Images © Big Leaf Foundation
Community Casework | reimagining support, with young people at the centre
January 2026
When Big Leaf first began shaping the Community Casework Project, we were responding to something we were already seeing in practice. More settled community members, particularly Young Leaders graduates, were supporting others around them every day. They were translating letters, explaining systems, sitting with friends through moments of uncertainty and stress. This work was happening quietly, without recognition, training or support.
At the same time, many of these young people were interested in careers in law, social work or the charity sector, but found the first step out of reach. Gaining experience felt impossible. The systems designed to help them rarely made space for them to step inside.
At the same time, many of these young people were interested in careers in law, social work or the charity sector, but found the first step out of reach. Gaining experience felt impossible. The systems designed to help them rarely made space for them to step inside.
“There were several interlocking problems we were trying to address,” Ro, Big Leaf’s Caseworker and the project lead, explains. “Young people were already doing this work in their communities without support or recognition. We wanted to recognise the value of that labour and use our resources to support them. At the same time, many of them wanted careers in this field, but experience was a massive barrier. We wanted to create a safe, supported first step.”
At a deeper level, the project was also a response to something structural. “Asylum casework has long reinforced a service provider and beneficiary dynamic,” Ro says. “White British, middle class caseworkers hold roles that offer support to marginalised communities but rarely create pathways for people from those communities to take on these roles themselves. We wanted to challenge that in our own work and demonstrate what a different future could look like.”
That future begins with a simple shift; moving from support being delivered to young people, to being built with them.
At a deeper level, the project was also a response to something structural. “Asylum casework has long reinforced a service provider and beneficiary dynamic,” Ro says. “White British, middle class caseworkers hold roles that offer support to marginalised communities but rarely create pathways for people from those communities to take on these roles themselves. We wanted to challenge that in our own work and demonstrate what a different future could look like.”
That future begins with a simple shift; moving from support being delivered to young people, to being built with them.
Learning to support, together
Over an eight-week programme, six young people came together to explore what casework really looks like in practice. The project is open to anyone in our community, but for this first pilot, all six participants happened to be graduates of our Young Leaders programme. Together, they represented every cohort of young leaders that Big Leaf has ever run from 2022 onwards.
It created a thread across years of work and across the spaces Big Leaf holds, bringing together young people who had joined the organisation at different points in their lives and journeys. The group learnt about immigration and human rights law, policy systems, professional boundaries and wellbeing. They discussed the emotional weight of supporting others and what it means to hold space responsibly. They roleplayed conversations and worked through real scenarios together.
What surprised Ro was not their capability, but their hunger for complexity.
“Our session on human rights law ran long because there were so many questions about the relationship between incorporation and case law. Our participants asked for additional reading after a two-hour session on how policy work relates to casework, which I hadn’t anticipated at all. I think some of these surprises come from my own biases about what I find tedious as a caseworker but I’m not sure anyone would have expected that of all the books I offered, the one most eagerly shared was the Immigration and Asylum handbook designed for IAA Level 2 accreditation!”
What the participants brought could not be taught.
“Kindness, compassion and the drive to help others,” Ro says. “We can teach systems and processes. We cannot teach someone to care. That foundation matters more than any technical knowledge ever will.”
For RM, the project became a turning point.
It created a thread across years of work and across the spaces Big Leaf holds, bringing together young people who had joined the organisation at different points in their lives and journeys. The group learnt about immigration and human rights law, policy systems, professional boundaries and wellbeing. They discussed the emotional weight of supporting others and what it means to hold space responsibly. They roleplayed conversations and worked through real scenarios together.
What surprised Ro was not their capability, but their hunger for complexity.
“Our session on human rights law ran long because there were so many questions about the relationship between incorporation and case law. Our participants asked for additional reading after a two-hour session on how policy work relates to casework, which I hadn’t anticipated at all. I think some of these surprises come from my own biases about what I find tedious as a caseworker but I’m not sure anyone would have expected that of all the books I offered, the one most eagerly shared was the Immigration and Asylum handbook designed for IAA Level 2 accreditation!”
What the participants brought could not be taught.
“Kindness, compassion and the drive to help others,” Ro says. “We can teach systems and processes. We cannot teach someone to care. That foundation matters more than any technical knowledge ever will.”
For RM, the project became a turning point.
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“This project was a meaningful experience for me and marked the beginning of a new journey. I learned about refugee law, the asylum process and the roles of social workers and PAs. It helped me understand the importance of supporting refugees and working with communities in a professional and compassionate way. The skills and knowledge I gained will guide me in my future learning and personal growth.”
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What changed
Before the teaching began, Ro spoke to each participant individually about their worries. Many were concerned that their level of English, whether reading, writing or speaking, would be a barrier, and that the topics would be too complex to understand or retain.
“I saw some of that concern play out in our early sessions,” they reflect, “as we dived into topics like the history of immigration law in the UK and the Children Act. But as we slowly built a foundation of shared knowledge and started to put it into practice, something shifted. People realised that they understood enough of these complex structures to use that knowledge practically, and that they didn’t need to hold everything alone when they had the rest of the group around them.”
By the final sessions, as participants roleplayed common casework conversations, they were stepping out of theory and into practice together, with confidence in both themselves and each other.
For E, that shift was deeply personal.
“I saw some of that concern play out in our early sessions,” they reflect, “as we dived into topics like the history of immigration law in the UK and the Children Act. But as we slowly built a foundation of shared knowledge and started to put it into practice, something shifted. People realised that they understood enough of these complex structures to use that knowledge practically, and that they didn’t need to hold everything alone when they had the rest of the group around them.”
By the final sessions, as participants roleplayed common casework conversations, they were stepping out of theory and into practice together, with confidence in both themselves and each other.
For E, that shift was deeply personal.
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“Being part of the Community Casework Project has been a truly meaningful and life-changing experience. I learned not only practical skills, but also the importance of empathy, patience and really listening to people’s stories. It helped me grow in confidence and believe more in myself. I now feel more comfortable communicating, working in a team and supporting others in a respectful and professional way.”
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Community-led casework challenges more than a model. It challenges an assumption.
“In European systems, casework is often imagined as a one-to-one relationship,” Ro explains. “It reinforces an individual approach to problem solving. But many problems are collective and many solutions can be collective too. When support comes from within the community, there is shared understanding. It becomes harder to see people as victims and easier to recognise their agency.”
“In European systems, casework is often imagined as a one-to-one relationship,” Ro explains. “It reinforces an individual approach to problem solving. But many problems are collective and many solutions can be collective too. When support comes from within the community, there is shared understanding. It becomes harder to see people as victims and easier to recognise their agency.”
What this opens up
For Big Leaf, this first group has set a different bar for what feels possible.
“They taught us to aim high,” Ro says. “To not worry about whether something is too complex. To not just think about small problems but the larger ones that caused them. To never let something being difficult be a reason not to do it.”
Some graduates are now stepping into Community Caseworker roles at Big Leaf. Others are taking what they have learned into different volunteer spaces. All remain connected. Future cohorts will be shaped by our existing caseworkers who will also be involved in the planning and teaching of further courses.
“As someone who has done this work for nearly ten years,” Ro reflects, “this has been the most meaningful experience of that time. I feel lucky to work in an organisation that has helped lay the groundwork for such a vibrant and resilient community of young people to develop, as without that foundation a project like this one would simply not be possible. Most importantly I am incredibly honoured by the trust our participants have placed in us to take this project forward together, and overwhelmed by the possibilities that trust has laid out before us as a group.”
Big Leaf’s Community Casework project offers a reimagining of how support can work. One where lived experience is not a buzzword, but a foundation. One where young people are not positioned as recipients of help, but as leaders within their communities.
It begins with six young people, but it carries a much larger promise.
“They taught us to aim high,” Ro says. “To not worry about whether something is too complex. To not just think about small problems but the larger ones that caused them. To never let something being difficult be a reason not to do it.”
Some graduates are now stepping into Community Caseworker roles at Big Leaf. Others are taking what they have learned into different volunteer spaces. All remain connected. Future cohorts will be shaped by our existing caseworkers who will also be involved in the planning and teaching of further courses.
“As someone who has done this work for nearly ten years,” Ro reflects, “this has been the most meaningful experience of that time. I feel lucky to work in an organisation that has helped lay the groundwork for such a vibrant and resilient community of young people to develop, as without that foundation a project like this one would simply not be possible. Most importantly I am incredibly honoured by the trust our participants have placed in us to take this project forward together, and overwhelmed by the possibilities that trust has laid out before us as a group.”
Big Leaf’s Community Casework project offers a reimagining of how support can work. One where lived experience is not a buzzword, but a foundation. One where young people are not positioned as recipients of help, but as leaders within their communities.
It begins with six young people, but it carries a much larger promise.
with thanks to our partners and funders
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