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CHAPTER FOUR - SUGGESTED LOCAL AUTHORITY RESPONSE AND SERVICE SPECIFICATION
The Service Specification seeks to provide a practical guide for local authorities in their treatment of refugees with regard to their housing related needs.
Supplementary to this guidance, however, it is important to consider some of the following more general suggestions that would require decisions and political commitment at a strategic level within local authorities.
It is impossible for the changes identified within the Specification to build a coherent framework of support for refugees without the backing of the local authority from councillors and chief executive down. As an additional reference point beyond immediate housng related issues, local authorities should take account of the Scottish Refugee Integration Forum Action Plan which highlights 57 key action points across a range of areas from English language and other training to community safety.
A number of suggestions are made below of actions that Scottish Local Authorities could consider to build a coherent framework of support.
- Local authorities should look at building in the needs of refugees and their families into needs assessment strategies so that the current level and extent of refugee needs can be identified and future trends forecast. Such a mapping should identify the countries of origin of refugees in the area and languages spoken. Changes to cater to the needs of refugees should become a core element of any corporate review of services. Refugee presence and needs in the area can be identified using information from:
- CoSLA and their Scottish Refugee and Asylum Seekers Consortium
- Scottish Refugee Council
- Data on service use already collected by the authority
- Voluntary organisations active in the area (including Registered Social Landlords)
- Community organisations and leaders
- Faith communities
- Data collected for the Race Equality Scheme
- This information could then be fed into any planning processes in the authority, and, in particular, be used to review current and inform development of any future relevant strategies, including:
- Housing/Homelessness strategies
- Supporting People strategies
- Race Equality plan
- Equal Opportunities policies
- Local funding and support plans for voluntary and community groups
- Any agreements with registered social landlords in the area
- Current policy and practice guidance on dealing with racial harassment
- Advice services strategy
- Local authorities should consider whether changes to structures within the local authority should be made to enhance existing inter-departmental cooperation, appropriate referral mechanisms and the sharing of information on refugees, within the confines of the Data Protection Act.
- An audit/mapping of the local voluntary sector including registered social landlords is suggested to identify:
- what tasks are being undertaken within the sector currently or could be undertaken in the future that will assist refugees in accessing accommodation and being supported to sustain tenancies
- organisations that it would be appropriate to include in a negotiated referral protocol so that refugees receive assistance, advice and (if appropriate) assessment of housing need.
- This mapping process may have implications for funding arrangements within the sector. If organisations are new to working with refugees, they may need the leadership of the local authority to identify niche areas around housing and other services (from referral/signposting to comprehensive delivery of services) and to be supported with appropriate training and possibly increased funding. Alternatively they could be directed to organisations such as Positive Action in Housing or the Scottish Refugee Council, in which case efforts to make these sources of available support known should be made with local authority backing.
- In areas with a more sizeable refugee population, local authorities could institute a review of the workforce to encourage a representation that is more reflective of the local community. This suggestion is based on a finding from the focus groups that refugees felt that it was significantly harder to make their case heard by someone who had not shared their experience. Demonstrating a commitment to afford representation to refugees and encouraging their involvement in scrutiny and advisory bodies such as tenant associations is an important first step in this process. It will not only lead to local authorities producing policies and taking action which is sensitive to the needs of refugees but, importantly, they will be seen to be doing so.
- Within local authorities' regular service, user feedback should be made accessible to refugees and rights to complain made explicit.
- In reviews of housing and support services, local authorities should consider whether there are monitoring systems in place to identify the use made of them by refugees. Resulting data could then be analysed to identify gaps in provision or uptake.
- Generally, local authorities should be at the forefront of attempts to facilitate a welcoming environment for refugees through positive presentation of refugees and their arrival in local areas. This may be through contact with the media or through supporting community development. Only by challenging received stereotypes will integration be possible. Our research revealed that each and every refugee who participated had suffered some form of racial harassment since coming to Scotland. This ranged from verbal abuse to physical assault. Racism and fear were perceived as the most serious barriers to enjoying the benefits of the housing services they had received and achieving successful integration generally.
How to use the Service Specification
The Service specification looks at three broad areas: "Accessing Application Process", "Identifying and Meeting Housing Need" and "Housing Support Services to Refugees". The first two areas are divided into two parts. In the first part you will find a selection of good practice from local authorities as to how they cater to the housing needs of the general population. This is to highlight the fact that local authorities should begin by reviewing their own practices and processes to see how they can and should be adapted to meet refugees' needs. It is not the intention of this guidance to create a wholly distinct service for refugees. The second part is in table format and offers suggested guidance on how the specific needs of refugees might be addressed, whether this is done by the local authority, registered social landlords or within the private sector. The third area provides details of support that can be funded by Supporting People and examples of support services, which though not exclusively funded by Supporting People, offer suggestions as to what types of assistance may be eligible.
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