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Scottish Refugee Integration Forum Action Plan- Progress Report
Background
The Scottish Refugee Integration Forum (SRIF) was established in January 2002 and was chaired by the then Minister for Social Justice. It was set up by the Scottish Executive to allow Scotland's statutory and voluntary agencies to work in partnership to support refugees more effectively.
At an early stage SRIF decided to form 6 satellite groups which had additional and wider membership and which would look at specific issues such as housing and health.
SRIF worked parallel to the National Refugee Integration Forum which was established to take forward the " Full and Equal Citizens Strategy" published by the Home Office at the beginning of 2001.
Over the course of around nine months SRIF and its satellite groups took evidence from a number of stakeholders and identified a wide range of issues affecting refugees and asylum seekers. These issues were developed into a draft action plan which was issued for consultation in October 2002. Following this consultation period, the final Scottish Refugee Integration Forum Action Plan was published in February 2003. This identified a series of actions which would be likely to make a real difference to the lives of asylum seekers and refugees in Scotland.
At the time of publication, a commitment was given to report on progress in implementing the Action Plan in early autumn 2003. This document is that progress report.
Format of the Report
The Report is in two sections. The first summarises the actions within each section of the original Action Plan and provides feedback on progress made to date on implementing the recommendations. The second section contains this information in an easier to read tabular form.
A further progress report will be issued in around 18 months and will give a longer term view of the impact of the action plan, taking into account any possible changes in the political environment.
Key Actions
Key Actions: General Cross-Cutting Issues
While the Forum established the satellite groups, during discussions it became apparent that there was a range of cross-cutting issues which had an impact on how effectively refugees and asylum seekers were able to integrate.
Cross cutting issues, including translation and interpretation, information and advice and community preparation were not considered by satellite groups, but rather one-off specialist practitioners groups.
Five general cross-cutting actions were identified dealing with recognising and addressing racism, disseminating good practice, preparation of guidance, information gathering and access to services.
Progress has been made in many of these. The Executive is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all and to raising public awareness of racist attitudes and behaviour. To promote this the "One Scotland. Many Cultures" campaign was developed. The campaign was first launched on 24 September 2002 with a 5-week run of adverts on national TV, radio and billboard/bus adverts. A second burst of the campaign ran from 1 March 2003. A second phase of "One Scotland. Many Cultures" has been developed and was launched on 18 August 2003. The key themes of this phase are raising awareness of racism with young people outwith school and tackling racism in the workplace.
Research commissioned by the Executive in October 2002 suggested that the Campaign had helped raise people's awareness of racism as a Scottish problem.
In addition, the Home Office ran a National Integration Conference in June 2003 at which a wide range of Scottish work was showcased, allowing good practice to be disseminated to a UK wide audience. This included SRIF itself and the Framework for Dialogue project run by the Scottish Refugee Council.
Key Actions: Translation and Interpretation
These issues were also identified by a practitioners group and could be summarised as a lack of overall policy on translation and interpretation and that resources for this area of work were inadequate. Four key actions were identified relating to these issues.
As a first step in implementing the action points on translation and interpreting services, the Executive has drawn up a research specification, which will shortly go out to tender. The proposed study will review current practice in relation to the provision of translation, interpreting and communication support (TICS) within public services in Scotland, carrying out an audit of current provision followed by an investigation of the practice of providing TICS support.
The Executive recently announced funding for the Community Response Co-ordinating Group based in Glasgow and the Drumchapel Citizens Bureau to allow them to obtain translation and interpretation services.
Key Actions: Information and Advice
A number of satellite groups identified that the provision of information and advice was central to the effective integration of refugees and asylum seekers. The practitioners group identified two key actions. The first was the need to create a team responsible for delivering training to advice agencies, developing networking activity, facilitating information dissemination and capacity building. The second was that government agencies and departments should audit the quality and appropriateness of their work.
The Scottish Executive provides funding to the Scottish Refugee Council which provides on-going support and training to asylum seekers, refugees and local agencies working with asylum seekers and refugees. In addition, the University of Glasgow has been funded to develop a web-based resource addressing social, welfare, legal and educational issues for young asylum seekers and refugees.
Key Actions: Community Preparation
The actions contained in this section related to providing information to communities in advance of dispersal, undertaking pro-active work to support integration and developing a strategic approach to supporting front line staff and volunteers.
It is important to recognise that the dispersal of asylum seekers is reserved and is outwith the control of the Scottish Executive. However, Scottish Executive officials contacted the Home Office and NASS in April advising them of the first action point and asking them to ensure this happens with future dispersal contracts in Scotland.
In February 2003, Communities Scotland announced a continuation of their integration resources funding to Glasgow Alliance and Glasgow City Council. These funds can be used by areas accommodating dispersed asylum seekers for projects which will aid integration and benefit the whole community. Examples of projects funded by these resources are drop-in facilities and crèches. Communities Scotland have on-going liaison with Glasgow Alliance and Glasgow City Council to ensure that a strategic approach is taken to support front line staff.
Key Actions: Positive Images, Community Development and the Media
The actions contained within this section related to addressing negative media coverage of asylum seekers and refugees, the need for community development work in areas where refugees and asylum seekers live and the need for race equality schemes to address refugee issues.
The Scottish Asylum Seekers Consortium has established a media-sub group which is made up of representatives from key agencies, including Scottish Refugee Council, Oxfam and Amnesty International. The sub-group has developed a workplan surrounding positive images and the media which is in the process of being implemented.
In 2002, the Scottish Executive provided funding for the Scottish Refugee Council to establish a "Framework for Dialogue" Project. This is a process where refugees and asylum seekers and their local communities are brought together to discuss the issues affecting them, and which also provides the opportunity for asylum seekers and refugees to input into the policy process. The Executive provided further funding in 2003-04 to continue and expand the project. As mentioned earlier, resources have been provided for translation and interpretation services for community groups which will assist with community development.
Key Actions: Housing
Housing can be a key factor in the successful integration of asylum seekers and refugees. The actions in this area related to the provision of housing advice, proofing legislation to take account of refugees' needs and accessible and appropriate services.
Considerable progress has been made in implementing these actions. The Executive has provided funding to Positive Action in Housing to employ a caseworker for the Frontline Housing Advisory Service who will assist with access to support, advice and advocacy. The Code of Guidance is being updated to reflect changes which will assist with refugees' and asylum seekers' needs being recognised. The Housing Satellite Group identified the needs for a basic service specification on housing support and services. A draft research brief has been drawn up and will be issued for tender shortly.
Other progress on these actions is set out in the table at the end of the report.
Key Actions: Justice, Community Safety and Access to Justice
This section of the Action Plan includes recommendations relating to advice and assistance rates, training in asylum and immigration law, a review of advice agencies and the development of a community advocacy project.
The Action Plan recommended the need for expert training in asylum and immigration law. The Justice Department has provided funding for places at Law Society training. In addition, the Executive has funded the Legal Services Agency to employ a trainee solicitor, thereby freeing up agency time to conduct training in this area. Funding has also been granted to the Ethnic Minorities Law Centre to provide an information and education roadshow on asylum and immigration law.
The Executive also announced funding to Gorbals Initiative for a community advocacy project which would involve asylum seekers and refugees and the host communities in the Gorbals, Govanhill and Toryglen areas. Under the projects, asylum seekers and refugees and members of the local community would be trained in a range of advocacy skills, provide advocacy support and be trained to deliver advocacy training to other asylum seekers and refugees. The Scottish Executive will also be conducting research into the efficiency of advocacy provision and a research specification will be issued shortly.
Attempts have been made to begin a review of immigration advice and assistance but, due to the extremely busy schedules of the various solicitors involved, a meeting to identify specific concerns has so far not taken place. Efforts continue to organise this. In the meantime, a more extensive review of advice and assistance has begun and the Law Society has issued a consultation paper to its membership setting out detailed proposals. It may be that a narrow review of immigration and asylum advice will be subsumed within this larger review. Separately, the Scottish Legal Aid Board has been developing, and consulting immigration practitioners on, a model for the core costs of immigration and asylum cases; this will assist solicitors in obtaining higher levels of expenditure in such cases.
Key Actions: Children's Services
The Children's Services Group considered education, social work, community education, leisure and play, childcare and, in less detail health and post-16 education issues. The key actions primarily relate to education related issues, including Children's Services Plans, the development of "children's support plans", supply of English as an Additional Language and bilingual teachers and the need for guidance on a range of issues.
The Group considered there was a need for Children's Services Plans to take account of issues facing asylum seekers and refugees. Children's Service Plans should take account of the full range of issues relevant to the needs of vulnerable, deprived or disadvantaged children, including issues facing asylum seekers and refugees. Revised Scottish Executive guidance will issue ahead of the next round of Children's Service Plans and this will cover consultation issues.
Regarding the development of "children's support plans", the Executive has been developing Personal Learning Plans (PLPs) as part of the New Community Schools initiative, and now the "Assessment is for Learning" programme. The Executive plans to begin rolling out PLPs and supporting material from 2004. This will improve the quality of information available to parents, pupils, teachers and other education professionals, drawing together the arrangements for progress planning, reporting and recording currently spread across several processes. While not designed specifically for asylum seeker and refugee children, the PLP will provide an effective basis for meeting their needs while limiting the number of plans for each child and minimising unnecessary bureaucracy.
More detailed progress on the Key Actions is contained in the table at the end of this report.
Key Actions: Health and Social Care
The Health and Social Care actions relate primarily to availability of information, awareness raising, guidance and good practice dissemination. Work has begun on implementing these, primarily being carried out by the National Resource Centre for Ethnic Minority Health (NRCEMH) through its Themed Network Group. The Themed Network group will be taking forward work on developing guidance for agencies working with asylum seekers and refugees, awareness raising and disseminating good practice. The final of these has already begun as the Glasgow way of working was presented to the Home Office's National Integration Conference in June.
Key Actions: Enterprise, Lifelong Learning, Employment and Training
The ability to speak English is a key factor for successful integration. As a result two of this group's recommendations related to English language tuition. Progress is being made in both of these areas. The Executive has provided 2 million to the Scottish Further Education Funding Council to enable the provision of English classes. Work has also begun on developing a strategy for English for Speakers of Other Languages. Evidence is being gathered to provide a base for this strategy.
The group also considered that there was a need to look at training and barriers to employment. Anniesland College and the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce have both received funding from the Executive to establish projects which will assist refugees into work.
Access to Higher National courses is also being reviewed. The Scottish Further Education Funding Council has advised colleges that asylum seekers can be accepted as funded students on part-time HN courses. As a result they will also be eligible for hardship support in respect of provision of course books and, if appropriate, travel passes.
Next Steps
Progress has been made in implementing most of the key actions identified in the Scottish Refugee Integration Forum Action Plan. However, there is still much to do. It is important to recognise that the plan has been published for only 6 months and the amount of work that can be done in that time is limited.
At the time the Action Plan was published a commitment was also given to publish a second progress report around 18 months after this one. This will be a more substantive document as early work will have bedded in and the impact of new initiatives will be able to have been assessed.
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