Action No. | Action Summary | Progress / Other comments |
1 | Ensure work undertaken to recognise and address racism in Scotland is effective | One Scotland Many Cultures campaign launched by Scottish Executive 2002, second phase being run in 2003 |
2 | Ensure wide dissemination of work undertaken in Glasgow which identifies experiences and best practice in the integration of asylum seekers and refugees | Glasgow work showcased at Home Office Integration Conference 30 June- 1 July 2003 |
3 | Prepare guidance on need to implement structures that facilitate multi-agency working | |
4 | Ensure statistical and tracking information about the asylum seeker and refugee communities in Scotland is gathered nationally and locally | Meeting with Social Justice Research during August |
5 | Ensure service providers, asylum seekers and refugees in all areas gain access to specialist services | |
Action No. | Action Summary | Progress / Other comments |
6 | Prepare guidance to ensure access to translation and interpretation services for public sector and voluntary sector organisations | 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. |
7 | Identify whether additional resources can be made available nationally or locally to allow individuals and community groups to obtain interpretation services | Glasgow's Community Response Co-ordinating Group and Drumchapel Citizen's Advice Bureau been granted funds for translation and interpretation services |
8 | Establish national certification/accreditation body for interpreters and translators | See Action 6 |
9 | Promote use of the Scottish Translation, Interpreting and Communication Forum Good Practice Guidelines for public agencies to develop communication with target audiences | See Action 6 |
Action No. | Action Summary | Progress / Other comments |
12 | Home Office and NASS should provide information to communities in advance of dispersal and ensure planning information is maintained and shared by service providers | Scottish Executive wrote to Home Office and NASS 30/4 to ensure this happens in Scottish local authorities that sign dispersal contracts. |
13 | Public and voluntary sector organisations and local networks to undertake proactive work to stimulate and support a range of types of activities to promote integration | Integration resources funding of 750,000 to Glasgow Alliance and Glasgow City Council announced by Minister for Social Justice in February 2003. Funding also provided to Castlemilk Churches Together Refugee Centre. Kingsway Court Health & Wellbeing Centre and Street Level Photoworks for integration activities. |
14 | Partnerships to take a strategic approach to supporting front line staff and volunteers | Ongoing liaison with Glasgow Alliance and Glasgow City Council to ensure strategic approach taken to supporting front line staff |
Action No. | Action Summary | Progress / Other comments |
15 | National and local politicians to take a key role in promoting refugee integration | Media strategy being developed with Press Communities |
16 | Develop and resource the Media Sub-Group of the Scottish Asylum Seekers' Consortium to establish a media strategy. | SASC media sub-group has been established and has drawn up a work programme. |
17 | Commission follow up attitudinal research (building on previous research to support the anti-racism campaign), to involve media monitoring of refugee issues | Discussing with Social Justice Research |
18 | Continue Framework for Dialogue Process | Scottish Executive funding for Framework For Dialogue extended in 2003-04 |
19 | Commission research to identify statistical and demographic information gathered by different services. | Discussing with Social Justice Research |
20 | Community race equality schemes to make refugee issues an integral part of their work | |
Action No. | Action Summary | Progress / Other comments |
21 | Design, develop and evaluate a Pathfinder project in Glasgow funded through the 'Supporting People' Programme in 2002-2003 to enable access to independent support, advice, advocacy and appropriate housing | Positive Action in Housing caseworker post funded for Frontline Housing Advisory Service |
22 | Housing guidance and legislation should be proofed to take account of barriers faced by refugees and ensure that housing issues are mainstreamed. | 22.1 The Homelessness Act 2003 makes homeless people who are at risk of violence or harassment because of their race, colour or ethnic origin a priority group for housing allocation. Guidance on homelessness strategies states that "the strategy should ensure that the particular needs of asylum seekers and refugees are recognised and addressed, and that appropriate provision, and assistance to access that provision, is available" 22.2 Section 7 of the Homelessness (Scotland) Act 2003 amends the 1987 Act to ensure that where a person was housed in NASS accommodation this would not constitute a "local connection". The up-dated Code of Guidance will reflect these changes 22.3 For Local Authorities to lead. Communities Scotland has issued up-dated guidance on housing strategies which includes refugees in the list of groups who should be considered to ensure the full range of community needs are met. Homelessness Strategies are currently being assessed and the panel will look to see, among other things, that they identify specific actions to address needs of particular groups identified through the assessment of homelessness and establish joint protocols to ensure support is provided and homelessness is prevented for groups at risk. |
| | 22.4 Refugees should be given more than one offer of housing For Local Authorities to lead, part of the work of the Homelessness Monitoring Group, and also part of the Inspection process (subject to refugee caveat). 22.5 Temporary housing should not be used for permanent re-housing… Local Authorities have the lead on this. This recommendation should be reflected in the local Homelessness and Housing Strategies. The Scottish Executive should monitor the local Homelessness and Housing Strategies to ensure this is being done |
23 | Commission a report to outline a basic service specification on housing support and services to refugees | A draft research brief has been drawn up and will go out to tender shortly, after discussion with interested bodies |
24 | Ensure services are provided to meet refugees' needs | Will follow conclusions of basic service specification, above. |
25 | Local authorities and housing associations should ensure their advice and information account fully meets the rights and needs of refugees and their services are fully accessible to refugees | For local authorities and housing associations to lead: Monitoring should be through the Homelessness and Housing Strategies |
26 | Provide information on housing and welfare benefit systems to refugees as part of a 'Welcome Pack' available in appropriate languages and in a range of formats | SE has met with Communities Scotland who have a secondee in post currently taking forward this work. It has been agreed that this should encompass a review of their translated text website to ensure service providers and others have access to the full range of necessary information. It will also include the production of a checklist which local authorities should complete and provide to refugees. The format for this has still to be decided. |
Action No. | Action Summary | Progress / Other comments |
27 | Civil and Criminal justice systems to assess the relevance of all functions, services and policies in relation to ethnic minorities and refugees within the Race Relations (Amendment) Act and demonstrated in community planning, minutes, reports and action plans | |
28 | Review the operation of regulations governing advice and assistance within four months, amendments to be drawn up to present to Parliament as soon as possible | Delayed due to major difficulties in meeting the solicitors who believe that there are problems; may be overtaken by a wider review of advice and assistance |
29 | Identify funding to deliver expert training in asylum and immigration law in Scotland as soon as possible | Provided funding for 70 places at Law Society Training (24 places taken up) Scottish Executive funding provided to Ethnic Minority Law Centre and Legal Services Agency to allow training to be conducted. |
30 | Each local authority to prioritise a review of mainstream advice agencies | |
31 | Develop and fund a pilot community advocacy project with view to implementation by January 2004. Monitor and evaluate for future projects. | Gorbals Initiative funded to establish a community advocacy resource involving asylum seekers and refugees and the host communities. Research specification on the effectiveness of advocacy projects to be issued shortly. |
32 | All local authorities to produce joint multi-agency strategies to deal with racially motivated crime through community safety partnerships | We do not specify the issues which must be addressed within local community safety strategies as it is for each community safety partnership to undertake an audit and community consultation to identify local community safety priorities. CS strategies were provided on 31 Jan 03 as part of the application process for Community Safety Partnership Award Programme. However, we have drawn the report's recommendations to every community safety partnership's attention - 3 March 03. |
33 | Commission work to identify potential pilot projects which tackle racially motivated behaviour among young people. | Discuss with Social Justice Research |
Action No. | Action Summary | Progress / Other comments |
34 | Ensure Children's Services Plans take account of specific issues facing asylum seekers and refugees | Local authorities and their local partners have a statutory duty to prepare Children's Services Plans for their areas. The Plans should take account of the full range of issues relevant to the needs of all vulnerable, deprived or disadvantaged children and young people. This should include issues facing asylum seekers and refugees. Revised Scottish Executive guidance will issue ahead of the next round of Children's Services Plans. |
35 | Ensure asylum seekers and refugees are consulted during development of Children's Services Plan | Local agencies should already ensure that children, young people and parents are consulted in preparing their local Children's Services Plans. Local agencies should ensure that effective arrangements are in place to consider the views of different interests, including children and parents from minority ethnic backgrounds. Consultation issues will be covered in the revised Scottish Executive guidance. |
36 | Consider funding pilot to allow the development of 'children's support plans' | The Executive has been developing and piloting Personal Learning Plans (PLPs) since 2000 as part of first the New Community Schools initiative and now the "Assessment is for Learning" programme. The Executive intends to begin the roll-out of PLPs and supporting material from 2004. A fundamental aim of the programme is to improve the quality of information parents, teachers and other education professionals have on pupils' learning, regardless of their age, stage or circumstances. PLPs will draw together the diverse arrangements for progress planning, reporting and recording which currently include report cards, Individualised Educational Programmes, transition records and Progress Files. This will help in identifying and addressing any barriers to learning. We believe that the PLP will provide an effective basis for meeting the specific needs of asylum seeker and refugee children, while cutting down on bureaucracy, maintaining consistency and limiting the number of plans for each child. |
37 | Prepare guidance to bodies in Scotland who sponsor or accredit anti-racist training | The Standard for Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in Scotland: Benchmark Information (October 2000) includes benchmarks relating to inclusion, which are directly relevant to refugees and asylum seekers' children. For example, students should "demonstrate an understanding of the principles of equality of opportunity and social justice and of the need for anti-discriminatory practices."; new teachers should be able to "demonstrate the ability to respond appropriately to gender, social, cultural, linguistic and religious differences among pupils"; students should be able to "demonstrate that they value and promote fairness and justice and adopt anti-discriminatory practices in respect of gender, sexual orientation, race, disability, age, religion and culture." The Standard for Full Registration, against which probationary teachers are measured for full registration with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTC), contains competencies corresponding to the standard for ITE, for example, that registered teachers possess sensitive and positive attitudes towards differences among pupils (eg gender, social, cultural, religious, linguistic) and show in their day-to-day practice a commitment to social justice and inclusion (including valuing and promoting fairness and justice and adopting anti-discriminatory practices in all regards, including gender, sexual orientation, race, disability, age, religion, culture and socio-economic background). The Executive has not issued guidelines for Continuing Professional Development (CPD), but will ensure that a non-discriminatory ethos will underpin all its work in the development of the CPD framework under the auspices of the Ministerial Strategy Committee. |
38 | Children's services agencies to audit and revise current provision to ensure information is accessible, comprehensive, readily understood and accurate | |
39 | Consider ways to improve the supply of EAL and bilingual teachers and implement a quality assurance framework and accreditation | From September 2003, the Executive will be collecting information on teachers' qualifications in teaching English as an Additional language. The issue of bilingual teachers is difficult. Ethnicity data does not identify the linguistic group a teacher is from. Following the SE response to the report of the Action Group for Languages Citizens of a Multi Lingual World the funding for Modern Language Education (around 4m) can be used for teaching community languages and not just French, German, Spanish and Italian. That report also recognised that support for the mother tongue was important in general language development as well as for issues such as self esteem. Some of the evidence gathered during preparation of the report indicated that the majority of support for the mother tongue is delivered in community and/or religious settings rather than in schools. It may therefore be that language support might best be offered from within the community, albeit schools and local authorities should be looking to see what kinds of additional support can be offered e.g. in making available school resources or facilities, or in employing people from the community as classroom assistants to support the work of qualified teachers |
40 | Improve dissemination of and commission additional research on good practice and integration in schools | |
41 | Identify and address a number of urgent funding, legal and policy issues | Finance - statutory costs of educating asylum seeker children are not met by NASS. The revenue grant awarded to LAs supports around 80% of LA current expenditure, with the remainder funded largely from local taxation. It's granted using a needs based formula. The GAE total is the amount that the Government thinks LAs need to spend on the provision of services. LAs are free to spend either more, or less, on a particular service. They have to make funding decisions that reflect local needs and priorities. The councils remain answerable to the electorate for any decisions that they make. |
42 | Specific reference to community based youth work for asylum seekers and refugees to be made in community learning plans | Executive support to local authorities for community learning and development, a component part of which is youth work, is 109.7m in the current year approximately half of which is estimated to go to youth work. There are no statutory powers of direction as to community learning or youthwork provision as each local authority determines its position based on local need. However many of their youth strategies make specific reference to provision for vulnerable or excluded groups. |
43 | Develop specific guidance on children's services funding | Local authorities are generally advised on their funding avenues available for children's services, and thereby no guidance is needed here. It's up to LAs to make detailed decisions on funding, based on local needs. |
Action No. | Action Summary | Progress / Other comments |
44 | Clarify responsibilities and mechanisms for allocating resources to enable local service developments in providing appropriate health and social care | Meeting Department of Health in September. Discussions are taking place regarding the meeting and whether we should have a joint toolkit or resource pack which they have written - to include other three regions because of the mobility of asylum seekers and refugees. The Centre for International Health Studies and the National Resource Centre for Ethnic Minority Health (NRCEMH) will carry out a study on "funding issues and the provision of health services to Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Scotland" |
45 | Ensure adequate information is available about accessing health and social care services | In the process of reviewing existing information. Discussions are about to take place regarding information pack on a multi-agency basis. NRCEMH is working with two secondees from Health Boards to develop good practice models for sharing information on an online basis |
46 | Provide programme to raise awareness for health and social care professionals of Fair for All and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 | Race Equality Schemes and Action Plans of Health Boards and Trusts have been evaluated - report available in September. Responsibility of Themed Network Group. |
47 | Develop core information and guidance and training to health and social care professionals to deliver an appropriate service to asylum seekers and refugees | NRCEMH will be evaluating the Glasgow Training Programme for Asylum Seekers and Refugees - A Good Practice Model which gives simple information to frontline staff and makes them competent in relation to understanding AS/R needs. Responsibility of Themed Network Group. |
48 | Document and disseminate the lessons from the approach taken by service providers in Glasgow on the provision of services to asylum seekers and refugees | It is currently underway and the Glasgow experience was given a prominence at the UK Integration Conference. Responsibility of Themed Network Group. |
49 | Develop guidance for all agencies on effective and appropriate means of sharing information on effective services to asylum seekers and refugees | Newsletter on Asylum Seekers and Refugees will be available at the end of August - guidance needs to be picked up at the Themed Network Group. |
50 | Ensure Health Boards' service planning fully accounts for the needs of refugees who have been in this country for many years | This will be part of Themed Network Group responsibility but needs to be reviewed under the RES and Action Plans. |
Action No. | Action Summary | Progress / Other comments |
51 | Develop a national strategy for ESOL | Gathering views of key stakeholders and commissioning research to provide evidence base for national ESOL strategy |
52 | Prior to developing a national strategy, provide adequate resources to support the provision of English language tuition | 2m was made available to the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (and in turn to FE colleges) for this purpose in 2002-03. It is hoped that a similar sum can be made available in 2003-04 |
53 | Develop access to part time Higher National courses | The Scottish Further Education Funding Council has now agreed that FE colleges should have discretion to accept asylum seekers as funded students on part-time Higher National courses, and that they are eligible to claim fee waiver grant for them. Guidance has also been issued to the Student Awards Agency for Scotland to ensure that asylum seekers attending these courses are eligible for hardship support in respect of the provision of course books and (where considered appropriate) travel passes. |
54 | Make progress on recognising asylum seekers and refugees qualifications and/or experience and provide conversion courses and competence testing | |
55 | Audit existing adult literacy, work experience, New Deal and other employment and training programmes to ensure needs of asylum seekers and refugees are met | |
56 | Provide comprehensive information on education, lifelong learning and training issues to asylum seekers, refugees and intermediaries | The Executive is working with Careers Scotland, learndirect scotland and others to improve the quality and consistency of information available to learners in Scotland (one of the recommendations of the lifelong learning strategy "Life Through Learning, Learning Through Life". We are looking for a "no wrong door" approach so that people can access the information and advice they seek quickly and in a straightforward manner |
57 | Identify and target barriers preventing asylum seekers and refugees moving into employment | Anniesland College and Glasgow Chamber of Commerce have received funding for projects to assist refugees into work. Anniesland have been funded to create a training programme which will familiarise refugees with the Scottish workplace. Glasgow Chamber of Commerce will develop a job brokerage project. |