March 2001, issue
4
Latest Forum Developments
For the past few months Ealing Refugee Forum has employed Ms. Liz
Cox as a part-time Co-ordinator. This arrangement has been helpful
to the Forum but ultimately unsatisfactory as we were only funded
to offer the post for four hours a week which is not enough time to
do anything meaningful. Now however further funding has been obtained
from Trust for London to increase the Co-ordinator’s hours and
a bid to the RENEWAL West London SRB Partnership for funding for a
full-time post has been successfully appraised. Consequently we are
now able to operate on an almost full-time basis. Our long time Secretary
Mr. Rumwold Leigh has been seconded for four days a week from the
Society of Afghan Residents in the U.K. to fill the Co-ordinator’s
post until it can be filled full-time. Many of the Secretary’s
former functions will now be undertaken by the full-time Co-ordinator.
Ealing Refugee Forum is also in the process of moving. After receiving
two separate offers of premises we have decided to relocate to the
former computer room at Acton Town Hall which has been refurbished
and let out to community groups. Premises is an issue for many refugee
groups in Ealing and we are glad that the Forum now has enough of
a base to enable others to make the transition to accessible professional
body. This is a further example of enhancing Ealing Refugee Forum’s
profile to achieve effective change for all refugees.
Refugee Fora in Other Boroughs
The success of Ealing Refugee Forum has led to the development of
two other refugee fora in neighbouring boroughs. Hounslow Refugee
Forum has followed its successful launch with a number of meetings
which have established it as a body run by and for refugee community
organisations. The Action Group which set up the launch and has led
the Forum so far has been dissolved and a new Steering Group of refugee
community organisation representatives has been elected. The new Steering
Group is chaired by Mr. Hassan Issa of Hounslow Somali Consortium
and includes representatives of the Yemeni, Nepalese, Sierra Leonean
and Sudanese communities in addition to several communities already
active in Ealing. Membership of Hounslow Refugee Forum is open to
any organisation having clients in the London Borough of Hounslow
and on that basis two of the Ealing Refugee Forum members are also
members of the Steering Group. The group will develop a constitution,
mission statement and terms of reference and work towards an AGM planned
for May at which a fully constituted Management Committee will be
elected by its members.
Hammersmith & Fulham Refugee Forum differs from those in Ealing
and Hounslow as it has established itself on a partnership model which
includes other agencies alongside refugee groups. It is only a little
older than the Hounslow forum but has already obtained European funding
for a part time worker. The Forum is developing its work through a
number of task groups which take forward the issues raised by workshops
held at the Forum’s launch last year. Among these are Hammersmith
& Fulham council’s interpretation of the voucher system and
a number of ideas already floated in Ealing such as obtaining internet
access for all refugee community organisations.
To co-ordinate the work of the various refugee for another new strategic
organisation has also been formed. This is the West London Refugee
Standing Committee (WLRSC or ‘Wrestlers’) which was established
on the evening of the 12th March by representatives from Ealing, Hounslow
and Brent with support from Hillingdon. The organisation was formed
as a response to some of the problems experienced by refugee community
representatives within the RENEWAL partnership and is open to the
Chairs and staff of the refugee fora in Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith
& Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow together with their
representatives on the RENEWAL Steering Group and co-opted refugee
specialists. WLRSC aims to educate statutory bodies in the work of
refugee community organisations and ensure that they are fully represented
on matters which concern them. By so doing it will complement the
work of the various borough based refugee fora and form the beginning
of a representative structure long needed by refugee communities everywhere.
Latest News
Many groups have been hit by the new legislation which requires all
persons giving immigration advice after 1st April 2001 to be registered
with the Immigration Services Commissioner or apply for an exemption.
Most community groups qualify for an exemption to this legislation
but very few had sufficient time to complete their application as
this involves filling in a complex work book. We are now glad to announce
that the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner has recognised
the problem and has extended the application deadline for not for
profit organisations until January 2002. A leaflet has been distributed
to this effect containing a card on which to signify the desire to
apply for exemption before that date. Anyone who has not received
a card should contact the OISC on 020-7211-1500 to avoid any future
unpleasantness.
The other big new standard affecting refugee community organisations
is the Community Legal Service Quality Mark. As previously advertised
Ealing Refugee Forum held a training day on 15th February for organisations
wishing to apply for this hosted by Ms. Emma Rigby and Ms. Gill Berryman
from Partners in Community Law. Seventeen people representing a variety
of agencies attended this event at the Armenian Centre and were reminded
that several funders have already stated that they will soon cease
to fund organisations which do not attempt to obtain the Quality Mark.
The deadline for applications is October and the workbooks that need
to be completed are fairly bulky although not as difficult as they
appear at first sight. Ealing Refugee Forum would like to thank Emma
and Gill for their efforts in organising this training and hope that
it will be as beneficial as the groups attending all asserted it to
be.
The 2001 Census is almost upon us and particular efforts are being
made this time to ensure that everyone is counted. At the last Census
ten years ago there was a significant undercount in West London which
resulted in a lower level of government assistance than West London
was due. As refugee and ethnic minority communities are traditionally
hard to count the 2001 census is going out of its way to ensure that
everyone from these communities completes the census form as they
are legally required to do. There are still vacancies for interpreters
and enumerators who will help people fill in the forms and community
organisations will be paid for help with filling in the forms which
will become a large part of their work for the next few months. Readers
are encouraged to contact Ealing Area Census Manager Mr. Cliff Brown
on 01895-639507 to discover full details of how the census works and
how it can help.
The Hounslow Health Improvement Programme for 2001 to 2004 is now
being developed by the London Borough of Hounslow where many refugee
groups in Ealing have a number of clients. A conference about health
improvement priorities in Hounslow held on November 9th 2000 concluded
that refugee and asylum seeker health is the top priority and therefore
steps are being taken to address this. It is hoped that as many communities
as possible will contribute to policy formation in this area. For
more information contact Ms. Abi Gilbert at the London Borough of
Hounslow on 0208-583-5207.
Forthcoming Events
West London Alliance which comprises the London Boroughs of Brent,
Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow
and is chaired by Ealing council leader Mr. John Cudmore is holding
a conference entitled “West London - the Way Forward” on
Tuesday 3rd April at Wembley Conference Centre. This conference aims
to be a further step in developing a vision for the development of
West London which has so far led to the production of manifestos on
economy and transport. The conference will be addressed by Mr. Ken
Livingstone and guest speakers representing “all relevant sectors”
according to the advertisement. Community groups are encouraged to
attend in order to voice our concerns and discover which speaker is
representing our sector and who invited them to do so.
Another organisation seeking to forge links with local community groups
is West Thames College which is hosting a community event on Wednesday
28th March at its London Road site in Isleworth. The flyer announcing
the event states that “the role of partnerships has been highlighted
as an essential mechanism for success”. It is therefore important
that a genuinely participatory partnership is developed if it exists
at all. For further details contact Ms. Kath Lowe on 020-8326-2177.
Training Opportunities
One of the standards increasingly imposed on community groups is a
professional standard of accountancy practice from those employed
to serve their community rather than act as professional accountants.
To address this issue a Richmond based organisation called Account
is holding training courses in accountancy throughout 2001 as part
of its Community Accountancy Project. This training covers subjects
such as preparing financial reports and financial controls for voluntary
organisations and is free subject to a refundable ?10 booking fee.
For more information contact Account at 1 Princes Street, Richmond
TW9 1ED or 020-8401-1965.
The Migrant & Refugee Communities Forum in Kensington & Chelsea
is holding an introductory course in advice work with refugee and
migrant communities. This presents an opportunity for those wishing
to enter our sector to become job ready through familiarity with the
range of skills required and the conditions of work. Priority will
be given to applicants with a Kensington & Chelsea connection
but those from other London boroughs will also be considered. Anyone
interested should contact Douglas Guest on 020-8964-4815.
The Refugee Council has also advised us of its latest programme of
training courses. These are serious commitments as they last for between
18 and 38 weeks but cover a range of relevant subjects such as IT
programming, business administration and English as an additional
language as well as the more established childcare, health and social
care and teacher training programmes. In addition a number of family
workshops are being held at the RETAS office at 164 Clapham Park Road,
London SW4 7DE in which parents and children learn together. These
are the sort of courses which could be run very successfully within
individual community organisations given the funding and premises.
For details of the training courses ring the Refugee Council’s
Brixton office on 020-7346-6760 and for details of the courses at
RETAS ring its centre directly on 020-7501-0990.
Funding Opportunities
Two new funding programmes for refugee integration have been announced
by the Home Office. These take the form of the Challenge Fund and
the Refugee Community Development Fund which are available for the
next three years. The London Borough of Ealing is currently developing
project ideas to formulate an expression of interest by the usual
tight deadline of 12th April and held a meeting to discuss this on
Friday 23rd March attended by our Co-ordinator. The Home Office is
aiming to fund innovative projects intended to benefit those with
Full Refugee Status or Exceptional Leave to Remain in the U.K. and
either address their social needs or help small community based organisations
wishing to work with them. For more details contact F. Sonni-Ali at
London Borough of Ealing or NASS Refugee Integration Section, 5th
Floor, Voyager House, 30 Wellesley Road, Croydon CR0 2AD.
Another possible funding opportunity has been advertised by RETAS.
This is the RETAS Millenium Awards which are designed for refugees
who have a bright idea as to how they can help their community but
need training and funds in order to do it. This will hopefully provide
an opportunity to capacity build community groups rather than fragmenting
them. Application packs may be requested from RETAS Millennium Awards,
World University Service, RETAS, 14 Dufferin Street, London EC1Y 8PD
or by phoning 020-7426-5812.
An opportunity has also arisen for groups which encourage participation
in sport. A new Active Communities Development Fund (ACDF) was established
by Sport England in February and is funded to the tune of ?7.5 million
in 2001/2002 with more funds committed for subsequent years. Sport
England is inviting applications from groups wishing to fund a community
sports worker or provide expert advice, education and training in
sports provision and development funding. For further details contact
Ms. Kasia Reardon at Sport England on 020-7273-1591.
Job Opportunity
RENEWAL is presently advertising for a Community Chest Officer. Many
groups are hoping to benefit from the small grants available through
RENEWAL’s Community Chest and RENEWAL is looking for a suitable
person to administer this fund. This ought to present an opportunity
for someone with experience of refugee communities and readers are
encouraged to request information by phoning 020-8893-0182 which is
a 24 hour recruitment answerphone and quoting job number 0737.
This newsletter is funded by the Camelot Foundation.
Ealing Refugee Forum is funded by RENEWAL, the London Borough of Ealing,
Comic Relief and the Trust for London.
|
