The Scottish Government

There is a need to recognise and address racism in Scotland in all its forms. It is recognised that the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 has been implemented from November 2002, and that this has led to an increased focus on racism, but there will be an ongoing need to ensure that the work which is being undertaken is effective.

Scottish Executive's "One Scotland Many Cultures" media campaign and supporting infrastructure raise awareness of the negative impact racist attitudes and behaviour has on individuals and society more generally. Race Equality Schemes place specific duties on all Departments and Executive agencies to eliminate racial discrimination and promote race equality.

Scottish Refugee Council arts development work, funded by Scottish Executive, has delivered anti-racist messages in Glasgow schools using drama and the arts. A play called "Washing Line of Wishes" toured Glasgow schools, performed by refugees and dealt with issues such as discrimination, alienation and asylum. The play was followed by an education workshop, where school children had the opportunity to explore the themes contained in the drama.

Scottish Refugee Council are working in partnership with Show Racism the Red Card and the Scottish Professional Footballers Association to develop an education and coaching road show to tour Glasgow schools that will deliver workshops on race and refugee issues allied to a football coaching session.

CRE independently monitors implementation of Race Relations Act.

Framework for Dialogue looking at work linking into the wider anti-racism campaign. Generally, all integration projects have awareness raising elements built in to them and by nature work towards breaking down racial prejudice.

The Scottish Executive should ensure the wide dissemination of work which is currently being undertaken in Glasgow to identify experiences and best practice in the integration of asylum seekers and refugees.

Ministers and officials take every opportunity to increase awareness of successful projects and promote their work as best practice. Officials at SE and UK level consult and share best practice whilst ensuring policies take account of the needs of asylum seekers and refugees. Home Office's annual National Integration Conference provides an opportunity to showcase a wide range of Scottish work was showcased, allowing good practice to be disseminated to a wide UK audience. Conference is to be held in Scotland in 2005.

Information and good practice is also shared between agencies through Scottish Refugee Council events and forums such as the West of Scotland Refugee Forum, training and stakeholder events, and information tools, leaflets and website.

The Scottish Executive should prepare guidance on the need to implement structures which will facilitate multi-agency working in each area.

Various multi-agency groups in existence across Scotland including CRCG, ELRF, CRASC bringing policy makers and service providers together to share good practice.

Resources such as British Red Cross "Welcome to Glasgow", Scottish Refugee Council's one-stop shop and CARIS website signpost clients to relevant services.

The Scottish Executive should take the lead in ensuring that statistical and tracking information about the asylum seeker and refugee communities in Scotland is gathered at a national and local level.

The Scottish Executive is not in a position to carry out this task as officials do not receive information or data on individual asylum seekers or refugees in Scotland. Information about numbers of asylum seekers is obtainable from NASS.

The Scottish Executive should take the lead in ensuring that services providers, asylum seekers and refugees in all areas can gain access to specialist services.

Since the publication of the SRIF Action Plan in 2003, the Scottish Executive has provided over £9 million to projects aimed at integrating refugees and asylum seekers into their host communities and increasing access to specialist services such as translation and interpreting, legal and general advice, English classes and training courses.

Scottish Refugee Council receives core funding from Scottish Executive. It operates as the only national refugee organisation with a remit to provide generic and specialist advice services to asylum seekers and refugees in Glasgow and Edinburgh on housing entitlements, the NASS system, education and employment, family reunion. In addition, Scottish Refugee Council provides specialist services to housing and education providers, employers and legal practitioners. Scottish Refugee Council also has a strategic role to influence and support the development of best practice in work with refugees across Scotland.

There is a need for clear guidance from the Scottish Executive to public sector organisations to ensure that they can have access to translation and interpretation where this is a necessary part of their work. This should focus in particular on the use of interpreters and on the training of staff specifically in working with interpreters (in mainstream and emergency settings).

SE research project being taken forward to review current practice in relation to the provision of TICS within public services in Scotland. The aim of this review is to provide policy makers with a picture of the services that are currently available, while also opening up consideration of the actions that are required to help develop provision of future services. This work will be taken forward as soon as the recommendations are received, in 2005.

Steps should also be taken to identify whether additional resources could be made available nationally or locally to allow individuals and community groups to obtain interpretation services where these are required as part of the process of facilitating community development and integration.

Glasgow's Community Response Co-ordinating Group, Drumchapel Citizens Advice Bureau and North Glasgow College have been granted funds in 2004-05 for translation and interpretation services.

Translation and interpreting is a theme we have asked applicants to focus on when applying for refugee integration funding.

Establish national certification/accreditation body for interpreters and translators.

This is dependent on the outcome of the TICS research detailed in Key Action 6.

Promote use of the Scottish Translation, Interpreting and Communication Forum Good Practice Guidelines for public agencies to develop communication with target audiences.

STIC good practice guidelines are promoted whenever appropriate by the Scottish Executive and the STIC forum, copies of the recently updated and republished guidelines were distributed at the STIC forum Annual General Meeting.

Happy to Translate logo funded and supported by the Scottish Executive.

Create a team within a specific organisation or create specific posts and budgets within a number of organisations to deliver training and support on legal rights issues.

Scottish Refugee Council One-Stop Shop, Edinburgh Refugee Centre, Citizens Advice Bureaux and other local voluntary organisations all provide these services.

Scottish Refugee Council has recruited a training officer to co-ordinate the delivery of training on asylum seeker and refugee issues to a wide range of stakeholder agencies throughout Scotland. This training addresses general refugee issues and also provides courses on community development and integration, housing and welfare rights and education and employment entitlements.

Local networks encouraged to network through Community Responses Co-ordinating Group - a thematic subgroup of the West of Scotland Refugee Forum and Edinburgh and Lothian Refugee Forum. CARIS website provides information and knowledge base for child asylum and refugee issues (see Children's Services section). http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/caris/young/yp_top.htm

Projects such as Maryhill Citizens Advice Bureau held up as examples of good practice.

There are still significant gaps in the delivery of appropriate training on asylum law and related matters.

Government agencies and departments working with asylum seekers and refugees must audit the quality and appropriateness of their work with the service user group. Particular attention should be paid to assessing the skills, knowledge and awareness of frontline staff. Training and awareness raising should be undertaken based on needs identified in the audit.

Evaluation of projects funded by the Scottish Executive to provide services to asylum seekers and refugees will be carried out in 2005.

Maryhill Citizens Advice Project funded by the Scottish Executive to provide support and training to staff/ volunteers regarding the rights of asylum seekers and refugees.

With regards to Health needs specifically, research is being carried out by Dr Kate O'Donnell into the health needs of asylum seekers in Glasgow. Assessment of whether these needs are adequately met or not will follow. Resource implications exist in all areas for improvement of services.

Ensure Home Office and NASS provide information to communities in advance of dispersal and ensure planning information is maintained and shared by service providers.

Scottish Executive wrote to the Home Office and NASS on 30/4/2003 to ensure this happens in Scottish Local Authorities. Scottish Executive will write again as necessary and depending on future NASS contracts in Scotland.

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.

Scottish Executive has now provided over £9 million to stimulate integration through projects working with refugees and asylum seekers and additional ESOL provision (see Action Point 52). Projects range from sporting activities and drop in centres to training and employability projects. Funding for 2005-06 projects to be announced in Spring 2005. Scottish Executive looking to evaluate projects in 2005.

Multi-agency forums and local networks supporting local community organisations found to be "highly responsive" to the needs of asylum seekers and refugees and highlighted church drop ins as playing a particularly key role.

Scottish Refugee Council delivers a portfolio of integration services including housing and move on advice for new refugees, a family reunion service, careers guidance services and general advice. In addition the agency works collaboratively with most stakeholders on integration initiatives in Scotland.

ATLAS has provided £1 million for 29 projects in Scotland to provide innovation in the integration and training of asylum seekers, thereby enabling asylum seekers who become refugees to gain more rapid transition into work.

Partnerships, which are properly funded and involve all stakeholders, should take a strategic approach to supporting front line staff and volunteers from the start of the process of preparation for integration.

CRASC provides support of this kind in the form of training, seminars, briefings, workshops, provision of information, problem solving, advice and assistance relating to both legislative and policy changes.

Glasgow Alliance and Glasgow City Council are ensuring strategic approach is taken to the deployment of resources across the city, to provide the most effective support to frontline staff and volunteers involved in integration.

The Forum felt there is a gap in terms of a strategic body of senior officers to oversee the delivery of staff support and services.

National and local politicians to take a key role in promoting refugee integration by targeting key opinion formers in the media based on the SRIF Action Plan.

Scottish Ministers take every opportunity to re-affirm the Executive's commitment to supporting the integration and promote a positive image of refugees and their host communities. At the recent launch of New Roots Scotland, the Deputy Minister for ETLLD took the opportunity to reaffirm that the Executive believes refugees can make an important contribution to Scotland's economy and should receive training and support where possible to have existing qualifications accredited and barriers to work addressed. The Minister for Communities was happy to endorse the CARIS website when he attended the launch of the resource in January 2005.

Some local politicians do promote these messages but not a strategic approach.

Develop and source a Media Subgroup of the Scottish Asylum Seekers' Consortium to establish a media strategy. This partnership to implement and monitor the strategy and report back in summer 2003.

Scottish Executive officials are in discussion with CRASC about the best way to take this forward in 2005. Scottish Executive officials attending Oxfam's Positive Images Steering Group and looking at ways of supporting this work further in the future.

Scottish Refugee Council has developed a Media Group of refugees and asylum seekers receiving regular training and one to one support in both print and broadcast media. This has increased the capacity of refugees and asylum seekers to respond to media requests for comment, and to visit to newspaper editors to explain why inflammatory coverage is so damaging. This programme will continue through 2005. Scottish Refugee Council also runs a rapid response e-mail group briefed to write letters to editors in response to negative media coverage.

Commission follow up attitudinal research (building on previous research to support the anti-racism campaign), to involve media monitoring of refugee issues.

Oxfam's Positive Images Group took this work forward in 2004 to provide a baseline of evidence and understanding of attitudes to asylum and refugee issues in Scotland. MORI Scotland were commissioned by the group to conduct a survey of 1,022 Scottish adults aged 16 and over. The poll included a second survey of 64 MSPs to find out their own attitudes and those raised by their constituents.

The Positive Images Project also involved monitoring media reporting of asylum in the Scottish print media. Oxfam plan to publish the findings of the content analysis are due to be published in 2005 but initial analysis showed that positive stories about integration were difficult to locate.

Continue partnership to enable sustainable input from refugees into the Framework for Dialogue Process.

Funding for Scottish Refugee Council's Framework for Dialogue Project extended in 2004-05. The project works alongside other key Scottish Refugee Council community development initiatives such as the RCO Development Project. This project was awarded Beacon Status in an independent evaluation carried out for the Home Office.

The key partners that work with Scottish Refugee Council on community development are local host community networks, Refugee Community organisations, Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Executive

Reports show that the FFD project is successfully laying the foundations of dialogue and establishing the lines of communication necessary to support refugees into host communities and achieve integration.

The direction of FFD work during 2005 will be to consolidate the work so far and to develop a strategic response to issues of policy, law and social cohesion.

Commission research to identify statistical and demographic information to inform community development, service planning (generally) and project need for particular services.

Lack of resources has prevented this task from being carried out at this stage. Looking into possibility of this responsibility being taken on by Communities Scotland Community Planning Department.

Community planning partnerships, community learning plans and community budgeting in areas of resettlement, as part of their race equality schemes, must make refugee issues an integral part of their work. They should:

• Take action to promote the integration of a range of groups (including faith communities).
• Develop and build the capacity of existing/ emerging groups.
• Develop and examine the resources required for integration at a local level.
• Strengthen local networks.
• Improve consultation and planning at a local level.
• Develop the capacity of existing services and enable people to access these services.
• Emphasise the importance of the whole community enjoying life together through music, culture and sport, as well as recognising the importance of developing services.

Key public bodies, including the Scottish Executive, local authorities, health boards, and the police were all required to publish a race equality scheme by November 2002 under race relations legislation setting out how they will eliminate race discrimination and promote race equality in all that they do. Many schemes/action plans may include specific commitments in terms of the refugee community, although the more general actions identified will, of course, also be relevant, and of benefit to, the refugee community. The Executive published its first Race Equality Scheme Annual Report in March 2004. This and the associated Departmental Action Plans are available on the Executive's website.

The Commission for Racial Equality is responsible for ensuring bodies are compliant with the legislation, and the Executive will do all that it can to support them in this process.

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.

SE has contributed funding for a second year, 2004-05, to Positive Action in Housing's Frontline Advisory Service. An independent evaluation will be completed by end March 2005.

All housing legislation and guidance should be proofed to take account of the barriers which refugees face, and housing services should ensure that issues relating to refugees are mainstreamed. To facilitate this, a checklist of potential evidence of mainstreaming and proofing should be prepared, which might include examples such as:

Scottish Executive legislation is routinely equality proofed as it is developed.

• 22.1 The new Code of Guidance should refer specifically to refugees and should identify them as a vulnerable group in priority need.

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 The Code of Guidance should reflect that refugees should not be deemed to have a local connection with their dispersal area.

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".

• 22.3 Local housing and homelessness strategies should include reference to refugees and should be assessed by the Scottish Executive on the degree to which they do so.

The updated Code of Guidance will reflect these changes.

22.3 For Local Authorities to lead. Communities Scotland has issued updated guidance on local housing strategies which includes refugees in the list of groups who should be considered to ensure the full range of community needs are met. The Homelessness Strategies Assessment Panel considered specific Key Actions to address needs of particular groups identified through the assessment of homelessness and the establishment of 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 and the offers made should be reasonable and appropriate, with, as the Homelessness Task Force suggests, all reasonable efforts made to meet the preferences of the person concerned. The Scottish Executive should take steps to identify that this is being implemented.

22.4 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). Where refugees are applying under the homelessness legislation, Code of Guidance already states that applicants should be given the same amount of offers as those on the mainstream waiting list.

• 22.5 Temporary housing should not be used for permanent re-housing unless, following assessment and information, a refugee has expressed a preference for this. The Scottish Executive should take steps to identify that this is being implemented.

22.5 Local Authorities have the lead on this. This recommendation should be reflected in the local Homelessness and Housing Strategies, and progress will be monitored by the Homelessness Monitoring Group.

• 22.6 Communities Scotland should seek the views of expert groups about the relevance of refugee issues in local authority areas identified for inspection.

22.6 Communities Scotland has involved expert groups in the development and review of its approach to the cyclical inspection of local authorities as well as in relevant thematic studies. Expert groups such as local Race Equality Councils are also involved as appropriate in the preparation for specific inspections, and equalities issues are mainstreamed throughout all Communities Scotland's inspections of social landlords.

The Scottish Executive should commission a third party to develop a report which will outline a basic service specification of what should be expected in the provision of housing support and services to refugees. (This should include the identification of practice points and issues.) This should be followed by an assessment of current provision, with a 12-month follow-up study being undertaken to highlight developments undertaken and further actions required.

Research is progressing and a report is expected in Summer 2005.

Develop ongoing work to ensure services are provided to meet refugees' needs in all parts of Scotland.

An assessment of the use of the model service specification is planned for autumn 2006 and it may be updated as a result.

Scottish Executive provides comprehensive funding for Scottish Refugee Council's housing advice and development work. This service delivers direct support and advice to 700 refugees per annum in addition to a range of development, advice and capacity building services to housing providers and advice agencies throughout Scotland.

All local authorities and housing associations should ensure that their housing advice, information and allocation policies, procedures and practices take account fully of the rights and needs of refugees. These services must be fully accessible to refugees, and staff should be provided with appropriate training and guidance to ensure that provision is based on a thorough understanding of the issues.

For local authorities and housing associations to lead with monitoring through the local Housing and Homelessness Strategies.

Communities Scotland Regulation and Inspection processes look at whether information is accessible to all, i.e. whether it is in different formats, languages (reflecting local communities) and venues. Communities Scotland's approach to the inspection of equalities issues was agreed and validated last year by the CRE.

Prepare information on housing and welfare benefit systems for "Welcome Pack" available in appropriate languages and in a range of formats.

The Communities Scotland "Welcome Pack" for service providers was published in February 2004 and was well received.

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.

The Race Relations (Amendment) Act made provisions to:

• outlaw race discrimination in all public functions - not just those previously covered by the Race Relations Act 1976;
• place a general duty on specified authorities to promote race equality.

Key bodies, including the Executive, had to draw up a race equality scheme, setting out which of its public functions are relevant to the duty. It also required bodies to set out its arrangements for:

• assessing and consulting on the policies they are proposing for adoption;
• monitoring for any adverse impact of their policies on the promotion of race equality;
• publishing the results of their assessments, consultations and monitoring;
• ensuring public access to information and to services; and
• training staff in issues relevant to the duty.

The operation of the regulations governing advice and assistance should be reviewed by the Scottish Executive, in consultation with the Scottish Legal Aid Board, the Law Society and specialist practitioners, to ensure that they adequately reflect the work involved in dealing with asylum applications. Such a review should be completed within four months; and if changes to the regulations are considered necessary, they should be drawn up and put before Parliament as soon as possible thereafter.

Scottish Executive published general consultation paper on reform of Advice and Assistance in early December 2004.

SLAB have issued guidance to solicitors about charging for immigration work and developed templates which simplified the process of seeking increases in authorised expenditure in Advice and Assistance and ABWOR asylum cases.

SLAB introduced an administrative scheme for Advice and Assistance whereby a solicitor can seek reimbursement of outlays incurred before the case finishes. This eases cashflow problems commonly incurred when solicitors use translators.

All Advice and Assistance and ABWOR on civil matters (including asylum, immigration and nationality) was subject to an increase in the initial limit of authorised expenditure and levels of fees from 28 June 2004

The Forum suggested that the recently introduced system of peer review for civil legal aid work requires to be assessed in terms of its effectiveness in asylum and immigration law work.

The Scottish Executive, the Law Society and the Scottish Refugee Council should work together to identify funding, through the Scottish Executive, if necessary, to deliver this expert training in asylum and immigration law in Scotland for as long as those seeking refugee status continue to be dispersed to Scotland. This training should commence as soon as possible and certainly no later than March 2003.

SLAB is running a pilot project in Glasgow under Part V of the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986 to provide legal advice on asylum.

The Ethnic Minorities Law Centre and Castlemilk Law Centre are funded to organise an information and education asylum "roadshow" and to provide training on the legal process and access to those directly involved in the system.

Scottish Refugee Council recommends that research and assessment on the effectiveness and capacity of Part V funded projects to deliver training should be carried out. Scottish Refugee Council's review of legal services in Scotland carried out during 2004, identified significant gaps in training and knowledge on primary asylum law work, and in issues such as cultural sensitivity and using interpreters.

It is recommended that each local authority area within Scotland should, in the ongoing implementation and review of its race equality scheme, prioritise a review of mainstream advice agencies to ensure that those agencies can and do access training in relation to translation and interpretation, specialist areas of the law and responding to diversity, and ensure that these agencies can access and fund interpreting and translation facilities. This, with the local authority's assistance, should become a condition of funding in furtherance of the authority's duties under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. The review should also recognise the vulnerability of particular groups seeking advice, such as women and young people, and the benefits of accessing a comprehensive service within one setting. Promotion of such services should be developed to increase accessibility of all ethnic minority communities, including refugees.

The question of advice provision by local authorities will be covered in the follow-up to the Strategic Review of the Delivery of Legal Aid, Advice and Information, on which the Justice Department hope to issue a consultation paper in 2005. The Strategic Review team engaged with immigration practitioners and other stakeholders (such as the CRE and Scottish Refugee Council) when preparing its report.

Develop a community advocacy project in an urban location. Scottish Executive to develop and fund pilot with view to implementation by January 2004. Monitor and evaluate for future projects.

Gorbals Initiative received further funding to establish a community advocacy resource involving asylum seekers and refugees and the host communities. Evaluation to be carried out in 2005.

All local authorities to produce joint multi-agency strategies to deal with racially motivated crime through community safety partnerships and a system to evaluate and monitor outcomes.

The Scottish Executive does 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. Community Safety strategies were provided on 31 January 2003 as part of the application process for Community Safety Partnership Award Programme. However, in March 2003 the Scottish Executive highlighted the report's recommendations to every community safety partnership.

Commission work to identify potential pilot projects which tackle racially motivated behaviour among young people.

Integration projects working with young people such as Kingsway Court soccer teams and Operation Reclaim help tackle prejudices and racist attitudes. STIC's One Workplace Equal Rights Project Show Racism the Red Card, and Heartstone are all helping to take the anti-racist message out to schools, other young people, and workplaces.

Ensure Children's Services Plans take account of specific issues facing asylum seekers and refugees particularly in relation to addressing racism and culturally sensitive issues such as gender and first language, and ensure that the needs of those in vulnerable groups (for example those children that are unaccompanied or looked after, have particular support needs or physical or mental health issues) are properly identified and addressed. Children's Service plans should also include consideration of pre-5 schooling.

Children's services plans should take account of needs of all disadvantaged young people including asylum seekers and refugees. Revised Scottish Executive guidance was issued in 2004.

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 Service 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. Engagement with children, young people and their families is covered in the integrated children's services planning guidance.

The Scottish Executive should consider funding a pilot project to allow the development of "children's support plans". These plans would build on the experience of individual education plans, would be developed by young asylum seekers and refugees themselves (supported by staff), and would cover in- and out-of-school services. One advantage of this approach would be to assist children's services providers to identify where their services are not meeting the needs and rights of children. This should be done by early 2005.

In 2004-05 groups of schools in all local authorities are taking part in further piloting of personal learning plans, developing local approaches around a common framework. Personal Learning Plans provide a basis for meeting the specific needs of asylum seeker and refugee children.

The Education (Additional Support for Learning) Act 2004 introduces a new framework built around the concept of additional support needs. This new concept will apply to any child or young person who, for whatever reason, requires additional support, long or short term, in order to help them make the most of their education. A child whose first language is not English may require additional support to help them access the curriculum until any difficulties with English are overcome. A new Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP) will be introduced for those pupils whose enduring additional support needs arise from complex or multiple factors and who require a range of support from outside education.

The Scottish Executive should prepare guidance for the range of bodies which sponsor or accredit training in Scotland to ensure that anti-racist approaches, and the specific needs of asylum seekers and refugees, are included in all basic training, induction training and on-going staff development. It is essential that this guidance is comprehensive in its distribution, covering all aspects of children's services, and all staff involved in their delivery.

The Standard for Initial Teacher Education in Scotland has been prepared as one part of the arrangements for a collaborative approach to assuring and enhancing the quality and standards of Initial Teacher Education ( ITE) in Scotland. The document has been prepared by a group of ITE specialists drawn from higher education institutions, the GTCS, local authorities, schools and HMI, and with an observer from QAA.

The Standard for Initial Teacher Education ( ITE) in Scotland (October 2000) includes benchmarks relating to inclusion, which are directly relevant to the children of refugees and asylum seekers.

The Standard for Full Registration, against which probationary teachers are measured for full registration with the General Teaching Council for Scotland ( GTC), contains competences corresponding to the standard of ITE.

Under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 ( RRAA) and the subsequent Specific Duties (Scotland) Order 2002, every Local Authority has a general duty to promote race equality.

Project being commissioned by SE that will provide assistance to Local Authorities in meeting their duties through offering training and preparing guidance.

Children's services agencies should audit, and if necessary, revise current provision to parents and children to ensure that information is accessible, comprehensive, readily understood and accurate, and that it is being received and used by asylum seekers and refugees. Local information on services should complement that produced nationally by the Scottish Executive. Auditing of both national and local material will be an ongoing process.

All organisations should as a matter of course ensure that the information they produce for the public is easily understood and is accessible as far as possible.

In line with this, a series of equality in education projects that Scottish Executive Education Department will commission contains guidance ensuring that "any research paper or information released is accessible, understood and comprehensive".

Consider ways to improve the supply of EAL and bilingual teachers and implement a quality assurance framework and accreditation.

Executive collected information on teachers' qualifications in teaching English as an Additional Language. The issue of monitoring the number of in relation to demand of bilingual teachers is difficult as ethnicity data does not identify the linguistic group a teacher is from.

Funding for Modern Language Education (around £4 million) can be used for teaching community languages and not just French, German, Spanish and Italian. Report of the Key Action Group for Languages Citizens of a Multi-Lingual World recognised importance of support for mother tongue and indicated that the majority of support is delivered in religious/community setting and may require additional support. Executive is in discussion with the Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland regarding the production of a document to give guidance on good practice in this area.

In recognition of the central role of schools in the integration of asylum seekers and refugees, the Scottish Executive and local authorities should seek to improve ways of disseminating research and good practice and commission research as necessary in supporting School Boards, staff, children and parents for the arrival of asylum seekers and refugees. Sufficient resources should be provided for this. It should also be noted that the experience of asylum seeker children being educated in Scottish schools has been very positive and should be maintained where possible.

Scottish Executive will distribute "Education Guide for Asylum Seekers and Refugees" a comprehensive guide offering details on school education in Scotland. Scottish Executive also undertaking research to examine experiences of asylum seekers and refugees in Scottish schools.

Glasgow University carrying out quantitative study into the needs, experiences and services provided for unaccompanied asylum seeking children in Scotland.

The CARIS website, a joint project by Save the Children and Glasgow Centre for the Child and Society, part funded by the Scottish Executive, has been developed as an information base for children of asylum seekers and refugees. The site has been written with unaccompanied asylum seeker children in mind as well. http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/caris/young/yp_top.htm

There is a need for the Scottish Executive (and Home Office) to identify and address a number of urgent funding, legal and policy issues. (A range of issues were identified by the group, including, for example, clarifying the relative provisions of the Children (Scotland) Act and UK Immigration legislation, providing additional guidance on the duties of agencies under the Children (Scotland) Act, ensuring parity between Scotland and England and Wales in relation to the support available to public agencies and the measurement of school performance. This is not a comprehensive list, and it is important to stress that a comprehensive assessment, rather than a response to these points, is required.)

Finance - statutory costs of educating asylum seeker children are not met by NASS. The COSLA Refugee and Asylum Seeker Consortium have formally requested the Scottish Executive to ensure parity between Scotland and England and Wales in relation to the support available. Ministers have offered an additional fund of £1 million in 2005-06 in recognition of the work Glasgow is doing on asylum seeker and refugee integration and the costs associated with that.

Policy - this Key Action has not been met (see text section for more details). Scottish Executive Schools Group will be looking at where this can be taken forward in 2005.

Specific reference to community-based youth work for asylum seekers and refugees to be made in community learning plans.

All Local Authorities have Community Learning and Development Strategies which contain details of what CLD activities/development are to take place with young people. The guidance for producing strategies indicated that CLD partnerships should target CLD support to disadvantaged individuals, groups and communities, which would include refugees and asylum seekers. Also, the steer for which issues should be focussed on should be based on a dialogue with local communities, and a needs assessment of the area. By implication those areas containing a high number of asylum seekers and refugees are likely to be the focus of some CLD work.

To support Key Actions 34-42 the Scottish Executive should consider developing 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 local authorities to make detailed decisions on funding, based on local needs.

Given the health needs of asylum seekers and the requirement to invest in securing their access to services (through the provision of interpreters, extended consultation periods etc) there are significant additional costs in providing appropriate health and social care for these groups. Due responsibilities and mechanisms for allocating resources to enable appropriate local service developments - across NASS, the Home Office, the Scottish Executive, Health Boards, Health Trusts, Social Work Departments, voluntary agencies, etc.

Following the SRIF report, initial funding to NRCEMH from SEHD, followed by an extension of a grant through the Scottish Executive Health Department, Health Improvement Process has led to the consolidation of specific initiatives which will be of value to staff and users alike. A formal launch is expected in April 2006.

From an operational perspective the funding for general medical services and interpretation lies with Greater Glasgow NHS Board. This arrangement is now being reviewed.

In terms of social care there is considerable emphasis from the voluntary sector.

The Scottish Executive, working with the Ethnic Minority Resource Centre, should address the apparent barrier to accessing services for asylum seekers and refugees by ensuring that there is adequate information available about health and social care services in accessible and readily understood formats. This should be complemented by information made available by service providers about local services.

NRCEMH are partnership working on a multi-agency basis and there is a sharing of good practice where appropriate. All asylum seekers and refugees are informed about registration process within primary care and available services. Current work is ongoing with Home safety information with Strathclyde Fire Service. A Welcome Guide for New Arrivals and Refugees has been published by British Red Cross giving basic information about health services in Glasgow. MEHIP (NHS Lothian) provide information and advice on health services and a multi-lingual link worker/advocacy service.

Provide programme to raise awareness for health and social care professionals of Fair for All and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.

Training for frontline staff available - almost 2000 staff trained within Greater Glasgow. Further collaboration takes place in teaching institutions.

There is a need for Health Boards and Social Work Departments, working with the Ethnic Minorities Resource Centre as appropriate, to develop core information and guidance to allow health and social care professionals to deliver an appropriate service to asylum seekers and refugees. (Examples of this could include information about disease profiles within countries of origin, cultural norms with respect to bereavement, the provision of appropriate foods, and guidance on the use of interpreters.) This should be supplemented by appropriate training.

Asylum Seekers/Refugee Training Programme for cultural awareness and mental health understanding (COMPASS Programme) is available for staff within Primary Care Division in Greater Glasgow NHS. Visits from Professional Bodies such as Royal College of Nursing have taken place.

Roundtable National Network meeting held to gauge perception views and needs of asylum seekers and refugees. Following from it a series of posters and leaflets are at the planning stage to develop awareness and to raise the issues for health professionals.

There is a need to document and disseminate the lessons from the approach taken by service providers in Glasgow (and, where relevant, in other areas within the UK) to the provision of services for asylum seekers and refugees, particularly in identifying means of planning and delivering services in an integrated manner. Specific consideration should be given to identifying good practice and developing guidance for areas with low, as well as high concentrations of asylum seekers and refugees.

Continuing input to seminars and conferences at local and national levels so that information, good practices and learning on issues and needs of asylum seekers and refugees is promoted.

Joint collaborative work is underway on a surveillance system between the NRCEMH and "Health Protection Scotland" - a follow-up of 50 asylum seekers and refugees on arrival and after 6 months is underway.

A paper on Good Practice Integration has been delivered at various conferences on asylum including the Nurses Conference on Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Sheffield in January 2005.

NRCEMH held a seminar in January 2005 for Home Office colleagues setting up an accommodation Centre in Bicester. Good practice was shared on providing suitable health and social care service, translation and interpretation services, mental health provision and
co-ordinating services.

Given evidence that the sharing of information between service providers has been an important factor in shaping the development of effective services for asylum seekers and refugees, the Ethnic Minorities Resource Centre, working with the CLO and those working on the development of Joint Assessment Protocols should consider the development of guidance for all agencies on effective and appropriate means of sharing such information. This guidance should balance the need for information for shared planning with the need for patient confidentiality.

Two major projects have been completed and are in a final draft before publication and launch. The first of these is a Resource Pack for frontline staff which will be of support for frontline professionals. This pack will be accessed on line so can be made available throughout Scotland.

The second is online access for Health Professionals dealing with migrant communities especially asylum seekers and refugees. The online resource provides culturally relevant information and also offers an opportunity to review health risks by regional differences and a database for diagnosis and management of specific diseases within the 75 countries from which asylum seekers and refugees come. This has been developed by modifying the existing Travax resource within Health Protection Scotland.

Health Boards need to ensure that service planning takes full account of the particular needs of refugees who have been in this country for many years, and whose needs have historically not been fully acknowledged.

NRCEMH facilitates a joint liaison through its asylum seekers and refugees' Network to Health Boards and Voluntary Agencies in planning care packages - take part nationally in consultation groups.

NRCEMH participate in national events and workshops. (Details available from NRCEMH on request).

From an operational perspective there are local reviews taking place regarding reimbursement for asylum seekers and refugees based on enhanced payments - the outcome of the negotiations with GPs is still awaited.

The Scottish Executive should take the lead (working with all interested parties) in the development of a national strategy for ESOL, building on the recently published adult literacy strategy. While this work is being undertaken, the Scottish Executive should consider the use of pathfinder resources to test a range of alternative approaches to current provision.

Report commissioned by the Scottish Executive and Communities Scotland to establish ESOL provision will, along with recommendations of the ESOL steering group, inform the formulation of an ESOL strategy for Scotland by 2006. This process will include a public consultation. The findings of the report mapping the demand and provision of ESOL can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/about/ASD/CSU/00017534/ELL-p.aspx

Prior to the agreement of a national strategy, there is an urgent need for adequate resources to be made available to support the provision of English language tuition (both on a stand-alone basis and in conjunction with vocational courses) for those asylum seekers and refugees who require it, to allow them to integrate as quickly as possible. Given the current zero growth in overall funding for further education, this will require the Scottish Executive to provide additional monies to colleges to support this work. The increased resources will be required not only in teaching, but also in support services and childcare.

The Scottish Executive has, over the period 2001-04, committed an additional £1.7 million annually to meet the demand for more ESOL in Scottish FE colleges, particularly in Glasgow. This was subsequently increased to £2 million annually in 2002-04. From 2004-05, this £2 million will be embedded in FE baseline funding.

Asylum seekers should be allowed access to part-time Higher National courses on the same basis as currently applies for non-advanced courses. This provision should be met from within existing resources.

The Scottish Further Education Funding Council agreed that Further Education 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 was also issued to the SAAS 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.

There should be more progress on recognising the qualifications and/or experience of asylum seekers and refugees and on providing conversion courses and competence testing where appropriate. This should proceed on two levels: first, through funding to assist SQA, other awarding bodies, professional bodies and sector skills councils to find ways of recognising qualifications and/or experience, and secondly, through the development of appropriate provision within colleges and universities (with the use of pilot projects in the first instance where appropriate).

Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework providing a new way of comparing qualifications in Scotland. Has only just begun to credit rate qualifications/learning programmes out with the mainstream SQA and HEI ones, so this credit rating service is early days but has potential for international qualifications. However service is expensive for Scottish qualifications and will be more so for international ones.

Anniesland College is developing an accreditation model that will establish it as a centre for accrediting practical skills and a "lead centre" for recognising educational and employment skills amongst younger asylum seekers (16-18 years). The development of this model will ensure that those asylum seekers who already have skills can have these recognised and receive further vocational training, thereby preparing them for employment. College staff act as mentors as the participants go through the training, and links have been made with other projects within the partnership who are involved in activities such as work shadowing.

New Roots Scotland has set up a sub group with a view to develop an alternative accreditation route applicable to refugees.

Refugee Doctor Programme, OTAR and PEPE all offer trade specific training programmes with accreditation.

NARIC (National Recognition Information Centre for the UK) offers general comparability information for international qualifications.

Service providers should audit existing adult literacy, work experience, New Deal and other employment and training programmes to ensure that these are meeting the needs of asylum seekers and refugees. Where necessary, programmes should be customised or new provision developed, to meet these needs.

Range of provisions specifically tailored to refugees, including those at Anniesland College, Scottish Refugee Council and New Glaswegians.

Job Centre Plus and New Deal reserved to DWP but Scottish Executive officials liaising closely on Home Office's development of refugee employability strategy some of which will cover Scotland.

Additionally, Job Centre Plus offices in Glasgow have named contacts in refugee work and are represented on West of Scotland Refugee Forum. Schemes to assist wider sector of unemployed and disadvantaged groups open to refugees.

Ethnic Minority Enterprise Centre has just been awarded a contract to provide outreach services in Glasgow and consultant been appointed to encourage minority ethnic communities to use Job Centre Plus Services.

Bridges Project provides work shadowing scheme for asylum seekers and refugees.

There is a need for comprehensive information to be provided on education, lifelong learning and training issues to both asylum seekers and refugees, and intermediaries, particularly relating to eligibility, funding support, fee levels and the appropriateness of the provision. This provision should supplement, rather than duplicate, information available from, for example, Careers Scotland.

The Executive is working with Careers Scotland, Learndirect Scotland and others to improve the quality and consistency of information available to all learners in Scotland. Aim is to provide a no-wrong-door approach so that people can access the information and advice they seek quickly and in a straightforward manner. Through the Funding for Learners Review ETLLD have looked particularly at information on funding. Have established an Information, Advice and Guidance Delivery Group with representatives from all sectors to take this work forward in partnership. The group aims to create an improved model for the delivery of learning information which will ensure a better service for all learners including asylum seekers and refugees.

There is a need to identify and target barriers preventing asylum seekers and refugees moving into employment. It is suggested that Scottish Enterprise, working with the Scottish Executive, the Department of Work and Pensions and business groups, should undertake a piece of research to both identify the barriers which currently exist, and solutions which will address these. In the meantime, the group has identified two priority Key Actions. The first is that the Scottish Executive should make representations to the Home Office to seek a resolution to the identified problem of the provision of documentation which unequivocally establishes the right of an asylum seeker or refugee to work. The second is that the Scottish Executive, working with Scottish Enterprise and business group such as Scottish Chambers of Commerce, should provide employers in both public and private sector with clear guidance on the legal position in relation to the employment of asylum seekers and refugees. This guidance should also stress the business and wider benefits of employing asylum seekers and refugees.

Since the Key Action Plan was written the UK Government withdrew the right to work for asylum seekers. Therefore the provision of documentation proving the right to work only applies to refugees now. Under the new Act, National Insurance numbers will be issued to new refugees as soon as their positive decision is received.

Glasgow Chamber of Commerce's New Glaswegians Project focuses on assisting the integration of semi-skilled and manual refugees into the labour market with an awareness raising element built in.

Scottish Executive inputting to New Roots Scotland aiming to help refugees and asylum seekers integrated effectively through access to training and employment opportunities.

The principal service provider for refugees offering comprehensive careers guidance services is the Scottish Refugee Council, who provide 800 careers guidance interviews in Glasgow and Edinburgh each year. Scottish Refugee Council also provides comprehensive support and advice for partner agencies, colleges and employers

Closing the Opportunity Gap delivery of cross-Executive Employability Framework to review, plan and implement the future direction of interventions in Scotland to support people's employability, including refugees.