Sanja Ratkusic
British Red Cross
International Family Tracing Service Coordinator
Mrs Sanja Ratkusic assumed her duties with the British Red Cross as Restoring Family Links National Caseworker in 2021. In this role, Sanja oversees the IFT caseload, providing expert technical, operational support and quality assurance to the British Red Cross’ RFL staff and volunteers, as well as engaging in a range of collaborative projects within the Movement in line with RFL Strategies.
Alongside this role, she carries the role of the Service Coordinator with British Red Cross RFL Service since 2017, coordinating casework and management of the team of volunteers to deliver high quality person- centred casework in the North East of England. Continuously contributing to the development and expansion of British Red Cross RFL services in line with RFL Strategies. She contributes to the number of working groups relating to RFL, Antiracism and working with Unaccompanied and Separated Children.
In February 2020, Sanja joined BRC’s Restoring Family Links Delegate register, established to deliver needs assessments and assist and support the capacity building of sister National Societies.
As a result, in Early 2021, Sanja was deployed as IFRC Protection Gender and Inclusion (PGI) delegate to assist the Red Cross National Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina in a context of migration and protection. During this deployment, she worked closely and collaboratively with IFRC ERO Budapest, ICRC ERO Belgrade and Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Hercegovina. Assessing the need and compiling educational/training resources to better enable Mobile Teams in the field assisting migrants, people on the move and local population affected. Protection relating resources in local language were successfully produced.
In March 2020, Sanja participated in a rapid needs and capacity assessment evaluating the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on RFL in the United Kingdom, she actively took part in casework procedures working groups assisting BRC in adapting to new ways of working in response to Covid-19 pandemic and most recently joined a team of volunteers administering Covid-19 vaccines.
Before joining British Red Cross between 2003 – 2017 Sanja held the position of Project Coordinator at The Comfrey Project, providing service and support to refugees and people seeking asylum in England. She coordinated project activities, supervised, and monitored the tasks, managed the communication with stakeholders, developed strategies, quarterly interim progress reports, annual financial reports as well as reviewed all the policies while working closely with the Board of Trustees. Sanja has worked on success stories of participants of the project to create positive project image through media and to influence wider community on issues relating Migration and displacement.
Prior to establishing herself in the United Kingdom, Sanja has studied Pharmacy in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in addition to speaking local languages, has a good understanding of the current situation within the context of the regional History.