Good practice in social care for refugees and asylum seekers
Practice examples
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Islington Refugee Integration Service Open
The Islington Refugee Integration Service (IRIS) works to support refugees and migrants living in Islington. Through the Islington Refugee Integration Strategy, services to refugees and migrants are better coordinated and the strategy works to put into practice agreed action plans to reduce barriers for refugees getting access to services. IRIS works with key service providers and other stakeholders to ensure actions are undertaken. An independent evaluation of the strategy has recently been completed. IRIS completed mapping research on refugees in the borough in 2005 to provide an estimate of the numbers and types of refugees living in Islington. IRIS has also developed a Refugee Services Directory that has been updated to include information for European Economic Area (EEA) nationals. In addition, IRIS works very closely with the Islington Refugee Forum, the Islington Voluntary Action Council (IVAC) and many other community organisations to strengthen and coordinate activities. IRIS has also been a partner in a number of projects aimed at supporting and enhancing integration of refugees and migrants within the community.
The NRPF team provides support to people from abroad who are subject to immigration control and have assessed community care needs. People being supported include refused asylum seekers, visa overstayer families and adults/ families fleeing domestic violence. The team has developed expertise and specialism in this area and is seen as a leader in the field. The team in Islington currently manages a national advice and information service on behalf of the NRPF network and provides training and consultancy to other local authorities regarding best practice.
Further information
Contact: Olvia Fellas, Islington Council, Tel: 02075277146 Olvia.fellas@islington.gov.uk
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Leeds Asylum Support Network Open
The Befriending Project provides the opportunity for isolated asylum seekers and refugees to forge a relationship with a supportive adult for a period of six to 12 months. Volunteer befrienders are matched with clients for regular visits. The aim is to familiarise people with Leeds, help them integrate into the local community, gain access to other services and help alleviate the emotional stress caused by past trauma and the asylum process. The service has recently been awarded Approved Provider Status from the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation, which means that it meets all their criteria for good standards and practice.
The English at Home Project matches volunteer tutors one-to-one, (usually but not exclusively with a client and her family), with pregnant women, new mothers and mothers of young children as a priority. Tuition in the home is offered for those for whom there are barriers to accessing ESOL classes in the community. Asylum-seeking women often cannot leave home due to cultural barriers and childcare responsibilities, and do not have the finances to make formal childcare arrangements. The aim is to help women access mainstream services through improving their level of English, providing a minimum level of advocacy and interpreting and orientation into the UK.
The Short Stop scheme aims to support the many refugees and asylum seekers who experience homelessness at some point during their asylum claim. Short Stop volunteers provide a hot meal and a bed for the night to people who have nowhere else to turn.
LASSN supports and enables the development of the Leeds Refugee Forum to provide a collective voice of refugee community organisations in Leeds. LASSN is working to strengthen the forum to assist with refugee integration and community cohesion in Leeds. Refugee community organisations enable refugees and asylum seekers to keep their sense of identity and culture and to offer support with integrating into the UK way of life.
Further information
Leeds Asylum Support Network (LASSN) 233 Roundhay Road, Leeds LS8 4HS T: 0113 380 5690
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Multi-agency for refugee integration in Manchester Open
MARIM was established when dispersal of asylum seekers and refugees to Manchester was new and local services were experiencing difficulties in responding. MARIM exists to help agencies improve their services to refugees and asylum seekers by:
- engaging in consultation to identify areas for improvement around access to and delivery of services
- providing structures through which information and best practice can be shared
- working with agencies to facilitate the improvement of services in areas where gaps or potential for improvements have been identified.
MARIM is not a frontline service delivery agent but aims to improve access to appropriate services for asylum seekers and refugees through promoting good practice and service development. For example, MARIM facilitated the involvement of asylum seekers and refugees alongside commissioners and providers to redesign the provision of primary care mental health services in Manchester. Through multi-agency forums, MARIM identifies current issues and targets frontline practitioners to improve provision. MARIM East has developed in East Manchester, identified as one of the most deprived wards in England, which has undergone significant demographic changes, due in part to the arrival of asylum seekers and refugees. MARIM East has organised training to equip local workers with knowledge, information and skills to provide better services for asylum seekers and refugees. The awareness training courses have been running for four years and training sessions have been adapted to meet the needs of different front-line workers, including residential care workers, foster carers, housing and probation services, and health and social care staff, as well as other local authority staff. The training covers:
- terminology
- asylum seeker and refugee experience
- refugeecountries
- journeys people make
- experiences in the UK
- the UK asylum system
- myths and misrepresentation of refugees
- specific refugee experiences, with a volunteer contribution where possible.
Further information
Contact Multi-agency for refugee integration in Manchester (MARIM) Claremont Resource Centre, Rolls Crescent, Hulme, M15 5FS. Tel No: 0161 868 0857
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Migrant and Refugee Communities Forum, Kensington and Chelsea Open
MRCF is a migrant and refugee-led umbrella organisation representing at least 12 distinct migrant and refugee communities in Kensington, Chelsea, City of Westminster and surrounding London boroughs. It provides a one-stop shop to a range of services for migrant and refugee groups including direct support, befriending, general advice, benefit advice, mentoring and links with over 25 community organisations for local migrants and refugees. The organisation also works in partnership with the statutory sector to ensure access to services, opportunities and to advocate and develop additional support based on the needs of the local migrant and refugee communities. For example, MRCF has developed a project in conjunction with the local community learning disability team to raise awareness concerning learning disabilities in the community and to publicise the support available to people in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Further information
Migrant and Refugee Community Forum, 2 Thorpe Close, London W10 5XL. T: 02089644815 E: info@mrcf.org.uk
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Norwich Gateway Protection Programme Open
Since 2006, the Norwich Gateway Protection Programme has provided a safe refuge for 300 refugees from Congo DRC, Ethiopia, Iraq, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Jordan. The key aim is for Gateway families to be fully integrated into local services within the year.
A main role of the Norwich Gateway Protection Programme is to assist with initial needs, accessing services such as benefits, housing, registration of families with GPs and a whole range of health needs such as immunisation, dentistry, child health issues and various health screenings. Interpretation is used to enable active involvement, and to ensure that all refugees are informed and understand what is happening to them. The project also helps individuals and families cope with past traumas and with difficulties associated with the adjustment to living in the UK. In addition there have been complex issues linked to illnesses, such as HIV, which have been diagnosed here in the UK but which people were previously completely unaware of.
The programme is now in the fourth year, and additional services such as women’s groups and refugee community groups are well established. As well as specialist mental health support within the programme the service links to a local resource with a broad spectrum of culturally sensitive provision. The programme supports research into cultural perceptions of mental health amongst the Congolese refugees, and used this enhanced knowledge base to gain a better understanding of the approaches which are most likely to be helpful. It also supports cultural activities using pump priming funding, for example providing support to Congolese cultural groups which have a strong tradition of creative activities, assisting people to express themselves through music, dance and art.
The Home Office funds the Programme for one year. The model for the project is that of an integrated team approach, Children’s social services co-ordinate the programme and provide social case work support, whilst a specialist educational team from our English Language Support Service assesses and supports the children to successfully enter schools. Norwich City Council provides the housing, whilst the primary care trust provides a specialist health visiting service and the adult education service and voluntary sector provide specially tailored ESOL classes. The whole team works closely together in the best interests of the refugees. As part of the management system, there is a standing Reference Group of Service Users who review the service delivery, and make recommendations for improvements.
The Norwich Gateway Protection Programme is a partnership project which includes key Norwich and Norfolk agencies including Norfolk County Council Children’s Services, , Norfolk PCT, Norwich City Council Housing, the Norwich International Youth Project and Norwich YMCA. Representatives of these bodies formed the initial partnership which launched this Gateway project and all were active members of the Norwich Asylum Seeker and Refugee Multi-Agency Group (NASREF), successfully long standing and active multi-agency forum.
Further information
Email: sue.gee@norfolk.gov.uk
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Nottingham City JSNA and asylum seekers, refugees and migrant workers Open
Nottingham City Joint Strategic Needs Assessment includes an analysis of the changing population profile, the needs and implications for commissioning and providing services in Nottingham for asylum seekers, refugees and migrant workers. It identifies:
- who’s at risk and why
- the level of need in the population
- current services in relation to need
- projected service use in 3-5 years and 5-10 years
- expert opinion and the evidence base
- unmet needs and service gaps
- recommendations for commissioning
- recommendations for further needs assessment.
Further information
Full report available at: Nottingham City Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
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No Recourse to Public Funds Network Open
Islington Council initiated the development of the NRPF network in 2006. It is a network of local authorities focusing on the statutory response to destitute people from abroad with NRPF. The network works to share information and good practice among local authorities and other agencies, It works with government departments to raise the practical and policy issues of NRPF and facilitates reimbursement for local authorities of the costs of providing support to people with NRPF. The network develops strategic responses to managing the issue of NRPF and undertakes activities at a practice, policy and strategic level by providing guidance and information on service provision, legal obligations and entitlement to services, developments in case law, research and policy. The network researches and monitors the scale of the issue and the associated costs to local authorities and other agencies, facilitating information-sharing and providing training for local authorities.
Further information
NRPF Network C/o Refugee and Migrant Service, London Borough of Islington, 23-26 St Albans Place, London N1 0NX Tel No: 020 7527 7107 Email: nrpf@islington.gov.uk
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Refugee and Asylum Seeker Advocacy, Wakefield Open
RASA provides interpreting, advocacy and information services for refugees and asylum seekers who are resident in the Wakefield district. RASA was established in 2001 as a result of local authority funding from the European Integration Fund, and was supported by this means until 2005. The aim had always been to make RASA self-funding, and this was achieved through Big Lottery Fund funding. The aims of RASA are to:
- provide a focus for support to enable refugees and asylum seekers to access the basic services to ensure their health, wellbeing and safety
- provide advocacy to build people’s confidence to support themselves and promote their quality of life
- promote integration into mainstream society
- provide a community focus where refugees from different cultures can meet to find friendship and share experiences.
Asylum seekers and refugees may be signposted to RASA from the Wakefield ‘One-stop shop’, a service for residents of Wakefield where they can access information and services. RASA refers clients to social services as appropriate, if specific needs are identified.
Further information
Refugee and Asylum Seeker Advocacy 13 Upper York Street, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF1 3LQ Tel: 01924 368855 Email: masoud@rasa-advocacy.org.uk
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Stockport Interpreting Unit - Ethnic Diversity Service Open
SIU is part of the Council’s Ethnic Diversity Service. The Unit was set up in 1986 to meet the communication needs of those living or working in the borough who speak little or no English, and the voluntary and statutory organisations who wish to engage with them.
SIU provides trained interpreters for face-to-face and telephone interpreting in over 30 languages in Stockport and its surrounding areas. They work closely with two Stockport-based health trusts and Stockport Homes. New asylum seekers are informed how to contact the organisation if they require an interpreter. In addition, the service will be contacted by GP surgeries, health centres, hospitals or housing offices if a client requires an interpreter to access their service. In addition, it provides interpreters for all council departments, the Welfare Rights Unit, Stockport Law Centre, Citizens’ Advice Bureau offices and charities in the borough. Organisations requesting interpreters pay for the work carried out on their behalf; the SIU funds itself and pays its interpreters out of the money it raises through the provision of its services. The SIU will undertake occasional unpaid work for Stockport-based charitable organisations which make one-off requests, but the majority of the work is charged for.
Although the service is for anyone in the area who needs an interpreter and does not target asylum seekers or refugees specifically, SIU has close links with organisations that work with asylum seekers and refugees and provides drop-in surgeries which are used by a number of asylum seekers and refugees. SIU is strongly embedded in the Stockport community and works with statutory and voluntary organisations, which identify the needs of their users and ask SIU to supply interpreters. However, in addition, they will signpost individuals to appropriate services to find help for their social care needs, and will contact the services on behalf of their clients to try to arrange help for them.
Further information
Stockport Interpreting Unit Bann Street, Stockport SK3 0EX Tel: 0161 477 9000 Email: eds.admin@stockport.gov.uk
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Students and Refugees Together, Plymouth Open
START was developed as a response to local need and concerns about isolation and racism in the local area. Start’s mission is to work in partnership with families, individuals and organisations to facilitate the transition of refugees from people in need to self-reliant contributors to their local communities. START recognises the skills and experience asylum seekers and refugees bring to Plymouth and START services include individual casework, a fortnightly ‘cultural kitchen’, an allotment, a women-only sewing group and other activities as needed.
Originating from an unfunded pilot, a collaboration was established with the University of Plymouth which allowed the skills of students from social work and other backgrounds, to be used safely to support refugees, as part of their professional training. From these beginnings START has developed into a funded, staffed service as well as being a registered charity. They are a member of the Plymouth Asylum Seeker and Refugee Consortium (PASRC) and the lead partner in the Refugee Housing Support (RHSS), as well as a range of informal partnerships.
As a learning organisation, START uniquely utilises the student placement as a resource which, together with the strengths and skills of the community, works out what support is needed and how to achieve it. As well as providing advocacy and assisting asylum seekers and refugees to live within a new community or to move to new geographical locations, START seeks to advance the education of social work students in training by providing learning experiences which contribute to their personal and professional development.
Students offer a holistic, needs-led service to refugee families and individuals by:
- Making assessments of the complex difficulties experienced by multi-generational families and individuals;
- Giving information and practical support to help them to access existing services and to integrate into the community
- Identify barriers in existing agency practice to this group
- Addressing those barriers and reporting on the need for policy and procedural change;
- Working constructively with other resources in the city and nationally to promote cost-effective and integrated services
START uses a ‘practice based learning’ approach, encouraging students to explore possibilities for themselves, and use their own initiative to find solutions for the needs of asylum seekers and refugees. The student are supervised and supported by qualified staff, who have received training in student support.
Due to the nature of the placements, as a part of their assessed professional development, the suitability of START is evaluated by the students, programme panels and external examiners and feedback provided to the relevant university. Further work is being undertaken to produce video statements about their experiences of working for START for the website.
Further information
Students and Refugees Together (START) Unit 4 HQ Building, 237 Union Street, Plymouth PL1 3HQ Tel: 01752 255200 Email: info@studentsandrefugeestogether.com
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Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children team, Kingston Open
In the Royal Borough of Kingston the Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) team provides a looked after and leaving care service to young people up until the age of 21 (24 if in further education). All unaccompanied asylum seeking children under the age of 18 are ‘looked after’, under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989. Once reaching age 18 they can receive advice and support services under the Children Leaving Care Act 2000. The team consists of a manager, four social workers, two personal advisors and business support/administration and provides:
- A stable specialist team to work with the young people to identify and provide flexible support in response to their needs
- Good quality accommodation to young people with key work support, which is seen as essential to emotional and physical wellbeing
- Activities for young people over the school/college holiday period, using proactive use of grant funding. These activities include enrolling young people into English classes, activities such as ice skating, trips to the cinema and to attractions such as the London Eye or cultural events.
The team works in partnership with young people and views careful planning over a period of time and at critical transition points as essential. Young people’s care is reviewed regularly and young people encouraged togive feedback through a document called ‘Have your say’. The team provides ongoing support, including financial support as laid out in a policy for every care leaver. The team is well linked with a range of organisations, particularly:
- benefit agencies to enable the young people to access appropriate benefits and support grants
- immigration Services
- housing services and accommodation providers
- health services (developing work in relation to emotional well-being, physical and sexual health
- education, including the Refugee Education Service, colleges and university
- leisure providers
Further information
Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) Team Learning and Children’s Services, 1st Floor, Guildhall 2, Kingston upon Thames KT1 1EU Tel: 020 8547 5234 Email: asylum@rbk.kingston.gov.uk
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West Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership Open
WMSMP has developed a new one-day training course, 'Understanding and responding to the asylum, refugee and migrant experience'. The course has been designed to assist organisations, practitioners and policy-makers across the region to respond to the challenges posed and the issues raised by new migration, understand better the experiences and needs of new arrivals and build knowledge of the entitlements and rights of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers to access public funds and services. The objectives are to:
- build understanding about the asylum process, different migrant categories and entitlements and asylum, refugee and migrant issues in the region
- raise awareness about the experiences, backgrounds and needs of people from migrant and refugee backgrounds
- explore attitudes and perceptions towards those new to our country and communities
- develop practice that is responsive and sensitive to the diversity of cultural, linguistic and faith backgrounds in the region.
The course content can be adapted according to need with different emphases as required for different areas of practice such as community cohesion, safety, media and policy. The core content covers:
- overview of definitions of migrant categories and associated policy, processes, entitlements and rights
- information about the different languages, faiths and countries of origin of people from refugee and migrant backgrounds in the West Midlands
- exploration of migrant and refugee experiences of working and living in the region and identification of the key issues faced
- development of appropriate responses to these issues and the implications for service provision for people from refugee and migrant backgrounds
- examination of attitudes in relation to refugees, asylum seekers and migrants and ways of tackling prejudice, discrimination and racism
- application of the above to build cultural awareness and sensitive practice.
The course draws on material that has been developed, piloted and used across the region and produced in the regional resource 'Where our journeys meet' via WMSMP's Regional Cohesion Group and is delivered by members of this group.
Further information
Dave Newall, Senior Policy Officer, WMSMP, at d.newall@wmleadersboard.gov.uk or on 0121 245 0143.
