Building cohesive communities

Social justice cannot exist in communities which are not cohesive and in which large numbers of people feel that they do not belong.

For many years Stoke CAB has offered its services to marginalised groups, engaging with them by offering to solve their immediate legal and practical problems before proceeding to build trust and relationships and introduce them to other mainstream services.

Through this process we have been able to help other mainstream services understand the issues faced by marginalised groups and influence the development of more appropriate services.

Taking preventative action to address legal and practical issues, to try and keep people out of poverty and destitution can prevent community tensions increasing. It is likely that if we were not in place and delivering these services many unresolved issues would harm the generally friendly and cohesive communities which exist within this city.

By helping people access services and by tackling inequality and disadvantage we can ensure that many members of marginalised communities are better integrated into society and the local community so that they feel they belong and they can participate in those communities.

Without such a sense of belonging and ability to participate it is difficult to build cohesive communities which are such as an important element of a just society.

From dispersal to integration

Our work with people seeking asylum and refugees aims to provide a complete package of support services.

This enables people dispersed to Stoke to access the local services that are available to them, resolve the problems they may experience with their support or accommodation and, if they are successful in their claim to move from supported accommodation to independence and then to integrate into the local community.

For the last year we have been funded by the Home Office under the Refugee Integration and Employment Service to provide advice to Refugees immediately after their successful decision to enable them to transfer as smoothly as possible when their asylum support finishes, often quite abruptly.

Despite receiving fewer referrals from the Home Office than we had expected we nonetheless helped some 60 people in this situation. 13 of whom we helped find work.

We have also worked closely with Stoke on Trent City Council to help integrate those asylum seekers given leave to remain under the Home Offices Legacy Scheme, who are not eligible for the RIES service. Despite being in exactly the same situation these people also find themselves struggling to find accommodation, access benefits or find work when they are granted leave to stay in the country. Our expert intervention has prevented additional costs falling on the local authority and helped make the transition as smooth as possible.

Into schools with the One World Project

We were delighted to be able to resume our partnership with local schools, courtesy of the Migration Impact Fund.

The One World Project supports refugee and asylum seeking families in accessing education for schools, by helping them negotiate the admissions process, helping them to buy school uniforms and sort out transport to schools. It also works with the schools themselves to support them in receiving and accommodating children from refugee families.

By working with both the schools and the families we can help refugee and asylum seeking children achieve a smooth transition into school.

The project also visits schools to raise people's awareness of the circumstances and issues faced by refugees and people seeking asylum. This is done through a series of imaginative and interactive presentations and exercises, often delivered as part of assembles or PSHE classes.

In 2009/10 we delivered these sessions at many schools across the City they were are delighted with the very positive and warm reception they received in every case.