Equal - Digital Repository

Background 

 

Consisting of fourteen organizations the Empowering Asylum Seekers to Integrate Development Partnership (EASI DP) aims to tackle discrimination in the labour market.  The DP contributes to the social and vocational integration of asylum seekers by enabling them to acquire skills to prepare for employment once they receive permission to work. 

 

Partners have worked in areas relating to:

• orientation and preparation for the labour market
• capacity building and Refugee Community Organisations (RCOs)
• language, teaching and learning.

The work of the EASI DP encompasses activity from trialing ideas to developing products and good practice, which EASI recommends and promotes.

EASI promotes the ethos that asylum seekers have the right to be active and equal members of society.

Aims 

• To ensure that integration begins from the day of arrival.
• To promote integration is a two-way process shared by the newly arrived and the host community.
• To provide preparation for the labour market as this is crucial to successful integration.  
• To provide good information this is an essential step towards effective integration.  
• To inform asylum seekers of that they have the right to work, volunteer, train and study.
• To create a joined up partnership, strategic and front line approach to meet the complexities of integration.
• To ensure asylum seekers be eligible for ESOL courses from the day of their claim.
• To engage and deliver using the SEAL method, English language should be taught the way peoplelearn their mother tongue. 
• To provide a person-centered, online Personal Development Plan, to recognize the skills and expertise individual asylum seekers may have. 
• To provide mechanisms for engaging asylum seekers in worthwhile and therapeutic activities whilst waiting for a decision. 
• To provide asylum seekers with placements, training and language provision that builds on their skills and experience.
• To provide  volunteering aids wellbeing and enables asylum seekers to contribute to society.
• To promote  volunteering benefits to organisations, individuals and communities.

Objectives

• To ensure that ESF funds (European Social Fund) 2008-13 be made available for programmes for asylum seekers throughout UK, and should include a transnational element.
• To challenge Unfair existing UK policy and practice means EASI is concerned about:
• restrictions on some asylum seekers accessing ESOL classes.
• work restrictions imposed on most asylum seekers.

Activities 

A strategic and frontline partnership approach has meant that EASI succeeds:

• with consultation from the EASI Advisory Group
• in promoting volunteering in Europe including bringing volunteering   programmes for asylum seekers to Hungarian regional labour offices
• in empowering women by delivering accelerated English courses where they    live.
• in influencing policy relating to access to ESOL classes.
• in providing asylum seekers with greater knowledge of their rights and entitlements.
• in influencing policy; volunteering can now be accredited.
• in influencing policy; asylum seekers are eligible for Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funding after six months.

EASI shares its findings with practitioners and policy makers in 2007 through:

• networks and meetings,
• conferences and workshops,
• good practice guides,
• on-line materials,
• videos and training packs,
• meetings with transational partners
• meetings with European policy makers
• contributing to consultations on national and European asylum policy

Target Groups

Asylum Seekers

This development partnership was not involved in round one.

British Refugee Council ( Training & Employment), Islington African Project, Islington Enterprise Agency, Kurdish Disability Organisation, London Advisory Services Alliance, North of England Refugee Service

Action 2: 31 March 2008
Action 3: 31 March 2008

The programme was developed in response to the indetified need by the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) and is focussed on high dispersal areas especially London which has the highest number of Asylum Seekers (20,905 as at March 2004) and the majority (19,920 access) EASI services for support only