Migrant Support Service Trustee Annual Report 2023- 24 The Issue addressed by Mlgrant Support Servlce Over 9% ofthe population of the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Councilwere born outside of the British Isles. They include newcomers who are migrant workers, refugees, and increasingly asylum seekers from many continents as well as those who are well settled. There is a high concentration in the more deprNed areas of Portadown. The Migrant Support Service (MSS) is needed because newcomers want supportto overcome the obstacles of navigating a new culture and language and of choosing the actions thatwill bettertheirlives. MSS knlkswith, oraccompanies them to leam what support they require. It involves them as agents of their own lives in the development. design, and delivery of the project'walkingwith Migrants,. The project aimed during the past year to improve the lives of some 300 mlgrants INing in the ABC and Mid Ulster Boroughs. Byofferingadvice and support on a range ofsocial issues. by advocating on behalf of individuals and their families. and by offering language and other training opportunities the project expected to: reduce isolation; to empower newcomers with improved knowledge of available servlces; to build their confidence in accessingthem; to help them develop addttional networks; to enable them to integrate better into the community. and to improvethe mentalwellbeing of individuals. What MSS dld to address the needs of newcomers The activities we engaged in duringthe twelve months from 1stApril 2023 to April 2024 can be categorised in groups to facilitate description. Under the category of immigration we dealt mostlywith settlement status and carried out about 350 inteNlews that led to decisions and actions. Underthe category of 'Settling In'we dealtwith issues such registrations and applications for example to obtain a GP. a bank account. school enrolments, national insurance number, chiLd benefit and this Involved 300 interviews. Employment issues included tax credits, tax Payments, universal credit, workplace grievances etc and involved about400 interviews: Training and leaming includes ESOL. other languages and social and personal development courses that90 people completed satisfactorily. The category offood poverty involved food vouchers, Christmas dinners and referrals and amounted to 150 cases. Scanned with Camscanner
We attempted to developthe capactyof Migrant Support Service by improving staff communication and skills through training and workshops involving about 80 person- hours. Staff development also saw the emergence of a CEOwith responsibilities at the level of strategic oversight, financlal management. project management. course development and legal leadership. In allthere were 3750 interactions. Interactions mean mostly problem-solving interviews, two-hour classes and otherforms of meeting. The results of these activities In the pastyearwe worked with about 385 indtviduals on a wide range of issues. Each issue that is resolved contributes 8 qU8ntum of improvement in people's lives. Consider the analogy of tidying upyour room: if you start somewhere and put away one thing after another one thing is tldied after another, a point will be reached where an improvement in mental well-being is experienced. Newcomers often reportthattheyare so overwhelmed bythe newness of their sitU8tion thatthey don't knowwhere to tum or whereto start. Whentogetheryou resolve an issue theyfeel much better and gain in hope forthe future. Some lives can be said to have been transformed by significant achievements such as finding employment, enrolling in college, orreunitingwtth families. M described his experience as follows: "I was lost in the complex immigration system until I found your charity. Your guidance helped me reunite with myfamily afteryears apart. The immigration process was difficultforme to understand. Yourpatientadvisors walked me through evEryStep. explaining my options and helping me gatherthe right documentation. Thanks to your help. I was able to sponsor mywife and children. Afterfouryears of separation, we're finallytogether again, building our life in Northem Ireland. Words can't express how grateful l am for your support duringthis challenging time." Byworkingwith people on procedure and by resolving Issues related to Universal Credit. or otherforms of socialwelfare we build up confidence in the system and in the indmdual's abiltyto interact with it. Showing howto use smart phones to dealwith service agencies we have enabled manypeople to sortouttheiraffairs. Theyachieve autonomy in keeping their situation up to date. They become adept in dealingwith immigration issues such as the rightto reside and the right to work which are basic to building up lives. English classes and otherforms training provide, 8t least. an opportunityto come outof isolation and join with others in shared undertakings. In many cases relationships are formed and continue into daily living. At best, some discovered their capacityto take on further leaming which opened doors to other networks and affillations. Scanned with Camscanner
R reported that"leaming English through your progrdm opened so many opportunrties. I'm now pursuing higher education. something I neverthought possible before. When I startedyour classes, I could barely introduce myself in English. I'm doing my bachelor's degree in social science at the local university. Your teachers didn't just teach me grammar and vocabulaw. theyinstilled in me the confidence to dre8m bigger. Thanks to your organisation I'm on track to become the first person in my familyto graduate from university". By supporting people in negotiatingthe whole range of problems we empowered them to build the substratum of arrangements that underpin a flourishing life. How MSS knows it made a difference We maintain 8 databasethat recordsthe issues encountered by newcomers and whether or notthey resolve their issues. We 8skforfeedb8ck and accounts of experience. We report regularlyto stakeholders on the progress, or not. ofthe project. We knew we had achieved success when other organizations began seeking our expertise and assistance. This recognition not only affirmed the value of ourwork but 8lso demonstrated the trust and respectwe've earned within the community. Their requests forourguidance reinforced our impact and inspired us to continue striving for excellence and good practice. How MSS will change Its workforthe better We had previouslyworked on the assumption that whatwas relevant to newcomers was 'settling in.. In the current tree year projectwe are guided tythe idea of accomparying migrants. or, as we named the project-'Walkingwith Migrants.. We wanted to learn fromthe migrants whattheywant ratherthan assume that we already know. We arrived at a model that looks at the migrant's transition as journey through phases of settling in, building relations. participating in the local community. and flourishing. An appropriate response on our part Is to Joumey alongslde and enable them to feelwelcome and safe. making progress, belonging, and contributingto and receivingfrom 8 community. We have come to understand that a comprehensive approach is called for. It includes legal assistsnce. language trdining. employment support, and access to healthca. Holistic support is necessary if migrants are to make the transition and flourish in their new surroundings. Projects that engage residents. employers. and Ioc8l organisations create a more supportive environment for migrants. Communtyinvolvement is keyto successful integration. Scanned with Camscanner
projects that encourage the sharing of traditions, languages. and experiences foster mutual respect and understanding. Integration is a two-way processwhere both migrants and host communities benefit from cultural exchange. Cultural exchange enriches everyone. Creating safe spaces where migrants feel secure and valued is crucial. Trust is built through consistent, reliable support and by protecting migrants, rights and dignity. Buildingtrust and safety is fundamental. Integration is not a quick process; it requires ongoing effort and resources. Projects must be designed wtth sustsinability in mind. ensuring continuous support for both migrants and the local communty. Long-temi commitment is requlred. OveralL awell-coordinated, empathetic approach that benefrts both migrants and the communttiesth8twelcome them is necessary. Ourexperience has been thatthevolume and complextyofthe issues thatproblems are dealt with one at a time and as efficiently as polble. This can lead to 8 transactional relationship WTth clients. We also need to spend time building relationships and communty. English classes and training events lend themselves more to thts approach. Our ne*( project should emphasise community building and integration. This emphasis is also indicated bythe violent expression of anti-migrant sentiment in England and Belfast in the Summer of 2024which suggests thatthe emphasis on pluralism and diversty needs to be balanced with emphasis on the commons- shared experience, shared understsndin& and co-responsibilityfora shared communty. A new challenge is beginning to emerge. namely. the arrival of asylum seekers who have experienced refusaL are awaitsng a decision about 8ppeaL They are destitute and often without somewhere to sleep. This requires 8 new response. Sfgned on behalf of the Tntstees Alicja Moates, Trustee, Chairperson Date: 1811112024 Brendan MacPartlin, Trustee, Secretary Date: 1811112024 Scanned with Camscanner