East of England

The East of England One Stop Service provides:

• Advice on asylum issues and the NASS support system
• Support for clients at the end of the asylum process (‘Section 4’ or ‘hard case support’),
• Information on voluntary returns
• Information on ‘move on’ assistance for individuals who have been granted leave to remain in the UK
• Access to services such as legal advice, edcuation, training and health care.

We have dedicated and experienced frontline staff who have been involved with the Asylum Support system since the establishment of National Asylum Support Service in 2000. In 2005 we provided over 5000 advice sessions to clients. We are increasingly helping asylum seekers with end-of-process issues, including those faced with destitution.

For clients with little or no English, advice is available in many refugee languages.

Opening Hours:
Monday: 10am–1pm & 2pm–4pm
Tuesday: 10am–1pm & 2pm–4pm
Wednesday: Closed, except for emergencies
Thursday: 10am–1pm & 2pm–4pm
Friday: 10am–1pm

Other services

Training and Awareness Project

The Training and Awareness Project works with asylum seekers and refugees in Peterborough. The aim of the project is to provide information and training for new arrivals to help them integrate into the city and access the full range of local services.

In consultation with a variety of client groups, agencies and service providers in the local area, Refugee Council has developed a course entitled ‘Living in Peterborough’. The course is run at the New Link Centre in Peterborough and has been embedded into ESOL courses (English for Speakers of Other Languages) across the city. Modules cover a range of topics including emergency services, rights, responsibilities, legal issues, services, health, housing, education and employment. Since the Project started in April 2004 over 900 people have benefited from the scheme.

The Training and Awareness Project has now entered its third and final year, which will focus on recruiting and training volunteers from the client groups to present future courses and extend the life of the project.

Mentoring

The Refugee Council in partnership with Time Together provides a mentoring service for refugees in Ipswich and Norwich. It’s an exciting and effective project whereby mentors spend about 5 hours a month with a refugee over the period of a year. Mentors help their mentee integrate in the UK by sharing their knowledge and experience of the English language and the British system. This can vary from helping to write a CV and practising English to visiting a museum or going to a football match!

It also gives mentors the opportunity to meet people from different cultures and develop their own personal skills. We are looking for both mentors and mentees, so if you are interested, please visit the Time Together website on: www.timetogether.org.uk or contact the East of England Regional Office

Volunteering

There are plenty of oppurtunities to volunteer at our East of England office. Go to our Volunteering section to find out more.

Gateway programme

Gateway is a programme set-up by the UK Government and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, aiming to identify some of the world’s most vulnerable refugees in order to resettle to the UK where they can rebuild their lives in safety.

Norwich is the first location in the East of England to become involved in Gateway and between December 2006 and February 2007 sixty-three individuals (including thirty-four children) arrived in Norwich from refugee camps in Zambia.

The Refugee Council in partnership with the Red Cross and Norfolk County Council works with the refugees after their arrival in the UK in order to assist their integration into their local community. Ultimately our task is to assist the refugees within twelve months to become self-sufficient and able to live independently - working, studying and participating in local life.

Go to the Resettlement programme to find out more.

Refugee Integration and Employment Service (RIES)

RIES is a new service funded by the UK Border Agency (UKBA). Refugee Council are providing this service as the lead contractor in the East of England. The service aims to help and support newly-recognised refugees to integrate smoothly and quickly into UK society