criminal justice system is desirable.
The above qualifications may be relaxed in exceptional circumstances
Compensation:
Fellows will be paid a fellowship amount of INR 30,000 per month
Application Process:
Interested persons may send their resumé and a statement of purpose, explaining their interest in working on this programme. The statement of purpose must not exceed 700 words. Shortlisted candidates will be called for the selection process which may be held in Mumbai/Pune/Nagpur. Intimation regarding dates and venue of selection rounds will be given to the shortlisted candidates by email. The selection procedure will be conducted in two stages :
• Round 1 – Written Test to assess knowledge and application of law/ principles of social work intervention of the applicants.
• Round 2- Personal Interview of candidates shortlisted from Round 1.
Final selection of the candidates will be based on their performance in both the rounds. Selected candidates will be intimated by email.
Email: Interested persons must send their resume and Statement of Purpose to p39a@nludelhi.ac.in and the subject of the e-mail should be “Fair Trial Fellowship – Application for Social Work Fellowship”.
Deadline:
Applications received after midnight of May 31, 2018 will not be considered. The shortlisted candidates shall be informed about the next round in the selection process via email.
Note:
1. National Law University, Delhi is an equal opportunity employer.
2. Project 39-A ensures access to legal representation for prisoners regardless of the offence.
3. National Law University, Delhi reserves the right to conduct interviews and not fill these positions.
4. National Law University, Delhi is unable to cover the costs of attending interviews.
5. These positions shall be paid under the grant received under Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives.