Developed for you, on demand: In-house training
Key issues in asylum
Frequent changes to asylum legislation and policy can make it difficult to get on top of the issues and to ensure you are offering your clients the best advice or most effective practice. This course allows your organisation to meet this challenge, by providing your staff with an introduction to the key structures in the asylum system:
- The distinctions between refugees, asylum seekers and other migrant groups
- The current international context of asylum and the causes of flight of refugees
- The current legislative structure including the New Asylum Model (NAM)
- Where asylum applications are lodged (at port and in-country)
- The role and structure of the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) Asylum Teams
- The Case resolution programme
- The asylum determination process including the appeal process
This course is particularly useful for: Organisations with regular intakes of staff that is new to the asylum sector or those wanting to update their procedures in light of new policy and legislation.
This course is available to take separately, as a one-day course, but is designed to complement An introduction to asylum support over a two-day period. Delegates taking both courses together, as a two-day course benefit from a discount on fees.
You might also benefit from: The Information Service, www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/informationservice
An introduction to asylum support
This interactive course explores routes of access to entitlements for asylum seekers in relation to key non-governmental and governmental structures, including an examination of recent changes to the BIA support system. Learning will be put in the context of your organisation’s day-to-day work, demonstrating routes through this complex process for staff that are new to the asylum field.
Staff members who complete the course will gain a practical understanding of:
- The dispersal process
- The different asylum support options
- Change of circumstances
- Routes of access to basic entitlements
- The BIA Asylum Support System and changes to support provisions
- The role of the BIA Asylum Teams
- Possible restrictions in the support process (Section 55 and Section 57)
- Support under recent legislation
- Possible implications of future changes in policy and procedure
This course is particularly useful for: Organisations with regular intake of staff that is new to the asylum sector or those wanting to update their procedures in light of new policy and legislation.
This course is available to take separately, as a one-day course, but is designed to complement Key issues in asylum over a two-day period. Delegates taking both courses together, as a two-day course benefit from a 10% discount on fees.
You might also benefit from: The Information Service, www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/informationservice
The Refugee Council Therapeutic Casework Model: Supporting clients with mental wellbeing needs (NEW)
This course introduces Therapeutic casework, a model developed by the Refugee Council Specialist Team for clients with mental wellbeing and psychosocial needs. The model combines counselling and advocacy to address internal emotional distress as well as the external, practical problems which cause it.
The session will allow your staff to discuss case-material in the context of their own work, and give them a chance to practice skills. Staff attending the course will gain a practical understanding of:
- The main causes of distress and disturbance in asylum seeking/ refugee clients, including trauma, loss and anxiety
- The differences and similarities between distress and mental illness
- Therapeutic Casework and the distinction from other models of casework/ therapeutic intervention
- Holistic assessment of psychosocial needs
- The principles of risk assessment in terms of this client group
This model is being evaluated by the Centre for Migration and Social Care (MASC) of the University of Kent.
Media relations (NEW)
See inside a newsroom and understand how news works. Through interactive sessions and role-play exercises this course will enable your employees to develop relationships with the media, as well as giving advice on how to handle various realistic news scenarios including ‘crisis’ situations. Though asylum, immigration and cohesion issues will be used to illustrate the process, staff-members will be able to apply the knowledge to any subject.
The course will enable your spokespeople to feel positive and confident about dealing with the media and encouraged to carry out proactive media work, particularly on community relations.
- How the media works
- How they can work co-operatively with the media
- How they can get positive news into the media
- How they can effectively respond to negative news
- Why the media is nothing to be scared of and journalists are everyday people
Why not sign-up for our News review: www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/signup
Cultural aspects of working with refugees and asylum seekers
Misunderstandings between service providers and refugees can be avoided by gaining a greater understanding of the way culture shapes behaviour and perceptions. This course will help your employees to think through their assumptions and preconceptions by examining their own culture and that of others, before looking at the impact on your service provision, leaving them with a practical understanding of:
- What it means to be a refugee or asylum seeker and the differences between these two groups
- Why they may have left their own country and are now in the UK
- Differences between their cultures and that in the UK and how this may affect the refugee experience of life here and staff-members’ own contact with refugees
Working with interpreters
Providing interpretation is a critical function of most advice services, this in-depth study of this area will provide your staff with theoretical and practical information on how to develop and implement good practice when working with interpreters, as well as providing an overview of the legal framework.
This course will enable employees involved in service provision to further develop or improve current practice, as well as providing practical advice on how to facilitate communication through interpreters, by giving them an understanding of:
- The legal framework
- The duties and responsibilities placed on service providers
- The needs of asylum seekers and refugees
- Good practice in working with interpreters at different stages of contact with refugees and asylum seekers
- Cross cultural communication
- How to access trained interpreters
- Current interpreting qualifications
You might also benefit from: Refugee Council client information in 18 languages, plus English: http://languages.refugeecouncil.org.uk/
An introduction to working with unaccompanied children
This course will contextualise young asylum-seekers within wider services for children, offering insights into their unique experiences and needs before exploring how best to respond to the difficulties they may be facing.
Your staff will receive an overview of the relevant policy and processes involved in working with unaccompanied children, which will be related back to the day-to-day realities of your organisation, giving them a practical understanding of:
- Who unaccompanied children are
- Asylum determination, lodging an application and the New Asylum Model
- The roles of different adults in the system
- The legal and policy framework for support and care, including the Children Act
- The impact of the asylum process on care planning
- Common issues faced by unaccompanied children and those working with them
Age assessment awareness and working with age-disputed young people
Ensuring the wellbeing of refugee children and young people is at the heart of this course, which aims to give your employees the confidence and information they need to challenge assessments, and the tools to ensure that the correct processes are in place in your organisation. The course encourages your staff-members to discuss issues, using real-life case-examples. On completing the course, participants will have a practical understanding of:
- The experiences of age-disputed refugee children and young people
- The impact of cultural background on the age assessment process
- The legislative and policy framework of Children’s Services and the Border and Immigration Agency
Did you know: The Refugee Council has a dedicated Children's Panel, offering advice to practitioners on 0207 346 1134
Emotional wellbeing of refugee children and young people
This course will examine the emotional impact of the experiences that refugee children and young people face as they flee from their home-countries and settle within the UK. It will provide your employees with the tools to assess their own working practices, to identify factors which are detrimental to emotional wellbeing and to devise strategies for providing appropriate care and support. On completing this course, participants will have a practical understanding of:
- The experiences of refugee children and young people
- The impact of trauma and loss on mental health
- Risk and protective factors
- Problems refugee children and young people may encounter in the UK
- The importance of appropriate support and access to education
- Cultural backgrounds and coping mechanisms
Working with refugee and asylum seeking children in schools
This course will provide an opportunity to examine the specific needs of refugee pupils, including those new to schooling in the UK, and investigate positive strategies to support inclusion within the context of the DfES Aiming High and the Every Child Matters strategies, underpinned by the Education Act 2004.
Your staff will have the opportunity to reflect on and evaluate their own practice, as well as that of the organisation as a whole, leaving them with a practical understanding of:
- The 'refugee experience' - psychological, cultural and social
- Asylum legislation and support and the impact on refugee children, including unaccompanied asylum seeking children
- The needs of new arrivals, particularly as they go through the induction process
- Supporting the emotional wellbeing of pupils
- Teaching strategies to promote inclusion and achievement
- Whole school policies and strategies to promote inclusion and achievement
You might also benefit from: Refugees: A resource book for primary schools, Refugees: We left because we had to (for secondary schools) and Supporting refugee children in 21st Century Britain: www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/eshop
Widening participation of asylum seekers and refugees in further and higher education
This course uses practical ideas to staff working within post-16 learning to develop widening participation strategies to facilitate recruitment, retention, achievement and progression of refugees and asylum seekers. The course gives your employees an overview of:
- The distinctions between refugees, asylum seekers and other migrant groups
- Immigration and asylum legislation
- Asylum, further and higher education policies that impact on access learning and training, including Learning and Skills Council funding eligibility
- Barriers that prevent refugees and asylum seekers from participating in post-16 education
- Good practice in widening participation in your setting, including engaging with refugee community organisations and agencies
You might also be interested in: The Information Service, which has a section dedicated to post-16 education, www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/informationservice
Recruiting and retaining refugee jobseekers
This course gives staff working in human-resources and careers advice roles the facts about recruiting and retaining refugees. The course provides an overview of the legal framework, insights into the barriers facing refugees and asylum seekers as well as strategies for the recruitment and development of refugee staff. By completing the course, participants will have an understanding of:
- The distinctions between refugees, asylum seekers and other migrant groups
- Immigration and asylum legislation, including the new Home Office guidance on preventing illegal working
- Good practice in recruitment and selection of refugee jobseekers
- Strategies for training and developing refugee staff
- The problems encountered by refugees seeking employment in the UK
You might also be interested in: Building better partnerships, Advice and guidance on developing multi-agency partnerships to enable integration: www.refugeecouncil.org.uk
Refugee and asylum issues for business advisers
By completing this course, members of staff providing business advice will be empowered to better support refugees who wish to start their own business in the UK. The course aims to develop understanding of refugee issues, the legal framework for asylum, rights and entitlements for work in the UK and the role of Refugee Community Organisations and agencies. On completing the course, employees will be familiar with:
- The distinctions between refugees, asylum seekers and other migrant groups
- The refugee experience and asylum process
- Immigration and asylum legislation
- Rights, entitlements and responsibilities for refugee employers and employees
- Barriers to employment and business start up faced by refugees
- The skill level and employment experience of asylum seekers and refugees
- Partnership working, social enterprise and mentoring
This course has been accredited by SFEDI, and relates to their eight core standards for business support, in particular:
- Unit 1: Maintain effective business support relationships with clients
- Unit 2: Help the client to analyse the business and decide the way forward
- Unit 3: Enable clients to implement changes in their business
- Unit 4: Encourage business support clients to act for themselves
And in addition:
- Unit 5: Develop business support networks to provide access to information and other resources
- Unit 6: Evaluate the quality of your own practice in business support
- Unit 7: Develop your own ability to provide business support
- Unit 8: Monitor the performance of the business support service
The programme does not cover the whole requirements for a business adviser, but it relates to the requirements of an adviser of refugee clients as a subject area, relating to the elements of each unit. It is an additional skill that will be used in context to the Business Support standards.
You might also be interested in: The Refugees into Business project:
www.refugeesintobusiness.org.uk
