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Aberdeenshire Partner Refugee Group Syrian New Scots Integration Plan

Aberdeenshire Partner Refugee Group

Working together to resettle Syrian refugee families in Aberdeenshire

Housing

Families will be provided with safe, secure and suitable housing that will enable them to settle and progress with family life

Aberdeenshire Council

Identify and secure an appropriate portfolio of housing for families including Private Rented Sector, Registered Social Landlord and Council ex HMO stock

Map against school, health infrastructure and community capacities

Work with Positive Action in Housing and ASWR to signpost private home offers to the Room for Refugees Programme

Ensure houses are appropriately furnished, adapted and equipped for families

Provide ongoing housing and tenancy support and advice in Arabic as required

Third Sector Interface

Community Food Initiatives North East (CFINE) will provide home food packs for arrival and first few weeks of resettlement

Additional essential items of home equipment unable to be sourced by AMIC or ASWF will be sourced and provided by the TSI

Registered Social

Landlords / GREC

The Minority Ethnic Outreach Worker will provide independent housing advice to refugees, will advocate to resolve problems with landlords and will inform tenants of rights and responsibilities in a tenancy

Aberdeen Solidarity With Refugees

Signpost offers of home hosting to the Room for Refugees Programme

Work with the wider community to provide additional items of furniture, clothing and equipment as required

Aberdeen Mosque & Islamic Centre (AMIC)

AMIC will provide Arabic speaking assistance to families during the home arrival and settling in period

Syrian food packs will be prepared and put into houses in preparation for arrival

Employment, Benefits & Financial Inclusion

Families will be supported to access benefits, entitlements, financial, training and employment opportunities to enable them to progress with family and working life, when appropriate


Support families to obtain Biometric Residence Permit on arrival

Provide individuals with 200 consistency funding

Identify key workers to support families to access benefits and secure all paperwork required post arrival

Accompany families to all appointments in first weeks of resettlement, accompanied by a translator

Provide ongoing support through Benefits Team

Department for Work & Pensions (DWP)

Process National Insurance Numbers (NINO) prior to arrival

Ensure claimants have their applications processed efficiently and effectively

Deliver local training coordinated by national

DWP officer, Kaye Henry


Changeworks coaching programme to be delivered by the Scottish Social Enterprise Academy

Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action (AVA) will provide Digital Coaching

Support and guidance with accessing IT/ developing IT literacy with respect to making Welfare benefit applications

Financial Inclusion Forum will provide translated information on money advice and financial wellbeing as required

Employability Partnership

Will assess support required and respond accordingly

North East Scotland Credit Union (NESCU)

North East Scotland Credit Union (NESCU) will work with AC and AMIC to explore options for establishing accessible accounts on arrival.


Arabic guidance on how welfare and employment services work and support to attend meetings if required

Early Years, Schools & Further/Higher Education

Children and young people will be fully integrated into Aberdeenshire early years, schools, colleges and universities and will receive the support and learning they require to be successful, confident , responsible and effective learners and citizens


Identify early years, primary and secondary schools with capacity, and support families to enrol and settle children and young people

Ensure families have all clothing, equipment and materials required

Clusters groups will work together to consider how best to meet needs, particularly if children are enrolled across of number of schools

An assessment of wellbeing need will be carried out through the GIRFEC process on a single-agency and multi-agency basis. Educational Psychology Services / Nurture Hub teachers will provide training to staff on relevant issues

Apply professional EAL assessment and teaching processes to ensure learning and progression

Identify further learning and employability pathways and provisions that could be accessed via Opportunities for All


In conjunction with the EAL Service, provide additional support of a Syrian teacher, who can advise families on curriculum, assessments, teaching methods etc.


Montgomery Development Education Centre will work with Aberdeenshire Council to design and deliver:

Cultural Awareness Sessions pre arrival

Global Education CPD for schools

Teaching Refugees CPD

North East Scotland College (NESCOL)

& Universities

Work with families to explore options for progression to Further and Higher Education courses


Arabic speaking assistance with enrolments and appointments (if translators are unavailable).

Help in translating of forms.

Befriending project will enable relationships to be made and support given with understanding the education system

Women volunteers available to assist mums and children

Health & Social Care

Families will receive the health and social care services they need to enable them to thrive


Work with Home Office, COSLA, NHS Grampian and Social Work to assess family health profiles and plan accordingly

Work with NHS to support families to register and attend all medical appointments as required

Ensure that housing meets the health needs of families

Ensure all essential health and social care information is available in Arabic

NHS Grampian

Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership (NHS Grampian):

General Medical Services

Health Visiting Services

Community Psychiatric Nursing Teams

Public Dental Services

(onward referral as appropriate to other services required)

Briefings for health professionals, practices and chemists

Timetable all initial medical appointments


Via Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action (AVA), the Community Health in Partnership (CHiP) project team will work collaboratively with Health and Social Care professionals to ensure that they are aware and are supporting refugees to access local voluntary and community support services as required


Provide support to and dialogue with the Syrian community to identify health and social care related concerns and advocate where needed


Provide Arabic speaking support in understanding how the NHS works, including doctors, prescriptions, chemists, dentist, hospitals etc

Social & Community

Families will receive the social and community support they need to integrate and participate fully in community life


Work with AMIC to develop the tripartite befriending project

Make key community organisations aware of resettlement in their community

Connect families to their local Refugee Support Worker

Provide training opportunities for Volunteers

Police Scotland

Will overcome barriers and perceptions of uniform, trust and authority by engaging on a personal and professional level in the early stages of resettlement

Scottish Fire & rescue Service

Access to Fire Station for family visits

Home safety information will be translated into Arabic


Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action (AVA) will map local community organisations in Aberdeenshire and provide information and promotional, to support and encourage local engagement. AVA will also undertake Disclosure / PVG for volunteers as required.

GREC will map support services in the Third Sector in Aberdeen that may be relevant for refugees


Develop a Syrian / Refugee stakeholder base that is a community in its own right

Work closely with the existing Syrian community to provide social opportunities and community development through events delivery and social media

Create a central access & drop-in point for refugees and their families


Organise a series of events and social activities, football tournaments, trips, and outings for families

Tripartite Befriending Project, bringing together local families, Syrian new Scots families and families from the Mosque

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

Adults will receive the ESOL support they need to overcome language and communication barriers and to enable them to progress with employment, training, educational and social opportunities


CLD will work with WEA and NESCOL to develop a Holistic ESOL Integration Project to ensure all partners are working together to assess and deliver ESOL

Create a Refugee ESOL Team

Provide funding for intensive ESOL support in year one

Develop ESOL Family Learning in conjunction with EAL

Deliver ESOL classes and 1:1

Workers Educational Association (WEA)

Deliver ESOL classes and Family Learning as part of the Holistic ESOL Integration Project

Lead on delivery of PDA ITESOL for staff & volunteers


Lead on Refugee ESOL CPD session as part of the Holistic ESOL Integration Project

Lead on ESOL Assessments using the Oxford online process

Provide College based and accredited ESOL opportunities


Complement formal ESOL by providing conversational opportunities with Syrian and Arabic speaking volunteers


Complement formal ESOL by providing conversational opportunities with Syrian and Arabic speaking volunteers

Interpretation & Translation

Families will have the interpretation and translation services they require to access essential services and resources


Work with Equalities staff to identify interpretation and translation services

Facilitate the translation of all relevant documentation into Arabic

Ensure translators are available for all official appointments in the first months of resettlement

Work with AMIC to develop the 24hour Arabic phone line

Promote the use of Languageline to overcome communication barriers

Grampian Regional Equality Centre Ltd

GRECs In-Trans service will offer a very high quality of service currently with 4 Arabic interpreters /translators, 3 female and 1 male


ESOL Tutor from the middle east will assist with informal translation as required


Recognising that Syrians speak a regional variation of Syrian Arabic (which can vary significantly), ASWR will provide a number of informal translators and interpreters from various areas of Syria as required


Arabic speaking support in all areas as required

Development of a 24 hour Arabic Hot line coordinator (funding application with tackling Poverty) to ensure families have a friendly and helpful voice to help especially in the first few months of resettlement

Coordinator will work with Katie to signpost any issues or problems

Crisis

In the face of crisis, families will be supported to overcome barriers and seek positive and sustainable solutions


Refugee Support workers will work to minimise the chance of crisis occurring in the first few weeks of resettlement

If it does, families will be signposted to all the relevant support agencies and funds

Grampian Regional equality centre Ltd

GREC has a counselling service for young people (under 18) who have been the victim of prejudice and discrimination. Councillors have specialist training in this area. We hope that the service will soon be available for adults as well (awaiting the result of funding applications)

GREC has a casework service which can provide advocacy, advice and support for victims of prejudice and discrimination


Through local mapping, AVA will signpost volunteers to Food banks, Citizens Advice Bureau and local services that could support families

in crisis

Aberdeenshire North Foodbank and CFINE will provide food parcels and support on arrival and throughout the early stages or resettlement as required


If families are uncomfortable approaching statutory and formal services, ASWR will provide mediation and support as a trusted conduit, to allay potential fear and suspicion


Formation of sub-committees to respond quickly to crisis:

Doctors

first aiders

safety instructors

translators

religious leaders

male & female volunteers

Build relationships and friendships with families so they know they will always have someone to come to in a crisis

Culture & Faith

Families will have the opportunity to participate in a range of cultural and faith activities, to suit their needs


Ensure that all families have access to the cultural and religious support they require, if and when appropriate


Through our Syrian Residents network we will work to influence public knowledge on Syrian Culture and conversely refugees on Scottish Culture

Through our upcoming events & education programme, ASWR will act as a conduit to other culture and faith organisations with communications and messaging

Montgomery Development Education Centre & GREC

Design and deliver Cultural Awareness sessions in partnership with EAL service, for schools, practioners and communities

Churches Together

Provide local information and connections to local church organisations, groups and projects for families


AMIC will be open and welcoming to all refugee families and will provide a range of faith based and cultural activities.

Provide cultural awareness, traditions, customs, norms, help in dealing with cultural shock, interpretation and translation

Imam Office will provide congregation integration, Spiritual Support, Consulting/Advice, Religious Consultation, Religion Education, Reconciliation, Family Support

Support will be for all families, regardless of faith or religion

Rights, Responsibilities & Resources

Families will be fully informed of their rights and the responsibilities of living in Aberdeenshire and Scotland


All families will be provided with translated information, on their rights and responsibilities

Relevant partner documents will be translated for families

Living & Working in North East Scotland will be updated and translated into Arabic

Grampian Regional Equality Centre Ltd

Through the Integrate Grampian Forum, GREC will raise issues and promote joint working between public bodies and links with the third sector


AVA will signpost volunteers to money advice, welfare benefits and tenancy support service providers e.g. Citizens Advice Bureaux, Smart Money


ASWRs primary intention will be to support incoming refugees to ensure their rights are upheld. These will be addressed in social and community programmes, through direct contact, events and translated written communications


Families will be advised in Arabic of their rights and responsibilities, legislative issues and answer questions as they arise

Safety & Stability

Families will feel, and be safe in their homes and communities


Information on home, community and personal safety will be provide in Arabic

Refugee Support staff will ensure families are able to participate in community life in a safe and meaningful way

Families will be given housing and tenure stability for a minimum of one year under the Public Sector Leasing scheme

Identify ways that stability can be helped by regular communication with family and friends in Syria, refugee camps or elsewhere

Police Scotland

Improve the safety and wellbeing of people, places and communities

Keep people safe

Scottish Fire & Rescue Service (SF&RS)

Home Safety visits

Fire Safety Leaflets in Arabic

visits to a local fire station and community events


ASWR will work with the relevant authorities and Syrian families to encourage confidence in UK Emergency Services

Encourage mutual dialogue, understanding and awareness of behaviours and cultures between uniformed services and the Syrian community to foster a positive relationship


Arrange informal discussions and seminars on the impacts of transition from Syria to Scotland.

This will include issues such as how to seek help with trauma, culture shock, and social integration

Charitable Support

Families will have the charitable support required if need arises


ASWR will continue to collect and fundraise for refugees, with a re-focus to provide aid for locally based refugees

Through a sustained, strategic, community engagement campaign we aim to encourage tolerance and integration and inspire a feeling of safety and confidence for newcomers


Magpie will coordinate donations and provide donated second hand household goods/white goods/ furniture to establish well equipped home environments

Churches Together

Local churches will provide a range of charitable supports through projects


Working in collaboration with partners, AMIC will collect and distribute money, clothing and essential goods to families

Warm winter clothing will be provided

Syrian food parcels in all houses

Profile Assessment

The needs of families will be closely matched with the services and resources that Aberdeenshire can provide


Work with the Home Office, UNHCR, COSLA and Scottish Government to include Aberdeenshire formally in the Syrian VPR Scheme

Establish a Profile Assessment Team to assess the needs of families in relation to the resources of Aberdeenshire

Design assessment processes for the profiling team

Ensure profiles and data are reviewed in confidence

Further design individual plans in relation to needs identified in the assessment process

Ensure all staff involved are adequate trained and supported to deal with severe trauma cases

NHS Grampian

Participate in the profiling team and processes

Develop detailed health plans for all individuals assessed and accepted through the Syrian VPR Scheme

Share relevant plans and information with relevant health and social care partners

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syrianrefugeesaberdeenshire.files.wordpress.com… · Web viewIdentify ways that stability can be helped by regular communication with family and friends in Syria, refugee camps