Friday 2 October 2015

Refugee Update Briefing 2/10/15

Well, having sat through some meetings the cloud is not thinning very much.

What do we know?

·       An extra 20,000 Syrian Vulnerable Persons will be resettled during this parliament (up to 2020)
·       Those who come will
o   be housed by the Local authority (NOT necessarily in LA housing) and not by Serco who resettle the present refugees. The housing will need to be furnished!
o   by given 5 year right to remain
o   be eligible for benefits and be able to work
o   be given a welcome pack of groceries; cash clothing etc and £200 to help them settle in.
o   need an Individual Support Plan including health and education needs.

What are the questions?

·       Where is the funding coming from? They are allowed to stay for 5 years but funding has only been committed for ONE year.
·       How will the housing be found? Private landlords?
·       Should all the housing be in one area or dispersed across a District or Borough?
·       Are there enough places in the local schools for the intake?
o   If not should they be bussed or would they be better kept together in one school?
o   20 families could mean an extra 40 – 60 children of school age.
·       Can the healthcare system cope with the sudden influx – esp GP’s?
o   Who will be responsible to ensure that they register?
·       When will the first ones begin to arrive?
o   The process map below shows the convoluted system. Not until step 4 will the Local area even have a clue that someone is likely to arrive.
o   It is likely to take up to 5 months for the identification to take place and so the first people being accepted under this expansion could arrive around Christmas or New Year (assuming the process started when it was announced)


How will it work?


1 Criteria: Referrals will be assessed against UNHCR Humanitarian Assessment Process (HAP) and then specific UK vulnerability criteria prioritising help for survivors of torture and violence, and women and children at risk or in need of medical care.
2 Partners: Local providers will need to work closely with primary and secondary healthcare providers, education and housing providers drawing on NGOs and specialist services as required.

3 Checklist: An assessment checklist is being developed to assist local providers in making the case acceptance decision.

No comments:

Post a Comment